The Japanese Grand Prix started under good auspices for the Aprilia troops. The duo racing in RS-GP applied for a top 10 finish which was finally integrated Aleix Espargaró. But what is new is a Scott Redding on pace with a promising twelfth place. There is a reason for this improvement. What does the eldest Espargaró give us…
A tenth place for Aleix Espargaró and a twelfth for his teammate Redding with, between the two, a certain Dani Pedrosa. Yes, the meeting at Motegi started well for the men of the Noale firm: “ I'm happy to be in the top 10, because if the rain gets involved, I will have already done most of it." says the Spaniard. “I feel good on the bike. Braking stability has always been the primary quality of our bike and it is expressed particularly well on this track. ».
He finishes : " the FP2 had no use due to track conditions. Turning there with slicks wouldn't have brought anything, so we stayed in the box ».
For its part, Scott Redding adds: “ I was surprised by the performance this morning. I had a good feeling from the start, I also made a few mistakes which cost me a few tenths per lap. After Aragon, I took a step forward in terms of confidence with the RS-GP. I know it will be difficult to repeat this tomorrow, especially in the dry, but we will continue to work for the race. In FP2 I didn't want to waste wet tires so I waited for the track to dry and I have to say I really enjoyed driving in these conditions ". To the point that he was second behind Dani Pedrosa !
Japanese Grand Prix, Motegi, MotoGP J.1: times.
| 1 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 1'45.358 | ||
| 2 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 1'45.463 | 0.105 | 0.105 |
| 3 | 5 | johann zarco | Yamaha | 1'45.483 | 0.125 | 0.020 |
| 4 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda | 1'45.498 | 0.140 | 0.015 |
| 5 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 1'45.640 | 0.282 | 0.142 |
| 6 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | 1'46.030 | 0.672 | 0.390 |
| 7 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Ducati | 1'46.210 | 0.852 | 0.180 |
| 8 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati | 1'46.265 | 0.907 | 0.055 |
| 9 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | 1'46.329 | 0.971 | 0.064 |
| 10 | 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 1'46.526 | 1.168 | 0.197 |
| 11 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | 1'46.568 | 1.210 | 0.042 |
| 12 | 45 | Scott REDDING | Aprilia | 1'46.854 | 1.496 | 0.286 |
| 13 | 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | 1'46.856 | 1.498 | 0.002 |
| 14 | 44 | Pol Espargaró | KTM | 1'46.859 | 1.501 | 0.003 |
| 15 | 89 | Katsuyuki NAKASUGA | Yamaha | 1'46.872 | 1.514 | 0.013 |
| 16 | 10 | Xavier SIMEON | Ducati | 1'46.998 | 1.640 | 0.126 |
| 17 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | 1'47.054 | 1.696 | 0.056 |
| 18 | 38 | Bradley SMITH | KTM | 1'47.137 | 1.779 | 0.083 |
| 19 | 42 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 1'47.187 | 1.829 | 0.050 |
| 20 | 21 | Frank MORBIDELLI | Honda | 1'47.428 | 2.070 | 0.241 |
| 21 | 50 | Sylvain GUINTOLI | Suzuki | 1'47.537 | 2.179 | 0.109 |
| 22 | 81 | Jordi TORRES | Ducati | 1'47.665 | 2.307 | 0.128 |
| 23 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | 1'47.716 | 2.358 | 0.051 |
| 24 | 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | Yamaha | 1'47.726 | 2.368 | 0.010 |
| 25 | 12 | Thomas LUTHI | Honda | 1'47.833 | 2.475 | 0.107 |
| 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati |
