Reale Avintia Racing team rider Xavier Simeon had his best Friday in MotoGP at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit, finishing 16th just 1,6s behind the fastest rider, Andrea Dovizioso.
The first day of testing at the Japanese Grand Prix was disrupted by intermittent rain showers ahead of the second free practice session, costing the Spanish team valuable time in finding the best possible settings for the bikes. . But in the morning, Xavier Siméon was fast and consistent on a dry track, reporting positive sensations with the Ducati GP17 particularly at ease on this on/off circuit.
During the afternoon session which started in the wet, the Belgian driver was one of the few riders to go out in these difficult conditions. He finished 8th after running slicks in the final minutes of the session, when the track began to dry.
Xavier Simeon : “It was my best first day in MotoGP and I am very happy. Every time I ride the bike I feel better and it's a relief to see myself higher on the timesheets. In the afternoon, the track was never completely dry. But in the end, we did the last pass on slicks. The feeling was positive and I gained more experience in these difficult conditions. It's a stop-and-go circuit and our bike performs very well. I hope to continue on this path tomorrow.”
MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix J.1 classification:
| 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 |
