#JapaneseGP MotoGP J.1 Aleix Espargaro fantastic third

After his excellent sixth place obtained in Aragon ahead of Andrea Dovizioso, Aleix was extremely satisfied with the performance of his Aprilia, and confident for the Japanese Grand Prix on the Twin Ring Motegi track which was rather favorable to the characteristics of his RS-GP.

The Japanese circuit is in fact of the acceleration-braking type (a bit like the Bugatti at Le Mans) and has a surface offering very good grip. These are ideal conditions for the Aprilia, which does not have to face long straight lines, nor rapid curves or successions with sequences.

Espargaro played his card perfectly in the wet, obtaining an incredible second time during the first free practice session in 1'56.2, 0.8 behind leader Marc Marquez.

What could have passed for a flash in the pan was confirmed in the afternoon with the third time, in 1'55.0, just a tenth offAndrea Dovizioso et Marc Marquez, the two leaders of the World Championship in the middle of a fight. Everything is going well for Aleix, who we hope will be able to continue his festival even if the bad weather becomes rarer.

To Alex Espargaro, who are " In the dry as well as in the wet, as long as the grip is high, I feel comfortable and the Aprilia behaves well. We suffer more when the track is slippery, especially when it is wet. »

“At Motegi the grip seems pretty good and the Michelins work well in these conditions. This allows me to enjoy the bike and to be competitive. It's a good start to the weekend for us.  »

“For the Asian events, like the one in Valencia, our goal is to fight in the top 6, as we did in Aragón. But considering what we showed today, finishing in the top 3 in each session, we can dream of fighting for the podium, we will see. »

“I'm happy overall. Every time we drive in the rain and when the asphalt offers a lot of grip, we are competitive. The Aprilia and Yamaha need a dry surface with plenty of grip. The Ducati seems better on low-grip tracks like Barcelona and Assen. On the other hand, we suffered a lot in Barcelona and Assen. »

“I felt really good today, the driving was really fun. We are competitive here, we fitted new tires in the last three laps, then I really pushed, we were with the front tire at the limit, but it was exciting, I attacked like in the dry. I made a big mistake in the last sector, and maybe the best time would have been possible, but it was fun to do those laps on the limit. »

“At the start of the year we couldn't count on the fact that we were going to be in front, especially not in the wet. For the rain, these are not my most expensive conditions, we were also close to the top 5 in Aragon, and today we are in the top three in the rain, we have grown immensely, I am very proud of that. I have a lot of energy to finish the season in the leading group. My feeling tells me that in 2018 we will be able to fight for fifth place in the World Championship, it would be a dream. »

Ranking :

1. Andrea Dovizioso-Ducati Team (GP17) 1'54.877
2. Marc Marquez-Repsol Honda (RC213V) 1'54.920 +0.043
3. Aleix Espargaro-Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 1'55.061 +0.184
4. Jorge Lorenzo-Ducati Team (GP17) 1'55.234 +0.357
5. Johann Zarco-Monster Yamaha Tech3 (YZR-M1) 1'55.468 +0.591
6. Danilo Petrucci-Octo Pramac (GP17) 1'55.541 +0.664
7. Andrea Iannone-Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1'55.614 +0.737
8. Dani Pedrosa-Repsol Honda (RC213V) 1'55.773 +0.896
9. Cal Crutchlow-LCR Honda (RC213V) 1'56.149 +1.272
10. Alex Rins-Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1'56.229 +1.352
11. Maverick Viñales-Movistar Yamaha (YZR-M1) 1'56.376 +1.499
12. Valentino Rossi-Movistar Yamaha (YZR-M1) 1'56.435 +1.558
13. Kohta Nozane-Monster Yamaha Tech3 (YZR-M1) 1'56.453 +1.576
14. Scott Redding-Octo Pramac (GP16) 1'56.680 +1.803
15. Karel Abraham-Pull&Bear Aspar (GP15) 1'56.776 +1.899
16. Alvaro Bautista-Pull&Bear Aspar (GP16) 1'56.827 +1.950
17. Bradley Smith-Red Bull KTM Factory (RC16) 1'56.853 +1.976
18. Pol Espargaro-Red Bull KTM Factory (RC16) 1'56.872 +1.995
19. Sam Lowes-Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 1'57.250 +2.373
20. Loris Baz-Reale Avintia (GP15) 1'57.259 +2.382
21. Hector Barbera-Reale Avintia (GP16) 1'57.540 +2.663
22. Hiroshi Aoyama-EG 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1'57.548 +2.671
23. Tito Rabat-EG 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1'57.645 +2.768
24. Katsuyuki Nakasuga-Yamaha Factory (YZR-M1) 1'58.341 +3.464

Provisional ranking of the World Championship:

1 Marc MARQUEZ-Honda 224 points

2 Andrea DOVIZIOSO-Ducati 208

3 Maverick VIÑALES-Yamaha 196

4 Dani PEDROSA-Honda 170

5 Valentino ROSSI-Yamaha 168

6 Johann ZARCO-Yamaha 117

7 Jorge LORENZO-Ducati 106

8 Danilo PETRUCCI-Ducati 95

9 Cal CRUTCHLOW-Honda 92

10 Jonas FOLGER-Yamaha 84

11 Alvaro BAUTISTA-Ducati 70

12 Jack MILLER-Honda 56

13 Scott REDDING-Ducati 56

14 Aleix ESPARGARO-Aprilia 53

15 Loris BAZ-Ducati 39

16 Andrea IANNONE-Suzuki 37

17 Pol ESPARGARO-KTM 37

18 Karel ABRAHAM-Ducati 28

19 Tito RABAT-Honda 28

20 Alex RINS-Suzuki 27

Title photo © motogp.com / Dorna