There were many falls today, all categories combined. 27 in total. The explanations can be multiple, ranging from a dirty track in the morning to track temperatures cooling very quickly from mid-afternoon.
Here is some news from the injured.
Dani Pedrosa: “I am obviously very sad about what happened, as I was looking forward to racing in Japan at Honda's home circuit and at one of my favorite tracks. I was on the exit lap of my last run in FP2 when I momentarily lost the rear entering turn #11, and when the tire regained grip again, it propelled me into the airs. There isn't much more to say; now I just want to focus on my recovery to get back on my bike as soon as possible. My best wishes to Hiro [Aoyama], who replaces me and will race in front of the home crowd. »
Note: Broken right collarbone, Dani Pedrosa flew back to Spain to see Doctor Mir.
Eugene Laverty: “The afternoon tests went very well. I started the session with the hard rear tire, I was doing really good times with the right pace and I got up to thirteenth position. Also, towards the end we tried the soft rear tire and I noticed it took longer to warm up, so I tried to be careful. But on the first lap, I crashed in the fast curve #6 when the rear tire slipped. I was quite lucky in some ways, because it was a huge accident. Luckily the scan results were completely clear and I'm planning to ride tomorrow. I would like to thank the staff at Motegi Circuit, the MotoGP doctors and the mobile clinic staff for taking care of me. »
Note: Eugene Laverty will have to undergo a test tomorrow morning before receiving the green light to ride.
alex rins: “It was a very difficult day. In the morning, I didn't feel comfortable with the setting we had chosen. We changed for the afternoon practice session and I felt comfortable with the bike until I crashed. I took a hard blow to the shoulder where I injured my collarbone and the truth is that I'm really in a lot of pain. »
Note: Alex Rins suffers a bruised shoulder but does not suffer any fractures.
Rei Sato, a Japanese wild card driver, is also under observation after getting up with pain in his right ankle.
