MotoGP Japan J3 Michelin: New absolute record at Mobility Resort Motegi in Power Slick, and 12 laps of racing in pouring rain with Power Rain

• Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) takes pole position by setting the new absolute record at Mobility Resort Motegi in 1'43.198. He improves by 6 tenths the previous record of Jorge Lorenzo, who had stood since 2015.
• Jorge Martin dominates the Tissot Sprint by setting fast and consistent lap times. All drivers were equipped with Hard tires at the front and Soft at the rear.
• Jorge Martin is also the winner of a complicated Grand Prix, stopped after 12 laps because of conditions that had become extreme. On the program: start on slick tires in the rain, change of motorbike and spectacular fights in increasingly intense rain on MICHELIN Power Rain tires.

the 14^rd Grand Prix of the 2023 season took place on the Motegi circuit, two hours from Tokyo (Japan). The Mobility Resort Motegi has hosted MotoGP™ since 1999, with a route spanning 4,801 km and comprising four straights, six left turns and eight right turns. Located in the heart of the Japanese countryside, in a heavily wooded mountainous area, the Motegi circuit (owned by Honda) can be affected by unpredictable weather.

During the first part of the weekend, it was relatively mild, but the temperature changes and the high humidity still present in the air caused the level of grip on the track to change randomly. The race took place in the rain and was interrupted after 12 laps, out of the 24 initially planned, due to excessive precipitation.

The two Friday practice sessions took place on a dry and fast track. Brad Binder (KTM Factory Racing) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) broke the absolute lap record, which had belonged to Jorge Lorenzo since 2015.

During the night from Friday to Saturday, the rain “swept” the track and on Saturday morning the drivers found a more slippery surface than that of the day before. Despite this overall reduction in grip, in Q2 Jorge Martin took pole position by establishing the new absolute circuit record in 1'43.198, well 6 tenths faster than Lorenzo in 2015.

The Tissot Sprint took place in the afternoon over a distance of 12 laps. All the drivers selected Hard tires at the front and Soft at the rear, which was a bet on the consistency of the Michelin compounds. Starting at the head of the peloton, Jorge Martin maintained a particularly strong pace throughout the race, building a significant gap with his pursuers. Brad Binder was the only driver able to follow the Spaniard, while accumulating 1,4s behind at the finish line. Francesco Bagnaia ranks third in the Tissot Sprint, 5,3s behind the winner. The choice of tires was therefore well adapted, and the Soft rear was used to 100% of its potential.

Jorge Martin is also the winner of Sunday's Grand Prix, a race greatly complicated by rain. After a start on slick tires, while the first drops were already falling, the riders returned to the pits to change bikes, and especially tires. Now equipped with MICHELIN Power Rain, they engaged in great sporting battles... until the 12th^rd lap, when the track became impassable due to the pouring rain. The Race Direction then decreed the end of hostilities. Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) finished this shortened race in second and third place.

« Despite the rain on Sunday, it was an overall positive weekend for Michelin, and the drivers were able to count on the performance of the Michelin tires throughout the many changes in grip on the track. »Says Piero Taramasso, manager of Michelin's two-wheel competition. “ With very violent braking, strong acceleration and even banking, the Mobility Resort Motegi places particular demands on the tires both in terms of structure and rubber. Our MICHELIN Power Slick range even exceeded expectations and Jorge Martin shattered the absolute record for the 2015 track, improving it by 6 tenths of a second... even though the track was not at its best level of grip. The Grand Prix was affected by rain, which surprised teams and drivers just moments before the start. The switch to MICHELIN Power Rain tires allowed the event to run smoothly until mid-race, when the sharp deterioration in weather conditions prevented hostilities from continuing. »

The next round of the FIM MotoGP World Championship will take place in Indonesia from October 13 to 15, 2023, at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit. It opens a three-race series and will be followed by the Guru by Gryfyn Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix (October 20-22 at the Phillip Island circuit, Australia), as well as the OR Thailand Grand Prix (October 27-29). at the Chang International Circuit, Thailand).

MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix results at Motegi: