The timetables for the Japanese Grand Prix arrive this evening because tomorrow morning, as early as dawn, hostilities will have already started. At the last Aragon GP, Enea Bastianini took his fourth MotoGP victory, after Qatar, Americas and France earlier in the season. He thus became the fifth Ducati rider to have won more than three times in the category, three fewer than Loris Capirossi.
The victory of bastianini is the fifth for a pilot Ducati from an independent MotoGP team, adding to those of this year and that of George Martin last year in Styria. With the victory of bastianini and 14th place in Cal Crutchlow, the best driver Yamaha at the arrival, Ducati wins the MotoGP Manufacturers' World Championship for the fourth time in the premier class (and the third time in a row).
Francis Bagnaia finished second at the Aragon GP for his 17th MotoGP podium, all with Ducati, two less than his teammate Jack Miller, who occupies fourth place on the list of drivers Ducati with the most podiums in the premier category. Casey Stoner leads the way with 42 podiums with the Bologna factory.
With five podiums in five successive races, bagnaia is the second rider on the current MotoGP grid to have achieved this feat with Marc Marquez et Dovizioso. By bastianini et bagnaia, this is the 21st consecutive MotoGP race with at least one rider Ducati on the podium, which extends the Bologna factory record in this category. In addition, the pilots Ducati have stood on 24 podiums since the first race of the year in Qatar, equaling the Bologna factory record in the category set last year.
Aleix Espargaró finished third in the Aragon GP for his eighth MotoGP podium, his sixth since the start of the season, and the first since the Italian GP where he was also third. He is the only rider to have scored points in all 15 MotoGP races of the season.
Brad Binder finished fourth at MotorLand Aragon, which is the best result by a KTM since Miguel Oliveira at the Indonesian GP earlier this year. alex rins finished ninth as best Suzuki and rides a Japanese motorcycle, which is the first time there has not been a motorcycle from a Japanese manufacturer in the top eight. This is the first time since Opatija in 1969 that no motorcycle from a Japanese manufacturer has appeared in the top 8 of a premier class race.
The leader of the Championship, fabio quartararo, crashed in Aragon and now leads the MotoGP World Championship with only 10 points ahead of bagnaia. After the German GP, bagnaia was 91 points behind Quartararo.
At the Aragon GP, Marco Bezzecchi finished 10th and the only one of this year's five MotoGP rookies in the points. He still leads the fight for the Rookie of the Year title with 74 points ahead By Giannantonio (23 points), Darryn binder (10) Remy Gardner (9) et Raul fernandez (8)
With bastianini (P1), bagnaia (P2), Miller (P5), Martin (P6), Luca marini (P7), zarco (P8) and Bezzecchi (P10), this is the first time that there are seven drivers Ducati in the top 10 of a premier category race. In Aragon, Alex Marquez finished 12th place as best driver Honda. Since the opening race in Qatar with Pol Espargaro in third position, no driver Honda has not been on the podium in 14 consecutive races, extending the longest streak without a podium in the premier class since the Japanese manufacturer's full-time return to the premier class in 1982.
In Japan, Ducati can still take the lion's share
Only one of the five rookies in MotoGP this year has already won in Japan in one of the lower classes: Bezzecchi in 2018 (Moto3). He also finished third in Moto3 in 2017, his first GP podium.
Since the introduction of the MotoGP category in 2002, Honda scored nine victories at Motegi, including victories with Marc Marquez and in 2018 2019.
Ducati took five MotoGP victories at Motegi, the last of which with Andrea Dovizioso in 2017 in wet weather. The other two pilots Ducati to have won on the Japanese circuit are Loris Capirossi (2005, 2006 and 2007) and Casey Stoner (2010). Two pilots Ducati qualified in pole position in Japan: Loris Capirossi (2005 and 2006) and Andrea Dovizioso (2014 and 2018).
Yamaha has won the MotoGP race at Motegi four times, most recently in 2014 with Jorge Lorenzo. The last podium for Yamaha riders at Motegi dates back to 2019, fabio quartararo having taken second place.
Suzuki and Kenny Roberts Jr. won the first Grand Prix of the premier class (500cc) held at Motegi in 1999 and also the victory in 2000. Since the introduction of MotoGP in 2002, the third place of Maverick Vinales in 2016 and third place inAlex Rins in 2018 are Suzuki's only podiums at Motegi.
Aprilia's best result in MotoGP at Motegi is P7 with Alvaro Bautista and in 2016 Aleix Espargaro in 2017. The Best MotoGP result of a KTM in Japan is a P11 with Pol Espargaro in 2017 and 2019.
What will this sixteenth of the twenty rounds of the calendar have in store for us? MotoGP in Japan with high stakes since the first three in the general classification are now united in 17 points? To find out, you won't have to miss anything from the event as soon as it starts this Friday. Here is the program for the first of the three days of play.
Motul Grand Prix of Japan
Friday, September 23:
06:15 – 06:55: Moto3 FP1
07:10 – 07:50: Moto2 FP1
08:05 p.m. – 09:20 p.m.: MotoGP FP1
