Get quick access to your favorite articles Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers Make your voice heard with article commenting Dandelion Racing extended its winning streak in Super Formula as Kakunoshin Ohta led another one-two finish for the Honda-powered team at Motegi on Sunday Ohta was the major beneficiary of a first-lap safety car period that prompted the majority of the field to pit immediately and clear their mandatory stops, having started second on the grid behind poleman Kenta Yamashita Kondo Racing’s Yamashita who took pole by a huge margin of over half a second but a slower stop allowed Ohta to get the jump Shortly afterwards Yamashita slowed with a loose right-rear tyre trundling back to the pits with his hopes of a first victory since 2019 ruined At the head of the field, Ohta’s Dandelion team-mate Tadasuke Makino led a group of seven drivers who stayed out, which also included Ayumu Iwasa’s Team Mugen car With no choice but to try and go as long as possible on his first set of tyres Makino made it as far as lap 23 of 37 before coming in for fresh rubber That put Ohta back into a comfortable lead, while Makino slipped behind first-lap stoppers Sacha Fenestraz, Sena Sakaguchi and Kazuya Oshima before quickly picking off all three drivers once his new tyres were up to temperature After clearing Fenestraz for a net second on lap 27 Makino faced a deficit of 12 seconds to Ohta but the latter was able to manage his pace on older rubber to perfection as Dandelion celebrated its second consecutive one-two finish but with its drivers in the opposite order to Saturday’s opener Iwasa meanwhile was able to make use of his strong race pace to grab third overcutting Fenestraz to put the frustration of his DNF on Saturday behind him TOM’S driver Fenestraz hung on for fourth place, leading home Sakaguchi’s Inging machine, Oshima’s Rookie Racing car and Toshiki Oyu in the second Inging car Tomoki Nojiri (Mugen) fended off Zak O’Sullivan (Kondo) for the final point in 10th as his difficult start to the season continued Sho Tsuboi (TOM’S) was among the minority of drivers not to pit on the first lap and was running third until clutch trouble forced him to slow ultimately leaving the reigning champion multiple laps down at the finish Ohta’s win puts him back in the lead of the drivers’ standings on 61 points while Iwasa moves back up to third on 41 points with eight races remaining From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport In order to keep delivering our expert journalism we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker Two-time and defending World Champion Francesco Bagnaia won the MotoGP World Championship Tissot Sprint Race Saturday at Motegi Riding his Lenovo Ducati on Michelin control tires Bagnaia won the 12-lap race by just 0.181-second.  His teammate Enea Bastianini was the runner-up Championship points leader Jorge Martin was fourth on his Prima Pramac Ducati Bagnaia is 15 points behind his principal title rival Martin Tissot Sprint MotoGP Results World Championship Classification Bagnaia capitalises as Acosta slides out and Bastianini duels Marquez at Motegi.  The Italian secures Tissot Sprint victory ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) has powered to an impressive Tissot Sprint victory at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan initially claiming the lead before keeping his cool and charging to victory on Saturday Bagnaia has brought the title gap down to just 15 points ahead of Sunday after Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) could only manage fourth – fighting from P11 on the grid Bagnaia would defeat Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) after the pair had their own breathtaking battle and with variable conditions throughout the day and spots of rain in the air it was building to be an unforgettable Tissot Sprint storming into the lead on the run to Turn 1 with polesitter Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) dropping to third Acosta began to gain back some of the ground lost passing Bastianini for second and beginning to set sights on the reigning World Champion with Acosta charging into the Sprint lead for the first time and began to push on Martin pieced together a strong opening lap with Marc Marquez now glued onto his tailpipe The #93 soon found his way through on the current Championship leader There was early disappointment for Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) drama would strike for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) also suffered a crash colliding with his teammate on Lap 5 – Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) was handed a Long Lap for this incident Acosta eked out a marginal fourth-tenth gap over Bagnaia with the top three remaining locked together on the circuit with the rookie edging his lead to over half a second for the first time everything came crashing down for Acosta on Lap 9 crashing out of the Sprint lead – rider OK extending a seven-tenth margin to teammate Bastianini who was now under pressure from Marc Marquez in third launching an attack at Turn 11 with inches separating the pair – to the delight of the Japanese fans claiming an incredible Tissot Sprint victory from Bastianini who denied the recovering Marc Marquez second who claimed an incredible result – battling from the third row Martin was able to bag a strong fourth on Saturday taking solid Championship points after beating teammate Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) with the #21 completing yet another confidence-boosting ride Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) grabbed sixth placing 0.120s ahead of Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Aprilia Racing’s Maverick Viñales took the final point-scoring positions after another Saturday thriller and with the World Championship gap closing in the Japanese Grand Prix could prove to be crucial as Acosta aims for redemption and Bagnaia sets sights on reclaiming the title advantage from Martin Find out what will unfold in the next chapter of the season as MotoGP™ returns on Sunday at 14:00 (UTC +9) | © document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) A press release is not an article written by Roadracingworld.com staffers When a post is labeled with the words “press release” it means that Roadracingworld.com is not responsible for its content and that Roadracingworld.com makes no guarantee that it is accurate Not all press releases are posted and Roadracingworld.com may reject press releases if the content is too heavy on commercial promotion with little or no news value or if the press release contains obvious errors If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys trigger buttons and links using the Enter key navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus) and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible we are continually improving our accessibility updating and improving its options and features and developing and adopting new technologies All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility the Eneos Super Taikyu Series Empowered by Bridgestone starts this weekend at Mobility Resort Motegi the first of a seven-round championship featuring stops at all six of Japan’s major motor racing circuits Motegi will host a double-header of four-hour endurance races with qualifying for each race held on the same day This kickstarts a season that will continue on 27 April with a five-hour race at Suzuka Circuit The tenth annual Fuji Super TEC 24 Hours (and the eighth edition since its revival in 2018) will run from 31 May to 1 June the series returns on 5/6 July for another doubleheader round at Sportsland Sugo then makes the long haul to Autopolis on 27 July for a five-hour race Okayama International Circuit will host a pair of three-hour races on 26 October before the season ends on 16 November with the final four-hour race at Fuji Speedway which will award the same number of points as a five-hour race Super Taikyu events will continue to be headlined by the FIA GT3 cars of the ST-X class and the manufacturer-developed concept cars competing in the ST-Q exhibition category At least seven cars are committed to the ST-Q class for the season ROOKIE Racing wound down its ST-X programme after two seasons TKRI will enter the only Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO in ST-X this year After driving and managing ROOKIE Racing’s ST-X team over the last two years Tatsuya Kataoka is now available to join his private-label team as a driver sharing the cockpit with the returning Daisuke (Matsunaga) and Yuhki Nakayama has joined apr in the #31 Lexus RC F GT3 – as has Toyota Gazoo Racing Driver Challenge (TGR-DC) prospect and Gran Turismo World Series alum They’ll be joined by Hiroaki Nagai and Koki Saga Hitotsuyama Racing won the very first (abbreviated) ST-X Championship in 2011 with an Audi R8 LMS GT3 they’ll bring the latest-generation R8 LMS GT3 Evo II back to Super Taikyu The #101 Audi will feature a new mix of drivers – one of them being Anglo-Malaysian driver James Pull who has previous experience with the Audi R8 GT3 2023 Formula Regional Japanese Champion Sota Ogawa The fast-rising seven x seven Racing team also brings its new #666 Porsche 911 GT3 R to the mix with its quartet of ‘Bankcy’ (Hiroyuki Ogawa) Fujinami and Kondo will lead the team’s first campaign in SUPER GT later this year D’station Racing returns to the Super Taikyu Series in 2025 with a new look – in red Leading a dual-class entry is the #777 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 ‘EVO’ which makes its Super Taikyu debut Satoshi Hoshino and Tomonobu Fujii will drive together this season as they’ve done for several years in Super Taikyu Charlie Fagg was announced as their co-driver for 2025 We will also see two Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3s appear later in the season: The #81 Daishin GT-R from GTNET MotorSports Only one ST-Q car is entered this weekend at Motegi – the #104 Toyota GR Yaris DAT Racing Concept from GR Team SPiRIT Two-time SUPER GT GT500 Champion Kenta Yamashita will be behind the wheel of this machine as will GT300 mainstays Takamitsu Matsui and Shunsuke Kohno and Mazda will bring familiar and new concept cars to the ST-Q class Toyota Gazoo ROOKIE Racing has two ST-Q entries running three cars The #28 will use the familiar Toyota GR86 Future FR Concept that now runs on conventional high-octane petrol The #32 entry will change between the Toyota GR Corolla H2 Concept which uses liquid hydrogen fuel which is a mid-engined car with a new turbocharged 2.0L 4-cylinder engine Subaru and Team SDA Engineering will run the WRX S4-based Subaru HighPerformanceX Future Concept for a full season this year The all-wheel-drive “HiPerfX” features Subaru’s 2.4-litre FA24 boxer engine and runs on carbon-neutral synthetic fuel (CNF) Mazda Spirit Racing will enter a CNF Roadster and a biodiesel-fuelled Mazda3 as in years past but the cars will have new names in 2025: The #12 Mazda Spirit Racing Roadster Future Concept and #55 Mazda Spirit Racing 3 Future Concept NISMO is expected to return with a Nissan Z NISMO Racing Concept a platform that has been used to develop future versions of the Nissan Z NISMO GT4 for customer racing – and served as a test bed for CNF-powered racing engines Honda will return with a to-be-revealed ST-Q entry from Team HRC Honda has used a CNF variant of the newest Honda Civic Type R in recent years There are also 12 entries in the ST-Z class including defending champions Saitama Green Brave one of four Toyota teams using the latest GR Supra GT4 ‘EVO2’ that launched this year – after being developed through racing as GR Team SPiRIT’s ‘GR Supra Racing Concept’ in 2024 Toyota will also be represented by SHADE Racing and Team Noah at Motegi – plus a new team ST-Z features three Nissan Z NISMO GT4s – two from Team ZeroOne and one from Team Impul; two Mercedes-AMG GT4s – one each for Hitotsuyama Racing and Progress Racing The unfortunate closure of the TCR Japan Series at the end of 2024 has led to an uptick in ST-TCR entries in Super Taikyu: Six cars committed for 2025 This includes the series debut of the Cupra TCR via Birth Racing Project and a new full-season Hyundai Elantra N TCR from Waimarama Racing Super Taikyu also has two new classes this year: ST-5 the category for production cars with under 1,500cc of engine displacement ST-5F will exclusively feature front-wheel drive cars such as the Honda Fit while the rear-wheel drive Mazda Roadster ND will now race in ST-5R and both ST-5F/ST-5R will race at Motegi on Saturday PROVISIONAL ENTRY LIST >> Both races will stream live and free in their entirety on the official Super Taikyu TV YouTube Channel (in Japanese) Special thanks to Jesse Young for creating an English version of this week’s entry list Author: © 2023 dailysportscar.com. All Rights Reserved. Link Digital A typical day at the Japanese GP as sporadic rain throughout the day made for stop and go action Joan Mir taking 16th and Luca Marini 21st as they dialed in their Repsol Honda Team machines at home Straight to work for Joan Mir in front of an excited home crowd as the Japanese GP began in earnest at Mobility Resort Motegi Amongst the first out in the morning session Mir ducked and dived into the pits around the showers which punctuated the day as he and the team assessed their base setting Setting a best time of 1’44.670 in the afternoon saw the 2020 MotoGP World Champion finish Friday in 16th having spent the majority of the time challenging the top ten Luca Marini had a more complicated day than his teammate Ending Friday in 21st overall and with a best time of 1’45.118 the Italian was unable to recapture the feeling he has had for the past two races He and his team are already working on plans to make progress on Saturday and return to consistently challenging for the point scoring positions Marini is confident that the performance of local hero Takaaki Nakagami is a sign of the dormant potential of the Honda RC213V Weather looks like it will play a factor on Saturday as well with more sporadic showers forecast for the morning we’re able to see some improvements over the course of the day so we should be happy about that During the whole day I was able to challenge the top 12 and be in the mix for Q2 which is a positive and shows we are going the right way In the time attack I wasn’t quite able to put together my perfect lap and we have a couple of tenths if we look at all the best sectors I did We are still working on improving the vibrations we’ve had for the past few rounds I had a lot less rear grip than normal and the vibration I am experiencing a lot more than ever before The last two races we have been able to solve it so we need to understand how the situation is different here I think we can improve because Taka made a great lap today Now we work to improve more for the weekend.” Located amongst the vast natural beauty of the northern Kanto district, the twin ring circuit at Motegi in Japan consists of a 1.5 mile oval and a 2.9 mile road course constructed to international standards. Built by Honda as the ultimate test facility in August 1997, the road circuit became… read more. November 2 (Sat) - 3 (Sun) — The eighth round of the 2024 SUPER GT series named as “MOTEGI GT 300km RACE” was held at Mobility Resort MOTEGI (Tochigi Pref.) and five CIVIC TYPE R-GT cars and a NSX-GT3 car participated in each of the GT500 and GT300 class this race should have been the final round of the series and thus all the entrants were supposed to run without any success weight (SW) a measure was taken so as to reduce SW by half at Motegi because the fifth round was entirely suspended due to the Typhoon Shanshan and rescheduled It was predicted beforehand that the weather at Mobility Resort Motegi would break for the worse in the weekend the rain started falling down from early in the morning the continuing rainfall made the condition even more difficult the morning practice session was repeatedly stopped by the red flag The official qualifying sessions in the afternoon took place under the heavy wet condition as well #64 Modulo CIVIC TYPE R-GT (Riki Okusa) reenacted the top time marked in the practice also in the Q1 session run by the entire participants Takuya Izawa who took over the car for the Q2 session wrapped up the time and captured the pole position that has been first for himself since the 2021 R3 at Suzuka and for Okusa in his career The second slot of the starting grid went to #8 ARTA MUGEN CIVIC TYPE R-GT (Tomoki Nojiri/Nobuharu Matsushita) that marked the Q2 top time by Matsushita making the front row monopoly by CIVIC TYPE R-GT The weather on Sunday turned fine from the morning temperatures at 22℃ for the ambient and 31℃ for the road surface #64 car (Izawa) left from the pole position surrendered its position to #8 car (Matsushita) when the full-course yellow (FCY) was cleared #8 car (Matsushita) took up the top position once but soon dropped back to 3rd when staggering upon another FCY release on Lap-10 after having been passed by #64 car (Izawa) and then by #36 au TOM’S GR Supra (Sho Tsuboi) had hard time to keep up its pace thereafter passed by #38 KeePer CERUMO GR Supra (Hiroaki Ishiura) and yet again by #8 car (Matsushita) on Lap-21 each entrant came in for driver change one after another When the busiest part of the pit-stop move was over #36 car led the race followed immediately by #38 car #8 car (Nojiri) and then by #16 ARTA MUGEN CIVIC TYPE R-GT (Ren Sato) that had climbed up from the 6th grid #64 car (Okusa) that had once led the race was falling back further away #8 car (Nojiri) sitting in 3rd now steadily kept up its pace and closed in on #38 car running ahead The tail-to-nose chase lasted for almost 20-laps then #8 car finally overtook #38 car on Lap-53 and rose to 2nd #16 car (Ren Sato) was the one that showed fierce catch up in the final phase Chasing #38 car hard and assailed like hell only to go run out of time and received the checkered flag in 4th the best among the CIVIC TYPE R-GT runners #100 STANLEY CIVIC TYPE R-GT (Naoki Yamamoto/Tadasuke Makino) 6th and #64 car (Izawa/Okusa) 10th a total of four CIVICs earned each share of the series points #36 car (Tsuboi/Kenta Yamashita) currently leads the drivers’ ranking with a total of 74-points and #100 car follows 18-points behind in 2nd The final round at Suzuka will stage a four-way battle deciding the series title among the two teams above joined by two others #38 car (Ishiura/Oyu) and #37 Deloitte TOM’S GR Supra (Ukyo Sasahara/Giuliano Alesi) 36 TOM’S crew goes into Suzuka finale needing just five points to seal back-to-back GT500 titles… TOM’S Toyota pair Sho Tsuboi and Kenta Yamashita took a commanding victory at the penultimate round of the 2024 SUPER GT season in Motegi to put themselves within touching distance of this year’s GT500 title 36 Toyota GR Supra took the lead after the second of three full-course interruptions Just moments before at the end of the first FCY ARTA Honda driver Nobuharu Matsushita caught polesitter Takuya Izawa in the Nakajima Racing Honda Civic Type R-GT sleeping as the race went back to green Matsushita was slow once the green flag dropped again after the second FCY giving Tsuboi the opportunity to go past both cars in quick succession putting over 10 seconds on the rest of the field while Izawa was struggling with his Dunlop tires leading to an unchallenged second victory of the season with a 20-second gap at the finish line for Tsuboi and Yamashita despite running with the stage one fuel flow restrictor 36 TOM’S crew heads into next month’s postponed Suzuka finale with an 18-point advantage over the No 100 Team Kunimitsu Honda of Naoki Yamamoto and Tadasuke Makino who finished sixth after opting for a no-tire change strategy starting from ninth on the grid 8 ARTA pair Matsushita and Tomoki Nojiri finished second putting the new Honda Civic Type R-GT on the podium at the marque’s home circuit 38 Cerumo Toyota took the final position on the podium following an intense duel in the final stages of the race when Oyu had to defend against a hard-charging Ren Sato in the No It means Ishiura and Oyu retain a mathematical chance of the championship but 22 points down on Tsuboi and Yamashita with only 23 available 39 SARD Toyota of Yuhi Sekiguchi and Yuichi Nakyama completed the top five Atsushi Miyake was involved in a three-car incident with ten laps to go making with the Real Racing Honda of Koudai Tsukakoshi as they bumped in the GT300 apr LC500h GT of Kazuto Kotaka The result means that Nissan’s main championship contender is now out of contention for the title the Rookie Racing Toyota of Kazuya Oshima and Nirei Fukuzumi suffered a technical issue forcing them to retire with ten laps to go 37 TOM’S squad suffered a similar fate as Ukyo Sasahara went into the garage shortly after the start of the 300 km race all but ending he and Giuliano Alesi’s title hopes as they go into the finale with a 23-point deficit Izawa and teammate Riki Okusa brought home the pole-winning Nakajima Honda for a sole point in 10th JLOC Lamborghini Comes From 17th to Win In GT300 JLOC duo Takashi Kogure and Yuya Motojima took yet another come-from-behind victory after starting from 17th on the grid in their No It marked the third win of the season for the pair and their second in succession following their surprise victory at the previous Autopolis round 31 apr LC500h GT smoothly controlled the first part of the race which was interrupted by two FCY interventions in quick succession The first one came shortly after the start of the race 11 Gainer Tanax Z stopped near the pit exit 25 Hoppy Schatz GR Supra GT lost a wheel and spun into the gravel thus forcing the hand of their direct competitors as the LEON Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Naoya Gamou and Takuro Shinohara also decided to not change their Bridgestone tires when pitting two laps later JLOC opted for a similar strategy call with its No all three cars found themselves together on track Kogure made quick work of Shinohara before putting the pressure on Kazuto Kotaka Kotaka’s efforts to keep the lead in the hybrid-powered apr Lexus were in vain however as both Kogure and Shinohara found their way past him with the former extending his lead to a command 20 seconds by the checkered flag The aforementioned incident with the two GT500 runners meant that the apr Lexus dropped out of the points A charge in the second half of the race by Shun Koide put the Team UpGarage Honda NSX GT3 Evo22 87 JLOC car of Kosuke Matsuura and Natsu Sakaguchi the title-contending Inging Toyota squad went with a fuel-only pit strategy But both Hibiki Taira and Yuui Tsutsumi struggled on used tires and finished outside the points in 13th Kogure’s and Motojima’s third win of the season put the JLOC pair 11 points behind the championship-leading LEON Racing pair Gamou and Shinohara with Taira and Tsutsumi still mathematically in contention The factory Subaru BRZ of Takuto Iguchi and Hideki Yamauchi were looking good for a second points finish of the season when another brake failure on lap 45 caused Yamauchi to spin out at the first corner It was the second incident of this kind following the R&D Sport-run machine’s heavy crash at Autopolis RESULTS: GT500/GT300 Jens Sobotta is a Germany based contributor dedicated to Japanese motorsport Roberto Merhi looks back on unbelievable Fuji comeback as he scores long-awaited first GT300.. Cerumo's six-year winless run comes to end as Velorex Ferrari takes incredible comeback win.. Toshiki Oyu upsets favorites Racing Project Bandoh to deliver Cerumo pole for SUPER GT's.. Jazeman Jaafar speaks about plans to contest home round with Kerong Li in EBM.. on Wednesday announced his bid to join its leadership race and become the next prime minister promising "no tax hikes" in an apparent bid to draw a sharp contrast with outgoing leader Fumio Kishida 27 election of the Liberal Democratic Party said he will not turn to raising taxes or health insurance premiums to secure funds worth 1 trillion yen ($6.9 billion) each part of an already formalized government plan to achieve a substantial spending increase to boost Japan's defense and childcare support Tax hikes are unpopular among voters and the Japanese economy lacks vigor amid rising prices of everyday goods Motegi said he is confident that the necessary funding can be secured via other sources though his remarks immediately drew a backlash from fellow LDP members As secretary general of the LDP and leader of one of its powerful intraparty groups But their relations are believed to have cooled since a political funds scandal emerged to rock the party late last year I will create a stable government that can squarely tackle changes at home and abroad," Motegi told a press conference as he announced his first LDP presidential bid The Harvard-educated former McKinsey consultant said he sees untapped potential in Japan If elected LDP president and therefore prime minister and "within six months" would declare an official end to deflation the government decided to increase Japan's defense spending to 43 trillion yen in a five-year period to better respond to security threats posed mainly by an assertive China and North Korea's missile and nuclear development Part of the increase will be funded by raising taxes but the government and ruling parties have not decided on the exact timing Another priority for Kishida is to expand childcare support to reverse the declining trend in new births the government came up with the idea of asking people to make contributions in the form of monthly health insurance premiums Japan's top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said both arrangements are "necessary to fundamentally bolster our defense capabilities and childcare support," telling a regular press conference that the government will proceed according to the plans already approved by the Cabinet who has served as Kishida's right-hand man is also running in the LDP's leadership election as his boss is stepping down at the end of his three-year term The ruling coalition of the LDP and Komeito party control both houses of parliament which makes it almost certain that the next LDP chief will become prime minister Motegi has held key government posts including foreign and industry minister and is seen as one of the leading candidates for the premiership He played a central role in negotiating a trade deal with the United States when then U.S President Donald Trump took issue with his nation's massive trade deficits with Japan The LDP faces the urgent task of needing to win back the trust of voters in the wake of the political funds scandal Motegi pledged to ensure transparency in how the LDP obtains and spends funds a political maverick who was defeated by Kishida in the previous election in 2021 Former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi while former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba last month announced he would make his fifth and "final" bid to become LDP chief Both score highly in opinion polls concerning whom the public would like to see become the next Japanese leader Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi is expected to announce her own bid next week Japan gov't spokesman Hayashi joins ruling party leadership election Japan's LDP pushes for revising Constitution to state defense forces Record field, tight race expected in Japan governing party contest To have the latest news and stories delivered to your inbox Simply enter your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription Please check your inbox for a confirmation email Thank you for reaching out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible Race results from the Japanese MotoGP at Motegi round 16 (of 20) in the 2024 world championship Francesco Bagnaia reduces Jorge Martin’s title lead to ten points by completing a perfect double at the 2024 Japanese MotoGP at Motegi Sprint winner Bagnaia took the grand prix lead from Pedro Acosta through Turn 1 and was never headed The Pramac star made swift progress from eleventh on the grid and was just over half a second from Bagnaia by the middle stages Bagnaia responded to keep the Pramac rider at arm’s reach and claim his eighth grand prix victory of the season Martin gave the reigning champion a thumbs-up on the slow-down lap Marc Marquez kept Enea Bastianini at bay to complete the podium in third Marquez nonetheless called it a "super boring race" due to the lack of overtaking After crashing from the lead of the Sprint debut pole qualifier Pedro Acosta took the early fight to Bagnaia But disaster struck - again - when he slid out of second place on lap 3 With fellow KTM rider Brad Binder running wide at the same turn Martin was gifted second place behind Bagnaia Marquez was hunted down by Enea Bastianini in the second half of the race Bastianini lost valuable early time stuck behind Brad Binder’s KTM The South African was overtaken by Franco Morbidelli later in the race Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo again looked to run out of fuel just before the chequered flag costing him 11th - and top rider on a home Japanese bike - to LCR Honda's Johann Zarco After a surprise shower interrupted the Moto2 race tension was raised in the MotoGP race when the ‘flag to flag’ signal - allowing bike swaps due to rain - was issued after 10 laps of the grand prix the rain drops that presumably prompted that decision Alex Marquez ran into the back of Joan Mir on the opening lap The incident will be reviewed by the FIM Stewards after the race All riders except home hero Takaaki Nakagami - who wheelied over the finish of his final home grand prix - moved from the soft to medium rear tyre for the grand prix Miguel Oliveira was absent after fracturing his right wrist in Mandalika and replaced at Trackhouse by Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori World Superbike regular Remy Gardner was making his third appearance of the season for Yamaha as a wild-card in the factory’s home round Revised tyre pressure rules for 2024 mean riders must stay above a lower front minimum of 1.8 bar (instead of 1.88) for 60% (instead of 50%) of a Grand Prix distance The punishment for failing to meet the minimum in a Grand Prix is a 16-second post-race time penalty or an 8-second penalty for a Sprint/short race There is now a weekend off before the second flyaway triple begins with the Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island interviews and promotions from the paddock direct to your inbox For more information see our Privacy Policy He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues © Crash Media Group Ltd 2025.The total or partial reproduction of text photographs or illustrations is not permitted in any form The home of hard braking welcomes the most exciting sport on Earth for another stunning showdown MotoGP™ heads from hot and humid Indonesia to the cooler climes of the fabulous stop-and-go Mobility Resort Motegi for the Motul Grand Prix of Japan this weekend As the title fight continues to twist and turn – by Grand Prix by session and even by minute and second – the pressure is starting to ramp up as the points still on offer reduce day-by-day a maximum of 185 are in play and the gap at the top is 21 but the deficit below the leading duo of Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) is now looking more and more sizeable Are we heading for PeccovsMartin round two Or will Motegi host even more drama that Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) can take advantage of  Martin called his Indonesian GP glory revenge on Sunday it did have a feeling to it of closing the circle It was an impressive performance under pressure to make a solid statement and that’s also exactly what he managed at Motegi in 2023 in torrential conditions in that GP race… right on the back of a dominant Sprint win in the dry He’ll be feeling confident heading to Japan in this season has made delivering under pressure his calling card The problem for both is that some of that pressure has been self-inflicted and the key to the crown might simply be who can keep it upright for less – but some – reward when needed Bagnaia definitely did that in Indonesia on Sunday but a 21-point deficit puts him in the position of needing to pay a little more attention to that risk vs reward He doesn’t have a margin to play with unless he takes it back or it’s given freely it’s just more than two – so they’re by no means out of it Bastianini was the fastest on track when he crashed out seemingly on a charge towards fighting for the win so his speed is perfectly comparable to the two at the top After the “controversy” of his move in Misano fans lost out on the chance to see if he’d simply do it again but the bigger deficit could release a lot of pressure and that keeps him a very interesting presence at the front knows he did nothing to cause his own DNF in Lombok the bike simply said ciao and so did his chance at some good points But he also knows he didn’t quite have the level to enable him to fight for the win That step taken with the GP23 is certainly getting him closer but the deficit still there at times His qualifying – with two crashes in Q2 seeing him set no time – also gave him an uphill struggle so the first mission for Motegi is clearly to start a little further forward If he was ever thinking about the points though Just as if he was ever heading out on track without the gloves off As the title fight heats up at the top though The Japanese GP will be a special one for Yamaha and Honda and especially for Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda LCR) The Japanese rider takes on a new role as development rider for Honda next season so it’s his last home GP as a full-time rider He was the top finishing Honda this season with P11 in Aragon until it got equalled by Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) in Emilia-Romagna It was then subsequently beaten by Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) in Lombok as the Frenchman took their first top ten of the year which is a milestone moment in the fight to move forward again Home turf – and it’s also their track – will be a huge incentive to keep that momentum rolling there’s the same incentive in front of the Japanese fans There is also a stunning run of form coming in from Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) who is now well-established in the standings ahead of two Aprilias and two KTMs the Frenchman was able to take seventh in Indonesia too – and from a second row start and each new track will only get more interesting now Teammate Alex Rins was back in the points at Mandalika too after his run of illness and they’ll also have Remy Gardner on track in Japan as a wildcard What have they got at the stop-and-go Motegi Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) was back with a bang at Lombok A front row start was converted into a podium All the attrition happened behind the rookie and he was the only rider with a smidge of resistance for Martin when the lights went out Motegi is another new challenge he’ll be wanting to grab with both hands now back ahead of future teammate Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as he is and he also has the “chance” to wrap up the Rookie of the Year title Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) was also still in that better postcode at Mandalika Aprilia had a very tough run at the first round at Misano but Viñales has now taken two consecutive top sixes at Emilia-Romagna and Lombok as he starts to turn that around Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) also kept his roll going in Indonesia doubling down on his impressive momentum following those mid-season struggles underlined it wasn’t a one-track pony with more pace at Mandalika Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) similarly after his injury struggles at the start of the season he’s now a solid consistent scorer and arrives in Japan from two GP race top fives Binder leads the list of riders wanting to hit back and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) would also like a little more to take the fight to Viñales In the Aprilia ranks though more than anyone it’s Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) looking for a big step forward He took some points in Mandalika and Emilia-Romagna but before that hadn’t scored since Germany This weekend he’ll also have Lorenzo Savadori alongside in the box with teammate Miguel Oliveira sidelined through injury Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) has a stunning record at Motegi through the classes and will hope for a turnaround after a tough Indonesia that saw him take no points and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) took one but is having a tougher run as he also considers future surgery for his shoulder will expect more at a venue where he stunned in 2022 – simply checking out at the front – and with the rumours around Augusto Fernandez’ (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) future being relevant to the Japanese market There have been so many twists and turns so far this season there surely must be a few more waiting in the wings Who can keep their cool before the final flyaways Tissot Sprint: 15:00 (UTC +9)Grand Prix: 14:00 (UTC +9) highlighting significant issues with tire management He revealed that he experienced wheel spin while exiting corners Rins lamented that the "result from Misano" did not accurately reflect the bike's true performance struggled with rear grip throughout the MotoGP race weekend Although he didn’t face the fuel issues that plagued his teammate Fabio Quartararo Rins still encountered significant challenges 40.1 seconds behind race winner Francesco Bagnaia We started today with the setup from Austria to see if on the braking side we were able to improve “And more or less it was a little bit better it was almost impossible to control the spin So the tyre was a little bit flat on the centre We need to find something because for sure it's not the way I'm not happy with the work that we are doing.” While Quartararo was on course to secure the fifth position until he ran out of fuel in Misano Rins suggested that the situation at Motegi accurately depicts Yamaha's current reality “He was super fast there… also we did a test “So for me the result from Misano was not real “The reality right now is - putting [aside] the Ducatis Aprilias and KTMs - Nakagami [soft rear] was much faster than Fabio and Zarco in the last laps SAAJAN JOGIA The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Tadasuke Makino scored his second Super Formula victory of the season in Saturday’s opening race at Motegi, as Dandelion Racing continued its winning streak Makino led a first 1-2 finish for Dandelion since 2012 ahead of team-mate Kakunoshin Ohta after leading more or less throughout taking the championship lead in the process Having headed a front-row lockout for Dandelion ahead of Ohta, Makino led the opening lap ahead of the Nakajima Racing car of Igor Fraga who leapt ahead of Ohta and briefly challenged Makino around the outside before settling into second Ohta was first of the lead trio to pit when the window opened on lap 10 of 33 while Fraga could only make it as far as lap 17 before coming in for fresh tyres Makino responded to Fraga by pitting on the next tour and while Ohta took the lead by virtue of the undercut he was quickly caught up by his team-mate Makino once the latter’s tyres were fully up to temperature What appeared to be an inevitable move for the lead came at Turn 1 on lap 22 with Makino then easing away to a fourth career win by a margin of 2.6 seconds Ohta managed to hang on against Fraga for second with the Brazilian driver recording his first Super Formula podium in his third start Racing Bulls Formula 1 reserve driver Ayumu Iwasa appeared to be in a position to fight Fraga for the final podium spot leapfrogging his way from sixth on the grid to fourth by pitting later That was until his Mugen car suffered a rare gear selection failure forcing a visibly agitated Iwasa – who led the championship heading into the weekend – into retirement Iwasa’s demise promoted reigning champion Sho Tsuboi to fourth the TOM’S driver mounting a strong recovery from a poor qualifying that left him 12th on the grid who had started fourth but lost ground with a slow pitstop Sacha Fenestraz scored the first points of his Super Formula comeback in eighth place in the second TOM’S car after passing the struggling Mugen machine of Tomoki Nojiri Two-time champion Nojiri hung on for ninth place ahead of Rookie Racing’s Kazuya Oshima Toshiki Oyu and Ren Sato were both eliminated on the opening lap as Oyu rear-ended Sato into Turn 1 triggering the one and only safety car period of the race Makino heads into Sunday's second race with a five-point championship lead over Ohta Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia won the FIM MotoGP World Championship race Sunday at Motegi Riding his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici GP24 on Michelin control tires the two-time and defending World Champion won the 24-lap race by 1.189 second Jorge Martin took a runner-up finish on his Prima Pramac Racing Ducati Marc Marquez made it an all-Ducati podium by placing third on his Gresini Ducati Bagnaia is now 10 points behind his principal rival Martin who has 382 points Race classification worldstanding motogp from a press release issued by Dorna:  securing an eighth win of the season ahead of Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez.  Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) delivers win number eight of the season at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan adding his name to an illustrious list after the #1 claimed the perfect launch off the line before setting a relentless pace from start to finish The reigning World Champion defeated Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) who charged from P11 on the grid and now has his advantage reduced to just 10 points It is heating up to be an unmissable end to the season Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) came home on a strong third after an incredible ride from the #93 there was further disappointment for Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) with the rookie crashing out from the Grand Prix and ending the weekend with zero points scored with the reigning World Champion levelled by Acosta on the brakes with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) holding firm Martin and Marc Marquez were on the move in the opening stages launching their machines inside the top five Marc Marquez would complete an incredible overtake on Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jack Miller to enter the all-important top five there was drama further back with Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) suffering an early end to his day after a collision with Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) – riders OK The FIM MotoGP™ Stewards investigated the incident and handed Alex Marquez a Long Lap for the Australian GP who crashed out of Grand Prix at the final corner – promoting Martin to P2 Acosta’s blunder allowed the reigning World Champion to stretch his lead to over one second from his closest rival The fastest laps would begin to trade hands in the opening stages as Martin began to edge closer in an enthralling twist bravely passing Binder for the final spot on the podium The South African was soon under pressure from Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) who continued to find time after a busy start Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) had a tough start after launching from the front row The #12 soon began to battle with his teammate Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) for the final spot inside the top 10 before crashing on Lap 12 – rider OK It was building to be a rematch of Saturday’s Sprint battle with Bastianini making inroads on Marc Marquez after a mistake on the entry to Turn 1 The gap was less than a second as a podium fight brewed The leading duo continued to run an astonishing pace with Bagnaia maintaining an eight-tenth gap to Martin with just a handful of laps remaining stretching the margin to over one second – pushing Martin to the limit stealing the spotlight on Sunday and reducing Martin’s Championship advantage with four rounds remaining It is building to be a classic end to 2024 bagging a podium after starting from ninth securing a strong points tally on Sunday and beating Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) finishing ahead of Binder after an intense finish with just 0.562s separating the pair Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team’s Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio rounded out the top eight spots completing a strong day for the Bologna brand Espargaro and Miller took the final spots inside the top 10 with the Australian unable to find late race pace after a string start Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) placed 11th pipping Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) at the line after the #20 ran out of fuel Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) finished an emotional Grand Prix beating Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) and Trackhouse Racing’s Raul Fernandez the world’s most exciting sport returns in two weeks for the long-awaited Qatar Airways Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix as we return to the iconic twists and turns of Phillip Island with the title lead down to just 10 points Can Bagnaia reclaim the Championship advantage in Australia | In Saturday’s first race of the 2025 Eneos Super Taikyu Series Empowered by Bridgestone the #26 Team ZeroOne Nissan Z NISMO GT4 of Ryuichiro Otsuka the first in global competition for Nissan’s customer GT4 race car The GT4 and TCR cars of the ST-Z and ST-TCR classes headlined the first race of the weekend It was the first of two races this weekend for the ST-Z teams as well as the teams in the production ST-4 class This was also the first race since ST-5 was split into categories for front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive cars with the first session reserved for each team’s amateur ‘A’ driver and the second session featuring more professional and experienced ‘B’ drivers Manabu Yamazaki and Hiroki Yoshida won the pole in Race 1 for reigning ST-Z Champions in their brand-new #52 Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 The #97 M&K Racing Honda Civic Type R TCR (FL5) of Mitsuhiro Endo and Shinji Nakano won the ST-TCR pole by a whopping 3.822-second margin very impressive even with the aggregate format Other pole sitters included: The #884 SHADE Racing Toyota GR86 of Masahiko Kageyama and Eijiro Shimizu (ST-4) the #67 Team Yamato Honda Fit3 RS of Ryohei Yasui and Shinya Uchiyama (ST-5F) and the #88 Murakami Motors Mazda Roadster ND of Hiroyuki Murakami and Tatsuya Ota (ST-5R) 40 cars took the green flag for Saturday’s four-hour enduro which had to be repaired in just a few short hours after a crash during the pre-race warm-up Yoshida led the field to green in his #52 GR Supra the #25 Team ZeroOne Nissan Z of Teppei Natori took the overall lead Tomita in the #26 ZeroOne Z would then battle Yoshida for second place and got through to make it a Nissan 1-2 at the front The two red Nissans remained in the lead after the first round of pit stops the #22 Porsche Team EBI Cayman GT4 was up to third place the #22 Porsche caught fire in the pit lane and was forced to retire from the race Otsuka in the #26 ZeroOne Z overtook team-mate Tadao Uematsu for the lead for the first time After both cars came in with about an hour and 40 minutes left they split strategies and swapped the lead Tomita brought the #26 in with 78 minutes left after a very short second stint and after escaping damage in a collision with the #430 Audi Team Show Apex RS3 TCR Tsugio Matsuda pitted from the lead in the #25 with less than 50 minutes left last year’s SUPER GT GT300 Championship runner-up who’s been left out of a full-time seat in 2025 took the chequered flag and led home a Team ZeroOne and Nissan 1-2 finish in Race 1 Only nine out of 114 laps were led by a car other than the two ZeroOne Z GT4s Despite losing its rear bumper in a collision during the second half of the race and Seita Nonaka would hold on to finish third followed by the #885 SHADE Racing GR Supra EVO2 (Hiro Hayashi/Katsuyuki Hiranaka/Yuji Kunimoto/Yuki Sano) in fourth the #21 Hitotsuyama Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 (Daisuke Yamawaki/Sean Walkinshaw/Alessandro Bressan/Max Salo) in fifth The #20 Team Impul Z GT4 (Takashi Matsumoto/Kazuki Hiramine/Kazuki Oki/Jules Treluyer) took sixth place to reward its crew after the morning accident ahead of the #34 Techno First Audi R8 LMS GT4 (Yuki Fujii/Riki Okusa/Hironobu Yasuda/Masaki Kano) in seventh M&K Racing’s two Honda Civic TCRs battled for the class lead in the first hour but mechanical issues sent the #96 Civic (Osamu Kondo/Koji Yamanishi/Yosuke Yamaki) out of the fight and cleared the lane for the #97 M&K Civic TCR to take the win Mitsuhiro Endo and Shinji Nakano were joined by English JAS Motorsport works driver Jack Young who contributed to an eighth-place overall finish Second in class and ninth overall was the #19 Birth Racing Project Cupra TCR (Takashi Kochiya/Takeshi Suehiro/Jiei Okuzumi/Takahisa Ohno) which finished just 2.9 seconds ahead of the new #98 Waimarama Racing Hyundai Elantra N TCR (Shigeru ‘Kizuna’ Sato/Katsumasa Chiyo/Lee Jung-Woo) The SHADE Racing team took a come-from-behind win in ST-4 as the #884 Toyota GR86 of Kageyama and Shinnosuke Yamada prevailed in a close fight over the #41 Tracy Sports with Delta GR86 of Hirotaka Ishii Despite having to pit with less than 20 minutes to go Tomibayashi chased down Shimizu in the final minutes and finished just 0.522 seconds off the win the #66 Over Drive Mazda Roadster RF (Kyosuke Inomata/Kohei Tokumasu/Yuta Fujiwara/Ryohei Yamaichi) stopped on course on the final lap and handed the final podium position to the #3 Endless Sports GR86 (Hiroyuki Saka/Togo Suganami/Ryo Ogawa) Team NOPRO’s NC-generation #37 Mazda Roadster finished sixth in class in its 2025 debut while AutoLabo Racing’s new #290 Suzuki Swift was the final classified finisher in 33rd overall ST-5R honours went to the #88 Muramo Roadster of Murakami which held firm control of the field all day taking the win by a lap over the #27 Maple Hiroshima Racing Team Roadster (Haruhiko Sugino/Yuga Furutani/Takafumi Katsuki) in second and the new #610 Koshido Racing Roadster (Motoharu Sato/Yusaku Shibata/Yasuji Asai) in third the front-wheel drive hatches could fight amongst themselves in ST-5F – but Team Yamato dominated with their silver #67 Honda Fit3 RS driven by Yasui They won by over 30 seconds from the #4 Team Bride Fit3 RS (Yuya Ohta ‘Snr’/Kaoru Arai/Takao Seto/Kuniyuki Haga) Reigning ST-5 champions Team NOPRO finished third with the #37 Mazda2 Diesel Turbo (Yoshihiro Kato/Hiroaki Yamamoto/Misaki Konishi/Suguru Kawana) RACE 1 RESULTS >> Riki Okusa combine to give Nakajima team and Dunlop tires first GT500 pole since 2021… Nakajima Racing pair Takuya Izawa and Riki Okusa took a surprise pole position in a very wet qualifying session for this weekend’s Motegi SUPER GT round giving the new Honda Civic Type R-GT its third pole of the season Izawa and Okusa’s combined effort at the wheel of the #64 Modulo Civic Type R-GT produced an aggregated time of 3:37.911 giving Nakajima Racing its first pole position since 2021 GT500 rookie Okusa has been fastest amid heavy rain in Q1 lapping Honda’s home track with a 1:49.255 8 car only managed the third-fastest time of the session behind the Rookie Racing Toyota GR Supra of Nirei Fukuzumi The fastest time of the day with 1:48.077 from Nobuharu Matsushita elevated the No making it an all-Honda front row for Sunday’s race Kazuya Oshima couldn’t quite match the Q1 time of his teammate Fukuzumi TOM’S ace Sho Tsuboi visibly struggled with grip in Q1 teammate Kenta Yamashita went 2.732 seconds faster to take third on the grid This means that Tsuboi and Yamashita now lead the championship with three points ahead of the sister No as Ukyo Sasahara and Giuliano Alesi were only eighth on aggregate the Team Kunimitsu Civic of Tochigi Prefecture native Naoki Yamamoto and Tadasuke Makino Nissan didn’t play much of a role in qualifying as the title contenders Mitsunori Takaboshi and Atsushi Miyake in the No one position behind the Impul Z of Kazuki Hiramine and Bertrand Baguette Kotaka Delivers GT300 Pole for apr Lexus LC500h the apr Lexus LC500h GT took its maiden pole position courtesy of a 1:57.322 effort by Kazuto Kotaka beating nearest rival Niklas Kruetten in the Team Studie BMW M4 GT3 by 0.157 seconds It was the first pole position for apr and a hybrid-powered car since 2021 A wet qualifying meant that only the Q2 lap times counted for the grid while Q1 determined which 14 cars were to fight for pole in the top group Heavy rain interrupted Q1 for several minutes which was held as single group with all 27 cars for the first time following the format changes announced back in August but were not implemented due to bad weather at Sugo and Autopolis The championship-leading LEON Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo driven by Naoya Gamou and Takuro Shinohara missed out on a bonus point after Shinohara qualified fourth behind Shun Koide’s Team UpGarage Honda NSX GT3 Evo22 Gamou and Shinohara’s biggest rivals in the championship Inging Toyota GR86 GT pair Yuui Tsutsumi and Hibiki Taira missed out on the pole shootout with second in the ‘Lower 15’ group leaving the pair 16th on the grid 88 JLOC Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 duo Takashi Kogure and Yuya Motojima The weather forecast predicts dry conditions for Sunday’s penultimate race of the season RESULTS: GT500/GT300 Manuel Gonzalez won the Moto2 World Championship race Sunday at Motegi Riding his QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2 Kalex on Pirelli control slick tires the Spaniard won the 12-lap race by 2.535 seconds The race was red-flagged when it started raining on the first lap Championship leader Ai Ogura was the runner-up on his MT Helmets – MSI BOSCOSCURO Filip Salac took third on his Elf Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex American Joe Roberts started on rain tires but pitted for slicks and rejoined the race ultimately being credited as 27th on his OnlyFans American Racing Team Kalex Roberts left Japan fifth in the Moto2 World Championship point standings Ai Ogura leaves Japan with a 60-point lead in the World Championship race classification moto2 worldstanding moto2 beating Ai Ogura and Filip Salac after an intense Sunday in Japan Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) is a Grand Prix winner after a showstopping race at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan with the #18 remaining on slick tyres in tricky conditions which saw Gonzalez grab victory from home hero Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) who battled through the field in what could be a pivotal day for the Moto2™ World Championship Filip Salac (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) completed an unbelievable recovery ride in third after carving through the field from 18th on the grid it was an incredible launch from polesitter Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) The #96 led on the opening lap from Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) and Ogura as the rain began to fall in Japan The red flag was brought out with the race to be restarted with original grid positions with mixed choices in terms of tyres and a handful of riders opting for slicks it was another phenomenal launch from Dixon leading ahead of his teammate Izan Guevara (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) on wet tyres Championship leader Ogura plummeted down the order in the opening laps building temperature in his Pirelli tyres – storming into seventh on Lap 2 with Ogura using the most out of his Triumph engine to enter the podium places one lap later One of the key moves came at the start of Lap 4 with Ogura snatching the lead and setting the fastest lap Gonzalez also began to find incredible speed on slicks battling into second with Jeremy Alcoba (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team) reducing the Japanese star’s lead to two seconds overtaking Alcoba after starting from 18th on the grid with Alcoba and RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP’s Zonta Van den Goorbergh in chase with Gonzalez pouncing on Ogura – dropping the #79 to second position it was an impressive pace from the Spaniard – stretching a one-second advantage remaining unstoppable and cruising across the line to take his maiden Moto2™ victory The Japanese hero stood on the podium at home who claimed the final spot on the podium after an incredible recovery Alcoba was able to take the flag in fourth finishing just 0.137s adrift from the podium rostrum in Japan The #52 was able to stretch the gap to Van den Goorbergh in fifth as Xavier Artigas (KLINT Forward Factory Team) claimed a remarkable sixth place finish finishing ahead of Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) with the Italian only able to finish as high as seventh Italtrans Racing Team’s Diogo Moreira was eighth at the flag Claiming the final spots inside the top 10 on Sunday were Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) and Izan Guevara (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) with the Spaniards both opting for wet tyres Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) scored 11th while Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) took 12th with Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) and Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP’s Darryn Binder securing the final points Now we head to the iconic Phillip Island for the Australian GP in two weeks where Ogura will have his first chance to be crowned the Moto2™ World Champion | Take a look at all of the highlights from Round 4 of the 2025 Super Formula championship at Motegi. Watch Super Formula live here. David Alonso won the Moto3 World Championship race Sunday at Motegi Riding his Gaviota Aspar Team CFMOTO on spec Pirelli tires the young Colombian won the 17-lap race by 0.524-second Alonso became the 2024 Moto3 World Champion Collin Veijer was the runner-up on his Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP racebike Adrian Fernandez placed third on his Leopard Racing Honda Race classification moto3 moto3 worldstanding David Alonso stormed to victory at the Japanese Grand Prix and was crowned the first-ever Colombian World Champion.  David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) made history at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan earning his moment in the sun as the #80 was crowned the first-ever Colombian World Champion It was an unforgettable day for the entire Aspar Team after an incredible season for Alonso who took his 10th Grand Prix win of the season so far – taking glory by 0.524s Alonso took victory from Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) with the Dutchman beating Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) There was drama on the sighting lap for Alonso nearly crashing and breaking the screen of his bike fixing the machine in time and allowing Alonso to claim a great start slotting into P2 behind Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) began to work hard from the start carving through the field from ninth on the grid to inside the top five – soon setting sights on the podium Holgado took the lead for the first time on Lap 3 before Fernandez pulled off an incredible double overtake at Turn 5 Alonso began to lose positions in the early laps dropping to seventh behind David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) – with Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) now glued to the #80’s tail allowing the #31 to eke out a slight margin from Holgado who was under pressure from Ortola and Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing) edging closer at every sector as Joel Kelso’s (BOE Motorsports) day came to an end with a crash at Turn 10 – rider OK with Alonso soon entering the top five before overtaking Piqueras on Lap 10 for fourth The #80 made his first attempt on a move on Holgado at Turn 10 before making it crucially stick on Lap 11 sliding into second before grabbing the lead on Lap 14 – demoting Fernandez to second battling through the field after a tough start The Dutchman was soon in the podium battle with Veijer in an intense fight with Holgado before he began to edge closer to Fernandez Alonso stretched out a fourth-tenth margin with Ortola dramatically losing the front at Turn 10 with the Colombian moving one step closer to the World Championship at every corner it was a magical day that was all about Alonso who made history and became Moto3 World Championship.  Holgado could only manage fourth after a passionate ride from the #96 who pushed hard throughout the 17 lap showdown while Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) bagged a strong sixth place finish at home Yamanaka crossed the line ahead of compatriot Tatsuki Suzuki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) while BOE Motorsports’ David Muñoz took eighth Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) and LEVELUP – MTA’s Stefano Nepa grabbed the final spot inside the top 10 Kopron Rivacold Sniper Team’s Matteo Bertelle and David Almansa took solid points in 11th and 12th as Filippo Farioli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) claimed 13th Riccardo Rossi (CIP Green Power) was 14th as the final point was scored by Joel Kelso on a magical day for the CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team there is still plenty up for grabs in 2024 so make sure you join us in Australia in just two weeks for yet another thriller | Take a look at all of the highlights from Round 3 of the 2025 Super Formula championship at Motegi. Watch Super Formula live here. Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The Eneos Super Taikyu Series Empowered by Bridgestone returns this Saturday for the fourth round of the 2024 season at Mobility Resort Motegi This year’s Motegi Super Taikyu 5 Hours Race is a one-day event with qualifying and the race on the same day – this Saturday with four entries in the ST-X (GT3) category Zhongsheng ROOKIE Racing is absent from the entry list once again and in fact ROOKIE Racing has already confirmed several weeks ago that it would sit out the Motegi round meaning the team’s two ST-Q class cars will be absent as well Mazda Spirit Racing has also elected not to bring either of its two ST-Q entries That leaves just the two Mercedes-AMG GT3s from TKRI and Craft-Bamboo Racing and the GTNET MotorSports Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 to compete for top honours in ST-X Only GTNET MotorSports has changed drivers from the previous round – gentleman driver Noboyuki Oyagi is back on the entry list alongside ‘A’ driver Nobuhiro Imada There are no changes on the ST-Z entry list from the previous round either – and that’s a relief to fans of Naniwa Denso Team Impul following another big accident at Autopolis in the previous round and Kazuki Oki are expected to drive the rebuilt #20 Nissan Z NISMO GT4 Team HRC’s #271 Honda Civic Type R CNF-R is back this time appropriately for the team’s home race at the Honda-owned circuit Souta Arao – a Super Formula Lights driver and member of the Honda Formula Dream Project – will get his first taste of endurance racing driving the #271 Civic alongside Honda factory driver Hiroki Otsu and past series champion Shinichi Katsura The #61 Subaru HighPerformanceX Future Concept is also back for its second race joining the GT4-based #92 GR Team Spirit Toyota GR Supra Racing Concept in the exhibition category Rounding out the field are three ST-TCR entries Qualifying starts Saturday at 8:00 AM JST (local time) then the Motegi Super Taikyu 5 Hour Race goes green at 12:30 JST on the official Super Taikyu YouTube channel (STai TV) with Japanese commentary from Yuko Kazuno Honda Team Asia riders successfully completed the qualifying session for the sixteenth round of the Moto3 World Championship at the Mobility Resort Motegi Taiyo Furusato secured 13th position after finishing as the third-fastest rider in Qualifying 1 while Thai rookie Tatchakorn Buasri will start tomorrow’s race in Japan from 25th position on the grid Japan – The 8th round of the 2024 SUPER GT series took place at Mobility Resort Motegi on November 3 Heavy rain hampered efforts by the teams to find a good rhythm during official practice and qualifying; however the Nissan Z NISMO GT500 teams fought valiantly throughout the 300 km race with three cars securing positions inside the top ten The #3 Niterra Motul Z (Mitsunori Takaboshi/Atsushi Miyake) finished in 7th place the #24 Realize Corporation Advan Z (Tsugio Matsuda/Teppei Natori) secured 8th and the #23 Motul Autech Z (Katsumasa Chiyo/ Ronnie Quintarelli) took 9th the 300 km race got underway with the #12 Z in 10th position escaping a crowded field following trouble among the leading cars the minimum required laps each driver must compete completing the routine tasks of driver changes the #12 Z and #23 Z also pitted and rejoined the race all GT500 cars had finished their pit stops as they began their quest for higher positions overtaking cars on laps 37 and 38 to move up to 8th the battle for 6th place intensified among seven cars with all four Z cars engaged in a close contest with some of the leading cars falling back the standings by lap 53 saw the #12 Z in 7th placing all four Nissan Z NISMO GT500s in the points as the race neared its end the #12 Z made an emergency pit stop for refueling The race concluded with the #3 Z finishing in 7th with a dry race following a rainy qualifying The Nissan/NISMO teams now turn their focus to victory at the final round scheduled for Suzuka Circuit a track where they have previously achieved success Mitsunori Takaboshi (#3 Niterra Motul Z)"To be honest We’ll analyze the data closely and identify the issues as a team Atsushi Miyake (#3 Niterra Motul Z)"Motegi is a difficult circuit for overtaking and starting from the back due to the results of the qualifiers made it a tough race week I tried my best to secure points during my long stint Suzuka will be a fair fight without any weight handicap I want to give a strong performance and wrap up the season on a positive note." four Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 cars and one GTA GT300 regulation Fairlady Z competed the #56 Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R (Daiki Sasaki/Joao Paulo de Oliveira) put up a strong fight and finished in 8th place CASTROL Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco has finished 14th on Saturday's Sprint Under mixed conditions and on a demanding track Frenchman Zarco started the Sprint from the 16th spot of the grid Despite having experienced a positive weekend and having noticed some improvements a few mistakes and other difficulties prevented him from getting to the points the Frenchman had to serve a long lap penalty Ahead of tomorrow's race the team is fully prepared to push and fight again IDEMITSU Honda LCR rider Takaaki Nakagami hasn’t been able to finish the Sprint on Saturday at the Mobility Resort Motegi Takaaki Nakagami had to face a comeback Sprint to get to the points as motivation and performance foresaw some steps a movement over the limit by his teammate during an overtake caused Nakagami to end up on the gravel Nakagami and his crew are unwavering in their determination to bounce back from this setback Their goal is to turn the tide and make Nakagami’s last race as a full-time MotoGP rider on his home track a memorable one Sprint race results from the Japanese MotoGP at Motegi 2024 Japanese MotoGP 2024 Japanese MotoGP Francesco Bagnaia takes advantage of a mistake by race leader Pedro Acosta to win Saturday’s Japanese MotoGP Sprint race at Motegi rookie Acosta lost out to Bagnaia and Ducati team-mate Enea Bastianini but was back in front by lap 3 of 12 The trio remained together until Acosta began to pull visible breathing room with five laps to go.. lowsiding from his GASGAS machine and leaving the young Spaniard with his head in his hands That mistake also put Marc Marquez into the final podium place with the Gresini rider - stripped of pole position by track limits - soon duelling with Bastianini for second The Italian held firm during an aggressive battle as both almost got to within striking distance of Bagnaia by the chequered flag Starting 11th after a costly qualifying crash title leader Jorge Martin South salvaged fourth The Pramac rider is now a reduced 15 points clear of Bagnaia Brad Binder dropped out of the lead group with a technical issue in the early laps while Aleix Espargaro and Joan Mir joined Acosta in falling Home star Takaaki Nakagami was taken down by mid-race contact from his own LCR Honda team-mate Johann Zarco Intermittent raindrops continued to taunt teams and riders in the run-up to the Sprint Soft rear slicks were chosen by all riders for the start of the damp 12-lap contest Alex Rins and Augusto Fernandez also picked the hard front albeit with their ‘wet’ bikes ready for action in pit lane.  But the predicted Saturday downpour didn’t arrive Miguel Oliveira is absent after fracturing his right wrist in Mandalika and replaced at Trackhouse by Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori World Superbike regular Remy Gardner is making his third appearance of the season for Yamaha Today's print edition Home Delivery Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi formally joined the upcoming contest for the leadership of the ruling party Wednesday putting forward a grand design to tackle Japan’s sluggish economy without increasing the burden on taxpayers “Promoting policies without any tax hike doesn’t go against existing policies but rather it alleviates public concerns about an increased financial burden,” he told a news conference going against the agenda of a government he supported as the party’s de facto No 2.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida decided on a tax hike in order to secure ¥1 trillion to finance an increase in defense spending but the ruling party has yet to agree on the exact date of its implementation the incumbent government’s plans to boost child care spending will entail higher insurance premiums In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division Full Qualifying results and grid line-up for the Saturday Sprint and main Sunday race at the Japanese MotoGP at Motegi Fastest race lap: Jack Miller 1m 45.198s (2022) Pedro Acosta takes his first MotoGP pole position after a dramatic qualifying session at the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix Marc Marquez looked to have set the first ever sub 1m 42s lap of the Motegi circuit But the Gresini rider was stripped of the lap due to track limits promoting Acosta to pole and dumping Marquez down to ninth That twist came hot on the heels of an accident for title leader Jorge Martin which means the Pramac rider starts just 11th Title rival Francesco Bagnaia was 12th and last after struggling on his opening run but rebounded in style to claim what became second on the grid Aprilia's Maverick Vinales completes the front row Martin holds a 21-point lead over Bagnaia ahead of this afternoon's Sprint race with heavier rain forecast for this afternoon The Motegi Sprint race starts at 3pm local time (7am UK) Pedro Acosta earned his first pole position during MotoGP World Championship qualifying on Saturday at Motegi the rookie broke Jorge Martin’s 2023 All-Time Lap Record Of 1:43.198 with a new time of 1:43.018 around the 2.9-mile (4.8 km) circuit during Qualifying Two (Q2) on Saturday.  Row-two qualifiers included Bagnaia’s Lenovo Ducati teammate Enea Bastianini (1:43.539) Brad Binder on his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16 (1:43.661) and Franco Morbidelli on his Prima Pramac Racing Ducati (1:43.828).  Morbidelli’s teammate and Championship Leader Jorge Martin finished the session ranked 11th on his Ducati.  Motogp qualifying session saturday The rookie will start the Japanese GP from pole position starting alongside Francesco Bagnaia and Maverick Viñales Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) has powered to an incredible pole position at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan with the #31 setting a new all-time lap record – clocking a 1:43.018 The rookie sensation claimed P1 on the grid and now becomes the third youngest polesitter in the premier class Acosta will start alongside Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) in what could be a crucial day for the reigning World Champion after a phenomenal final run for the #1 Bagnaia was a mere 0.246s adrift from Acosta and will be joined on the front row by Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) in a great result for the #12 – starting from third with spots of rain in the air and lap times improving into the final minute allowing Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) to earn their spot in Q2 the premier class stars tried to bag a strong early lap Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) stole the top spot after the opening lap with red sectors continuing to appear as the #93 improved ahead of Acosta claiming provisional pole after his first run Bagnaia began to claw back time on his second tyre becoming the next rider to take the top spot before Marc Marquez clocked an unbelievable 1:42.868 The #93’s fastest lap was then taken away due to exceeding track limits allowing Acosta to inherit pole after posting an impressive 1:43.018 Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) crashed in the final two minutes – falling at Turn 9.  Heading the second row of the grid will be Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) after an incredible ride from ‘The Beast’ Bastianini was 0.098s adrift from the front row and will be joined on the second row by Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in fifth claiming the final spot on the second row after fighting from Q1 Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team’s Fabio Di Giannantonio heads from seventh on the grid placing ahead of his teammate Marco Bezzecchi bagging a strong starting point for the Sprint and Sunday Marc Marquez is forced to start from ninth to the disappointment of the eight-time World Champion Another rider with a tough task ahead is Martin qualifying in 11th after the #89 was unable to return to track after his crash Martin will start in the middle of a talented fourth row joined by Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Quartararo Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro will start on the fifth row and will also be aiming to carve through the field Make sure you join us at 15:00 local time (UTC +9) as the world’s most exciting sport returns for an unpredictable Tissot Sprint | © 2024, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. From a press release issued By Yamaha Racing: Gardner To Make Wild-Card Entry at the Grand Prix of Japan with the Yamaha Factory Racing Team is delighted to announce that Remy Gardner will spearhead the Yamaha Factory Racing Team as a wild-card rider at Round 16 of the 2024 FIM MotoGP World Championship Ltd. is pleased to announce that Remy Gardner will be a wild-card entry in the Motul Grand Prix of Japan Round 16 of the 2024 FIM MotoGP World Championship He will be riding the Yamaha Factory Racing Team YZR-M1 (with Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP livery) at the Mobility Resort Motegi circuit in the race weekend of 4 – 6 Oct Gardner already rode the 2024 Yamaha YZR-M1 in the German GP and the British GP, making him the ideal choice for the Yamaha Factory Racing Team for their home GP The former Moto2 World Champion’s participation in the 2024 Japanese GP will be his first time riding at the Motegi track on a premier-class bike since 2022 Bike development is at the heart of Yamaha’s every move this year and I am fully convinced that this wild-card entry will accelerate Yamaha’s endeavours to develop prototype parts and increase bike performance Remy Gardner has already successfully tested protype items for the M1 on two occasions earlier this year so his prior experience makes him a logical choice in Cal Crutchlow’s absence due to injury Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Team Replacement Rider it’s a country I always enjoyed visiting in Grand Prix racing but to go to Japan and race for a Japanese manufacturer in MotoGP in front of the Japanese fans will be something special They clearly feel that I bring something to the development programme so hopefully we can have a productive weekend in Motegi too It will be a busy period for me with five races in five weeks but I ride bikes almost every weekend anyway | A big first lap crash at Motegi that was triggered when Liam Lawson lost control of his car and spun back onto the track has left the Kiwi driver centrestage in a close three-way title fight come the final two races at Suzuka in October Lawson leapt from third on the grid to challenge his Mugen team-mate and eventual race winner Tomoki Nojiri but as they pair ran side by side through the first turn right-hander the Japanese double-champion squeezed Lawson off the racing surface READ THE ARTICLE Get the latest Liam Lawson videos and images free for editorial use from Red Bull Content Pool © 2025 Liam Lawson. All rights reserved. Website by Factory Ducati pilot wins Saturday’s sprint and Sunday’s Japanese GP Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen Cycle World may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site Copyright © 2025 Cycle World. An Octane Media, LLC Publication Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited The IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia faced a tough Saturday during the Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying at Mobility Resort Motegi Indonesian rookie Mario Suryo Aji demonstrated some of his potential in Q1 but struggled to maintain consistent pace across all sectors during his time attack he will start tomorrow’s race from 26th on the grid © 2024, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. From a press release issued By Dorna The final part of a fascinating triple-header in MotoGP™ has arrived as we land at the beautiful Motegi for the Motul Grand Prix of Japan After an afternoon exploring the world renowned Asakusa district and Sensō-ji Temple in Tokyo on Wednesday there was plenty to get stuck into on media day Press Conference 1 saw Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) sit alongside title rival Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) before Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) were joined by home hero Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) for Press Conference 2 | Saturday at Mobility Resort Motegi was rainy and treacherous for many teams – but seemingly the #64 Modulo Honda Civic Type R-GT of Takuya Izawa and Riki Okusa was impervious Izawa and Okusa won the pole for tomorrow’s SUPER GT Motegi GT 300km Race with a combined time of 3:37.911 (average speed 158.63 kilometres per hour) The Modulo Civic’s Dunlop tyres have historically excelled in wet conditions and after finishing with the best time in Practice despite six red flags for spins and standing water they entered Qualifying as the favourites to win pole The rookie Okusa led GT500 Q1 with his best time of 1:49.255 and while the veteran Izawa’s best time of 1:48.656 wasn’t quite the best in Q2 it was more than good enough for Nakajima Racing to win its first SUPER GT pole since August 2021 – when Izawa put the Modulo Honda on pole position at Suzuka Circuit It was Izawa’s fourth career pole and of course They’ll lead an all-Honda front row alongside the #8 ARTA Mugen Civic Type R-GT (Tomoki Nojiri/Nobuharu Matsushita) Matsushita’s best time from Q2 (1:48.077) elevated the orange #8 ARTA Civic up to second in the final classification – as they desperately hope to keep their title hopes alive championship leaders Sho Tsuboi and Kenta Yamashita overcame their 53 kilogrammes of Success Weight to qualify third in the #36 au TOM’S Toyota GR Supra and gained a point over their nearest rivals in the championship Just behind them was the #38 KeePer Cerumo GR Supra (Hiroaki Ishiura/Toshiki Oyu) in fourth and the #14 Eneos X Prime GR Supra (Kazuya Oshima/Nirei Fukuzumi) in fifth The #37 Deloitte TOM’S GR Supra (Ukyo Sasahara/Giuliano Alesi) will start eighth tomorrow ahead of the #100 Stanley Civic Type R-GT (Naoki Yamamoto/Tadasuke Makino) The fastest Nissan Z NISMO GT500 was the #12 Marelli Impul Z (Kazuki Hiramine/Bertrand Baguette) in tenth one spot ahead of the #3 Niterra Motul Z (Mitsunori Takaboshi/Atsushi Miyake) in 11th the V8/hybrid-powered #31 apr Lexus LC 500h of Kazuto Kotaka and Jin Nakamura scored its first-ever pole position Nakamura got the car into the top 14 during the 20-minute Q1 session which was interrupted and later prematurely stopped due to two red flags That would get Kotaka into the ‘top split’ for GT300 Q2 and he set a 1:57.322 to capture his first pole since October 2020 at Fuji Speedway it was the team’s first since 2021 at Autopolis – with the previous Toyota Prius PHV apr GT the #7 Studie BMW M4 GT3 (Seiji Ara/Niklas Krütten) with its Michelin tyres qualified an impressive second place ahead of the Yokohama-clad #18 UPGarage Honda NSX GT3 (Takashi Kobayashi/Syun Koide) in third only the times from Q2 sessions determined the grid order Championship leaders Naoya Gamou and Takuro Shinohara will start fourth in their #65 LEON Pyramid Mercedes-AMG GT3 after qualifying While they failed to score championship points neither did any of their nearest championship challengers who will all start several places behind This includes the #777 D’station Aston Martin Vantage GT3 (Tomonobu Fujii/Charlie Fagg) in ninth the #2 muta Racing Toyota GR86 (Yuui Tsutsumi/Hibiki Taira) in 16th and the #88 Venteny Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 (Takashi Kogure/Yuya Motojima) in 17th Motojima was judged not to have brought out the first red flag in GT300 Q1 – the rain that had persisted throughout the morning into Qualifying had worsened at that point but he would still not be fast enough to make the top split for Q2 Ryohei Sakaguchi did however bring out the second red flag when he spun his #9 Pacific NAC VSpo AMG in the S-Curves which ended the first leg of GT300 qualifying Kei Cozzolino set the fastest Q1 time in the #45 PONOS Ferrari 296 GT3 and Lilou Wadoux finished Q2 with the sixth-fastest time – as she and Cozzolino pursue their first victories tomorrow sunny weather awaits as the Motegi GT 300km Race starts tomorrow at 1:00 PM JST (local time) Brad Binder posted the best lap time during MotoGP World Championship practice Friday afternoon at Motegi Riding his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16 on Michelin control tires the South African did a fastest lap of 1:43.436 around the 2.9-mile (4.8 km) course to lead the field of 23 riders.  Marc Marquez was second Friday afternoon with a time of 1:43.469 on his Gresini Racing Ducati.  Championship Leader Jorge Martin was third with a 1:43.568 on his Prima Pramac Ducati.  Italian Francesco Bagnaia finished the session ranking seventh with a time of 1:43.754 on his Lenovo Ducati.  Motogp classification friday | Gresini Racing » News MotoGP » DOUBLE PODIUM FOR MARQUEZ AT MOTEGI   another one with a comeback performance by Marc Marquez did a great job in bouncing back both in the sprint and in today’s full race as he bagged another third-place finish and consolidating his chances for a top three final position It was a Sunday to forget for Alex Marquez who was out of contention before the end of the opening lap following a coming together with a rival a long-lap penalty to perform are the negative takeaways from the 16th event of the season 3rd MARC MARQUEZ (4th in the championship standings with 311 points) but Martin and Miller had an even better one it was a good opening lap and a kind of… boring race I had to stay focused and also made a mistake that could have cost me the podium now it’s time to take a little rest and recharge for the next tripleheader.” DNF – ALEX MARQUEZ (12th in the championship standings with 124 points) “I made a mistake at turn 11 that sent me off line and while trying to get back to my position I had a coming together with Mir Our bikes tangled together and I apologised to him for what happened even though I disagree with it: seven days ago at turn 3 another rider hit me the same way and nothing happened This shows that rules don’t apply the same way to everybody stay in touch and become part of Greasini Team I agree to the use of cookies and similar technologies to serve relevant advertising and improve my service Pay to read The Race without adverts or cookies used for personalised ads By logging in, you agree to our use of third-party and analytics cookies to enhance your experience and improve our services. For more details, please review our Privacy Policy “A super boring race” was how Marc Marquez described MotoGP’s Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday after finishing on the podium The Gresini rider bemoaned the lack of overtakes during the 24-lap race braking and front tyres all contributing to what was a largely dull grand prix dominated by Pecco Bagnaia Though Marquez himself made his way from ninth on the grid to finish third he explained how being just one tenth faster than the rider in front is no longer enough - something like three or four tenths is necessary to break the concertina effect where riders close on the competitor ahead before having to fall back A mixed-up grid and the threat of rain both promised the possibility of a classic but the track had dried after a shower interrupted the Moto2 race - and though rain flags were thrown out mid-race in the MotoGP class that only seemed to happen out of an abundance of caution So once second-place finisher Jorge Martin - who started 11th - and Marquez had incisively made their moves early on there was little in the way of overtaking action within the top 10 Ducati rider Enea Bastianini took several laps to pass Brad Binder - closing before having to fall back again and repeat - but otherwise little wheel-to-wheel action was shown Marquez - who called the race "super boring" in parc ferme - explained: “I mean it was boring because there were no overtakes “It’s true that Pecco did the perfect strategy that was starting in first position and push manage the tyres but try to open the gap because he knows that Martin and me start behind if you are behind somebody you are losing a lot of performance on the braking and then you don’t gain on the exit because of aerodynamics.  makes life a lot more difficult and you just can overtake the guy in front if you are three or four tenths faster Marquez didn't have any overtaking to do once up to third in the race but did experience front-tyre troubles first-hand in the sprint - with a spike in temperature compromising his efforts to move past Bastianini and perhaps even attack Bagnaia in the Saturday sprint the race echoed another processional event from earlier in the season at the Red Bull Ring - a track that has much in common VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi - who finished seventh - said it is “very difficult to brake” when following other riders “For me yesterday in the sprint was a shock,” he said “I didn't expect to suffer so much [in traffic] And this gave me the possibility to continue to push.  “But if you're not able to pass immediately The difficulties in following other riders without creating problems on the bike - something even double winner Bagnaia could attest to as he had deliberately dropped off from Acosta in the sprint to cool off his front tyre before Acosta crashed - contributed to the action largely concentrating in the opening lap who felt his race was compromised by a Marquez move that cost him valuable track position said: “The difference between making P5 and making P3-2-1 is very small As you see how the riders who start behind and have the positivity the courage to make way in the first laps - then they stay there.  be seventh-eighth in the first three laps and then catch up and go on the podium And this weekend Marc and Jorge were really good to do that.” the order in the points wasn't totally static - and the feeling of a processional race was specifically exacerbated by TV direction favouring a focus on the top four There were several jostles for position behind who had worked his way past Alex Rins and Raul Fernandez said: "In the back there are always great battles “Every time I say that we also need another camera Please accept marketing cookies to enable YouTube videos A two-day live music event will be held at the Japanese GP For the first time ever in the history of the MotoGP™︎ Japanese Grand Prix a live music festival will take place at the Mobility Resort Motegi a lineup of Japanese music acts from various genres will light up the Fan Zone Stage from 7:30 PM to 9 PM Fans in the 16-23 age group can watch for free using the "16-23 ZERO Yen Pass", for more information visit the circuit’s webpage If you want to live a new music experience Be ready at the Fan Zone through October 4th to 5th Kishidan: known for their hit song “One Night Carnival” the 6-man rock band formed in 1997 is a really energetic act that spans generations they recently celebrated their 10th anniversary with a concert at Nippon Budokan Angerumu: Debuted as "Smileage" in 2009 and won the Best New Artist Award at the 52nd Japan Record Awards the group changed their name to "Angerum" and will celebrate their 10th anniversary this year his hit single "Haiyoru Konde" has achieved 1st place on Billboard JAPAN Heatseekers Songs and are currently ranked in the top 10 of K-POP rookie idol brand reputation Friday practice results from the Japanese MotoGP at Motegi Brad Binder puts KTM on top during Friday practice for the 2024 Japanese MotoGP at Motegi The South African finished just 0.033s ahead of Marc Marquez Looking to make up for lost time after a damp morning session riders and teams got in a dry afternoon hour Reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia was fastest on used tyres ahead of Martin Fabio di Giannantonio and Marc Marquez before time attacks began in the final quarter An agitated Marc Marquez had been seen barking orders into a microphone in the Gresini pits with screens around his GP23 suggesting more technical issues following last Sunday’s fiery engine failure Enea Bastianini recovered from a fast fall at turn 13 who had been tied with Bagnaia at the top with six minutes to go Binder's team-mate Jack Miller lost out on tenth place after a late accident at turn 3 The home Yamaha and Honda factories couldn't get any riders directly into Qualifying 2 but home star Takaaki Nakagami came frustratingly close to the top ten Rain is again expected to be a factor during final practice Reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia leads title leader Jorge Martin during a damp Free Practice 1 for the 2024 Japanese MotoGP at Motegi Light rain showers had fallen off and on throughout the morning with rain flags duly waved 15 minutes into the 45-minute MotoGP session The moisture sent all riders into the pits with Bagnaia having just moved to the top ahead of Martin Shortly after riders had returned to the track for the final ten minutes a further shower confirmed Bagnaia as fastest with a 1m 45.209s That put the factory Ducati rider 0.109s clear of Martin who starts the weekend with a 21-point title lead which will decide the top ten riders with direct Qualifying 2 access Chinese motorcycle manufacturer QJ Motor has called for the Gresini team it sponsors in the Moto2 class to immediately sack Motegi race winner Manuel Gonzalez after he wore a traditional Japanese hachimaki headband who took his maiden win in the intermediate class at the Japanese Grand Prix venue wore the headband on the grid before the start of last weekend's race a traditional Japanese item of clothing dating back to the samurai era was extensively adopted by the Japanese military during World War Two most notably by kamikaze pilots while flying suicide missions which pre-dated the start of the war in Europe by two years is recognised by historians as one of the global conflict's most brutal theatres of war and resulted in the death of around 20 million Chinese citizens while widely associated with martial arts in the West and still worn by many Japanese athletes QJ Motor described images of Gonzalez wearing the hachimaki It acknowledged its belief that Gonzalez meant no harm but still called for his Gresini Racing team to drop him with four rounds of the 2024 championship remaining was invited by the organiser before the start of the race and privately wore the host country's "Bojumaki" decoration and spread it on social platforms," a statement from QJ Motor read "Although it was an unintentional act because he was a European player and did not understand Chinese history this behaviour has hurt the national feelings of Chinese riders and the Chinese people Qianjiang Motorcycle immediately conducted solemn negotiations with its partner Gresini team demanding that the relevant pictures and video content be removed immediately and that the team immediately terminate its cooperation with the rider." Gonzalez's victory elevated him to sixth in the Moto2 standings The Race has contacted Gresini Racing for comment Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information 2024 at 1:53 AM EDTBookmarkSaveThe secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party threw his hat into the ring to become Japan’s next prime minister with a pledge to vanquish deflation once and for all within six months of becoming leader Former Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi is the fifth lawmaker to announce a plan to contest the Sept The leader of the LDP is all but assured of becoming prime minister because of the party’s dominance in parliament Ivan Ortola captured pole position during FIM Moto3 World Championship qualifying Saturday at Motegi Riding his MT Helmets – MSI KTM on Pirelli control tires the young Spaniard lapped the 2.9-mile (4.8 km) course in 1:54.761 to lead the field of 26 riders.  Collin Veijer was the best of the rest with a 1:55.117 on his Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP racebike and Aspar Team CFMOTO rider David Alonso earned the third and final spot on the front row by doing a 1:55.170.  Moto3 qualifying result The #48 demolished the lap record in Q2 and will start alongside Collin Veijer and David Alonso at Motegi.  Moto3™ brought drama by the bucketload at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan with Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) charging to pole position at the Mobility Resort Motegi clocking a 1:54.761 and obliterating the lap record with Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) grabbing second on the grid placing ahead of Championship leader David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) who claims the final spot on the front row in a weekend which could see the #80 leave as Champion no riders were able to improve on their times from Friday with Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing) fastest on Saturday morning and Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) remaining at the top of the combined standings with the top four spots decided on the final flying lap with David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) topping the session and earning a spot in Q2 alongside Stefano Nepa (LEVELUP – MTA) Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) and CIP Green Power’s Riccardo Rossi with rain beginning to fall around the circuit it led to a frantic opening five minutes which saw Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) in P1 before Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) destroyed the lap record with Veijer continuing to improve on his second run reclaiming P1 in the final minute of the session before Ortola responded and entered the 1:54 bracket Heading the second row of the grid on Sunday will be Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing) ending the morning 0.315s adrift from a spot on the front row qualifying as the top Honda and will now be joined by Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) and Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports) on the second row It was a strong qualifying for the Australian who will set sights on a good result on Sunday to prepare himself for his home GP next time out Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) starts at the head of row three setting a strong 1:55.928 to place in front of Muñoz earning eighth on the grid ahead of Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) who jumped from 18th to ninth on his final run home hero Furusato starts from 13th on the grid ending Q2 ahead of Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) Do not miss a potential title-deciding Japanese GP with action getting underway at 11:00 local time (UTC +9) | Gresini Racing » News MotoGP » MARC SHOWS UP BIG IN MOTEGI SPRINT RACE Marc Marquez confirms its role as a one-man show with what has become a signature performance from 9thon the grid to third at the finish line Despite a set of unfortunate circumstances out of his control in Q2 the Spanish rider did a great job in staying focused and make his way back to third at the chequered flag after a great battle with Bastianini during the penultimate lap Alex Marquez managed to bag three points as he finished a solid seventh after battling for most of the race with Miller Sunny and hot weather is expected for tomorrow with tyre choice being as key as ever for the Sunday race “We were unlucky as we just barely ended up on the green stripe but then the notification arrived too late preventing us from giving it another go and qualifying further ahead on the grid It was my duty to keep it together mentally and bounce back but he did a great job in defending his position.” I didn’t do a good qualifying but then we were competitive in the race unfortunately did hamper our performance as it took a long time to get past him but we have margin to do well and to race for the top positions.” Second position for Nakarin in race 1 at Motegi after qualifying sixth on the grid Andi got a good feeling on the bike at Motegi to make good lap time to finish 4th fastest in qualifying Nakarin pushed his best to go 6th on the grid with Zaqhwan still struggling with the setting in 8th position an incident between Kunii and Nakarin caused Nakarin to crash out and with liquid leaked onto the track the red flag came out racing restarted with the original grid positions Nakarin's bike was repaired with incredible work from the team just in time for him to re-join the race he ran strongly in the front group and rewarded the teamwork with a hard-fought second place finish Zaqhwan started in sixth and kept fighting there until the checkered flag He brought the bike back to the garage but there was not enough time to finish the race Tomorrow is race two where the team believe it will be even more exciting than today I feel better with the bike but not enough speed to follow the top riders In the race when starting I have so much confidence I could stay P3 like not so difficult But on the second lap Yuki hit me and crashed I just try again - my bike was not perfect with handling after the crash I was just thinking to go in front for the podium I learned a lot from them and see where I can overtake them I'm happy for today as it’s over my target!" for overall today I feel a bit unlucky in the qualifying time because my best lap has been disturbed with another rider and I only managed to get P8 on the start was not so bad and I try to keep into front group but in the last three laps I feel a struggle with bike and my condition was not so strong but I push and give my best finally I get P6 I was thinking tomorrow I can be better because I understand the problem and we to solve for tomorrow Race2 "Today in qualifying I improved my feeling on the bike and also the set up In Race1 I feel I was struggling in the beginning but step by step I feel good and I manage to get in front but suddenly I lost front grip in turn 8 I want to forget mistake on Race 1 and focus for Race 2 tomorrow." we spent more time on setting up the machine than on the ranking The riders did their best even in that situation but Nakarin's best performance resulted in an impressive second place We will update the setup for Race 2 tomorrow and we hope that both Andi and Zaqhwan will be able to race in the top group." Pecco Bagnaia completed the double at the Japanese Grand Prix to reduce his championship gap to Jorge Martin to just 10 points with four rounds remaining The Ducati rider took his eighth Sunday win of the season - a personal record and the most for one rider since 2019 - after a brilliant start saw him claim the lead out of Turn 1 The reigning champion controlled the race thereafter and despite Pramac rider Martin closing in the later stages the Spaniard was unable to match Bagnaia’s pace Bagnaia now sits 10 points behind Martin as the season reaches its climax who lined up 11th after a crash in qualifying quickly passing those ahead to move into third on lap three A second crash in as many days for poleman Pedro Acosta (Tech3 KTM) promoted Martin to second with the gap between him and Bagnaia around 1.2s for most of the following laps THE SHARK FALTERS AGAIN! 😱@37_pedroacosta has crashed out of 2nd at Turn 14 💥💥💥#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/gwcaOxrJfg The white flag was waved on lap 10 amid a risk of rain with Bagnaia extending his lead to as much as 1.8s before Martin bounced back Closing the gap to under a second in the final four laps a late charge from Martin was curtailed by a couple of "moments" that convinced him to settle for second Marc Marquez completed the podium for Gresini for his second third-place finish of the weekend having lined up ninth after a costly track limits breach had robbed him of pole in Q2 While Bagnaia got the jump on Acosta off the line Marquez had made up places to fifth despite being bumped by Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales Take a look at what happened at T1 after the race start 🔎@marcmarquez93 and Maverick touched! 💥#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/KVoeSSJUp8 with Brad Binder up to third off the line as team-mate Jack Miller shot from 14th to fifth Joan Mir and Gresini’s Alex Marquez were both out at the end of lap one after the younger Marquez crashed into the rear of the beleaguered Honda rider ❌ @JoanMirOfficial and @alexmarquez73 are OUT! The incident is currently under investigation 👀#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/s0DHGofERn Martin took third from Binder on lap three while Marquez passed Miller for fifth up the inside of Turn 7 before Acosta’s crash at Turn 14 The Tech3 rider also crashed out of the lead during Saturday’s sprint Marquez then made it past Binder at Turn 5 in a trademark block pass Factory Ducati rider Enea Bastianini then set about trying to pass the South African - a task which eventually took him until lap 10 Bagnaia’s gap to Martin was up to 1.2s by lap 13 who faced a late challenge from Bastianini - closing the gap to just 0.6s within the next five laps ⚠️ @marcmarquez93 goes wide and @Bestia23 gets closer! A potential battle for 3rd is shaping up ⚔️👀#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/JA44ot1InV Marquez would describe the race as "super boring" from his perspective - as Bastianini never got closer Martin's team-mate Franco Morbidelli had powered past Binder for fifth the pair followed across the finish line by the VR46 Ducati duo of Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio Aleix Espargaro finished ninth for Aprilia ahead of Miller with Johann Zarco in 11th for LCR after Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo ran out of gas at the end of the final lap Zarco's team-mate Takaaki Nakagami was 13th at his final home appearance as a full-time rider with Luca Marini (Honda) and Trackhouse Racing’s Raul Fernandez rounding off the points From the front row to the gravel 😔Maverick Vñales has gone down! 💥#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/prdZOpt3lI who had lined up third before dropping back early on and sliding off at Turn 5 on lap 12 Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori retired at the end of lap two The Honda rider delivered an impressive 13th-place finish despite starting the race in the 21st position Nakagami is preparing to hand over his LCR Honda seat to rookie Somkiat Chantra next season as he transitions into a test rider role for Honda Racing Corporation Currently 18th in the MotoGP World Championship standings Nakagami remains just 8 points behind Johann Zarco and holds a narrow lead over Repsol Honda riders Joan Mir and Luca Marini demonstrating his perseverance in what has been a challenging season “I knew I had nothing to lose starting from the back of the grid and scoring points is always nice I was able to be consistent and in the very end of the race and that's why I was able to catch the group in front.” Nakagami reflected on the cooldown lap as a memorable moment with fans applauding in recognition of his contributions to the sport The 32-year-old rider realized then that it would be his final cooldown lap in MotoGP making the Motegi race day a "very special Sunday" for him “That cooldown lap was a very nice feeling I want to thank everybody for supporting me “Each corner I saw all the fans and I felt Marc Marquez feels "we’re experts in complicating our own lives” but believes he can deliver more in Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix after recovering from ninth on the grid to finish third in the sprint race The podium result in the 12-lap Saturday encounter came in spite of an eventful weekend in Japan for the Gresini Ducati rider he was held back by a variety of small issues he declined to reveal in detail but which led to him appearing very animated in the garage during the course of the day the eight-time world champion was left a frustrated ninth on the grid after a delay in learning that his best time had been cancelled for a track limits transgression Sitting in the pits under the impression that he had done enough for pole position with what would have been a lap record he claimed that race control left him with no time to try for another lap “[I’m not upset about] the cancellation of the lap,” said Marquez But because it took them so long to announce it I didn't want to risk more because the conditions were tricky But if I had known sooner that I had had that lap cancelled I would have tried to do one more fast lap to try to get ahead on the grid I touched the green but the notification came very late “They told me that there was a notification problem I don't know if it was something to do with the Wi-Fi,” he joked Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images Race Director Mike Webb told Autosport that although the track limits infringement was picked up immediately a software issue meant manual inputs were necessary for the lap time cancellation to be communicated This accounted for the delay in notification The latest setbacks for Marquez in the build-up to a grand prix Sunday come on the back of three falls in Qualifying 2 at the last three events “We are experts in complicating our lives,” Marquez remarked of the pattern Saturday provided further proof that the Spaniard can put such issues behind him once the lights turn green “Once [the lap cancellation drama] was over I focused on the race and we were close to first but until Turn 5 I couldn't deactivate the height adjuster on the bike then the tyre pressure went up and I had to calm down “In the end the pressure went down again and I was able to attack Enea [Bastianini] Make your voice heard with article commenting.