MotoGP: Márquez wins at Motegi as Michelin helps riders explore new limits
A near-perfect weekend for Marc Márquez at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan saw the Ducati Lenovo Team star claim the sprint, then beat Aprilia's Jorge Martín and Marco Bezzecchi to win Sunday's grand prix. The Spaniard's harvest of 37 points puts him just two points behind provisional leader Martín in the Riders' standings. Michelin's MotoGPTM tires performed strongly and consistently at resurfaced Motegi, contributing to three new records over the weekend. Read on for more about what happened at the #JapaneseGP.
After qualifying second on the grid, Marquez took control of the sprint race from the getaway and led until the flag, completing the 12 laps nine seconds faster than the same fixture last year.
On a front/rear combination of medium and hard Michelin Power Slicks like the rest of the field, he was initially second in Sunday's main attraction but was more than a match for the fast pace from lights-out that saw the race-lap record bettered on the second of the afternoon's 24 laps. He eventually eased into the lead on Lap 11 before posting a run of fast times that took him to his sixth win of the season – his fifth at Motegi – by a margin of 1.3 seconds. Martín and Bezzecchi were second and third for Aprilia.
Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) was fourth over the line after clocking the day's fastest lap (1m43.041s) on the penultimate lap.
Michelin's slicks delivered their usual cocktail of performance and consistency over the three days, beginning with Friday's free practice when the previous track record was beaten several times. It was Martín who left Japan with the new benchmark after producing a 1m42.371s in qualifying.
With the exception of Bezzecchi and Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), the majority of the riders chose the soft rear Michelin slick for Saturday's appetizer when careful tire management played a role in the outcome, with differing degrees of success. Some reported significant blistering, while others went the distance with no major issues as riding styles, bike set-ups and control of wheel-spin all influenced the final result.
For Sunday's grand prix, all the riders opted for the hard rear which contributed to the race's exceptional pace. The lap record was improved on several times and Bastianini ended up shaving 1.4 seconds off the previous reference.
Meanwhile, Márquez completed the distance 37.845 seconds faster than the former shortest race-duration benchmark, a further pointer to the performance and consistency of Michelin's tires despite the constraints they face at the Japanese track.
Martin continues to top the provisional championship standings, but Marquez is now only two points short of his fellow Spaniard. Bezzecchi (+49 points) is third.
Next round: Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia, Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit (October 9-11).