The South African set the pace on the opening day of action ahead of Marc Marquez and Jorge Martin.
fter a lack of valuable running in FP1 due to spots of rain, Practice delivered a vital 60 minutes for teams and riders at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) climbing to the top of the timesheets after an impressive 1:43.436. The South African improved on his 20th lap of the session, allowing the #33 to clinch a 0.033s advantage over Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGPâ˘), who delivered an incredible final flying lap. It was a tense end to Friday for the eight-time World Champion, ending Practice ahead of current Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), who claimed a confidence-boosting third.
There was drama from the beginning, with Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) suffering an early fall at Turn 10 before Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) crashed at Turn 13 in the opening 30 minutes – riders OK. Meanwhile, it was a sensational early pace from Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), with the reigning World Champion bagging an early P1. Pecco set an early 1:44.072 to place ahead of title rival Martin as the field returned to the pits for their fast laps.
Time attacks began to arrive thick and fast in the final 15 minutes, with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGPâ˘) improving, jumping inside the top 10. Meanwhile, Binder was on a fast lap, as was rookie sensation Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3), with both riders improving. It was a tense end to the session, with positions changing on every circulation and Bagnaia setting an identical time to Acosta as Binder responded, clocking a statement time in the low 1:43 bracket.
Acosta impressed in fourth, ending the day less than two-tenths adrift from Binderâs benchmark. Meanwhile, Bastianini recovered well, with âThe Beastâ claiming the final spot inside the top five after clocking a 1:43.605 after returning to the pits after crashing early on. Behind the #23 was Maverick ViĂąales (Aprilia Racing), with the Spaniard once again claiming honours as the top Aprilia rider.
Reigning World Champion Bagnaia was down in seventh, ending the day 0.318s adrift with a strong starting point for the Japanese GP. The #1 was ahead of Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGPâ˘) and compatriot Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team). The #49 will sleep well, securing a spot in Q2 alongside his teammate Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), who charged to P10.
An action-packed Q1 now awaits on Saturday as Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) missed out by a mere 0.030s. The Aussie suffered a late crash in Practice, ending Friday ahead of home hero Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) and Prima Pramac Racingâs Franco Morbidelli, who both missed their spot inside the top 10 – leaving everything up for grabs in Q1 tomorrow.
Make sure you set your alarm clock for an enthralling Saturday at Motegi, with MotoGP⢠action getting underway with Free Practice 2 at 10:10 local time (UTC +9) before the premier class stars battle for pole position in qualifying at 10:50 (UTC +9), setting the grid for the Tissot Sprint at 15:00 (UTC +9)!
Top 10:
| 1 | Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) | 1:43.436 |
| 2 | Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGPâ˘) | +0.033 |
| 3 | Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) | +0.132 |
| 4 | Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) | +0.147 |
| 5 | Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) | +0.169 |
| 6 | Maverick ViĂąales (Aprilia Racing) | +0.284 |
| 7 | Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) | +0.318 |
| 8 | Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGPâ˘) | +0.597 |
| 9 | Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) | +0.646 |
| 10 | Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) | +0.773 |
FULL RESULTS!
