Zarco and Syahrin kick off Japan Grand Prix in strong form

Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider Johann Zarco initiated Friday in Motegi with a stunning third fastest time, after getting up to speed quickly this morning. In mixed conditions during FP2 the fast Frenchman was leading away most of the session and eventually changed to slicks towards the end. However, he concluded the day superbly as the best Yamaha rider, just 0.125 seconds off the top.

On the other side, Hafizh Syahrin had to learn the Twin Ring Motegi aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1 for the first time today. In doing so, he rode in changing conditions in the course of the first day and improved his feeling this afternoon to finish the second Free Practice as the sixth fastest rider of the highly competitive MotoGP field, eager to get back on track tomorrow at 9.55 local time (2.55 CET) for FP3.

Johann Zarco

Position: 3rd – Time: 1’45.483 – Laps: 35

“It has been a very good first day in Japan, I’m happy. In the dry conditions, I got a strong pace immediately and this helped me a lot to relax myself and do some good work. In the afternoon, the conditions were tricky with some rain, therefore I was lucky to have been fast in FP1. It was not full wet, but we had some patches on the track. I did laps in both conditions with the rain tyres and the slick and in both cases I had a good control of the bike. Now I’m looking forward to tomorrow, to show a fast pace again and be competitive for the Qualifying.”

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 24th – Time: 1’47.726 – Laps: 23

“During this first day, I didn’t do many laps in the dry, but I felt really good with the bike. In the last run this morning, we had some small issue with the brakes, therefore we couldn’t continue improving and I stopped the last run. Later in FP2, I had very good sensations, but it wasn’t enough time to use the dry time really well. Overall, I have a great feeling and I’m convinced that we can lower our lap time tomorrow morning.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:

GOOD START FOR APRILIA AT THE MOTEGI MOTOGP WEEKEND

Aprilia’s weekend at Motegi got off on the right foot in preparation for the GP of Japan on Sunday. During the first session, held on a dry track, Aleix Espargaró made it into the top 10 with a time of 1’46.126, while teammate Scott Redding stopped the clock with a good twelfth place at 1’46.854.

The second session began on a damp track, less-than-ideal conditions and irrelevant in terms of rankings. In fact, no one was able to improve on their times from the morning, with various riders (including Aleix) staying in the garage for the entire session. Scott Redding went out in the final part of the session, putting on dry tyres, given the progressive improvement of the asphalt. The English rider found a good feeling with his RS-GP straight away in imperfect grip conditions, taking a nice second place time in the session rankings.

The battle to go straight through to the second qualifying session will resume tomorrow with FP3.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“I am pleased to be in the top 10, because if it rains tomorrow or if the track is not in perfect condition, this would mean going straight through to Q2. Overall, I felt good in the saddle. Braking stability has always been a quality of the 2018 bike and it is a very handy characteristic here. In FP2 there was no point going out with the rain and lapping with slicks would not have been useful, so we decided to stay in the garage.”

SCOTT REDDING

“I was surprised by the performance this morning. I had a good feeling straight away. I even made a couple of mistakes that cost me a few tenths on my lap. After Aragón, I took a step forward in terms of confidence with the RS-GP. I know it will be hard to repeat this performance tomorrow, especially on a dry track, but we’ll keep working in view of the race. In FP2, I didn’t want to waste the wet tyres, so I waited for the track to dry out and I must say that I really had fun riding in those conditions.”

More, from a press release issued by Angel Nieto Team:

BAUTISTA DOES HIS HOMEWORK IN FIRST PRACTICE

Ángel Nieto Team rider laps seventh fastest on opening day in Japan

The 2018 Grand Prix of Japan, which represents Marc Márquez’s first opportunity to wrap up the MotoGP World Championship title, kicked off today with mixed conditions at Motegi. The opening free practice session took place under bright sunshine and with 27°C track temperature, and with rain coming for the afternoon session it decided the final positions at the end of the day. Andrea Dovizioso sits on top with a best lap of 1’45.358, with less than two tenths of a second to Cal Crutchlow, Johann Zarco and Marc Márquez.

Álvaro Bautista did his homework on the opening day of the Grand Prix of Japan with an impressive opening session that saw him lap seventh fastest, a position he maintained when the rainy conditions came in the afternoon. It means that the Ángel Nieto Team rider is provisionally through to Q2, with FP3 still to come tomorrow morning. The Spaniard had a crash at the end of the session when he went out on a new tyre, so he knows he has even more room for improvement tomorrow. His teammate Karel Abraham had a tough opening day at Motegi, where he finished a little over two seconds off top spot. The rain hindered his plans to make some changes in the second session and he will have to make the most of all the available track time tomorrow.

7th Álvaro Bautista 1:46.210 (23 laps): “We knew that it might rain this afternoon so it was important to finish FP1 in the top ten. Even though I didn’t manage to complete a fast lap at the end, we finished up in seventh position. We had gone for a new rear tyre but the front had more than sixteen laps on it and I lost grip at the end of the straight and went down. It was a minor crash but it meant we couldn’t improve. The good thing is that I set my best lap on used tyres. This afternoon there was nothing to be gained by riding in those track conditions.”

23rd Karel Abraham 1:47.716 (30 laps): “We haven’t had a good day today. We struggled quite a bit in FP1, I felt fast and I was putting a lot of physical effort in but the lap times weren’t coming. That was a little disappointing. Then in the afternoon we had a couple of things to try but the conditions were really bad. It started wet but then a couple of corners started to dry. Towards the end of the session we decided to use slick tyres but it was dangerous because some corners were still too wet.”

More, from a press release issued by Alma Pramac Racing:

 Grand Prix of Japan – Free Practices

#JapaneseGP FP. Jack is incisive in the “mixed” Motegi’s Friday. Petrux struggles in Fp1

After the FP1 in dry conditions, the rain affected the afternoon at the Twin Ring Circuit in Motegi, forcing the most of riders to stay in the pits for a long time.

Jack Miller is incisive in both free practice sessions and in the FP1 he conquers a good P8 that would allow him to qualify directly to Q2 in case of rain tomorrow morning. In FP2 the Australian rider is the first one to go out on track with slicks tyres and he immediately sets the best crono then finishing in P4.

Danilo Petrucci experiences some problems in FP1 and focuses on the bike set up without trying the time attack (P17). In FP2 Petrux gets back on track with a different setup and regains confidence (P3) despite the track conditions that do not allow him to improve the morning lap-time.

P17 – Danilo Petrucci

“In the morning we risked with the set up but the choice was wrong. We worked during and after FP1 and we made some improvements in FP2. Tomorrow we will still have to work to try to stay in Q2. The last time I was so struggling on Friday was at Le Mans where I conquered the podium…”.

P8 – Jack Miller

“I’m satisfied with what we did in FP1. The feeling with the bike was good. In FP1 I could have done even better but on my best lap I made a mistake. In the end we did some good laps also in FP2 with the slicks and this gives me confidence in view of tomorrow”.

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:

CRUTCHLOW THE LEADING HONDA AT MOTEGI ON DAY ONE

LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow made an encouraging start to the Japanese Grand Prix as he posted the second fastest time on Friday. The 16th round of this year’s MotoGP World Championship got underway in dry conditions at the Twin Ring in Motegi and Crutchlow was once again on the pace as he emerged as the leading Honda rider on the opening day of HRC’s home race.

The Briton came on strong in the closing stages of a dry FP1 session in the morning to finish just a tenth behind early pacesetter, Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso. As rain fell in the afternoon, a satisfied Crutchlow opted to keep his powder dry and sit out FP2 – which took place on a damp track – preferring to preserve his energy for Saturday’s qualifying instead.

Cal Crutchlow – 2nd

(1’45.463 – lap 18 of 18)

“Today was a good day, we felt quite comfortable in FP1. We had to assess the situation and the track condition was not too bad and our times were competitive. We still need to find a little bit in one of the sectors, but overall we are happy”.

“This afternoon we thought the risk outweighed the reward and we didn’t enter the circuit for FP2 because we think the forecast for the rest of the weekend looks dry. We’ll continue to work over the night with the team, and with HRC, and we look forward to seeing what we can do tomorrow in qualifying.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:

SOLID START FOR LOCAL HERO NAKAGAMI

LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami finished the opening day of his home GP just outside the top 10 at the Twin Ring in Motegi. With a one-year extension to his contract with the Japanese manufacturer already confirmed this week, the local hero will be looking to put on a show for his passionate fans this weekend and made a solid start on a day of mixed conditions.

Taking advantage of a dry track in the morning, Taka posted the 13th best time of FP1 as he finished less than three tenths outside the top 10. Rain in the afternoon made life more difficult in FP2, but Nakagami was one of the riders who opted to go out and get more laps under his belt on the damp circuit. Although unable to improve on his time from FP1, the 26-year-old is already looking forward to qualifying on Saturday.

Takaaki Nakagami – 13th

(1’46.856 – lap 17 of 19)

“It was tricky in FP2, but FP1 we were lucky to have the dry conditions. The track conditions in FP1 were ok, the rubber and the grip levels were not so bad. We were close to the top 10. Unfortunately FP2 was mixed conditions and nobody improved their lap times, but now we’re looking forward to tomorrow and FP3.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Repsol Honda Team starts preparations for Japanese Grand Prix in mixed weather conditions

The Japanese Grand Prix got underway today at Twin Ring Motegi in mixed weather conditions, with a dry morning session followed by a wet and damp afternoon stint.

Marc Marquez led FP1 at length before dropping to fourth in the final minutes. Fourth-fastest was also Marc’s overall result for the day, as he decided to sit out FP2 after checking the track conditions.

Dani Pedrosa was 11th this morning in the dry before setting the fastest lap time in FP2’s mixed conditions.

Marc Marquez 93

4TH COMBINED 1’45.498 (FP1)

“This morning in the dry, the feeling was good, and with half-and-half conditions in the afternoon, we decided not to lap, even though I’m normally strong in that situation. I felt competitive and strong in FP1 and I was able to ride in a good way. That said, while it’s a bit to early to understand where we are, I saw that Dovi is going to be fast this weekend. Anyway, it doesn’t matter, as we’ll keep the same mentality as always and keep working. We need to adjust many details, such as acceleration and braking stability. We have margin for improvement.”

Dani Pedrosa 26

11TH COMBINED (1ST IN WET FP2) 1’46.568 (FP1) 1’48.136 (WET FP2)

“Today we struggled a bit at the beginning, and we had to work on the bike setup. We were ready to try in the afternoon, but conditions changed with the rain that fell before FP2. We weren’t sure if it was meaningful to ride on a half-and-half track, but in the end I think it was positive because we managed to improve the feeling a little bit. In the final minutes we were also able to do a few laps on slick tyres, and that will allow us to be a bit more prepared in case it rains tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:

MIXED CONDITIONS BUT A USEFUL DAY 1 IN MOTEGI

Andrea Iannone: 6th – 1:46.030 (+ 0.672)

Alex Rins: 19th – 1:47.187 (+ 1.829)

Sylvain Guintoli: 21st – 1:47.537 (+ 2.179)

• Andrea Iannone showing good pace in FP1.

•Alex Rins and Sylvain Guintoli working on settings.

•New aerodynamic package debuted.

Day 1 at Twin Ring Motegi saw mixed conditions and a focus on set-up rather than speed. Team SUZUKI ECSTAR have three riders on track in Japan, thanks to the return of Test Rider, Sylvain Guintoli.

The morning’s FP1 session was dry, allowing Andrea Iannone to put in some strong lap times and finish the session in 6th place. Meanwhile, Rins and Guintoli took time to work on settings. The rain arrived for FP2 and these damp conditions kept many riders in the box for a large part of the session. Whilst Iannone opted to stay in, Rins and Guintoli went out for some laps to try out a new configuration aerodynamic fairing.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“Of course the rain stopped us a bit from doing our job to prepare for the weekend, but that’s the same for everybody. We still tried to collect some good information with Alex in the wet. We were able to do some dry laps too, so we tried to make it a useful day. In the morning in the dry Andrea was doing well and was able to stay well within the Top 10, meanwhile Alex was working on race preparations and tyres like usual. So we’ll see tomorrow how the weekend will develop depending on the weather conditions, but we’ll keep working.”

Andrea Iannone

“This morning’s FP1 was really good. The track here in Japan is great with really strong braking and hard acceleration. We started well and the feeling with the bike is good. For sure it’s important to keep improving practice by practice, but we’re starting from a strong point. I’m hoping to arrive on the start line ready to battle at the front.”

Alex Rins

“The feeling was good but the weather has been strange; raining on and off, and I don’t really like this feeling. Luckily FP1 was completely dry so we were able to test the bike a bit and try different settings. I decided to keep the same set of tyres for the whole session. We also tried a new aero fairing and it seems to be an improvement. Apparently tomorrow the weather could be the same as today, but we’ll give 100% whatever it’s like.”

Sylvain Guintoli

“This weekend is very exciting because we’re mainly working towards next year. At the moment there are many different things to try so we’re assessing the new parts one by one before blending it all together. The current bike is already really good, but it’s still important for us to try new things and it’s going very well. It seems like we’re getting a bit stronger on top speed, the handling is already fantastic, so it’s about finding the balance of adding new things without compromising our existing strong points.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

MOVISTAR YAMAHA PREPARE FOR MOTEGI MATCHUP IN FIRST FP SESSIONS

The Motul Grand Prix of Japan got underway today at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit in mixed conditions. Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi spent the morning and afternoon session working to establish a base set-up and get a feel for the dry and wet track conditions.

Motegi (Japan), 19th October 2018

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi kicked off the first of the overseas triple-header weekends today with a dry FP1 session and a wet FP2. They secured fifth and ninth place respectively in the combined free practice results as they prepare for Sunday‘s Motul Grand Prix of Japan, Yamaha‘s home race.

Viñales booked steady progress in the morning practice. He started the weekend off getting re-familiarised with the Twin Ring Motegi track. He never rode on a Yamaha in dry conditions there before, as last year‘s race was completely wet. He wisely took some time to warm up the bigger carbon brake disks, which are obligatory due to the circuit‘s heavy braking character, before putting his head down in the final 15 minutes to gradually move up and take second place at the end of his penultimate run. He put in a soft rear tyre for his final outing and improved his time to end the session in fifth place with a 1’45.640s lap, 0.282s from first.

The second 45-minute session started out in the wet, but the uncertain conditions didn’t halt the Spaniard’s afternoon riding programme. He was one of the first riders to brave the damp track, diligently working on his bike’s setting. He spent a large part of the session near the top of the provisional rankings, until towards the end, as the track dried, the second half of the rider field also put in a fast lap. The youngster’s fastest time of 1’54.133s was 5.997s from the top and left him in 15th place in the FP2 timesheets. However, as the FP1 results were quicker, he remains in fifth position in the combined free practice times.

Teammate Rossi set the second fastest time at the opening stages of FP2 before starting to test various setting options as well as some tyre specs, knowing the Motegi track is heavy on the tyres. The nine-time World Champion got most of the work done before he decided to put in a hot lap with a fresh medium rear tyre, because the conditions for the remainder of the day remained uncertain. He managed to find time on his very last lap, securing ninth place with a 1’46.329s, 0.971s from the leader.

The Italian’s notions proved to be right. At the start of FP2 it soon became clear no MotoGP rider would be improving on his morning time in the wet weather conditions. The Doctor put all his attention towards improving his feeling in the wet and calmly worked on the balance of his bike. He clocked a fastest time of 1’54.078s, 5.942s removed from the afternoon’s fastest lap, but still holds ninth place in the combined session results.

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP teammates were joined on track by wild card rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga, seven-time consecutive premier JSB1000 class (All Japan Road Race Championship) winner, who also won the Suzuka 8-Hour race four years in a row in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. He started the weekend securing 15th position in FP1 and climbed up to a promising 12th in FP2 in the wet conditions. The results put him in 15th place in the combined free practice times, with a 1’46.872s best lap, 1.514s from first.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

We had some positive confirmation today in Motegi. Maverick showed good speed right from the start, so that means the base set-up we found in Thailand is also useful here. Vale didn’t get the start we hoped for in the first session, but he and his crew managed to get things go their way towards the end of the morning. Both he and Maverick had a comfortable feeling in the wet in the afternoon. We tweaked the bike’s balance without too much pressure, as no wet lap times would beat this morning’s efforts. We still have room for improvement. We are confident we can make more steps over the weekend to be even more competitive on Sunday and we hope the conditions will remain dry tomorrow. Every session is important, because you can always gain information. However, as FP2 was wet and the forecast for the race is for dry weather, we lost some crucial time to work on the set-up. We also haven’t finished the tyre comparison yet, to choose a combination for the race, so tomorrow we’ll work some more on that.

MAVERICK VIÑALES

It’s been a good day. Honestly, it was really positive because we confirmed that the improvement we made in Thailand was due to the set-up changes and not due to the tyres we used there. This weekend’s tyre works completely different from those in Thailand, but we still came close to the top in the morning, so I’m pleased about today. However, there’s still a lot of room for improvement. I think we have to go ahead with this set-up to try to be better on track. In the afternoon I was trying to work a lot on the wet tyres. This was important because we struggled last year, but this year the bike is better on the wet. The balance of the bike seems to work better both in the dry and the wet. Today we also wore a pink shirt to fight against breast cancer. It’s a nice initiative and it’s something I want to do, because if we can get a bit more support for those who suffer from it, that’s always good.

VALENTINO ROSSI

It’s difficult to assess the situation, because today wasn’t the perfect day to get an understanding. Fortunately we ran in the dry in the morning, but my pace wasn’t fantastic. I had some different things to try in the morning session. On the other hand, Maverick and Zarco were strong, also concerning the pace, so this is positive for Yamaha. Unfortunately in the afternoon the conditions were half-and-half. It was very difficult to understand the situation, but I tried to do some laps, because I had to try something to have an idea for tomorrow. Tomorrow we will try to modify the bike. We will try to understand if we can be fast, and also if we can have a good pace with the used tyre. We had a special end to the day because we changed our team wear for an important occasion. The pink shirts me and Maverick wore at the media debriefs are a part of Movistar’s support in creating awareness for breast cancer.

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Andrea Dovizioso tops the timesheets on the opening day of practice for the Japanese Grand Prix. Jorge Lorenzo withdraws from the Motegi race due to problems with his left wrist

Andrea Dovizioso headed the field on the opening day of free practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, which will be held this weekend at the Motegi circuit. The Ducati Team’s Italian rider was the quickest in the morning’s dry FP1 session with a time of 1’45.353, and he then opted not to go out on track again in FP2 because of the rain that fell in the early afternoon.

This morning Jorge Lorenzo only completed two laps of the Japanese circuit before returning to the pits to stop because of the pain in his left wrist, which was injured in a crash two weeks ago at Buriram. The Spanish rider yesterday underwent a CT scan in Utsunomiya Hospital which unfortunately was not positive for his ongoing recovery from the hairline fracture. In the evening Lorenzo will have a further MR scan which should give medical staff all the information necessary to decide on the best possible treatment for the rider to speed up his recovery and determine how much time will be required before he returns to the races.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1st (1’45.353)

“This morning we immediately started off very well in the FP1 session and my feeling was very good. For the race we will still have to improve but starting off with such a good base on Friday morning really makes a difference. We already know what to work on and the braking is surely the most important aspect in this circuit. We didn’t go out in the afternoon, even though we wanted to try a few things, but the track conditions made it too much of a risk to try and push hard. In any case our Desmosedici GP works particularly well here at Motegi and tomorrow we hope to find the track dry so as to be able to work for the race.”

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99)

“After doing as much as possible to quickly recover from the injury to my wrist caused by the crash in Thailand, today I tried to go out on track to see how I felt on the bike. Yesterday my feelings weren’t very positive and unfortunately today I had confirmation not only of the pain that the riding was giving me, but also that there was a serious risk of making the fracture worse. It’s a real pity not to be able to race here because Motegi is a circuit that I like a lot, it adapts well to the characteristics of the bike and I wanted to score a good result. I feel really bad for my team and for the fans, but now I only have to be patient and try and recover as best as possible to be ready in Australia or in Malaysia.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Man on a mission:

Dovizioso fastest on Friday at Motegi

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) said in Thursday’s pre-event Press Conference that he had a fairly single-minded mission this weekend: force key rival Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) to wait that little bit longer to celebrate his seventh crown. After going fastest on Day 1 at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan it’s therefore so far so good for the Italian, with ‘DesmoDovi’ just over a tenth clear in a dry FP1 and wet weather then putting paid to any improvements. But what of Marquez? It was far from a difficult start for the reigning Champion but the number 93 began Honda’s home Grand Prix in P4 overall.

The man Dovizioso beat to P1 was instead Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) as the Brit proved fastest Honda on Friday, taking second place and the honour of top Independent Team rider. That was a close battle however, with Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) just a fraction further back to complete the top three and end Day 1 as fastest Yamaha – making it three different machines and three men split by just 0.125 at the top, with Marquez lurking only a further 0.015 in arrears.

Meanwhile in P5, Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) wasn’t so far off either – and the showing was a good one for the Iwata marque after some struggles of late. Their much improved pace at Buriram appears to have brought some positives to Motegi too, with the Spaniard moving up late on to complete the top five and teammate Valentino Rossi likewise within that all-important top ten on Friday. Nine-time World Champion Rossi was ninth overall and says he reserves a little more judgment on the all-out optimism of his teammate but it was a good start to the race weekend that sees Yamaha on home turf in Japan and yet also in the enemy territory of Honda…

Rossi was in a second, close group in the latter half of the top ten that was headed by Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Andrea Iannone. The Italian took P6 overall to please the Hamamatsu factory, although teammate Alex Rins had a tougher day down in P19. Their test rider, wildcard and 2014 WorldSBK Champion Sylvain Guintoli, was P21 but he made more headlines with his continued work towards the 2019 bike.

Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) followed up his win in the minibike event on Thursday with seventh on Friday, just ahead of fellow Independent Team Ducati rider Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) as the Aussie edged ahead of Rossi. Behind the rider from Tavullia it was Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) who completed the top ten, and teammate Scott Redding took an impressive P12. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), meanwhile, was the fastest rookie fresh from a renewed contract for 2019 and he took P13, ahead of a Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) of much-improved fitness and an ever-impressive P15 from Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing wildcard veteran Katsuyuki Nakasuga.

So who’s missing? One key name is Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team), who withdrew from the event following just one exit in FP1. The former Motegi winner was in too much pain from his injuries sustained at Buriram in that FP2 crash. Another missing from the top echelons was fellow Japanese GP ace Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), who missed out on the top ten and was P11, but the ‘Little Samurai’ did top the wet FP2 session. Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) is likewise a rider who had a tougher start to the weekend, and surely one of those to watch on Saturday.

That’s it from a half-dry, half-wet Twin Ring Motegi on Friday – tune back in on Saturday morning for more practice and then for qualifying from 14:10 (GMT +9). Then we’ll have the grid for the Motul Grand Prix of Japan with the Championship on the line – and anything can and will happen.

Lecuona leads the charge in Japan

Iker Lecuona (Swiss Innovative Investors) was Friday’s fastest man at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan, setting a 1:52.159 to head ever-consistent Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) by 0.119 seconds. Augusto Fernandez (Pons HP 40) completed the top three in Motegi, 0.231 back, as the Spaniard continues to impress following his return to the Moto2™ World Championship.

After FP1 was hindered by rain, the intermediate class riders were able to get a solid session under their belts before another light shower in the afternoon then brought proceedings to a premature end with ten minutes remaining. Fabio Quartararo (MB Conveyors – Speed Up) completes Friday’s on track action with a solid P4, 0.358 from Lecuona’s benchmark after finish P10 in the morning, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) rounding out the top five – a significant leap up the timesheets for the number 41 rider after finishing FP1 in P16.

The South African finished 0.075 ahead of teammate and Championship protagonist Miguel Oliveira and it was P6 for the Portuguese rider, with Tetsuta Nagashima (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) getting his home Grand Prix off to a solid start in P7 after finishing the damp session in P4, just 0.003 behind Oliveira. FP1’s quickest rider Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) completes Friday in P8, just ahead of EG 0,0 Marc VDS’ Alex Marquez. The three-time Motegi winner recovered well after suffering a huge highside at Turn 8 at the end of FP1 to finish P9 in FP2, and Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) completed the top ten.

In terms of the Championship, it’s Bagnaia who heads into Saturday with the advantage over Oliveira, but the unpredictable Japanese weather could well spring a surprise or two come qualifying. Can Lecuona transfer Friday’s pace into a first front row start? Or will it be all change at the front once again? Find out from 15:05 local time (GMT +9).

Kornfeil capitalises to go quickest on Day 1

Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PruestelGP) ended Day 1 of the Motul Grand Prix of Japan on top of the combined timesheets, with the Czech rider fastest in FP1 and rain then stopping anyone beating the benchmark in the afternoon. His teammate, Championship contender Marco Bezzecchi, made it a clean sweep for the team on Friday as he went quickest in the damp. Bezzecchi’s main rivals, Championship leader Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) and teammate Fabio DI Giannantonio, ended the first day of action in Japan in P16 and P18 respectively – setting up an interesting shuffle ahead of qualifying on Saturday.

Back to the front and it’s Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) in P2 overall, ahead of the Leopard Racing duo of Enea Bastianini and compatriot Lorenzo Dalla Porta. Fifth place in the dry was John McPhee (CIP – Green Power) on board his KTM, with Bezzecchi sixth on the overall times despite his FP2-topping heroics. Philipp Oettl (Sudmetal Schedl GP Racing) heads into Saturday in seventh thanks to his morning effort, with Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team) eighth overall and adding a solid P7 in the damp, too.

Rounding out the top ten after the opening day’s action are Marcos Ramirez (Bester Capital Dubai) and Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team Moto3) in some good form for both, but it was P15 and P17 in the damp for the two Spaniards after tougher conditions for FP2. Check out qualifying on Saturday from 12:55 (GMT +9) to see how the pack may shuffle once again…

More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:

Strong start for Xavier Simeon at the Japanese Grand Prix

MotoGP GP of Japan – Twin Ring Motegi

Reale Avintia Racing rider Xavier Simeon had his best ever Friday in MotoGP on Twin Ring Motegi, finishing in 16th place just 1.6s behind the fastest rider Andrea Dovizioso.

The opening day of practice for the Japanese Grand Prix was disrupted by intermittent rain showers before FP2, which cost the team valuable track time for their task of finding the best possible set-up for the bikes. But in the morning, Simeon was fast and consistent in dry conditions, reporting positive feelings with the bike.

In the afternoon session, the Belgian was one of the few riders who went out in tricky damp conditions. He finished eight after swapping to Michelin slick tyres in the final minutes, when the track started to dry.

His Reale Avintia teammate Jordi Torres decided to sit the session out in the garage without taking unnecessary risks. In the morning he’d done a step forward in his learning process and he was 22nd with a best lap of 1’47.665. Most importantly, he started with good feelings and, although he wasn’t able to try a fast lap in FP2, he is determined to improve in dry conditions tomorrow.

The action on Saturday will start at 9:55 am local time with FP3, followed by FP4 at 13:30 h and Qualifying at 14:10 h.

Xavier Simeon | 1’46.998 | P16

“This was my best first day in MotoGP and I’m very happy. Every time I ride the bike I feel better and it’s a relief to see myself higher up in the time sheets. In the afternoon, the circuit was never completely dry. But in the end, we did the last run on slicks. The feeling was positive and I got more experience in these tricky conditions. This is a stop-and-go circuit and our bike performs really well. I hope to continue in this line tomorrow”.

Jordi Torres | 1’47.665 | P22

“This was a positive Friday. It made a noticeable difference that I hadn’t been racing on another bike last weekend, as I was able to recall the feeling I had during the Thailand GP and build on that, riding in a more natural way. I learned lots again, especially in the morning, even though I first had to find the reference points around the track.”