Japanese MotoGP, Motegi – Race Results

TIMES TO FOLLOW

*Rookie.

Jorge Martin wins the 2023 Japanese MotoGP, halted at just over half distance due to torrential rain at Motegi.

A planned restart was then abandoned due to the conditions, meaning Martin is now just 3 points from reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia and the title lead.

Bagnaia and Marc Marquez completed the Motegi top three, Marquez claiming his first Sunday podium since Phillip Island 2022, almost a year ago.

• Japanese Moto2: Results
• Japanese Moto3: Results

With the title lead on the line after Martin had closed to within 8 points of Bagnaia after Saturday’s Sprint win, rain dramatically began falling on the Sunday grid.

Conditions soon worsened with most riders pulling into the pits for their wet bikes at the end of the opening race lap.

Only five chose to stay out with Michele Pirro leading from Fabio Quartararo, Stefan Bradl, Franco Morbidelli and Cal Crutchlow. Quartararo, Crutchlow and Bradl then pitted but Pirro and finally Morbidelli braved it out as long as they could.

Pirro finally abandoned the lead at the end of lap 4 of 24, leaving Morbidelli (17th) as the lone slick rider.

Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro then took over the lead from Marc Marquez, Bagnaia, Marco Bezzecchi and Martin.

But the Pramac Ducati rider, who had run wide while leading, was soon carving his way back towards the front.

Martin duly retook the lead on lap 6, with Bagnaia and Marquez in tow when red flags were waved just after the halfway stage – Marquez among the riders to gesture conditions had become too extreme.

Not eligible for the restart were Brad Binder, who ed early on, and Johann Zarco, who fell moments before the red flag and was denied a chance to try again for using a shortcut to get his smashed Pramac Ducati back to the pits.

Maverick Vinales (who fell at turn 1) and Miguel Oliveira (who retired just before the red flags) were due to take the second start from the end of pit lane having been classified one lap down.

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Last weekend’s inaugural Buddh event took its toll on the full-time riders, with two more – Alex Marquez (ribs) and Luca Marini (collarbone) – suffering fractures that saw them join Enea Bastianini in missing the Motegi round.

Alex Rins, sidelined since Mugello in May due to leg fractures, attempted a return in Friday practice before being declared unfit due to the pain in his right leg. HRC test rider Stefan Bradl then took over from Rins, with Ducati test rider Michele Pirro continuing in place of Bastianini at Ducati.

Also on track was Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow, making his first official wild-card appearance since retiring at the end of 2020. The 37-year-old Englishman made ten starts as a replacement rider for Yamaha during 2021 and 2022, with a best race finish of 12th at Sepang last year.

Joan Mir had one 2024 Honda prototype this weekend, as debuted at the Misano test, but fell with it early on Friday.

KTM riders Brad Binder and Jack Miller had the factory’s new carbon fibre chassis available, which Dani Pedrosa took to a pair of fourth places at the San Marino GP.