Japanese MotoGP, Motegi - Friday Practice Results
| 2023 Japanese MotoGP, Motegi - Practice (2) Results | ||||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff | Lap | Max |
| 1 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | 1'43.489s | 20/22 | 316k |
| 2 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP23) | +0.029s | 21/22 | 315k |
| 3 | Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23) | +0.295s | 18/20 | 309k |
| 4 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP23) | +0.354s | 22/24 | 313k |
| 5 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) | +0.456s | 24/25 | 316k |
| 6 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Gresini Ducati (GP22) | +0.458s | 17/21 | 306k |
| 7 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Pramac Ducati (GP23) | +0.573s | 19/21 | 315k |
| 8 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23) | +0.628s | 22/24 | 315k |
| 9 | Pol Espargaro | SPA | Tech3 GASGAS (RC16) | +0.730s | 18/19 | 313k |
| 10 | Jack Miller | AUS | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.772s | 22/23 | 312k |
| 11 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22) | +0.828s | 21/24 | 313k |
| 12 | Joan Mir | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +0.939s | 19/21 | 311k |
| 13 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.031s | 13/21 | 309k |
| 14 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +1.085s | 16/23 | 310k |
| 15 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.168s | 20/20 | 311k |
| 16 | Cal Crutchlow | GBR | Yamalube RS4GP (YZR-M1) | +1.220s | 21/22 | 311k |
| 17 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22) | +1.322s | 15/17 | 309k |
| 18 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +1.439s | 23/23 | 309k |
| 19 | Augusto Fernandez | SPA | Tech3 GASGAS (RC16)* | +1.742s | 20/24 | 307k |
| 20 | Michele Pirro | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP23) | +2.377s | 17/22 | 309k |
| 21 | Alex Rins | SPA | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +3.747s | 4/6 | 311k |
Official Motegi MotoGP records
Best lap: Jorge Lorenzo 1m 43.790s (2015)
Fastest race lap: Jack Miller 1m 45.198s (2022)
KTM’s Brad Binder breaks Jorge Lorenzo’s 2015 lap record to lead Friday practice for the Japanese MotoGP ahead of Francesco Bagnaia and Aleix Espargaro.
Binder, like team-mate Jack Miller, had the new carbon fibre chassis available today, with team boss Francesco Guidotti admitting there is a 'big chance' of racing with it.
Riding in front of the Japanese bosses, Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) and Marc Marquez (Honda) were among those to miss out on the top ten and must take part in Saturday’s Qualifying 1.
Quartararo suffered a fast crash on entry to Turn 6, the front collapsing on the kerb as he pitched in. The Frenchman hobbled onto a waiting scooter back to the pits, returning for one final run but couldn’t break back into the top ten.
Repsol’s Marc Marquez crashed at Turn 1 in the closing stages, leaving him 14th and ending his Qualifying 2 quest.
Title leader Bagnaia, seeking a cure for his recent rear braking woes, still seemed to have some twitchy slides and was also facing a risky Q1 appearance as the final minutes began.
Keeping his fingers crossed for no yellow flags, the Italian ruined his first time attack by exceeding track limits. But Bagnaia held his nerve and climbed from 14th to 2nd with a minute to go.
Title rival Jorge Martin was soon lapping under his own pace-setting 1m 45.192s morning time during the hour-long Practice 2, on his way to fourth, followed by Buddh winner Marco Bezzecchi.
RNF Aprilia’s Miguel Oliveira then went for an early soft tyre time attack at the midway stage. Oliveira’s reign lasted until factory Aprilia race winner Aleix Espargaro put his black machine ahead with a quarter of an hour remaining.
But the pace of improvements meant Espargaro was soon demoted outside the top five, with Fabio di Giannantonio - facing an uncertain MotoGP future amid the Marc Marquez rumours - blasting into a surprise P1 as the final minutes began on his way to an eventual sixth place.
Raul Fernandez fell early in the afternoon, at the apex of Turn 10, then again in the closing minutes at the same corner.
Yamaha wild-card Cal Crutchlow was a competitive 16th, just behind M1 regular Franco Morbidelli.
Alex Rins' first day of MotoGP action since May ended at the bottom of the timesheets, having completed a total of 22 (16+6) Friday laps. It remains to be seen if Rins feels fit enough to continue or will hand over to Stefan Bradl on Saturday.
Rain is forecast for Saturday.
| 2023 Japanese MotoGP, Motegi - Practice (1) Results | ||||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff | Lap | Max |
| 1 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP23) | 1'45.192s | 13/16 | 311k |
| 2 | Augusto Fernandez | SPA | Tech3 GASGAS (RC16)* | +0.138s | 18/19 | 307k |
| 3 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) | +0.318s | 17/17 | 313k |
| 4 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP23) | +0.439s | 5/18 | 313k |
| 5 | Joan Mir | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +0.493s | 15/15 | 310k |
| 6 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.555s | 16/17 | 313k |
| 7 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23) | +0.627s | 5/18 | 313k |
| 8 | Jack Miller | AUS | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.710s | 17/18 | 311k |
| 9 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.760s | 5/20 | 309k |
| 10 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22) | +0.774s | 11/19 | 310k |
| 11 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Pramac Ducati (GP23) | +0.826s | 9/15 | 312k |
| 12 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.835s | 16/20 | 310k |
| 13 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +0.841s | 14/19 | 313k |
| 14 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Gresini Ducati (GP22) | +0.968s | 19/19 | 309k |
| 15 | Pol Espargaro | SPA | Tech3 GASGAS (RC16) | +0.989s | 13/15 | 314k |
| 16 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22) | +1.006s | 16/18 | 312k |
| 17 | Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23) | +1.037s | 6/16 | 312k |
| 18 | Cal Crutchlow | GBR | Yamalube RS4GP (YZR-M1) | +1.110s | 16/16 | 312k |
| 19 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +1.142s | 7/16 | 309k |
| 20 | Michele Pirro | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP23) | +1.940s | 15/16 | 308k |
| 21 | Alex Rins | SPA | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +2.395s | 7/16 | 0k |
*Rookie.
Official Motegi MotoGP records
Best lap: Jorge Lorenzo 1m 43.790s (2015)
Fastest race lap: Jack Miller 1m 45.198s (2022)
Title contender Jorge Martin sets the pace in opening practice for the 2023 Japanese MotoGP at a sunny Motegi, despite a late fall.
Martin was fastest by 0.4s with 8mins remaining when he ran wide and toppled over in the Turn 3 gravel, but remained in charge at the top.
While the rest of the field used medium rear tyres, rookie Augusto Fernandez put a new soft and snatched a late second place for GASGAS Tech3.
Buddh winner Marco Bezzecchi claimed third on his last lap, pushing reigning champion and title leader Francesco Bagnaia to fourth.
Joan Mir fell while appearing to try the 2024 Honda prototype but put in a late charge for fifth ahead of KTM's Brad Binder and Aprilia's Maverick Vinales.
KTM team-mates Binder and Jack Miller put their first grand prix laps on the carbon fibre chassis.
Yamaha wild-card Cal Crutchlow began his first event since Valencia 2022 with 18th.
Alex Rins, riding in his first MotoGP session since fracturing his right tibia and fibula at Mugello in May, was 21st and last (+2.395s) having completed 16 laps.
Friday's afternoon's hour-long session will decide the top ten riders with direct access to Qualifying 2.
The lower latest factory Ducati holeshot device available for Bagnaia (and Martin) vs. the older version used by Bezzecchi. #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/384webFT4m
— Peter McLaren (@McLarenMotoGP) September 29, 2023
Reigning MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia leads the standings by just 13 points over Jorge Martin after a costly fall falling in last Sunday’s Indian Grand Prix, where a dominant victory for Marco Bezzecchi moved the VR46 rider to within 44 points of the top.
But the inaugural Buddh event also took its toll on the full-time riders, with two more - Alex Marquez (ribs) and Luca Marini (collarbone) - suffering fractures that will see them join Enea Bastianini in missing this weekend’s Motegi round.
Ducati test rider Michele Pirro continues in place of Bastianini at Ducati, however Alex Rins, sidelined since Mugello in May due to leg fractures, is making his return for LCR Honda this weekend.
Also on track will be 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 has one 2024 Honda prototype this weekend, as debuted at the Misano test, while KTM riders Brad Binder and Jack Miller have the factory's new carbon fibre chassis available, which Dani Pedrosa took to a pair of fourth places at the San Marino GP.
Rain is forecast for Saturday.
