Ducati factory rider Jack Miller secured an unchallenged victory in the MotoGP race at the Mobility Resort Motegi. Marc Márquez just missed the podium, Pecco Bagnaia crashed on the last lap.
Jack Miller delivered an exceptional performance at the Japanese GP. The Ducati rider took the lead early in the Motegi race and gradually pulled away from the field. The Australian claimed his fourth MotoGP win, the first since the 2021 French GP.
Jorge Martin was second behind Miller for a long time, but just before the finish Red Bull KTM factory rider Brad Binder fought his way past the Spaniard. It was Binder’s second top-three result this season after the Qatar GP. Jorge Martin brought home third place.
Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) had to fight hard, in the end it was only enough for 8th place. Ducati star Pecco Bagnaia was always behind the Frenchman in the race, when he dared to attack the Yamaha star on the last lap, he was able to do one Don’t avoid falling. With 8th place in Japan, Quartararo was even able to extend his World Championship lead to 18 points.
The race was already over for Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaró before the start, because he had to drive into the pits after the warm-up lap to swap bikes. In the end he went away empty-handed in 16th place.
You can read the entire race in the live ticker here.
The highlights in the video:
The voices of the top 3:
1. Jack Miller (Ducati): “Sometimes I can ride a motorbike. I’ve had a very strong feeling since the beginning of the weekend. It feels wonderful to finally be driving in this part of the world again. The Japanese fans have been fantastic this weekend, defying the rain on Saturday. The best fans in the world. Now my home race is coming up, my wedding is also coming up in a few weeks, just unbelievable. »
2. Brad Binder (KTM): «I’m very happy with the finish because I fought very hard throughout the race. It was the first laps on the hard tyre, I hadn’t tried it before. I had a few difficult moments with the rear wheel in the race. Nevertheless, it was the right decision, because in the end more was possible. Thanks to the team, they deserve this podium. I hope we can do even more this year.”
3. Jorge Martin (Ducati): “It’s been a long time since the last podium, so I’m super proud for my team, my family and everyone around me. It’s an incredible feeling to be standing here. This race was particularly about the rear tire. We chose the medium tyre, but the hard would have been the right choice, so I could have fought for the win. Still, I’m looking forward to enjoying the day. I’m looking forward to Thailand, a great circuit for me. Thanks to the fans.”
MotoGP result, Motegi (25 September):
1. Miller, Ducati, 24 laps in 42:29.174 min
2. Brad Binder, KTM, + 3.409 sec
3. Martin, Ducati, +4.136
4. Marc Marquez, Honda, +7.784
5. Oliveira, KTM, +8.185
6.Marini, Ducati, +8.348
7. Vinales, Aprilia, +9.879
8. Quartararo, Yamaha, +10,193
9. Bastianini, Ducati, +10.318
10. Bezzecchi, Ducati, +16.419
11. Zarco, Ducati, +16.586
12. Pol Espargaró, Honda, +17.456
13. Alex Marquez, Honda, +18.219
14. Morbidelli, Yamaha, +19.012
15. Crutchlow, Yamaha, +19.201
16. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, +25.473
17. Di Giannantonio, Ducati, +27.006
18. Raul Fernandez, KTM, +29.374
19. Gardner, KTM, +29.469
20. Nakagami, Honda, +43,294
– Bagnaia, Ducati, 1 lap down
– Rins, Suzuki, 10 laps down
– Darryn Binder, Yamaha, 10 laps down
– Tsuda, Suzuki, 13 laps down
– Nagashima, Honda, 15 laps down
MotoGP World Championship standings (after 16 of 20 races):
1st Quartararo 219 points. 2nd Bagnaia 201 3rd Aleix Espargaró 194 4th Bastianini 170 5th Miller 159 6th Brad Binder 148 7th Zarco 138 8th Martin 120 9th Viñales 113 10th Rins 108 11th Oliveira 106 12 Marini 101 13 Bezzecchi 80 14 Mir 77 15 Marc Marquez 73 16 Pol Espargaró 47 17 Nakagami 46 18 18 Alex Marquez 42 19 Morbidelli 28 20 Tue Giannantonio 23 21 Dovizioso 15 22 Darryn Binder 10 23 Gardner 9 24 Raul Fernandez 8 25 Crutchlow 3 26 Bradl 2
Constructors’ Championship:
1. Ducati 371 points (title winner). 2. Aprilia 226. 3. Yamaha 221. 4. KTM 181. 5. Suzuki 134. 6. Honda 113.
Team World Cup:
1. Ducati Lenovo Team 360 points. 2. Aprilia Racing 307. 3. Prima Pramac Racing 258. 4. Red Bull KTM Factory 254. 5. Monster Energy Yamaha 247. 6. Gresini Racing 193. 7. Suzuki Ecstar 185. 8. Mooney VR46 Racing 181. 9. Repsol Honda 122nd 10th LCR Honda 88th 11th WithU Yamaha RNF 28th 12th Tech3 KTM Factory 17th