Japan MotoGP 2022, Motegi – Race Results 8.185s6Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+8.348s7Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP)+9.879s8Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+10.193s9Enea BastianiniITAGresini Ducati (GP21)+10.318s10Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP21)*+16.419s11Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP22)+16.586s12Pol EspargaroSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+17.456s13Alex MarquezSPALCR Honda (RC213V)+18.219s14Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+19.012s Yamaha (YZR-M1) +19.012s15.012s15.012s. )+25.473s17Fabio Di GiannantonioITAGresini Ducati (GP21)*+27.006s18Raul FernandezSPAKTM Tech3 (RC16)*+29.374s19Remy GardnerAUSKTM Tech3 (RC16)*+29.469s20TakaLCR Honda (RC16) 213V)+43.294s Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP22)DNF Alex RinsSPASuzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)DNF Darryn BinderRSAWithU Yamaha RNF (YZR-M1)*DNF Takuya TsudaJPNSuzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)Nagasuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)DNFRC2PNFHRC2DNF Team
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Jack Miller stormed to his fourth MotoGP win, but first of the season, with a dominant performance at the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, while Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia crashed disastrously while trying overtaking title rival Fabio Quartararo on the last lap.
Miller was joined on the podium by KTM’s Brad Binder and Pramac’s Jorge Martin, in a race that saw Quartararo and Bagnaia battle it out at the bottom of the top ten and fellow title contender Aleix Espargaro forced to start from the pit – lane.
Starting from his first pole in three years, Marc Marquez was the only rider to arrive on the grid with a hard rear tyre. He then switched to the soft, but a number of riders – including Bagnaia and factory Ducati team-mate Miller – went in the opposite direction, switching to the hard rear.
Far greater drama followed when third in the championship, Aleix Espargaró, who was due to start ahead of his title rivals in sixth, suddenly crashed at the end of the formation lap with a technical problem.
The Spaniard literally dropped the RS-GP to the ground as he jumped on his spare bike and rejoined the race a distant 25th and last.
Meanwhile, KTM’s Brad Binder made it his first MotoGP front row in the holeshot. But Jorge Martín was soon on the attack, passing both Marquez and Binder to lead the first lap.
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Martin’s reign was short-lived with another Ducati also on the move. Miller, fastest in the dry on Friday, cut from fifth to first and immediately threatens to pull away.
By the midway point of the 24 laps, an outmatched Miller had built a three-second lead over Martin, with the KTMs of Binder and Miguel Oliveira, plus Marc Márquez, fighting for the final podium position.
Further back, after finishing just 9th and 12th in the wet classification, title leaders Quartararo and Bagnaia were still struggling to make an impact in 8th and 10th respectively.
Among them was Aragon’s winner Enea Bastianini, who had driven Davide Tardozzi away from the television screen as she fired a close inside pass to future team-mate Bagnaia.
Bagnaia battled Bastianini in the closing laps, putting him directly behind Quartararo.
The Italian was close enough to hit the Yamaha on the penultimate lap, but it ended in disaster when he lost the front end as he launched into the inside of Turn 2, just missing the rear of the M1 of the Frenchman as he slid on the gravel.
Aleix Espargaro also ran out of steam in 16th, meaning Quartararo extended his world championship lead to 18 points despite finishing eighth.
Marc Márquez, who doubted he had the physical strength to attack for the full distance, settled into fifth place for much of the race before snatching fourth from Oliveira with 3 laps to go.
Forced out after two first-lap incidents on his return to MotoGP action in Aragon last weekend, Marquez went the full distance for the first time since Mugello in May and equaled his best result of the season .
Binder passed Martin for second at the start of the final lap.
Local star Takaaki Nakagami, in pain from injuries to his right hand from Aragon, finished 20th and last.
Also on track this weekend are Suzuki test rider Takuya Tsuda and Honda test rider Tetsuta Nagashima. Both have been introduced as wildcards in front of the home fans, although Tsuda has technically been replacing the injured Joan Mir.
Tsuda’s run came to a dramatic end when his GSX-RR burst into flames midway through. Fortunately for Miller, no red flags were required. A nightmare final event at home for Suzuki was completed when Alex Rins pitted and retired with a mechanical problem.
Drivers moved to the grid during the warm-up lap, a visible sign of concern over fuel consumption. Motegi’s absence from the calendar in both 2020 and 2021, due to Covid restrictions, meant that ten of the full-time riders had never raced the circuit in the premier class: Brad Binder, Alex Marquez, Jorge Martin , Enea Bastianini, Luca Marini, plus this year’s debutants Marco Bezzecchi, Fabio di Giannantonio, Darryn Binder, Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez.
The tight travel window for freight from Aragon meant a revised practice schedule, with a delayed and extended opening practice session held on Friday from 15:05 to 16:20. Free practice 2 was postponed until Saturday morning, however, a planned FP3 was canceled due to a storm and wet qualifying meant warm-up was only the second dry session of the weekend.
The Thai Grand Prix in Buriram starts on Friday morning.