MotoGP: Martin breaks Motegi lap record for pole

Using the superior HP of his Pramac Ducati, Jorge Martin smashed the lap record on his way to winning the pole for this weekend’s MotoGP Japanese GP at Motegi.

Martin’s lap of 1m43.198s beat Brad Binder’s Friday lap record, and surpassed Jorge Lorenzo’s 2015 record, nearly 0.3s

It was Martin’s 2nd pole in the last three races, as well as a 10th in a row for Ducati. The Honda bikes simply do not put out the kind of HP the Ducatis make and hence why they crash so often – driving over the limit to compensate.

Reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia was 2nd quick at 1m43.369s, falling 0.171s short of his main title rival.

Two advance from Q1

Some big hitters went head-to-head for a coveted place in the battle for pole position. Marc Marquez was among them, and the Repsol Honda rider wasted little time in going about his business by posting a weekend PB of 1:44.997 to go P1 after the first runs, and he was joined by Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) in the top two.

As the time ticked down in the session, riders were back out with fresh tires, and immediately Quartararo came under threat. Raul Fernandez (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) rediscovered his recent run of fast form and bumped the Frenchman out of the top two. Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) also threatened to trouble the timekeepers, but his best effort fell short before crashing on his final attempt.

Under the cosh, Quartararo had to find a lap, particularly as Fernandez once again improved, but as he towed Marquez around Motegi, there was nothing going for the 2021 World Champion and he must settle for 14th on the grid.

Pole Shootout

Marquez and Fernandez took their places in Q2, but the headlines were stolen by a rampant Jorge Martin. The Spaniard came out of the blocks fast, posting a mid 1:43 on his very first attempt, before his next effort smashed it out of the park. A 1:43.198 was nearly three tenths faster than Brad Binder’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) lap record set on Friday, which felled Jorge Lorenzo’s longstanding record.

The #89’s lap overshadowed excellent early showings from Jack Miller and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), who were sitting second and third on the timing screens by the end of the first runs.

As riders exited pitlane, the big question was could anybody catch Martin? Well, Pecco Bagnaia made a good fist of it, getting to within a tenth before a final sector mistake lost him time. That moved him up to third, before his next effort went even closer and moved him to 0.171s behind. Hopes the Ducati rider could better that quickly faded as the reigning World Champion couldn’t find the same pace riding with two lap old soft tires.

Jack Miller is on the front row for the first time since the British GP as he clung onto third on the timesheets, with a late riposte of his own.

There was some very early drama for Marco Bezzecchi as the Mooney VR46 rider flew through the gravel trap after a dramatic crash on his outlap. Undeterred, the title hopeful swiftly made his way back to the box and reappeared on track for the second runs and showed his fighting spirit to take fourth on the grid. Brad Binder will join him on the second row, as will Fabio Di Giannantonio.

Having come through Q1, Marquez latched himself onto the rear tyre of Martin for the closing stages of qualifying, and that helped the eight-time World Champion to seventh on the grid. He’ll be joined by Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), with the #93 and #41 exchanging some overtakes during the final moments.

On row four, Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) has Raul Fernandez and Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) for company. It’s all set up to be a Tissot Sprint blockbuster this afternoon, so make sure you tune in for lights out at 15:00 local time (GMT +9).

Qualifying Results

* Rookie.