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Alex Marquez Clocks Record Lap at MotoGP Japan Practice

Alex Marquez set a lap record as all top title contenders reached Q2 after an early red flag disrupted practice.

  • On Friday, Gresini Ducati rider Alex Marquez set a new Motegi lap record of 1:42.811, finishing fastest in practice for the Japanese Grand Prix.
  • Michelin expanded its tire allocation to three front and three rear options, citing caution regarding the circuit's new asphalt surface, according to Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Competition Manager Piero Taramasso.
  • The session faced disruptions after home rider Ai Ogura's Aprilia emitted smoke, triggering a red flag, while local wildcard Takaaki Nakagami was ruled out after fracturing his collarbone in a morning crash.
  • All top championship contenders secured direct spots in Saturday's Qualifying 2 session, with current leader Jorge Martin holding a 12-point advantage over reigning champion Marc Marquez with seven races remaining.
  • Martin and Marc Marquez have pulled at least 30 points clear of Marco Bezzecchi, setting the stage for a high-stakes weekend as teams navigate the fresh Motegi surface.
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MotoGP momentarily leaves Europe and opens the long Asian parenthesis with the Japanese Grand Prix, sixteenth round of the World Championship 2026, scheduled from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 October on the circuit of Motegi. The fight for the title starts again with Jorge Martin at the command: the Spanish of Aprilia has 12 points of advantage on [...] L'articolo MotoGp Japan: in Motegi for 4 years wins Ducati : Where to see qualifications, Sprint and …

·Rome, Italy
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In the absence of seven races for the final, Martin, world champion in 2024, outstrips only 12 points (306 to 294) to the great star of this sport, a Marc Márquez looking for his eighth crown in the maximum category and the tenth in total. In a particularly open season, in which there have been six leaders of the World Cup standing in only 15 races, neither can he rule out the title fight for Italian Marco Bezzecchi, the best in the first part o…

·Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
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The sixteenth extended motorcycle weekend is just around the corner. There are still seven races left until the end of the MotoGP season. The fight for the coveted title has heated up. Overall world championship leader Jorge Martin remains optimistic ahead of the race weekend in Motegi, but at the same time admits that he needs to take another step forward if he wants to stay in the fight for the championship title until the very end of the seas…

·Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Writing sports, 30 Sep (EFE).- The Mobility Resort Motegi circuit, stage this weekend of the MotoGP Grand Prix of Japan, will be in charge of inaugurating an Asian tour in which the main focus will be on the top two championship rankings, the Spanish Jorge Martín (Aprilia RS-GP) and Marc Márquez (Ducati Desmosedici GP26).

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motors-addict broke the news on Sunday, September 27, 2026.
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