Rookie sensation Pedro Acosta scored pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix as he set a new lap record at Motegi in the dying stages of a dramatic qualifying session that saw world championship leader Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati) suffer a major setback.
While Acosta continued to look serene as he hunts for a first MotoGP win on his Tech3 KTM, Martin’s crash at Turn 9 in the critical final phase of Qualifying 2 meant he will only line up 11th for the sprint and Sunday’s grand prix.
This latest setback on a challenging weekend for Martin will be an opportunity for his main rival Francesco Bagnaia. The factory Ducati rider will start from second on the grid, despite a mistake on his final lap possibly robbing him of the chance to match Acosta.
Acosta’s time of 1m43.018s shades the previous fastest lap around Motegi, which was set by Martin at 1m43.198s on his way to last year’s pole.
Factory Aprilia rider Maverick Vinales will complete the front row, with Bagnaia’s team-mate Enea Bastianini set to start fourth.
KTM’s Brad Binder did not quite deliver on the promise set by his pace-setting Friday practice form, but will still have a chance to repeat his 2022 Motegi podium by starting fifth. He’ll take the start just ahead of Pramac Ducati’s Franco Morbidelli.
VR46 Ducati duo Fabio di Giannantonio and Marco Bezzecchi qualified seventh and eighth ahead of Gresini Ducati’s Marc Marquez. The Spanish legend had spent much of the weekend riding around various issues and looked to have conquered them as he took provisional pole in Q2, before his best lap was cancelled for a tiny track limits infraction.
Marquez’s brother and team-mate Alex completed the top 10 on the grid after surviving a nudge from Martin as the points leader squeezed past him while looking for clear track early in the sesson.
Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, the 2021 champion, rounded off the third row behind Martin.
Earlier, despite very light drizzle, the track continued to get quicker as Free Practice 2 gave way to Qualifying 1.
Morbidelli sealed a spot in Qualifying 2 with a 1m43.746s lap that came close to the ultimate dry pace established by Binder on Friday.
The other rider to go through was Quartararo, who thus ensured there would be a Japanese motorcycle in final qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix.
The rain briefly threatened to become serious at the subsequent beginning of Q2, with riders jockeying for position to get an early lap in the bank. But then it eased once again, and the track was dry enough for Acosta to run his record pace during the final run of the session.
Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Aprilia) will line up 13th, ahead of a battling Jack Miller. The Australian looked close to dropping his KTM at times during Q1, his rear-end looking on the edge of control under braking. Factory Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro completed the fourth row.
Zarco pulled himself together well after his Q1 crash to set a time good enough for 16th. Alongside him at the start will be Joan Mir, the leading Honda rider at the manufacturer’s home track. Augusto Fernandez (Tech 3 Aprilia) rounds out row five.
Takaaki Nakagami was unable to deliver for his home fans in qualifying. The LCR Honda rider will line up 21st despite only narrowly missing out on a direct ticket to Q2 with his effort in Practice on Friday.
Substitute rider Lorenzo Savadori, who is filling in for the injured Miguel Oliveira at Trackhouse Racing, starts behind Nakagami in the penultimate spot.
Yamaha’s wildcard Remy Gardner will take up the final slot on the grid.
Q2 results:
Q1 results:
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