2018 Motegi Moto2 and Moto3 Sunday Results
Moto2 Race – 22 Laps, 105.622 km
Fabio Quartararo took his Speed Up chassis to a copybook second Moto2 win at Motegi, resisting constant pressure from championship leader Pecco Bagnaia (SKY VR46 Kalex), who had led the first two laps from pole.
Then came the shock. The Speed Up team had blotted his copybook, with rear tyre pressure below the permitted minimum. The Frenchman was disqualified, Bagnaia promoted to an eighth win of the year, and all the others up one place as well.
In particular, this lifted Bagnaia’s title rival Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM) to a podium third; and was a valuable further boost to Bagnaia’s title hopes, adding another five points to lift him 37 rather than just 35 points clear.
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40 Kalex) was a lone erstwhile third, then second, celebrating his 100th GP start.
After some fierce fighting in preceding races, it was back to “processional” for Moto2, although the group disputing an eventual third was big, the pressure intense, and some shuffling, mainly through small mistakes in the heat of battle.
Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Kalex) headed the group until lap 14, then ran wide into the crucial Turn 11. That rewarded Oliveira with the lead of the pack, which he retained to the end. By then Alex Marquez (EG-VDS Kalex) had battled back ahead of second Red Bull KTM rider Brad Binder, with second Pons HP40 rider Augusto Fernandez close behind.
Vierge was a little back, holding off first-time front-row starter Iker Lecuona (SII KTM), with SKY VR46 Kalex rider Luca Marini still close in ninth, with Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Kalex) never part of the action, in a lone eventual tenth.
Bagnaia has 284 points, Oliveira 247; then Binder (168), Baldassarri (152), Marquez (139).
MOTUL GRAND PRIX OF JAPAN
Moto2 Race Classification 2018
Motegi, Sunday, October 21, 2018
| 1 | 25 | 42 | Francesco BAGNAIA | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | Kalex | 154.2 | 41’04.294 |
| 2 | 20 | 7 | Lorenzo BALDASSARRI | ITA | Pons HP40 | Kalex | 153.9 | +6.227 |
| 3 | 16 | 44 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | POR | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 153.5 | +11.553 |
| 4 | 13 | 73 | Alex MARQUEZ | SPA | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Kalex | 153.5 | +12.083 |
| 5 | 11 | 41 | Brad BINDER | RSA | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 153.5 | +12.348 |
| 6 | 10 | 40 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | SPA | Pons HP40 | Kalex | 153.5 | +12.701 |
| 7 | 9 | 97 | Xavi VIERGE | SPA | Dynavolt Intact GP | Kalex | 153.4 | +13.652 |
| 8 | 8 | 27 | Iker LECUONA | SPA | Swiss Innovative Investors | KTM | 153.4 | +13.811 |
| 9 | 7 | 10 | Luca MARINI | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | Kalex | 153.3 | +15.604 |
| 10 | 6 | 23 | Marcel SCHROTTER | GER | Dynavolt Intact GP | Kalex | 153.2 | +17.556 |
| 11 | 5 | 36 | Joan MIR | SPA | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Kalex | 153.1 | +19.221 |
| 12 | 4 | 45 | Tetsuta NAGASHIMA | JPN | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | Kalex | 153.0 | +19.811 |
| 13 | 3 | 77 | Dominique AEGERTER | SWI | Kiefer Racing | KTM | 153.0 | +20.278 |
| 14 | 2 | 54 | Mattia PASINI | ITA | Italtrans Racing Team | Kalex | 152.8 | +23.091 |
| 15 | 1 | 87 | Remy GARDNER | AUS | Tech 3 Racing | Tech 3 | 152.7 | +24.468 |
| 16 | 5 | Andrea LOCATELLI | ITA | Italtrans Racing Team | Kalex | 152.7 | +24.622 | |
| 17 | 22 | Sam LOWES | GBR | Swiss Innovative Investors | KTM | 152.6 | +26.288 | |
| 18 | 16 | Joe ROBERTS | USA | NTS RW Racing GP | NTS | 152.2 | +33.887 | |
| 19 | 4 | Steven ODENDAAL | RSA | NTS RW Racing GP | NTS | 152.1 | +34.074 | |
| 20 | 2 | Jesko RAFFIN | SWI | SAG Team | Kalex | 152.1 | +34.303 | |
| 21 | 66 | Niki TUULI | FIN | Petronas Sprinta Racing | Kalex | 151.9 | +37.458 | |
| 22 | 89 | Khairul Idham PAWI | MAL | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | Kalex | 151.9 | +37.921 | |
| 23 | 57 | Edgar PONS | SPA | MB Conveyors – Speed Up | Speed Up | 151.6 | +42.570 | |
| 24 | 62 | Stefano MANZI | ITA | Forward Racing Team | Suter | 151.4 | +46.667 | |
| 25 | 95 | Jules DANILO | FRA | Nashi Argan SAG Team | Kalex | 150.8 | +56.500 | |
| 26 | 32 | Isaac VIÑALES | SPA | Forward Racing Team | Suter | 150.6 | +59.659 | |
| 27 | 18 | Xavi CARDELUS | AND | Marinelli Snipers Team | Kalex | 150.2 | +1’07.065 | |
| 20 | Fabio QUARTARARO | FRA | MB Conveyors – Speed Up | Speed Up | 0 Lap |
Moto3 Race – 20 laps, 96.02 km
What comes around goes around, for world championship rivals. Two weeks ago challenger Marco Bezzecchi (Redox Pruestel KTM) was brought down on the last corner for zero points. In Japan, it was points leader Jorge Martin who fell, while Bezzecchi snatched his third win on the final run to the line.
The points gap closed down again to just one point with three races to go.
Martin fell in the lead-group jostle braking for the tricky 90-degree Turn 11 at the end of the downhill straight.
Del Conca Gresini Honda team-mate Fabio Di Giannantonio, whose win in Thailand had brought him within touching distance of Bezzecchi in the championship, had also fallen earlier in the 20-lap race, with a big high-side at the next corner
The top Honda was Leopard rider Lorenzo Dalla Porta, his third podium in four races. He claimed second by the narrowest of margins, 0.001 of a second, in a photo-finish with podium first-timer Darren Binder.
Binder credited a settings breakthrough after a dire season on the Red Bull KTM for giving him the lead on the last lap, but blamed a missed gear for both Bezzecchi and (by inches) Dalla Porta passing on the run to the line. The top three were covered by 0.042 of a second.
Dennis Foggia (SKY VR46 KTM) was a close fourth, then John McPhee )CIP Green Power KTM), tailed by the Hondas of Tony Arbolino and Enea Bastianini. The top seven were over the line inside 0.404 of a second.
Pole starter Gabriel Rodrigo (KTM), Ayumu Sasaki (Honda) and a relatively distant Jakub Kornfeil (KTM) made the top ten.
Aron Canet (EG Honda) crashed out on the first lap; Le Mans winner Albert Arenas (KTM) was another crash victim.
Martin has 204 points to Bezzecchi’s 203; than Di Giannantonio (175), Bastianini (142) and Dalla Porta (131).
MOTUL GRAND PRIX OF JAPAN
Moto3 Race Classification 2018
Motegi, Sunday, October 21, 2018
| 1 | 25 | 12 | Marco BEZZECCHI | ITA | Redox PruestelGP | KTM | 145.5 | 39’35.653 |
| 2 | 20 | 48 | Lorenzo DALLA PORTA | ITA | Leopard Racing | Honda | 145.5 | +0.041 |
| 3 | 16 | 40 | Darryn BINDER | RSA | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 145.5 | +0.042 |
| 4 | 13 | 10 | Dennis FOGGIA | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | KTM | 145.4 | +0.212 |
| 5 | 11 | 17 | John MCPHEE | GBR | CIP – Green Power | KTM | 145.4 | +0.251 |
| 6 | 10 | 14 | Tony ARBOLINO | ITA | Marinelli Snipers Team | Honda | 145.4 | +0.350 |
| 7 | 9 | 33 | Enea BASTIANINI | ITA | Leopard Racing | Honda | 145.4 | +0.404 |
| 8 | 8 | 19 | Gabriel RODRIGO | ARG | RBA BOE Skull Rider | KTM | 145.4 | +1.561 |
| 9 | 7 | 71 | Ayumu SASAKI | JPN | Petronas Sprinta Racing | Honda | 145.3 | +3.137 |
| 10 | 6 | 84 | Jakub KORNFEIL | CZE | Redox PruestelGP | KTM | 145.0 | +7.965 |
| 11 | 5 | 5 | Jaume MASIA | SPA | Bester Capital Dubai | KTM | 144.9 | +8.364 |
| 12 | 4 | 42 | Marcos RAMIREZ | SPA | Bester Capital Dubai | KTM | 144.9 | +8.435 |
| 13 | 3 | 16 | Andrea MIGNO | ITA | Angel Nieto Team Moto3 | KTM | 144.9 | +8.561 |
| 14 | 2 | 31 | Celestino VIETTI | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | KTM | 144.9 | +9.041 |
| 15 | 1 | 24 | Tatsuki SUZUKI | JPN | SIC58 Squadra Corse | Honda | 144.9 | +9.237 |
| 16 | 65 | Philipp OETTL | GER | Sudmetal Schedl GP Racing | KTM | 144.9 | +9.898 | |
| 17 | 27 | Kaito TOBA | JPN | Honda Team Asia | Honda | 144.8 | +10.897 | |
| 18 | 72 | Alonso LOPEZ | SPA | Estrella Galicia 0,0 | Honda | 144.5 | +15.691 | |
| 19 | 7 | Adam NORRODIN | MAL | Petronas Sprinta Racing | Honda | 144.5 | +15.704 | |
| 20 | 81 | Stefano NEPA | ITA | CIP – Green Power | KTM | 144.0 | +24.185 | |
| 21 | 41 | Nakarin ATIRATPHUVAPAT | THA | Honda Team Asia | Honda | 144.0 | +24.581 | |
| 22 | 22 | Kazuki MASAKI | JPN | RBA BOE Skull Rider | KTM | 142.9 | +41.928 | |
| 23 | 13 | Shizuka OKAZAKI | JPN | Kohara Racing Team | Honda | 139.1 | +1’48.336 | |
| 24 | 36 | Yuto FUKUSHIMA | JPN | Team Plus One | Honda | 137.9 | 1 Lap | |
| Not Classified | ||||||||
| 88 | Jorge MARTIN | SPA | Del Conca Gresini Moto3 | Honda | 145.4 | 6 Laps | ||
| 75 | Albert ARENAS | SPA | Angel Nieto Team Moto3 | KTM | 141.8 | 10 Laps | ||
| 21 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | ITA | Del Conca Gresini Moto3 | Honda | 144.3 | 15 Laps | ||
| 23 | Niccolò ANTONELLI | ITA | SIC58 Squadra Corse | Honda | 135.7 | 19 Laps | ||
| 77 | Vicente PEREZ | SPA | Reale Avintia Academy 77 | KTM | 135.3 | 19 Laps | ||
| Not Finished 1st Lap | ||||||||
| 44 | Aron CANET | SPA | Estrella Galicia 0,0 | Honda | 0 La | |||
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