High anticipation for Japan and the big Asia-Australia tour

After an absence of two years, it's about time to say 'Konnichiwa Japan' again for the LIQUI MOLY Intact GP team! For the first time since the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, the motorcycle world championship is back in the land of the rising sun, where the Mobility Resort Motegi will be hosting the 16th round of the 2022 season this weekend.

It has been a long two years of the pandemic for the euphoric Japanese fans. Now, they can finally look forward all the more to seeing the best two-wheeled athletes back in action as Moto2 is closer than ever. Last weekend did not go according to plan for either Marcel Schrötter or Jeremy Alcoba. The bitterest pill to swallow for the two crash victims of the early stages of the Aragon Grand Prix was that both started the race on Sunday with a hopeful feeling after the warm-up. 

Marcel Schrötter, however, has already put the crash behind him. He hopes to regain his strength, when he takes on to the 4.8 km circuit for the first time in two years at Motegi, where he finished with a solid ninth place in 2019. The top 10 is the clear target for the German, who wants to make the most of the remaining races of the season for himself and his team.

Jeremy Alcoba is also looking positively towards the Japan Grand Prix despite an early end to his home race last Sunday. Not only his rocket start gave him plenty of motivation, but also the anticipation of riding and studying a track that is completely new to him for the first time. From the MotoGP console game, the 20-year-old is of course already familiar with the layout with its six left-hand and eight right-hand corners, but Motegi has not been on the calendar since his entry into the World Championship, so a premiere awaits the Spaniard this weekend. Can the rookie adapt quickly and work on his one-lap pace?

The results from FP1 will show, but unlike usual, there will be no morning practice on Friday due to the tight schedule for transporting all the equipment from Spain to Japan, so the first Free Practice session in the afternoon will be the only one on Day 1 and will therefore take on an even more important role than usual. Especially if the rain forecast comes true.


Schedule (CEST)

Friday
06:15 - 06:55 Moto3 FP1
07:10 - 07:50 Moto2 FP1
08:05 - 09:20 MotoGP FP1

Saturday
02:00 - 02:40 Moto3 FP2
02:55 - 03:35 Moto2 FP2
03:50 - 04:35 MotoGP FP2

05:35 - 05:50 Moto3 Q1
06:00 - 06:15 Moto3 Q2

06:30 - 06:45 Moto2 Q1
06:55 - 07:10 Moto2 Q2

07:25 - 07:55 MotoGP FP3
08:05 - 08:20 MotoGP Q1
08:30 - 08:45 MotoGP Q2

Sunday
03:00 - 03:10 Moto3 Warm-Up
03:20 - 03:30 Moto2 Warm-Up
03:40 - 04:00 MotoGP Warm-Up

05:00 Moto3 Race (20 Laps)
06:20 Moto2 Race (22 Laps)
08:00 MotoGP Race (24 Laps)