Going all-in at the Grand Prix of Japan
Round 16 of this year’s Moto2 and Moto3 World Championships takes teams and riders to Japan and marks the start of the annual Asia-Australia tour in the final third of the season. The LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP Team will field a full lineup in both classes.
The first Japanese Grand Prix took place as early as 1963 at the Suzuka International Circuit. In 1999, the Twin Ring Motegi was opened with a Grand Prix, and since 2004, the circuit, which was later renamed «Mobility Resort Motegi», has been the home of the Grand Prix in the land of the rising sun. Motegi is located two and a half hours by car northeast of Tokyo in the Prefecture of Ibaraki.
In Moto2 World Championship, points leader Manuel Gonzalez heads into the overseas races with a comfortable 35.5-point lead. A year ago, the Spanish rider finished fifth in Japan, and two years ago he scored a spectacular victory. His teammate, Senna Agius, left the last two races empty handed. It’s a situation the ambitious Australian rider is determined to change this weekend at the challenging Motegi track in order to close the gap on the frontrunners in the overall standings.
Race day in Styria two Sundays ago ended on a particularly bitter note for the Moto3 team, with two riders had to retire. Both David Almansa and David Muñoz, who made a remarkable comeback in Austria after his long injury break, will therefore be all the more motivated to go in full attack mode again in Japan. While Muñoz’s primary goal is to reestablish himself in the highly competitive field, Almansa, after a first half of the season marred by injuries and illness, has emerged as a serious challenger to Maximo Quiles, the dominant leader in the overall standings so far.
The weekend's time schedule (CEST):
Friday 2 October
02:00 - 02:35 Moto3™ Free Practice 1
02:50 - 03:30 Moto2™ Free Practice 1
03:45 - 04:30 MotoGP™ Free Practice 1
06:15 - 06:50 Moto3™ Practice
07:05 - 07:45 Moto2™ Practice
08:00 - 09:00 MotoGP™ Practice
Saturday 3 October
01:40 - 02:10 Moto3™ Free Practice 2
02:25 - 02:55 Moto2™ Free Practice 2
03:10 - 03:40 MotoGP™ Free Practice 2
03:50 - 04:05 MotoGP™ Qualifying 1
04:15 - 04:30 MotoGP™ Qualifying 2
05:45 - 06:00 Moto3™ Qualifying 1
06:10 - 06:25 Moto3™ Qualifying 2
06:40 - 06:55 Moto2™ Qualifying 1
07:05 - 07:20 Moto2™ Qualifying 2
08:00 MotoGP™ Sprint (12 Laps – 57.612 km)
Sunday 4 October
02:40 - 02:50 MotoGP™ Warm-Up
04:00 Moto3™ Race (17 Laps – 81.617 km)
05:15 Moto2™ Race (19 Laps – 91.219 km)
07:00 MotoGP™ Race (24 Laps – 115.224 km)