MotoGP Japan GP 2026: The Crucial Gap Between Martin and Marquez

MotoGP is heading to Japan for the 16th round of the season. Mobility Resort Motegi will hold these races from October 2-4. Our pride, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, will compete in the first MotoGP race on this circuit. Additionally, our representative Deniz Öncü will be on track for the Moto2 races. Due to the time difference, races will start on Sunday mornings at 08:00 TRT and will be broadcast live on S Sport and S Sport Plus.

Championship Standings

Jorge Martin leads the Championship Motegi with 306 points. Marc Marquez is in second place with 294 points; the gap between them is 12 points. Marco Bezzecchi is in third place with 264 points, while fourth-place Pedro Acosta took the first victory in the Grand Prix class in Austria with 234 points. There are seven races scheduled, including Motegi. The gap between Martin and Marquez is considered to be of a magnitude that can be closed in a single sprint and race weekend.

Representatives' Situation on Track

Our pride is in 21st place with 18 points. Our representative started from the last position on the grid in Austria and finished in 20th place in the race. Teammate Jack Miller fell behind in both the sprint and the main race. Red Bull Ring passed Yamaha for the weekend, and none of Marquez's four riders scored points. Motegi is a completely new start for the representative. As this track is not on the WorldSBK calendar, our pride has not raced here throughout their WorldSBK career.

Deniz Öncü's Situation

Our representative Deniz Öncü is scoring 38.5 points with Motegi for ELF Marc VDS. Our pride finished 12th in Q2 in Austria and finished 9th in the race after gaining three positions. This result added 7 points to their tally. Motegi is a track that the representative remembers well. In 2023, Deniz finished second in the Moto3 standings here and dropped six laps while leading in the race. In the Moto2 standings, Manuel Gonzalez leads with 245.5 points, and the Austrian winner Izan Guevara is in second with 210 points.

Motegi Track Characteristics

Mobility Resort Motegi is 14 corners and 4,801 meters long. Eight corners are to the right, six to the left. The longest straight on the track is 762 meters. The track is characterized by a "stop-go" rhythm following hard braking and hairpin turns. This structure strains both the brakes and the tires throughout the weekend. Two track records belong to Francesco Bagnaia. The Italian rider dominated the entire weekend last year, winning pole, sprint, and the main race. Marc Marquez, who was second in the same race, declared his 2025 world championship on Motegi. The MotoGP Grand Prix class has been run 21 times at Motegi in Japan. The record belongs to four riders with three victories each. Loris Capirossi won three consecutive races between 2005-2007; Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa also achieved three victories. Marc Marquez won here in 2016, 2018, and 2019; a Sunday victory will make him the track record holder for Motegi. Ducati is clearly ahead among manufacturers with 9 victories and has won the last four races. Honda has 7, Yamaha has 4, and Suzuki has one victory. Yamaha's last victory at Motegi was with Lorenzo in 2014. Marc Marquez is the only rider still competing among the four riders.

Weather Conditions and Race Expectations

Rain probability is forecast for the weekend race day. Friday will be partly cloudy with temperatures up to 24°C; rain is not forecast. The track will be clearer for qualifying and sprint laps on Saturday, with temperatures around 21°C and dry track expected. The weather conditions will be different on Sunday; a closed and rainy weather forecast with a maximum temperature of 20°C is expected for the race day. Motegi's test in the rain is not new. In 2023, the race was stopped at lap 12 due to a left-hand slide, and Jorge Martin won. There will be six rounds remaining in the calendar after Motegi, and the championship battle will move to the final weekends. The 12-point gap between Martin and Marquez can be reshaped with the possibility of rain in Japan. The goal for the representatives is to adapt quickly from the first day on a new track. Our pride had previously stated that qualifying laps are the main issue, and the session on Saturday morning will determine the result at Motegi.

Race Calendar

The times for the MotoGP Japan GP 2026 are as follows:

• For Friday, the first practice session for Moto3 is at 03:00.
• The first practice session for Moto2 on Friday is set for 03:50.
• The first practice session for MotoGP on Friday is at 04:45.
• The practice session for Moto3 on Friday is at 07:15.
• The practice session for Moto2 on Friday is at 08:05.
• The practice session for MotoGP on Friday is at 09:00.
• The second practice session for Moto3 on Saturday is at 02:40.
• The second practice session for Moto2 on Saturday is at 03:25.
• The second practice session for MotoGP on Saturday is at 04:10.
• MotoGP Qualifying (Q1) time on Saturday is 04:50.
• MotoGP Qualifying (Q2) time on Saturday is 05:15.
• Moto3 Qualifying time on Saturday is 06:45.
• Moto2 Qualifying time on Saturday is 07:40.
• MotoGP Sprint time on Saturday is 09:00.
• MotoGP Warm-up time on Sunday is 03:40.
• Moto3 Race time on Sunday is 05:00.
• Moto2 Race time on Sunday is 06:15.
• MotoGP Race (24 laps) time on Sunday is 08:00.

Numerical

• Archive: Toprak Razgatlıoğlu: Explaining the Three World Championship Journey (September 26, 2026)

Compiled by Şükrü Utku Poyraz