Just two points. Round 16 served up another dramatic weekend as our flyaways began and the Championship gap was closed once more. Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) earned top honours on Sunday, earning the maximum 37 points available from the weekend. Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) finished behind, unable to send a response, whilst teammate Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) completed our podium. Title talk is building, so there’s no better reason to dive into the hottest topics from Japan!

"37 points was the target"

The perfect points haul. He might not have taken part in Sunday morning's go-kart race, but apart from that, Marc Marquez was unbeaten in Japan. The #93 took Sprint victory, backing up his pace on Sunday with another Grand Prix victory and closing the Championship margin to just two points. An important weekend in the title fight as Marc Marquez begins to relax before a busy Indonesian GP.

Marc Marquez: "Super happy because 37 points was the target for this weekend and we achieved it. It was a tough race, especially the first laps behind Jorge. Then once I led the race, I tried to control the race pace. When Jorge was coming closer, I just pushed more; then I relaxed.

"Since Aragon, the feeling with the bike has been really good. It’s true that in Austria we had the brake problem, but we were able to be competitive again this weekend and fight with the top guys.

"Every race is important; let’s try to do our best in Indonesia, but relaxing is also important, and then we will have time to talk about Indonesia on Thursday."

"Happy about my performance"

Retaining the title lead and scoring another podium, a solid job for Martin. Scoring a total of 27 points in Japan, Martin rounded off his weekend with P2 on Sunday afternoon. He remains at the head of the title fight too, with his lead reduced. However, it’s far from over, with Martin in search of another step as Indonesia looms.

Martin: "I’m very happy about my performance. I think I rode well, and every lap with the Aprilia I am feeling better and better. But even in these conditions I couldn’t beat Marc, so congratulations to him. I am doing my best, but there is something we are missing, so it’s just a matter of working, and I think the victory will arrive.

"I’m feeling good. I think it’s a privilege to be at this stage and fighting with one of the greatest in the history of the sport. I feel really blessed about what we achieved during the season. I feel really competitive; I think I’m in the fight. For sure, there were races that I was struggling in, but my speed is back: two pole positions in a row and on the podium. I feel that we can fight for this title."

"The pace was something unbelievable"

It wasn’t the weekend home hero Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) hoped for at Motegi. The #79 earned P5 in Saturday’s Sprint before clinching P6 on Sunday afternoon, finishing 15.210s adrift of Marc Marquez. Ending the weekend with an extra 15 points sounds great on paper, but for Ogura it wasn’t enough, who was aiming for more at home.

Ogura: "I was looking for a better position today. I had a good first lap and thought I could go with the guys at the front. But the pace was something unbelievable. Raul was riding very well at the end during the last four/five laps. I enjoyed the race, but it was not the position that we wanted to be in."

"Enea was a beast today"

Podium finisher, points scorer and a title contender. Marco Bezzecchi finished the weekend on a positive note, improving his P6 Sprint result to P3 on Sunday afternoon after strong mid-race pace. Bezzecchi was under pressure in the closing laps, going head-to-head with Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3).

Bezzecchi: "Enea was a beast today. I am happy about the result because it wasn’t an easy race. The beginning wasn’t easy because I was confident but not confident enough to stay with Marc and Jorge. Then, in the middle part of the race, I started to feel better, had more confidence and was stronger in braking.

"In the last two laps especially, I started to hear the noise (of Bastianini’s bike), and on the last lap he was on my rear wheel. In the last part of the track I had to go defensive because I didn’t want to lose third place. With Bastianini, it’s always tough because when he’s on form he is very fast and tough in a battle."

"He brakes like an animal"

One of (if not) the scraps of the weekend came in the form of Raul Fernandez (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team), Ogura and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). The trio battled until the chequered flag, being covered by 2.113s at the finish. Strategy and creative moves were the talk of the trio, leaving us wanting more next time out.

Fernandez: "It’s difficult to fight with these riders, especially Pedro and Ai. Pedro because he brakes like an animal, and Ai because he saves the tyre really well for the last part of the race. I was really focused on myself; I tried to keep focus and not think too much about the riders behind, so maybe that was the key. Also, in the middle of the race, I had to save fuel, so it was difficult, but it is part of the sport. I enjoyed it a lot.”

Ogura: "I guess it was a nice battle, but I thought I would have my chance to pass Raul at the end, but he defended really well and was riding really well with no mistakes. There was no way for me to attack him, but anyway, it was a nice battle, and I had fun."

Acosta: "I tried, but I was struggling a lot with acceleration, and I didn’t really get a good opportunity to overtake. Both times I tried to overtake Ogura on the outside, and I was struggling with this. At one point, I decided it was necessary to finish the race and bring home some points after a difficult GP rather than try to be fifth or sixth."