Moto2™ delivered high drama at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan, with spots of rain throughout the day and Filip Salac (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) storming to top honours on the opening day of track action. The #12 set an unbeatable 1:49.716 in the closing stages of Practice 1, earning a mere 0.046s advantage over Round 15 winner Aron Canet (Fantic Racing), who secured runner up spot on Friday after an incredible late time. The #44 pipped Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing Team), with the #24 ending Friday as the final rider inside the 1:49 bracket.
Fastest in the morning, in the afternoon and breaking the lap record 😎@FilipSalac12 completes his fantastic Friday with a P1 in #Moto2 P1 🔝#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/VSdYbfoFYf
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 4, 2024
It was a tricky start to the Japanese GP for the Moto2™ field, with mixed conditions suiting Salac, who landed top spot in Free Practice. Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) had a tough start to the weekend, suffering a small crash at Turn 10 before having an issue at the end of the session. Once Practice 1 got underway, it was Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) who set a phenomenal pace and took an early P1. Times dropped throughout the afternoon, with the Salac soon reclaiming the top spot and breaking the lap record with a time that proved to be unbeatable.
Current Championship leader Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) had a great day at the office, securing fourth after completing 15 laps throughout the afternoon. The #79 was ahead of the impressive Izan Guevara (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team), who rounded out the top five. Rookie Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) looked competitive, taking sixth spot ahead of the strong Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) and the late improving Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) in eighth.
Seems like conditions are improving 🙌@Joerobertsracer (with a special helmet) gets into the Top 6 📈#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/IOFcPjk9IO
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 4, 2024
Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) sported a special helmet design for this weekend and was ninth on Friday after a consistent day. The American was ahead of Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), with the Italian claiming the final spot inside the top 10. Meanwhile, Diogo Moreira and the Italtrans Racing Team returned to action, ending Friday in 11th ahead of Vietti and Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) as the final spot inside the top 14 was taken by Albert Arenas (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™). Further back, it was another tough day for Garcia, finishing 17th at the end of proceedings with work to do on Saturday.
The action continues on Saturday at Motegi, with Practice 2 kicking off Moto2™ action at 09:25 local time (UTC +9) before an enthralling qualifying will begin at 13:45 (UTC +9)!
Top 10:
1 | Filip Salac (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) | 1:49.716 |
2 | Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) | +0.046 |
3 | Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing Team) | +0.095 |
4 | Ai Ogura (MT Helmets - MSI) | +0.299 |
5 | Izan Guevara (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) | +0.356 |
6 | Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +0.383 |
7 | Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) | +0.398 |
8 | Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) | +0.428 |
9 | Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) | +0.441 |
10 | Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) | +0.495 |