MotoGP Japan GP Race Report: AiOgura takes 6th place at home. Marquez wins and closes the gap to the leader to 2 points

The 16th round of the MotoGP, the Japan GP, was held from October 2nd to 4th at Mobility Resort Motegi in Tochigi Prefecture.

AiOgura (Aprilia), the only Japanese rider competing full-time in the MotoGP class, finished 5th in the sprint race and 6th in the main race.

Additionally, Honda test rider TakaakiNakagami, who participated as a wildcard, crashed and was injured during Free Practice 1 (FP1) on Friday morning, forcing him to withdraw.

Marc Marquez (Ducati) won both the sprint race and the main race.

Many fans flocked to Motegi for the 2026 Japan GP weekend, with many wearing merchandise featuring the race number "79" of MotoGP rider Ogura. The attendance reached 121,997, an increase of approximately 30,000 from last year's 90,096.

AiOgura's honest thoughts on his 6th place finish: "It's disappointing"

Competing in his home Grand Prix, AiOgura (Aprilia) started from Qualifying 1 (Q1) on Saturday and advanced. However, due to a crash in Free Practice 2 (FP2) in the morning, he only had one bike available, which affected his Qualifying 2 (Q2) performance.

Normally, in a 15-minute qualifying session, riders go out on used tires, pit in to switch to new tires, and set their time in the second half. This time, because Ogura only had one bike, he waited until there was less than 9 minutes remaining to go out on track to avoid the risk of crashing during his first run.

In this qualifying session, Ogura placed 11th, meaning he would start the race from the 4th row.

In the sprint race, he moved up to 5th place early on, partly due to a crash by a rider in front on the first lap. He defended that position and finished 5th.

In the main race the following day, he battled for 5th place with his teammate Raul Fernandez (Aprilia) and PedroAcosta (KTM). Ultimately, he took the checkered flag in 6th place. In 2025, his first year in the MotoGP class, he missed the Sunday race due to an injury sustained before the Japan GP, so this was Ogura's first time finishing a home Grand Prix main race as a MotoGP rider.

After the race, Ogura said, "After a certain number of laps, 5th place was the limit, so I was racing thinking about 'how to finish in 5th.' But I ended up not being able to do anything."

Ogura did not seem satisfied with the 6th place result, expressing his honest feelings by saying, "It's disappointing."

Marquez narrows the championship points gap to 2 points

It is fair to say that Marc Marquez (Ducati) dominated the Japan GP weekend. Although Jorge Martin (Aprilia) took pole position, he did not concede the wins in the sprint or the main race.

In the sprint race, Marquez overtook Martin at Turn 2 after the start and held the position to the finish. In the main race, Martin held the lead at the start, but Marquez was biding his time.

Then, on the 11th lap in the middle of the race, he overtook Martin at the V-Corner (Turn 9) to take the lead. Marquez's pace did not drop, and he finished with a gap of over one second to Martin.

Marquez wins the sprint and main race. Aprilia takes its first podium at Motegi ©MotoGP.com

"Of course, I'm happy. I was able to get another 37 points," Marquez said at the post-race top-three press conference.

In the sprint race, 12 points are awarded to the winner, and 25 points are awarded to the winner of the main race. A total of 37 points is the maximum a rider can earn per Grand Prix. Marquez won both the sprint and the main race at the Japan GP, earning 37 points.

"The feeling was good from Friday, but we made small adjustments for the sprint race. Because of that, the feeling kept getting better."

Currently, the championship battle is seen as being narrowed down to just Martin and Marquez. Marquez said he was racing while keeping an eye on Martin, who was running in second.

"In the (main) race, the goal was clear: to lead the race as much as possible. When I was leading the race, I was trying to control the pace. If Martin tried to make a move, I would push, and if not, I would control the pace considering the risks."

Meanwhile, Martin said, "I thought I could win with my riding style, but Marquez was better today. I did my best."

In the championship, Martin remains at the top of the rankings. However, second-ranked Marquez succeeded in narrowing the gap to Martin to 2 points.

Ogura moved up to 5th in the rankings, with a 6-point gap to 4th-ranked Acosta.

The 17th round, the Indonesia GP, will be held from October 9th to 11th at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit in Indonesia.