Championship battle heats up as Bagnaia doubles up in Japan and closes gap on Martin

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati lenovo Team) sealed double victories in Japan by cruising to a feature race win, earning his eighth win this season.

Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) had to settle for second place in a thrilling climb from 11th, saving his title fight for another weekend.

Six-time world champion Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) found himself on the podium yet again after holding off a charging Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team).

Pole-sitter Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) lost the lead off the line and crashed out mid-race, ending an unfortunate Japanese GP weekend for the rookie.

The two championship rivals are now separated by just 10 points, as the title fight follows a similar pattern to last season, and could take us to a final round showdown.

Bagnaia got off to a great start, snatching pole position off the line from Acosta to lead the pack around Turn 1 as a scrappy battle for fourth ensued behind.

Martin climbed up to fourth on the opening lap, taking on two riders in one corner as he jumped up from 11th place in a thrilling fight for points.

A first lap incident saw Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) skid out of the race, with Marquez’s Ducati planted firmly in the rear of Mir’s bike.

Acosta continued his unlucky streak in Japan, ending his weekend in Motegi early after crashing out of the race on Lap 4 by running too wide in Sector 4.

Marquez managed to climb from ninth to third in a fierce fight up to the top, holding off Bastianini’s attempts to overtake and cut the corners.

The championship leader was the fastest man on track for the middle act of the race, but his pace dropped off towards the end as the medium tyres began to crumble.

Bagnaia cruised to victory in a relatively smooth Grand Prix that earned him his eighth victory of the season, matching Marquez’s record for most victories in a single season.

LCR Honda rider Takaaki Nakagami celebrated his final home race as a full-time MotoGP rider in front of 80,000 Japanese fans, going on to finish 13th after crashing out during the sprint yesterday.

RIDER OF THE DAY: JORGE MARTIN

An unfortunate qualifying crash saw Martin start from 11th place in what could have been a doomed weekend in Japan for the Spaniard.

However, Martin managed to come back from a poor starting slot and work his way up to fourth and second respectively throughout the weekend.

Perfecting his race starts, Martin has proved that he can make up many places on the opening lap and insert himself into the battle for points no matter his starting spot.

The reigning champion almost closed in on Bagnaia in the lead, but held off as his medium tyres began to crumble towards the end of the race.

His podium position rescued his title fight, giving him at least another weekend to defend hard against the reigning champion before it goes down to the wire.

WHERE THE RACE WAS WON AND LOST

1/24 PECCO LAUNCHES OFF THE LINE – Francesco Bagnaia gets off to a great start, launching off the line to lead the pack around Turn 1 while Pedro Acosta goes defensive.

4/24 ACOSTA CRASHES OUT – Pedro Acosta crashed out of the Japanese GP in the final sector, ending an unfortunate weekend at Motegi.

9/24 MARTIN CLOSES ON PECCO – Bagnaia falls under pressure from the fastest man on track as Jorge Martin has cut the gap down to just 0.8s.

15/24 PECCO PULLS AWAY – Although it looked like Martin was cutting the gap down to Bagnaia, the Italian rider has managed to break free and pull 1.2s away from his rival.

24/24 – BAGNAIA SEALS JAPANESE DOUBLE VICTORIES – Bagnaia seals double victories in Japan by cruising to a feature race win, securing his eighth win this season.