
#JapaneseGP
Francesco Bagnaia dominates the MotoGP in the Japanese weekend at Motegi. His new Suomy S1-XR GP graphics, dedicated to Japan, brought him luck!
Francesco Bagnaia confirmed his impeccable form with a perfect weekend at the 2024 Motul Grand Prix of Japan. The reigning world champion won both the Sprint Race and Sunday’s main event, reducing his gap from the championship leader to just 10 points. For the occasion, our Suomy rider wore his S1-XR GP with new graphics dedicated to the host country, featuring a shower of autumn leaves and, on the back, his motto “Go Free” written in Japanese characters.
SPRINT RACE
Impressive lap times and remarkable consistency. Pecco demonstrated he’s in great shape, but more importantly, he managed to stay extremely focused and sharp at all times. In the Sprint Race, Bagnaia displayed an incredible rhythm, dominating almost the entire race. His flawless performance showcased his ability to handle high-pressure situations, even as a few drops of rain fell during the race.
RACE
Sunday’s main race saw Bagnaia go on the offensive, setting an unsustainable pace for his rivals. Despite an incredible comeback from Martin, who fought his way up to get very close to the leader, the Suomy rider kept his cool and managed the race with precision, even picking up the pace. Martin tried to close in, but in the end, settled for second place, acknowledging his rival’s superiority.
This marks Pecco’s first victory at Motegi with Ducati, as well as his personal record of eight wins in a single MotoGP season.
“It surely wasn’t an easy race as there were some wet patches and a few drops of rain. We used the sighting lap to get a better understanding of the track conditions, at the expense of some race performance. I had a good start and managed to lead in the early laps, but Pedro (Acosta) was really strong and he was pushing a little bit beyond what I thought was my limit. When I thought about letting the tyre cool off a bit, before pushing again, he crashed out of the race. It wasn’t an easy situation as there were again a few drops of rain. I was aware of the lead I had on Enea (Bastianini) during the last lap, so I just chose to manage the gap and to avoid any risk.”
Francesco Bagnaia – Sprint Race 1th
“We’re leaving Motegi with the maximum number of points available, so I’m really happy. We did a perfect job during the weekend. It wasn’t easy, because in the early stages of the race Pedro (Acosta) was very close and pushing hard, while at the end Jorge (Martín) was making up ground; when the lead dropped to less than a second, I tried to find that little extra pace-wise and it worked. The final lap was hard though, given the grip level we had left. We managed to complete plenty of laps with used tyres throughout the weekend and worked well with regards to mapping. Now we head to Phillip Island with full awareness of our abilities.”
Francesco Bagnaia – Race 1th
World Standings P. 2
Next Round:
Qatar Airways Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix
Phillip Island
18-20 ottobre
Click the button below to find out all the images of the #SuomyCrew during the weekend in Japan.