2024 Japanese MotoGP, Motegi - Sprint Race Results
Sprint race results from the Japanese MotoGP at Motegi, round 16 (of 20) in the 2024 world championship.
2024 Japanese MotoGP, Motegi - Sprint Race Results | ||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff |
| 1 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP24) | 21m 1.074s |
| 2 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP24) | +0.181s |
| 3 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Gresini Ducati (GP23) | +0.349s |
| 4 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP24) | +2.498s |
| 5 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pramac Ducati (GP24) | +4.326s |
| 6 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | VR46 Ducati (GP23) | +4.446s |
| 7 | Alex Marquez | SPA | Gresini Ducati (GP23) | +11.444s |
| 8 | Jack Miller | AUS | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +11.875s |
| 9 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) | +11.947s |
| 10 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | VR46 Ducati (GP23) | +12.299s |
| 11 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP24) | +14.559s |
| 12 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +14.645s |
| 13 | Luca Marini | ITA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +15.886s |
| 14 | Johann Zarco | FRA | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +16.170s |
| 15 | Augusto Fernandez | SPA | Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16) | +20.522s |
| 16 | Alex Rins | SPA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +24.415s |
| 17 | Lorenzo Savadori | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) | +25.482s |
| 18 | Remy Gardner | AUS | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +32.620s |
| Joan Mir | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | DNF | |
| Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) | DNF | |
| Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16)* | DNF | |
| Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) | DNF | |
| Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | DNF | |
* Rookie
Francesco Bagnaia takes advantage of a mistake by race leader Pedro Acosta to win Saturday’s Japanese MotoGP Sprint race at Motegi.
Starting from pole, rookie Acosta lost out to Bagnaia and Ducati team-mate Enea Bastianini but was back in front by lap 3 of 12.
The trio remained together until Acosta began to pull visible breathing room with five laps to go...
But Acosta overdid it on entry to Turn 5, lowsiding from his GASGAS machine and leaving the young Spaniard with his head in his hands.
That mistake also put Marc Marquez into the final podium place, with the Gresini rider - stripped of pole position by track limits - soon duelling with Bastianini for second.
The Italian held firm during an aggressive battle, as both almost got to within striking distance of Bagnaia by the chequered flag.
Starting 11th after a costly qualifying crash, title leader Jorge Martin South salvaged fourth.
The Pramac rider is now a reduced 15 points clear of Bagnaia.
Brad Binder dropped out of the lead group with a technical issue in the early laps, while Aleix Espargaro and Joan Mir joined Acosta in falling.
Home star Takaaki Nakagami was taken down by mid-race contact from his own LCR Honda team-mate Johann Zarco, for which the Frenchman, in 17th, received a long lap.
Intermittent raindrops continued to taunt teams and riders in the run-up to the Sprint.
Soft rear slicks were chosen by all riders for the start of the damp 12-lap contest.
All except Jack Miller, Alex Rins and Augusto Fernandez also picked the hard front, albeit with their ‘wet’ bikes ready for action in pit lane.
But the predicted Saturday downpour didn’t arrive.
Miguel Oliveira is absent after fracturing his right wrist in Mandalika and replaced at Trackhouse by Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori.
World Superbike regular Remy Gardner is making his third appearance of the season for Yamaha, as a wild-card in the factory’s home round.
Revised tyre pressure rules for 2024 mean riders must stay above a lower front minimum of 1.8 bar (instead of 1.88) for 60% (instead of 50%) of a Grand Prix distance, or 30% of a Sprint.
The punishment for failing to meet the minimum in a Grand Prix is a 16-second post-race time penalty, or an 8-second penalty for a Sprint/short race.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
