2024 Japanese MotoGP, Motegi - Race Results
Race results from the Japanese MotoGP at Motegi, round 16 (of 20) in the 2024 world championship.
| 2024 Japanese MotoGP, Motegi - Race Results | ||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff |
| 1 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP24) | 42m 9.79s |
| 2 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP24) | +1.189s |
| 3 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Gresini Ducati (GP23) | +3.822s |
| 4 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP24) | +4.358s |
| 5 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pramac Ducati (GP24) | +17.940s |
| 6 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +18.502s |
| 7 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | VR46 Ducati (GP23) | +19.371s |
| 8 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | VR46 Ducati (GP23) | +20.199s |
| 9 | Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) | +30.442s |
| 10 | Jack Miller | AUS | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +31.184s |
| 11 | Johann Zarco | FRA | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +31.567s |
| 12 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +32.299s |
| 13 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +33.003s |
| 14 | Luca Marini | ITA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +35.974s |
| 15 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP24) | +39.321s |
| 16 | Alex Rins | SPA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +40.839s |
| 17 | Remy Gardner | AUS | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +59.547s |
| Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16)* | DNF | |
| Maverick Viñales | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) | DNF | |
| Augusto Fernandez | SPA | Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16) | DNF | |
| Lorenzo Savadori | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) | DNF | |
| Alex Marquez | SPA | Gresini Ducati (GP23) | DNF | |
| Joan Mir | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | DNF | |
* Rookie
Francesco Bagnaia reduces Jorge Martin’s title lead to ten points by completing a perfect double at the 2024 Japanese MotoGP at Motegi.
Sprint winner Bagnaia took the grand prix lead from Pedro Acosta through Turn 1 and was never headed.
But Martin got close.
The Pramac star made swift progress from eleventh on the grid and was just over half a second from Bagnaia by the middle stages.
Bagnaia responded to keep the Pramac rider at arm’s reach and claim his eighth grand prix victory of the season, a new personal record.
Martin gave the reigning champion a thumbs-up on the slow-down lap.
Marc Marquez kept Enea Bastianini at bay to complete the podium in third, a repeat of his Sprint finish.
Happy with the result, Marquez nonetheless called it a "super boring race" due to the lack of overtaking.
After crashing from the lead of the Sprint, debut pole qualifier Pedro Acosta took the early fight to Bagnaia. But disaster struck - again - when he slid out of second place on lap 3.
With fellow KTM rider Brad Binder running wide at the same turn, Martin was gifted second place behind Bagnaia.
In a role reversal of the Sprint, Marquez was hunted down by Enea Bastianini in the second half of the race.
Bastianini lost valuable early time stuck behind Brad Binder’s KTM. The South African was overtaken by Franco Morbidelli later in the race.
Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo again looked to run out of fuel just before the chequered flag, costing him 11th - and top rider on a home Japanese bike - to LCR Honda's Johann Zarco.
After a surprise shower interrupted the Moto2 race, tension was raised in the MotoGP race when the ‘flag to flag’ signal - allowing bike swaps due to rain - was issued after 10 laps of the grand prix.
However, the rain drops that presumably prompted that decision, soon passed.
Alex Marquez ran into the back of Joan Mir on the opening lap, taking them both out. The incident will be reviewed by the FIM Stewards after the race.
All riders except home hero Takaaki Nakagami - who wheelied over the finish of his final home grand prix - moved from the soft to medium rear tyre for the grand prix, alongside the favoured hard front.
Miguel Oliveira was absent after fracturing his right wrist in Mandalika and replaced at Trackhouse by Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori.
World Superbike regular Remy Gardner was 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.
There is now a weekend off before the second flyaway triple begins with the Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island.
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.
