Perfect Pedrosa wins at Motegi with Marquez 4th

Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa has taken a fantastic win – his first since Brno GP 2014 and his 50th of his career (8 x 125cc, 15 x 250cc, 27 x MotoGP) – at Honda’s home race in Japan. Reigning World Champion Marc Marquez, who is nursing an injured left hand, managed to come home 4th in the wet race.

With rain arriving this morning and delaying proceedings, the MotoGP warm up was delayed to 11h20am and the riders had a frantic twenty minutes to prepare the wet setup on their machines. As the race began, Dani made up some positions from 6th place to 4th and Marc dropped from 3rd to 6th by the end of the first lap. Marc passed Iannone on the second lap with Dani chasing down race leaders Lorenzo, Rossi and Dovizioso.

By lap eight Dani began to find a good rhythm and although four seconds behind Dovizioso, his lap times improved as the gap began to fall. Dani reached Dovizioso on lap eleven and after the Italian made a small error, Dani was able to pass him effortlessly and begin to hunt down Rossi who was four seconds ahead.

Dani reached Rossi by lap sixteen and passed him into second place. Then two laps later, Dani had made up the gap and passed Lorenzo into 1st and never looked back, controlling the final seven laps and winning by 8.5 seconds. Marc was able to pass Dovizioso on lap twenty one and took a comfortable 4th place.

Dani remains the most successful rider at Motegi with five wins (2011,12,15 in MotoGP; 2004 in 250cc; 2002 in 125cc). He now moves up two places in the rider standings to 5th on 154 points. Marc remains 3rd on 197 points with just three races remaining.

The MotoGP paddock now pack up in Japan and head immediately to Australia for round sixteen next weekend.

Dani Pedrosa – 1st Championship Standing: 5th – 154 points

“I’m so happy with this win! It has been a long time since my last one and I’m really pleased. It was a fun race, because at first I took things calmly and lost too much time, but the strategy worked out because afterwards I recovered ground gradually. I had a special feeling at that point in the race and I’m happy to take this victory for Honda at their home track, for the team, the sponsors, my friends and family, because it has been a difficult season. It’s not been an easy weekend here in Japan, I’d also like to wish Alex De Angelis all the best and hope he recovers soon.”

Marc Marquez – 4th Championship Standing: 3rd – 197 points

“It was a difficult Sunday. In the wet, right from the warm up it was difficult to find the ideal setup and I didn’t feel entirely comfortable. We made some small changes for the race, so as not to take too many risks, but I never felt good and in the end we finished fourth. My hand didn’t give me too many problems in the wet, in the dry it would have been more difficult. Now we have to take away information from this Sunday and I look forward to going to Phillip Island, which is a circuit that should be better for us and is one of my favourites. I’d also like to send my best wishes to Alex De Angelis – we are all thinking of him.”

Race Results

1 PEDROSA Dani 26 SPA 25 Repsol Honda Team Honda 46’50.767
2 ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA 20 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha +8.573
3 LORENZO Jorge 99 SPA 16 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha +12.127
4 MARQUEZ Marc 93 SPA 13 Repsol Honda Team Honda +27.841
5 DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA 11 Ducati Team Ducati +35.085
6 CRUTCHLOW Cal 35 GBR 10 LCR Honda Honda +37.263
7 SMITH Bradley 38 GBR 9 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +37.667
8 NAKASUGA Katsuyuki 21 JPN 8 Yamaha Factory Racing Team Yamaha +44.654
9 BARBERA Hector 8 SPA 7 Avintia Racing Ducati +48.572
10 REDDING Scott 45 GBR 6 Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda +50.121
11 ESPARGARO Aleix 41 SPA 5 Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki +1’00.535
12 TAKAHASHI Takumi 72 JPN 4 Team HRC with NISSIN Honda +1’01.211
13 HAYDEN Nicky 69 USA 3 Aspar MotoGP Team Honda +1’11.261
14 HERNANDEZ Yonny 68 COL 2 Pramac Racing Ducati +1’13.896
15 DI MEGLIO Mike 63 FRA 1 Avintia Racing Ducati +1’15.421
16 BAUTISTA Alvaro 19 SPA 0 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia +1’20.507
17 LAVERTY Eugene 50 IRE 0 Aspar MotoGP Team Honda +1’31.224
18 BRADL Stefan 6 GER 0 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia +1’46.833
19 AKIYOSHI Kosuke 64 JPN 0 AB Motoracing Honda +2’00.072
20 ELIAS Toni 24 SPA 0 AB Motoracing Honda +1 lap
21 ESPARGARO Pol 44 SPA 0 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha DNF
22 MILLER Jack 43 AUS 0 LCR Honda Honda DNF
23 VINALES Maverick 25 SPA 0 Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki DNF
24 BAZ Loris 76 FRA 0 Athina Forward Racing Forward Yamaha DNF
25 IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA 0 Ducati Team Ducati DNF
26 PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA 0 Pramac Racing Ducati DNF
27 DE ANGELIS Alex 15 RSM 0 Athina Forward Racing Forward Yamaha DNS

Rider Standings

1 ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA 283 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha
2 LORENZO Jorge 99 SPA 265 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha
3 MARQUEZ Marc 93 SPA 197 Repsol Honda Team Honda
4 IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA 172 Ducati Team Ducati
5 PEDROSA Dani 26 SPA 154 Repsol Honda Team Honda
6 SMITH Bradley 38 GBR 152 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha
7 DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA 150 Ducati Team Ducati
8 CRUTCHLOW Cal 35 GBR 98 LCR Honda Honda
9 PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA 93 Pramac Racing Ducati
10 ESPARGARO Pol 44 SPA 88 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha
11 ESPARGARO Aleix 41 SPA 81 Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki
12 VINALES Maverick 25 SPA 74 Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki
13 REDDING Scott 45 GBR 73 Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda
14 HERNANDEZ Yonny 68 COL 49 Pramac Racing Ducati
15 BARBERA Hector 8 SPA 30 Avintia Racing Ducati
16 BAZ Loris 76 FRA 28 Athina Forward Racing Forward Yamaha
17 BAUTISTA Alvaro 19 SPA 26 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia
18 HAYDEN Nicky 69 USA 16 Aspar MotoGP Team Honda
19 MILLER Jack 43 AUS 16 LCR Honda Honda
20 BRADL Stefan 6 GER 11 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia
21 LAVERTY Eugene 50 IRE 9 Aspar MotoGP Team Honda
22 NAKASUGA Katsuyuki 21 JPN 8 Yamaha Factory Racing Team Yamaha
23 PIRRO Michele 51 ITA 8 Ducati Team Ducati
24 DI MEGLIO Mike 63 FRA 8 Avintia Racing Ducati
25 AOYAMA Hiroshi 7 JPN 5 AB Motoracing Honda
26 TAKAHASHI Takumi 72 JPN 4 Team HRC with NISSIN Honda
27 DE ANGELIS Alex 15 RSM 2 Athina Forward Racing Forward Yamaha

Source: Perfect Pedrosa wins at Motegi with Marquez 4th