With the victory at Motegi the Spaniard from Ducati Pramac came within 3 points of Pecco in the World Championship, reiterating his remarkable form. In just 3 laps, on the wet Japanese track, he made it clear that he had reached an impressive maturity: let’s see how
– Milan
At Motegi Jorge Martin forcefully achieved his third “double” (Sprint Race on Saturday – GP on Sunday) bringing himself within range of Pecco Bagnaia in the general classification with six rounds left in the World Championship: after 14 GPs only 3 points between the two. The Spaniard from Ducati Pramac seems unstoppable in his comeback, given that in the last five GPs he has eaten up 59 points from Pecco: -62 after Austria; -50 after Catalonia; -37 after Misano; -13 after India and -3 after Japan. The Motegi race was made uncertain by the wet conditions: a start with a few drops, which then became the pouring rain that led the organizers to an early stop on lap 13. There was no controversy regarding the display of the red flag: everyone agreed on avoiding unnecessary risks, but no one could say how the race would have ended at full speed.
maybe marquez…
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The times in hand and the progress of the race allow us to hypothesize a different result, perhaps with Marc Marquez first ahead of Martin and Bagnaia, also because, unlike the two from Ducati, fighting for the world championship, the champion from Cervera had nothing to lose . In the wet, on a “stop&go” circuit like Motegi where braking becomes an art, the rider can make the difference and Marc has demonstrated it. In normal conditions, without rain, with this Honda not even Marquez is capable of fighting for the podium, much less the victory, but with the track soaked the Spaniard emerged in style. It is no coincidence that it is precisely in the final rush that Martin and Marquez set their respective fastest laps of the race, 1’57.715 Martin (11th lap) and 1’57.453 Marquez (10th lap) with Bagnaia faster (1’57.083), but to the 3rd step. Of the three leaders, on the 12th and final lap, the fastest is Marquez (1’58.082) now close to second Bagnaia (1’58.577), with Martin even slower in 1’58.797. Considering that Martin won with 1″413 over Bagnaia and 2″013 over Marquez and analyzing the timing of the last 4 laps (9th lap: Martin 1’58″714; Bagnaia 1’58″812; Marquez 1’58″286 . 10th lap: JM 1’58″048; FB 1’57″925; MM 1’57″453. 11th lap: JM 1’57″715; FB 1’58″502; MM 1’57″879 with overtaking; 12 lap: JM 1’58″797; FB 1’58″577; MM 1’58″082 with overtaking), it is clear that the Honda Spaniard had a margin over the other two.
where martin digs the furrow
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The checkered flag that closed the race left questions open in the fight for the world title: the real match is played between Bagnaia and Martin, although others, starting with Marco Bezzecchi slowed down by visibility problems with the front fairing and slipping even Marquez in the role of “killjoy”, can have an impact on the dance of results. Martin, however, is on the ball, concentrated, with the right recklessness to make the difference, also demonstrated at Motegi, in particular in the great recovery after the mistake on the third lap. That’s where Jorge makes the difference: he slips to eighth on lap 3, but on lap 6 he is already leader of the race. It is those three laps that decreed his success and strengthened his now established awareness of his means. Bagnaia seems to have solved the braking problems of his Ducati, but perhaps, beyond the optimistic declarations, he has yet to completely mentally absorb the great blow of Barcelona. Pecco was admirable, he doesn’t give up, he holds firm, but now he has no alternative: either he immediately switches from defense to attack or goodbye to the title. From Motegi the championship starts from scratch, with the difference that now the blanket gets shorter and shorter and every point gained or lost can be decisive for the title.
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