After snatching pole position on Saturday for the Japanese Grand Prix, the MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez will eye his 10th win of the season. The Honda rider clocked 1 minute, 45.763 seconds for his first pole start in the premier class at Twin Ring Motegi, where he won in 2016 and last year as well.
Moto GP world Champ Marc Marquez secures pole Position
He will be joined in the front row by Petronas Yamaha SRT riders Franco Morbidelli and hot rookie Fabio Quartararo, who came in 0.132 seconds and 0.181 seconds later, respectively.
Marquez said, “My first pole position at Motegi this time… so I am happy. Honestly speaking today was a tricky condition. I felt good in the final qualification race and hopefully, I will take the momentum tomorrow.”
The Repsol Honda Team has won the MotoGP World Championship for the last five years and this season was also no different, with Marquez already ensuring the title. Marquez, who has finished third in Friday’s practice, has already secured his sixth season win in seven years after triumphing in Thailand two weeks ago. He has also finished second in five of the season’s six other races, missing the podium only once in the United States after crashing out while leading the race.
But Quartararo is nipping at the Spaniard’s heels after two narrow defeats to the world champion in recent races, with victory only decided on the closing laps.
Riders in Motegi were compelled to navigate hostile conditions after heavy rains into the afternoon, leaving the track damp with thick cloud cover for the qualifying sessions. However, Sunny weather is expected for Sunday’s race day.
When the race begins on Sunday, all eyes are going to be on Marquez and Yamaha rider Morbidelli, who put on an impressive show in qualifying.
Honda came to Motegi with a 77-point lead over Ducati in the MotoGP constructors World Championship and could clinch the title in Japan if the Honda riders across the line don’t concede more than two points to the Ducati riders.
Marquez’s show in the qualifying session has raised hopes that Honda will come up with a strong performance in the main race on Sunday.
Starting from the second row will be Maverick Vinales of Monster Energy Yamaha, Cal Crutchlow of LCR Honda and Jack Miller of Pramac Racing. They will be followed by Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso, who could seal second place in this year’s championship with Sunday’s race, while Valentino Rossi starts from the fourth row.
