Japan is one of the Asian countries with a traditionally deep-rooted racing culture. As a contrast to the bustling and noisy capital of Tokyo, the Katō district some 120 km to the north will attract the teams of the motorcycle world championship next weekend amid beautiful mountain landscapes – and they are eager to give their all in the first guest appearance of the Asian series.
The Motegi Twin Ring, which takes its name from asecond race track that is also located on the site, was built in the mid-1990s. Opened for racing in 1998, the motorcycle world championship made its first guest appearance here a year later – the beginning of a not always entirely harmonious relationship between riders and the track. As you can already guess from the track layout, the numerous sharp turns and hard braking points that characterize the circuit make it quite difficult to ride.
The 4.8 km overall track with its total of six left-hand and eight right-hand corners will be exciting for the CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP pilots – #43 Xavier Artigas as well as #99 Carlos Tatay will get to see the track for the first time in the next few days. It remains exciting to see how well the crews will be able to adjust to the demanding track and what tactics they will adopt. At least the weather in Japan is more or less calming down: after a severe typhoon hit the south-west of the island state especially hard last weekend and parts of the country are still without power supply, “Nanmadol” has weakened in the meantime and dry conditions are expected for the race on Sunday.
For European fans who want to follow the Japan GP live, the motto this weekend is: early to bed and early to get out, because due to the time difference, training, qualifying and the main race start in the early morning hours. Another uncommonality: instead of the usual three practice sessions, only two are scheduled for Japan. The Friday morning session (local time) has been cancelled because, due to the current tense weather situation in Japan, the cargo planes from Spain will not land until later than usual at race weekends, meaning that the material can only be brought to the circuit under great time pressure.
#99 Carlos Tatay
“After the positive outcome of the last race, I’m excited to see what the kickoff in Asia will be like. Like my teammate, Friday will be my debut on this track. The crew and I will give it our all to build up a good rhythm as quickly as possible and get back to racing far up front.”
#43 Xavier Artigas
“This weekend I will ride on this track for the first time in my life. So far I’ve only been able to get a few impressions of Motegi from videos, the circuit looks exciting but also demanding. I’m excited about Japan and I will continue to work with my team in the same way as we did last week in Aragón.”
Timetable of the Motul Grand Prix of Japan 23 SEP – 25 SEP for the Moto3™
FRIDAY, 23 SEP 2022
06:15 – 06:55 Uhr (CET)
Moto3™
Free Practice Nr. 1
SATURDAY, 24 SEP 2022
02:00 – 02:40 Uhr (CET)
Moto3™
Free Practice Nr. 2
05:35 – 05:50 Uhr (CET)
Moto3™
Qualifying Nr. 1
06:00 – 06:15 Uhr (CET)
Moto3™
Qualifying Nr. 2
SUNDAY, 25 SEP 2022
03:00 – 03:10 Uhr (CET)
Moto3™
Warm Up
05:00 Uhr (CET)
Moto3™
Race (20 Laps)
