That first morning session at Motegi nearly ended in disaster, as Motorsport.com reports. Marco Bezzecchi, riding for Aprilia Racing, had to pull straight into the pitlane and wait for the conditions to improve after an alarming moment on track.
Heading out on the freshly resurfaced Motegi circuit, the 27-year-old nearly highsided his factory Aprilia exiting Turn 11. Overnight rain, low temperatures, and a lack of data from previous years left him completely blind to a wet patch on the new tarmac. Having somehow saved the bike from a heavy crash, the Italian decided enough was simply enough after a season already marred by falls from leading positions and injuries to both his knee and shoulder.
“I started the day immediately with my ass like ‘this’; with a massive save,” Bezzecchi said. “I went straight to the box, I said, ‘let's wait a little bit’, because this season I already had enough [crashes].”
Minutes later, Honda wildcard Takaaki Nakagami suffered a nasty fall at that exact same corner, resulting in injuries that ruled him out for the remainder of the weekend. Bezzecchi was quick to express sympathy for his fellow rider, noting what a shame it was for the home fans in Japan and wishing him a speedy recovery.
Despite the early scare, Bezzecchi managed to sort himself out and carry on through the day without further drama. He ultimately finished fourth, sitting 0.218s behind pacesetter Alex Marquez. Team-mate Jorge Martin also secured a direct entry into Q2 by finishing eighth, bringing some encouragement on a layout that has historically proved difficult for the RS-GP machinery.
With the Aprilia running well alongside competitors from Ducati and KTM, Bezzecchi feels he is firmly in the mix at the front of the pack. Looking ahead to the rest of the weekend, he is simply aiming to find more speed and edge closer to the top.
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