#JapaneseGP

  ¬  October 06th 2026

Bagnaia finishes eighth after a difficult weekend. Ortolá narrowly misses the Moto2 podium with a solid fourth place. Both our riders raced with two special liveries!

An intense and challenging weekend for our Suomy Riders at Mobility Resort Motegi, venue for the sixteenth round of the MotoGP World Championship. At the Japanese circuit, Francesco Bagnaia had to deal with a complicated weekend, characterised by a feeling with his Ducati that was not yet optimal and by a particularly delicate rear tyre issue during Saturday’s Sprint. Despite the difficulties, Pecco was able to react in Sunday’s main race, recovering ground and bringing home an eighth-place finish a result that was hard-fought, hard-earned and much hoped for.

In Moto2, meanwhile, Ivan Ortolá once again confirmed his competitiveness, putting together a solid and consistent race that saw him cross the chequered flag in fourth place, just over one second behind the winner.

Mobility Resort Motegi is a particularly demanding circuit, characterised by heavy braking zones and strong acceleration out of corners. With its numerous changes of pace, the Japanese track puts both riders and tyre management to the test. This aspect proved decisive, especially in the MotoGP Sprint, where the behaviour of the rear tyre heavily affected Bagnaia’s race. Pecco’s weekend began with a difficult Practice session, with the Ducati rider finishing in twelfth place. In qualifying, Bagnaia could only secure thirteenth place on the grid.

SPRINT RACE

Saturday’s Sprint unfortunately came to an early end for Francesco Bagnaia. Starting from thirteenth place, our Ducati rider had to deal with a particularly complicated situation in terms of rear tyre management.

The problem progressively emerged over the course of the scheduled twelve laps. Bagnaia began to feel vibrations as early as lap six and, in an attempt to manage the situation, increased his use of the rear brake. This resulted in a further increase in tyre temperature, eventually making it impossible to continue.

Bagnaia therefore returned to the pits during the final lap and was classified as a DNF. It was certainly a bitter ending for our Suomy Rider, after a Sprint in which the behaviour of the rear tyre proved decisive and its deterioration was unacceptable. The tread in the centre of the tyre literally detached, causing large holes to form.

– Sprint Race DNF –

Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) 

“It was a difficult Sprint. We didn’t know what to expect from the rear tyre because of the new asphalt on the track. We made the choice that seemed to us to be the best compromise, but when you lack grip, the tyre ends up overheating, and unfortunately these are the results. Around lap six, I started to experience a lot of vibrations on corner entry and, to deal with this, I ended up using the rear brake more. This caused the rear tyre to heat up considerably. We need to work on finding a little more grip, because that would certainly allow us to perform better.”

RACE

After the difficult outcome of the Sprint, Francesco Bagnaia reacted in Sunday’s main race, managing to bring his Ducati Lenovo Team machine home in eighth place.

It was a race built on patience and determination, in which Pecco tried to manage a technical situation that was still far from ideal as effectively as possible. After 24 laps, the Piedmontese rider crossed the finish line in eighth place, securing important points in a weekend that, following Saturday’s difficulties, could have ended in an even more complicated way.

For Bagnaia, eighth place represents the result of a Sunday spent reacting after a particularly difficult Saturday. The work carried out at Motegi nevertheless provides important indications for the final part of the season, with the team now tasked with finding solutions to improve the bike’s behaviour and allow our rider to once again express his full potential.

– Race 8°  –

Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) 

“It was a difficult race. We benefited from a few crashes, but in general we knew that we couldn’t go any faster than this. I tried to be as consistent as possible and during the race I tried different things to understand whether I could somehow make a difference through my riding. I couldn’t get the bike to decelerate on corner entry and, as a result, I wasn’t in the right position on corner exit. I often find myself having to brake in a ‘stoppie’ style, but it’s not something I can do for the whole race because the bike becomes very nervous. The team did a really great job, but we couldn’t have done more than this this weekend.”

On the occasion of the 2026 Japanese GP, Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia chose to pay tribute to a true legend of Japanese motorcycle racing: Noriyuki “Nitro-Nori” Haga, former rider and one of the most iconic figures in Superbike.

Haga was one of Pecco’s childhood idols, making this tribute even more meaningful considering that, at the beginning of his career, Bagnaia raced with number 41, the same number that had become synonymous with Haga.

Pecco unveiled a special helmet featuring a graphic inspired by the design Haga used in 1999, turning his helmet into a tribute to one of the most iconic and beloved riders in Japanese motorcycle racing.

A deeply symbolic tribute for Bagnaia, celebrating not only a great champion, but also a rider who represented an inspiration and a reference point for an entire generation of motorcycle fans.

MOTO 2

Another strong performance from Ivan Ortolá at Mobility Resort Motegi. Our Suomy Rider approached the Japanese weekend with speed and consistency, securing seventh place in qualifying and therefore a start from the third row. It was immediately clear that our Ortolá was ready to fight for his chances in a race that proved to be particularly competitive.

At the start of the race, Ortolá immediately maintained contact with the leading group. After nine of the scheduled nineteen laps, the Spaniard was running in fourth place, behind Guevara, Tony Arbolino and Filip Salač. He managed to defend that position all the way to the chequered flag, despite the pressure from the riders behind during the final stages.

Ortolá finished fourth, just 1.247 seconds behind the winner, scoring 13 points and narrowly missing out on another podium finish.

An important performance from our rider, once again confirming his ability to consistently remain among the leading positions in Moto2. Speed, consistency and race management allowed Ortolá to bring home a valuable result from one of the most technical and demanding circuits on the calendar.

Motegi’s fourth place therefore represents another positive step in the season for our Suomy Rider, who now looks ahead to the next round of the World Championship with the goal of returning to the podium fight.

Ivan Ortolá chose to celebrate Japanese culture with a special helmet dedicated to the world of anime and manga, featuring a graphic packed with references to iconic characters and symbols that have captivated generations of fans around the world.

The design brings together more than 20 famous characters and symbols from Japanese pop culture, creating a true journey through the anime and manga universe. Among the most iconic and instantly recognizable titles featured in the design are Dragon Ball, Pokémon, One Piece and Gundam.