MotoGP Motegi, Free Practice: Bradl ahead of Pedrosa, Marquez and Lorenzo

The MotoGP class riders have just finished the only free practice session of the Japanese GP, a session that precedes the race by a few hours, which will start at 06:00 Italian time. In fact, in the previous days only the qualifications had been held, due to the poor visibility which would not have allowed the air ambulance to take off in the event of an emergency.

The fastest was the returning Stefan Bradl, riding the Team LCR Honda. The German rider set a time of 1:46.440, a time that allowed him to precede Dani Pedrosa, riding the Team Repsol Honda, by just 19 thousandths.

Third time for world championship leader Marc Marquez, victim of a bad fall. The #93 lost the front of his RC213V at high speed, rolling heavily to the ground and also violently hitting his right shoulder, already injured at Silverstone. Once he returned to the pits and cleared away the dust and stones collected in the crash, he returned to the track with the second bike, finishing the session on the soft tire (he had crashed on the hard one).

Behind him was his championship rival and poleman Jorge Lorenzo. The Yamaha rider, who has a gap from the top of 140 thousandths, showed excellent pace and will give everything in the race to keep the world championship open.

The Majorcan preceded Alvaro Bautista's Team Gresini Honda (he crashed without physical consequences), Andrea Dovizioso's Ducati, team-mate Valentino Rossi's Yamaha (662 thousandths off the top) and Nicky Hayden's Ducati, in his penultimate race aboard the Borgo Panigale bike. Bradley Smith closes the Top Ten, with the second Yamaha SAT of Team Tech 3.