2006 MotoGP Championship - Round 15 - Motegi, Japan - September 22/23/24

Dorna Day 1 Report

On the first day of practice sessions for Sunday’s A-Style Grand Prix of Japan, the home fans got an indication of what could be both a successful date for the local riders and a pivotal moment in the premier class title chase.

Continuing a recent trend in MotoGP, the premier class riders took to the track for the first day of practice today and finished off the session with a late burst on qualifying tyres on their bikes. It was another frenetic pair of sessions, one which Valentino Rossi took by the scruff of the neck with a scorching 1’46.981 lap to top the timesheets.

It was inside circuit record pace, as were the top eight riders, but Rossi was the only rider able to break the 1’47 barrier, with home rider Shinya Nakano the best of the rest on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR. Marco Melandri was also on the pace fresh from his win last weekend at Phillip Island, just over half a second behind his fellow Italian. Camel Yamaha’s Colin Edwards joined his team-mate in the upper section of the leaderboard, with World Championship leader Nicky Hayden and Fortuna Honda’s Toni Elias rounding off the top six.

Having been expected to do well at Motegi after Ducati’s dominant showing last season, Loris Capirossi could only manage seventh, ahead of this morning’s fastest rider John Hopkins, Randy de Puniet and Kenny Roberts Jr.

Light showers are forecast for the next couple of days at Motegi, which could make tomorrow afternoon's qualifying session particularly interesting. With 21 points separating Hayden from Rossi at the head of the MotoGP standings, every result is crucial, beginning with the chance to start from pole position on Sunday.

Jorge Lorenzo spoiled the party for the home riders in the first 250cc qualifying at Twin Ring Motegi. The Spaniard snatched the provisional pole position from the two Aoyama brothers, Hiroshi and Shuhei, and their countryman Yuki Takahashi. The two siblings had been fastest in the morning session at the track, but a 1’52.132 lap from World Championship leader Lorenzo was just enough to prevent them from repeating the feat in the final moments of the afternoon outing.

Alex de Angelis and title contender Andrea Dovizioso trailed the Japanese trio, still less than a second off Lorenzo’s provisional top spot. Ryuji Yokoe, a Japanese wildcard riding a Yamaha this weekend, clinched eighth place ahead of Fortuna Aprilia’s Hector Barbera, whilst the top ten was finished by Thai rider Ratthapark Wilairot on a Honda.

Alvaro Bautista is still the man to beat in 125s. After setting the fastest time this morning in the opening free practice session at Twin Ring Motegi, the newly-crowned World Champion once again topped the leaderboard in qualifying and took provisional pole for Sunday’s 125cc A-Style Grand Pix of Japan. The only rider to break the 1’58 barrier, Bautista came in ahead of team-mate Sergio Gadea with a lap of 1’57.627. In third, Mika Kallio was the only rider in the top five not to hail from the Master MVA Aspar team, in front of Mattia Pasini and Hector Faubel. Julian Simon, Fabrizio Lai, Lukas Pesek, Tomoyoshi Koyama and Gabor Talmacsi complete the top ten.