The National Times - Bagnaia leads Martin in first Japan MotoGP practice

Weather - Sydney 20°C

Bagnaia leads Martin in first Japan MotoGP practice

SPORTS 04.10.2024

Bagnaia leads Martin in first Japan MotoGP practice / Photo: © AFP

Defending champion Francesco Bagnaia finished fastest in a rain-interrupted first practice for the Japan MotoGP on Friday, with championship leader Jorge Martin behind him in second.

Change text size:

Italy's Bagnaia clocked a fastest lap of 1min 45.209sec on his Ducati, with more than half of the 45-minute session wiped out by rain at Motegi.

Spaniard Martin, who leads Bagnaia by 21 points in the championship standings with five races remaining, trailed his rival by 0.109.

Pramac rider Martin is looking to win his first MotoGP championship after finishing second behind Bagnaia last year.

Italian Fabio Giannantonio clocked the third-best practice time, 0.380 behind Bagnaia, while Spain's six-time world champion Marc Marquez was fourth, 0.572 off the leading pace.

Italy's Enea Bastianini, who is third in the overall standings and trails Martin by 75 points, had the 10th-fastest practice time, 0.759 behind Bagnaia.

The riders went out for around 15 minutes under cloudy skies before rain halted the session.

The action later resumed for around five minutes before rain again forced them back to the garage.

The second practice session, from which the top 10 riders go straight into Saturday's second round of qualifying, gets underway at 3:00 pm (0700 GMT).

Qualifying shapes the grid for both the sprint race on Saturday and the main event GP on Sunday afternoon, with a maximum of 37 points available.

M.Wilson--TNT

Featured

Oilers Edge Flyers 3-2 in Overtime Despite Philadelphia's Shot Dominance

The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in overtime at Rogers Place on Wednesday night. Evan Bouchard scored the winning goal just 47 seconds into the extra period, capping a comeback that overcame a late tying goal by Travis Sanheim despite Philadelphia outshooting Edmonton.

Maswanganyi Clarifies Pirates Allegiance Amidst Career Transition

Patrick Maswanganyi has addressed speculation surrounding his career by reaffirming that Orlando Pirates remains his dream club, despite growing up as a Kaizer Chiefs supporter. Speaking during an exclusive interview, the Bafana Bafana international also clarified the nature of his relationship with former coach Abdeslam Ouaddou following his recent exit from the Soweto giants.

Kuwait's Yasmeen Waleed Wins High Jump Gold at Dakar Youth Olympics

Kuwaiti athlete Yasmeen Waleed has won the gold medal in the high jump at the fourth Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal. Her victory established a new Kuwaiti national record of 1.80 meters, marking a significant milestone for the nation's youth sports program.

Matvei Michkov Leads Flyers in Goals but Ranks Sixth in Ice Time

Matvei Michkov leads the Philadelphia Flyers with 10 goals through 20 games, but his total ice time ranks sixth among the team's forwards. Head coach Rick Tocchet has concentrated Michkov’s additional minutes on the power play, where he has scored five of his goals, while his even-strength usage has remained relatively stable compared to last season.

Change text size: