STATISTICS 2016 #15 Motul Grand Prix of Japan October 12th MotoGP Riders' Profiles Starts 254 (156 x MotoGP, 49 x 250, 49 x 125) 14 Wins/best result 10 (1 x MotoGP, 4 x 250, 5 x 125) 2nd Podiums 73 (32 x MotoGP, 26 x 250, 15 x 125) 3 Poles 17 (4 x MotoGP, 4 x 250, 9 x 125) 1 Last Win GBR/09 - Last Podium AUT/16/2nd AUT/2nd Last Pole NED/16 NED Dovizioso finished on the podium three times in the smaller classes at Motegi; in the 125cc class he was 3rd in 2003 & won in 2004 from pole position, and he finished 2nd in the 250cc class in 2007 His only podium in the MotoGP class at Motegi is 2nd in 2010, after he started from pole for the first time in the MotoGP class In 2014 at Motegi, Dovizioso qualified on pole; in the race he was the first Ducati across the line in 5th place Last year at Motegi qualified as the fastest Ducati in 4th position, and again was the first Ducati across the line in 5th 4. Andrea Dovizioso Age: 30 Starts 169 (82 x MotoGP, 33 x Moto2, 54 x 125) 13 Wins/best result 7 (5 x Moto2, 2 x 125) (2nd in MotoGP) 7th Podiums 19 (1 x MotoGP, 12 x Moto2, 6 x 125) 0 Poles/best grid 8 (1 x MotoGP, 7 x Moto2) 12th Last Win GBR/11 (Moto2) - Last Podium USA/13/2nd - Last Pole USA/13 - Bradl won the 125cc race at Motegi in 2008 - his only podium finish at the circuit He finished 6th at Motegi in 2012, his rookie season in the MotoGP class He finished 5th three years ago at Motegi, just two weeks after breaking his ankle at the Malaysian GP, and in 2014 he finished 7th Last year at Motegi saw Bradl equal his best qualifying of the season in 13th place, but he ran off track during the race, eventually finishing 18th 6. Stefan Bradl Age: 26 Starts 239 (117 x MotoGP, 75 x 250, 47 x 125) 14 Wins/best result 10 (4 x 250, 6 x 125) (5th in MotoGP) 5th Podiums 32 (20 x 250, 12 x 125) 0 Poles/best grid 9 (8 x 250, 1 x 125) (2nd in MotoGP) 2nd Last Win VAL/09 (250cc) - Last Podium VAL/09/1st (250cc) - Last Pole POR/09 (250cc) - Barbera won the 125cc race at Motegi in 2003 from Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso He suffered a heavy crash in 2008 when practicing for the 250cc GP at Motegi, which resulted in two fractured vertebrae that ended his season In 2014 at Motegi Barbera passed Scott Redding on the penultimate lap to pick up a single point for finishing 15th Last year at Motegi Barbera finished in 9th place, his best result at the circuit from his 6 years in the MotoGP class, in what was his 100th MotoGP race 8. Hector Barbera Age: 29 Starts 78 - all MotoGP 10 Best result 2nd 7th Podiums 1 x MotoGP 0 Best grid 4th 4th Last Podium GBR/15/2nd - Petrucci raced at Motegi for the first time in 2012; he qualified in 19th place on the grid but ran out of fuel on the last lap when in 16th place in the race In 2013 at the Japanese GP he finished 18th - the only time he has finished a MotoGP race in Japan In 2014 he retired from in the early stages of the Japanese Grand Prix with technical problems Last year at Motegi Petrucci crashed out of the race on lap 9, from 10th position 9. Danilo Petrucci Age: 25 Starts 234 (118 x MotoGP, 49 x 250, 67 x 125) 14 Wins/best result 16 (8 x 250, 8 x 125) (3rd in MotoGP) 8th Podiums 49 (3 x MotoGP, 28 x 250, 18 x 125) 0 Poles/best grid 18 (1 x MotoGP, 9 x 250, 8 x 125) 12th Last Win CAT/09 (250cc) - Last Podium FRA/14/3rd - Last Pole GBR/12 - In the 250cc class at Motegi in 2008 Bautista was 2nd and set a new lap record on the last lap in his battle with Marco Simoncelli, and in 2009 he won the 250cc race by almost six seconds He has had one podium finish from six starts in the MotoGP class at Motegi - 3rd in 2012 on a Honda In 2014 Bautista finished 10th at the Japanese Grand Prix, and last year he qualified and finished the race in 16th position 19. Alvaro Bautista Age: 31 Starts 99 (32 x MotoGP, 18 x Moto2, 49 x 125/Moto3) 14 Wins 17 (1 x MotoGP, 4 x Moto2, 12 x 125/Moto3) 1 Podiums 42 (2 x MotoGP, 9 x Moto2, 31 x 125/Moto3) 2 Poles/best grid 11 (1 x Moto2, 10 x 125/Moto3) (2nd in MotoGP) 2nd Last Win GBR/16 GBR Last Podium GBR/16/1st GBR/1st Last Pole ARA/14 (Moto2) - 25. Maverick Viñales Prior to last year Viñales finished second at Motegi for three consecutive years - in the Moto3 class in 2012 & 2013, and in the Moto2 race in 2014 Last year at Motegi Viñales qualified in 10th position but then crashed out of the race on lap 14 at Turn 11 Age: 21 Starts 258 (180 x MotoGP, 32 x 250, 46 x 125) 14 Wins 52 (29 x MotoGP, 15 x 250, 8 x 125) 1 Podiums 144 (103 x MotoGP, 24 x 250, 17 x 125) 3 Poles/best grid 46 (28 x MotoGP, 9 x 250, 9 x 125) 3rd Last Win RSM/16 RSM Last Podium RSM/16/1st RSM/1st Last Pole MAL/15 - Pedrosa has a great record at Motegi in the smaller classes with four podium finishes, including victory in the 125cc race in 2002 and on a 250cc machine in 2004 Pedrosa has had six podium finishes at Motegi in the MotoGP class including race wins in 2011, 2012 and last year after having qualified in 6th position Pedrosa has had one pole in the MotoGP class at Motegi - in 2007 He missed the race in 2010 due to a fracture of the left collarbone, suffered in a crash in first practice when his throttle stuck open 26. Dani Pedrosa Age: 31 Starts 191 (63 x MotoGP, 51 x Moto2, 77 x 125) 12 Wins 13 (1 x MotoGP, 8 x Moto2, 4 x 125) 1 Podiums 30 (6 x MotoGP, 19 x Moto2, 5 x 125) 3 Poles 10 (2 x MotoGP, 5 x Moto2, 3 x 125) 1 Last Win AUT/16 AUT Last Podium AUT/16/1st AUT/1st Last Pole AUT/16 AUT Iannone has won at Motegi in both of the smaller classes: the 125cc race in 2009 and the Moto2 race in 2011 In 2013, his rookie year in the MotoGP class, he ran off the track on the first lap and dropped to the back of the field; recovered to finish in 14th place In 2014 he finished sixth at the Japanese Grand Prix from sixth place on the grid Last year at Motegi he qualified in 5th position but was unable to finish the race due to an engine problem 29. Andrea Iannone Age: 27
Starts 101 - all MotoGP 14 Wins 1 1 Podiums 11 (11 x MotoGP) 3 Poles 3 (3 x MotoGP) 1 Last Win CZE/16 CZE Last Podium GBR/16/2nd GBR/2nd Last Pole GBR/16 GBR Crutchlow raced at Motegi for the first time in 2011; he finished 11th after taking a ride-through penalty for a jumped start In 2012 he failed to finish at Motegi when he ran out of fuel on the last lap while battling for the final podium position In 2013 he was 7th in Japan, equalling his lowest finishing position of the year In 2014 Crutchlow crashed out of the Japanese Grand Prix at Turn 3 on the second lap Last year Crutchlow qualified in 8th position and finished the race in 6th, winning a battle with Bradley Smith for top satellite rider 35. Cal Crutchlow Age: 30 Starts 178 (65 x MotoGP, 33 x Moto2, 80 x 125) 11 Wins/best result 3 (3 x 125) (2nd in MotoGP) 7th Podiums 25 (2 x MotoGP, 3 x Moto2, 20 x 125) 0 Poles/best grid 9 (9 x 125) (3rd in MotoGP) 6th Last Win VAL/10 (125cc) - Last Podium RSM/15/2nd - Last Pole POR/10 (125cc) - Smith has had a single podium finish at Motegi: third in the 125cc race in 2010 In 2013, his rookie MotoGP year, he finished 8th in Japan, after getting a great start from 13th place on the grid, to run as high as 5th in the early stages In 2014 he finished in 9th place at Motegi Last year Smith had three crashes on Saturday at Motegi, including two in qualifying; he finished the race in 7th place following a battle with Crutchlow who he lost out to on the last lap He returns to racing after missing the last three races with injury 38. Bradley Smith Age: 25 Starts 192 (108 x MotoGP, 61 x Moto2/250, 23 x 125) 14 Best result 2nd 5th Podiums 2 (1 x MotoGP, 1 x Moto2) 0 Poles/best grid 2 (2 x MotoGP) 4th Last Podium ARA/14/2nd - Last Pole CAT/15 - Aleix Espargaro s best result at Motegi is 7th in the 250cc race in 2008 In 2012 in Japan he was first CRT rider across the finishing line in 12th place; in 2013 he crashed out on lap 13 Two years in Japan he was the first Open Class rider across the line in 11th place Last year he finished in 11th position after running off the track early in the race and dropping back to 18th place 41. Aleix Espargaro Age: 27 Starts 82 (27 x MotoGP, 55 x 125/Moto3) 9 Wins 7 (1 x MotoGP, 6 x Moto3) 1 Podiums 11 (1 x MotoGP, 10 x Moto3) 1 Poles/best grid 8 (8 x Moto3) (12th in MotoGP) 12th Last Win NED/16 NED Last Podium NED/16/1st NED/1st Last Pole MAL/14 (Moto3) - 43. Jack Miller Miller finished 5th two years ago in the Moto3 at the Japanese GP - his best result from four starts in the lightweight-class at Motegi Last year in Japan Miller crashed on the seventh lap; he rejoined the race only to crash for a second time Age: 21 Starts 172 (50 x MotoGP, 51 x Moto2, 71 x 125) 14 Wins/best result 15 (10 x Moto2, 5 x 125)(4th in MotoGP) 4th Podiums 44 (23 x Moto2, 21 x 125) 0 Poles/best grid 17 (14 x Moto2, 3 x 125)(2nd in MotoGP) 4th Last Win JPN/13 (Moto2) - Last Podium JPN/13/1st (Moto2) - Last Pole VAL/13 (Moto2) - Pol Espargaro has had three podium finishes at the Motegi circuit in the smaller classes; 3rd in the 125cc class in 2009, 2nd in the Moto2 race in 2012 and a victory in Moto2 in 2013 Espargaro secured the Moto2 world title in 2013 with his victory in Japan He finished 8th two years ago at Motegi, his rookie season in the MotoGP class Last year at Motegi he crashed out of the race in the final stages 44. Pol Espargaro Age: 25 Starts 150 (50 x MotoGP, 67 x Moto2, 33 x 125) 14 Wins/best result 4 (3 x Moto2, 1 x 125)(3rd in MotoGP) 3rd Podiums 18 (2 x MotoGP, 14 x Moto2, 2 x 125) 1 Poles/best grid 3 (3 x Moto2)(3rd in MotoGP) 3rd Last Win GBR/13 (Moto2) - Last Podium NED/16/3rd NED/3rd Last Pole INP/13 (Moto2) - Redding finished 4th in 2012 in the Moto2 race in Japan, which is his best result at the Motegi circuit He was involved in a multi rider accident on the first lap of the Moto2 race at Motegi in 2013 that caused the race to be stopped; he did not make the re-start of the race due to injury In 2014 at Motegi he ran off the track twice on his way to finishing 16th after being up to 12th early in the race Last year at Motegi he qualified in 12th position and finished the race in tenth 45. Scott Redding Age: 23 Starts 344 (284 x MotoGP, 30 x 250, 30 x 125) 14 Wins 114 (88 x MotoGP, 14 x 250, 12 x 125) 2 Podiums 219 (183 x MotoGP, 21 x 250, 15 x 125) 8 Poles 63 (53 x MotoGP, 5 x 250, 5 x 125) 2 Last Win CAT/16 CAT Last Podium ARA/16/3rd ARA/3rd Last Pole ITA/16 ITA Rossi has finished on the podium on eleven occasions in the premier-class at Motegi, including two victories; the 500cc race in 2001 and the MotoGP race in 2008 In 2009 he was on pole at Motegi for the only time, but finished second behind his team mate Lorenzo Last year Rossi finished second at Motegi, after qualifying in second place on the grid - this stretched his lead in the championship to 18 points 46. Valentino Rossi Age: 37 Starts 62 (32 x MotoGP, 29 x 250, 1 x 125) 14 Best result 4th 4th Podiums 0 0 Best grid 6th 6th Last Podium - - 50. Eugene Laverty Laverty competed at Motegi in the 250cc class in 2007 when he finished 19th Last year at Motegi Laverty finished in 17th position, after qualifying in 20th place on the grid Age: 30 2
Starts 172 (13 x MotoGP, 83 x Moto2, 76 x 125) 13 Wins/best result 13 (13 x Moto2) 9th Podiums 36 (33 x Moto2, 3 x 125) 0 Poles/best grid 16 (16 x Moto2) 18th Last Win VAL/15 (Moto2) - Last Podium VAL/15/1st (Moto2) - Last Pole VAL/15 (Moto2) - Rabat has twice finished on the podium at Motegi in the Moto2 class; 3rd in both 2012 and 2014 He also qualified on pole for the Moto2 race at Motegi in 2014 Rabat withdrew from last year s Moto2 race at Motegi due to an injury sustained from a crash in training 53. Tito Rabat Age: 27 Starts 114 (83 x MotoGP, 31 x Moto2) 14 Best result 6th - Moto2 (7th in MotoGP) 11th Podiums 0 0 Best grid 5th 6th Last Podium - - 68. Yonny Hernandez In 2012 Hernandez crashed out of the MotoGP race at Motegi on the second lap and suffered a dislocated collarbone and foot injuries that ended his season Qualified 10th in Japan three years ago - his best qualifying result of 2013; finished the race in 15th place suffering with a hand injury picked up in a crash a week earlier in Australia In 2014 in Japan he crashed at the final corner of the race after a collision with Aleix Espargaro Last year at Motegi he qualified and finished the race in 14th position Age: 28 Starts 28 x MotoGP 11 Best result 4th 4th Podiums 0 0 Best grid 12th 12th Last Podium - - Last year was Baz s first time racing at the Motegi circuit He suffered with some technical issues and pitted to change bikes, then eventually retired from the race 76. Loris Baz Age: 23 Starts 146 (68 x MotoGP, 32 x Moto2, 46 x 125) 14 Wins 54 (28 x MotoGP, 16 x Moto2, 10 x 125) 4 Podiums 88 (49 x MotoGP, 25 x Moto2, 14 x 125) 10 Poles 64 (36 x MotoGP, 14 x Moto2, 14 x 125) 6 Last Win ARA/16 ARA Last Podium ARA/16/1st ARA/1st Last Pole ARA/16 ARA 93. Marc Marquez Marquez finished either first or second for five years at Motegi from 2010 to 2014 He qualified on pole and won the 125cc race in Japan in 2010, and in 2011 he qualified on pole for the Moto2 race and finished 2nd In 2012 he won the Moto2 race at Motegi after having trouble at the start and dropping down to 28th place entering the first corner In 2013 he finished 2nd at Motegi, and in 2014 he again finished second to retain the MotoGP world championship title Last year he qualified in 3rd place on the grid, but finished off the podium in 4th position Age: 23 Starts 246 (152 x MotoGP, 48 x 250, 46 x 125) 14 Wins 64 (43 x MotoGP, 17 x 250, 4 x 125) 3 Podiums 143 (105 x MotoGP, 29 x 250, 9 x 125) 8 Poles 64 (38 x MotoGP, 23 x 250, 3 x 125) 3 Last Win ITA/16 ITA Last Podium ARA/16/2nd ARA/2nd Last Pole RSM/16 RSM Lorenzo s only podium at Motegi when competing in the smaller classes was 3rd in the 250cc race in 2006 He has had six podium finishes in the MotoGP class at Motegi, including race victories in 2009, 2013 & 2014 Lorenzo has qualified on pole for the MotoGP race in Japan on four occasions - 2008, 2012, 2013 & 2015 Last year at Motegi Lorenzo had a great start and opened up a 3 second lead, only to suffer from severe tyre wear and be passed by Pedrosa and Rossi 99. Jorge Lorenzo Age: 29 3
#15 Motul Grand Prix of Japan October 12th Grand Prix racing at Motegi The Motegi circuit was first added to the grand prix schedule in 1999 and has hosted a GP event every year since. Below are some facts and figures about grand prix racing at Motegi: This will be the 18th occasion that a grand prix event has been held at the Motegi circuit. Since the introduction of the four-stroke MotoGP formula in 2002, Honda have had six MotoGP victories at the Motegi circuit Yamaha have won the MotoGP race at Motegi on four occasions. Ducati have had four MotoGP wins at the Motegi circuit, the last of which was with Casey Stoner in 2010. The best result for Ducati at Motegi since 2010 is the fifth place finish for Andrea Dovizioso in both 2014 and 2015. Suzuki and Kenny Roberts Jnr won the first premier-class grand prix (then the 500cc class) held at Motegi in 1999 and repeated the win in 2000. Since the introduction of MotoGP as the premier-class of grand prix racing in 2002 the best result for Suzuki is fifth with John Hopkins in 2005. Dani Pedrosa is the rider with most GP wins at the Motegi circuit with five (3 x MotoGP, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 125cc). Four other riders have had three GP victories at Motegi: Loris Capirossi (3 x MotoGP), Toni Elias (2 x 250cc, 1 x Moto2), Mika Kallio (2 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc) and Jorge Lorenzo (3 x MotoGP). Home riders have taken eight GP victories at the Motegi circuit: Masao Azuma 125cc/1999, Shinya Nakano 250cc/1999, Daijiro Kato 250cc/2000, Youichi Ui 125cc/2001, Tetsuya Harada 250cc/2001, Makoto Tamada MotoGP/2004 & Hiroshi Aoyama 250cc in both 2005 and 2006. The last Japanese rider to finish on the podium at Motegi, in any of the three classes, is Hiroshi Aoyama 2nd in the 250cc race in 2009. Another milestone win for Marc Marquez The win by Marc Marquez at Aragon was another milestone win in a number of ways: It was his first win on Spanish soil since the final race of 2014 at Valencia. It ended a run of four races without Marquez finishing either first or second his longest sequence of races without a top two finish since moving up to the MotoGP class. The win was the 54th time he has stood on the top step of the podium across the three classes of grand prix racing. This is the same number of grand prix wins achieved by five times 500cc world champion Mick Doohan. Only five riders have scored more GP wins than Marquez and Doohan: Giacomo Agostini (122 GP wins), Valentino Rossi (114), Angel Nieto (90), Mike Hailwood (76) and Jorge Lorenzo (64). His win in Aragon was the 49th time that Marquez has stood on the podium in the MotoGP class. One more top three finish and he will become the 14th rider in the 68 year history of motorcycle grand prix racing to reach the milestone of 50 podium finishes in the premier-class. If he finishes on the podium before the Aragon GP next year he will become the youngest ever rider to reach the milestone of 50 podium finishes in the premier-class, taking the record from Valentino Rossi. The win by Marquez at Aragon was the 88th time he has stood on the podium across all grand prix classes, just one less career podium finish than both Casey Stoner and Luigi Taveri. His win in Aragon gave Marquez a 52 points lead over Valentino Rossi in the title chase and a 66 point advantage over Jorge Lorenzo. Marquez can clinch the title in Japan if he wins the race with Rossi finishing no higher than 15th AND Lorenzo finishing no higher than 4th. 4
#15 Motul Grand Prix of Japan October 12th Marc Marquez closes-in on team-mate The win by Marc Marquez in Aragon was the 28th time that he has stood on the top of the podium in the MotoGP class, just one less MotoGP win than his team-mate Dani Pedrosa. As can be seen in the following table, only seven riders have more premier-class victories than the two Honda team-mates. RIDERS WITH MOST WINS IN MotoGP/500cc CLASS 88 - Valentino Rossi (7 premier-class titles) 68 - Giacomo Agostini (8 premier-class titles) 54 - Mick Doohan (5 premier-class titles) 43 - Jorge Lorenzo (3 premier-class titles) 38 - Casey Stoner (2 premier-class titles) 37 - Mike Hailwood (4 premier-class titles), 31 - Eddie Lawson (4 premier-class titles) 29 - Dani Pedrosa (0 premier-class titles) 28 - Marc Marquez (2 premier-class titles) Jorge Lorenzo just one podium behind Dani Pedrosa With his second place finish in Aragon, Jorge Lorenzo has stood on the podium in grand prix racing on 143 occasions across all three classes. This is just one less GP podium finish than his great rival Dani Pedrosa. As shown in the following table only Valentino Rossi and Giacomo Agostini have more top three grand prix finishes than these two Spanish rivals. RIDERS WITH MOST PODIUM FINISHES (ALL SOLO CLASSES OF GRAND PRIX RACING) Rider Total podium finishes Wins Seconds Thirds 1 Valentino Rossi 219 114 59 46 2 Giacomo Agostini 159 122 35 2 3 Dani Pedrosa 144 52 50 42 4 Jorge Lorenzo 143 64 49 30 5 Angel Nieto 139 90 35 14 6 Phil Read 121 52 44 25 7 Mike Hailwood 112 76 25 11 8 Max Biaggi 111 42 41 28 9 Loris Capirossi 99 29 34 36 10 Jim Redman 98 45 33 20 5
#15 Motul Grand Prix of Japan October 12th Grand Prix racing numbers 232 - The three riders standing on the podium in Aragon (Marquez, Lorenzo, Rossi) had a record accumulated total of 232 grand prix wins across all classes. The previous record was 230 GP wins for the three riders standing on the podium, set two weeks earlier at Misano (Pedrosa, Rossi, Lorenzo). 200 - Sandro Cortese is scheduled to make his 200th GP start at the Japanese Grand Prix. Cortese made his grand prix debut at the age of fifteen at Jerez in 2005. Since making his GP debut he has only failed to start on one occasions, which was at Le Mans earlier this year when he withdrew due to knee injury, ending a sequence of 190 successive GP starts. Cortese is the first German rider to reach the milestone of 200 grand prix starts, and at the age of 26 years 284 days, he will be the youngest rider ever to reach this milestone, taking the record from Jorge Lorenzo who made his 200th GP starts on his 27th birthday at the Spanish GP in 2014. 100 - At the Japanese Grand Maverick Viñales is scheduled to make his 100th grand prix start, including 17 in the 125cc class, 32 in Moto3 and 18 in Moto2. 49 - With a 52 points lead at the head of the world championship, Marc Marquez needs to take just 49 points at the four remaining races to clinch the world title even if closest challenger Valentino Rossi wins all four races. For example, 1 x second place finish + 1 x 3rd + 1 x 4th would give Marquez the title. 41 - Italy and Spain have had exactly the same number of podium finishes across the three grand prix classes in the first fourteen events of the year, both countries having had 41 top three finishes. 39 - This is the 39th occasion that a grand prix event has been held in Japan. The very first Japanese Grand Prix was held back in 1963 at the Suzuka circuit. The three circuits that have hosted grand prix events in Japan (together with number of GP events held) are: Suzuka (19 times), Motegi (17) and Fisco (2). 23.071 seconds - At the Aragon Grand Prix Alvaro Bautista finished just 23.071 seconds behind race winner Marc Marquez. In a fulllength MotoGP race this is the smallest margin separating an Aprilia rider from the race winner. 11th - The first Ducati rider across the line in Aragon was Andrea Dovizioso in 11th place. This is the first time since the French GP in 2008 that Ducati have not had a top ten finisher in the MotoGP class. 3 - On three occasions the Motegi circuit has been the venue for the deciding race in the MotoGP World Championship: 2007 in the favour of Casey Stoner, 2008 for Valentino Rossi and in 2014 when Marc Marquez took the title. 2 - Motegi and the Red Bull Ring are the only two circuits on the current schedule where Marquez has not had a win in the MotoGP class. Photo: 2015 Season 6
#15 Motul Grand Prix of Japan October 12th Moto2 stats and facts Johann Zarco won the 125cc race in Japan in 2011 from pole position - this was his first victory in grand prix racing and his only win in the 125cc class. Zarco finished 4th two years ago at Motegi, and last year he won the race, from pole position, to clinch the Moto2 world title. Alex Rins finished fourth in the Moto3 race at Motegi in his rookie season in 2012 and this is his best result at the circuit. In 2013 he qualified on pole at Motegi, then crashed at the final corner on lap sixteen when battling for a podium finish. Two years ago he finished 10th at Motegi, and last year he was 11th. Motegi is the only circuit on the current schedule at which Rins has not had a podium finish in grand prix racing. Sam Lowes crashed out in the early stages of the race at Motegi in his rookie Moto2 season of 2014, and last year he finished 8th in Japan. Lowes has started from pole five times in 2016, which is already the greatest number of poles in a single season by a British rider since Barry Sheene qualified on pole on seven occasions in 1977. Tom Luthi has finished on the podium at Motegi on three occasions in the Moto2 class; third in both 2011 & 2013, and a race victory in 2014 when he qualified in second place on the grid, then got the holeshot and led the race from start to finish. Last year he crashed out of 4th place on the third lap. Franco Morbidelli, who finished seventh two years ago at Motegi, missed the Japanese Grand Prix last year after breaking his leg in a motocross accident. He has finished on the podium four times in the last seven races. Takaaki Nakagami s best result at this home races is 7th in the Moto2 race in 2012. Last year he crashed out of third place on the fifth lap; he re-joined the race and went on to finish in 22nd position. Jonas Folger has finished on the podium twice at Motegi in the last three years; third in Moto3 race in 2013 and second in the Moto2 race last year. Sandro Cortese finished 3rd last year at Motegi - his only podium finish of 2015. Alex Marquez, who picked up his first podium finish since moving up to the Moto2 class at Aragon, has twice won the Moto3 race at Motegi, in both 2013 and 2014. In addition to Luthi, Zarco and Marquez mentioned above, two other riders currently competing in the Moto2 class have had grand prix wins at Motegi: Mattia Pasini won the 125cc race back in 2007 and Danny Kent won the Moto3 race in 2012 - his first GP win. Photo: 2015 Season Moto3 stats and facts Newly crowned world champion Brad Binder finished third at the Japanese Grand prix two years ago. Last year he finished 17th in Japan after crashing out of third place on the 11th lap and re-starting. Last year in Japan Niccolo Antonelli got the holeshot from second place on the grid and led the race all the way to the finish to take his second grand prix victory. Antonelli is the only rider currently competing in Moto3 to have taken a GP win at Motegi. Jorge Navarro finished third last year in Japan after finishing the first lap down in 13th place. John McPhee was seventh in Japan in 2013, which was his first top ten finish and he was fourth two years ago at Motegi, which was his best grand prix result at that time. Last year he finished in ninth place at the Japanese Grand Prix. The last Japanese rider to have a top ten finish in the lightweight-class of grand prix racing at the Japanese Grand Prix was Tomoyoshi Koyama who finished seventh in 2006. Andrea Locatelli celebrates his 20th birthday on race day in Japan. Photo: 2015 Season 7