MotoGP Japanese Rider's Race [Round 17, Japan GP] Ai Ogura misses the race with an injured right hand.

The Japanese GP, the only home Grand Prix of the season for Japanese riders, was held at Mobility Resort Motegi in Tochigi Prefecture from September 26 to 28. In the Japanese GP, Marc Marquez finished 2nd in the MotoGP class final race, winning his 7th championship in the premier class and 9th in total (125cc x 1, Moto2 x 1, MotoGP x 7). Marquez's struggles began in 2020 when he crashed in the final race of the Spanish GP, the first round of the MotoGP class, and broke his right humerus. 2025 was his second year with Ducati, and he won the title that had eluded him since 2019. This year's Japanese GP drew an announced total of 90,000 spectators for the weekend, an increase of about 10,000 from the 80,000 who attended in 2024. For Ai Ogura, it was also her first home Grand Prix as a MotoGP rider. At Motegi, many fans were wearing Ai Ogura's goods.

Ai Ogura missed the race due to a worsening condition of her right hand.

Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) entered the Japanese GP weekend with two cracks on the back of her right hand from a fall in the San Marino GP. Nevertheless, as usual, Ogura showed progress with each ride. Even though it is his home Grand Prix and he has ridden at Motegi three or four times this year, it is not on a MotoGP machine and the tires are different, so in terms of running at Motegi on a MotoGP machine, Ogura will start by adapting just like at any other circuit. In Friday afternoon's practice session, he was 14th fastest. But in Q1 the next day, he set the 3rd fastest time, close to advancing to Q2, and in his attack towards the end of Q1, he was on the verge of setting his best time, but a crash occurred in the latter sector of the course, and a yellow flag was shown. Ogura's lap time was invalid because he passed through this sector while the yellow flag was waving. Nevertheless, it was clear that Ogura's performance had improved from Friday to Saturday. In the sprint race, he started 13th and finished 9th. Again, as usual, he moved up a position to finish the race. Ogura's strength in tire management is still evident in the MotoGP class, and with the exception of a crash and retirement, he has only lost a few places from his starting position in both the sprint race and the final race. Looking back on Saturday, Ogura said, "I think it was a good race. (The pain in my right hand) was around ...... once it settled down in the middle of the race. But the beginning and the end were fine," he said. However, he also said, "It's not as good (condition) as yesterday. I'm still carrying an injury, so the more I drive, the worse my condition gets. However, Ogura's appearance at the press conference on Saturday was the same as usual. He probably intended to give it his all in the 24 laps of the final race the next day, as if it were a sprint race. However, on Sunday, the team announced that Ogura would not be racing in the final race. The team announced that Ogura would not be racing on Sunday, "due to the worsening condition of his right hand. Ogura was not interviewed for this reason. According to the team, a decision on his participation in the Indonesian GP, which will be a series of races, will be made after he arrives in Mandarica to check on his recovery.

Ogura was unable to participate in the final race. However, he should have thrilled fans with his driving until Saturday©Trackhouse Racing

Nakagami, who crashed and retired from the race, finishes on a positive note as a development rider.

Honda development rider Takaaki Nakagami (Honda HRC Test Team) entered the Japanese GP as a wild card. This time, Nakagami, who is a development rider, raced a machine that contains elements of the 2026 model. The aerodynamic devices on the tail cowl were different from those of regular riders Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol), Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol), and Johan Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR). In Saturday's sprint race, he suffered from terrible vibration and started from 20th position and finished 14th. In Sunday's race, he started 20th and was running around 15th when he crashed at the hairpin on lap 20 and retired. However, the vibration problem that had occurred the day before was under control, and his feeling was "overall positive. He said, "Overall, I am positive. I went off the track at the end and crashed, but other than that, I was able to fight for points and was able to ride as well as the regular riders. "Apart from the crash, I am satisfied with my performance. Compared to yesterday (Saturday), I could feel that Honda has evolved, so I think it was a positive race. It was Honda's first podium since Zarco finished second in the British GP and the first for a factory team since Marquez took third in the 2023 Japanese GP.

Nakagami was a wildcard entry this year as a development rider©Honda

The road surface that scooped the legs of Moto3 Sun Kozato while running in 2nd place.

The Moto3 class final race turned out to be difficult conditions during the race. Raindrops began to fall from the clouds that had covered the Motegi sky since the morning, and around lap 5, the Red Cross flags began waving to signal the onset of rain, and the international video cameras showed water droplets on the track. Naturally, the riders started the race with slick tires for dry conditions, and they managed the situation as they lapped the circuit. Taiyo Kozato (Honda Team Asia) started from 5th position and moved up to 2nd by lap 7. His drive was strong and confident. However, the complicated track conditions slowed him down. Kozato crashed at the second corner. His steering wheel was bent and he wanted to come back to the pit to repair it. Considering the possibility of a red flag under the circumstances, she tried to finish the race. However, after restarting, he crashed for the second time at turn 5 and retired. I was doing a normal race until it started to rain," he said. I felt like I was doing rather well and I was able to finish on the podium. ...... I was running with the hope of finishing on the podium or at least on the podium." Kozato said quietly, "It's frustrating ...... frustrating," she said quietly and quietly. I am sure there were intense emotions swirling in her heart. Ryusei Yamanaka (Furinsa-MT Helmets-MSI), fighting with a broken pinky finger on his left hand from Friday's crash, started 11th and held off two riders in the back to finish 6th in the final laps. Considering the physical aspect of the race, it was a great effort to finish 6th. He said, "It started raining during the race, and in some parts it was clearing up and in others it was raining a little harder. I thought it would stop soon, but surprisingly the red cross was out for several laps. ......" "For me, I was very worried about where to attack and how to manage it a little more. I was able to attack to some extent and improve my position a little, but the conditions gradually became slippery and that was difficult to manage." .

Ayumu Sasaki in Moto2 also finished 14th......

In Moto2 class, Ayumu Sasaki (RW-Idrofolha Racing GP) had a good start on the first day but suffered two crashes on Saturday. His front-end feeling was not bad, but it was difficult to feel the limits. In Sunday's race, he struggled with braking. He started the race in 8th position and finished in 14th, having fallen back just after the start. I think I had a bad position in the first and second corners after the start, and I fell back on the first lap, so overall it was a bit of a tough race, to be honest. I think it was the same for everyone that the rear tire fell off in the second half of the race. Three riders passed me at the end of the race and I could see that they didn't have grip either. I was not able to stop well under braking and it was hard for me to get out of the way. Yuki Kunii (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) started from 25th position and finished 18th. For Kunii, this was his first "Japan GP," as the event was not held in 2020 and 2021, when he was competing in the Moto3 class, due to the new coronavirus infection. Compared to the last few races, 18th is not so bad," he said. It was my home Grand Prix, so I would have liked to go a little bit further (forward). （But it was fun (at my home Grand Prix). I was able to meet many people throughout the week, and I think the support of many fans helped me a lot. It was different from the usual Grand Prix in Europe, and I'm glad it was fresh and new."

Sasaki started 8th but struggled under braking© RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP / Rafa Marrodán

It was Kunii's first Japanese GP©Honda Team Asia