ROUND 16 / OCTOBER 2-4, 2026
MOBILITY RESORT MOTEGI / TOCHIGI PREFECTURE, JAPAN
P86
NEW TRACK SURFACE
The MotoGP teams were thrown
something of a curveball by the
new track surface around the
Mobility Resort Motegi. The new
asphalt resulted in significantly
faster times all weekend, with the
lap record broken by half a second,
and the Sprint race time some nine
seconds quicker than 2025. While
there were a total of 29 crashes
across Friday, the surface's
smoothness and added grip drew
praise. "It's good, really good," said
Alex Marquez. "The new tarmac
helped me to have less front lock-
ing compared to last year, so I can
stop the bike much better and the
grip level is quite good."
TROUBLE FOR
MICHELIN
The new surface caused concerns
for Michelin. The French tire brand
brought a harder allocation to
Japan than in 2025, along with a
heat-resistant rear tire as a safety
option. There were strong rumors
Saturday that the safety tire would
become mandatory after Pecco
Bagnaia suffered severe soft-rear
wear in the Sprint, while Jack Miller
also experienced a major drop-off.
Instead, Michelin outlawed the soft
rear for Sunday's race and recom-
mended the hard. "The Sprint race
was very, very fast," explained
Piero Taramasso, Michelin's Two
Wheel Motorsport Manager. "In a
sprint, there is no fuel consump-
tion problem, so they have full
power. Riders start like crazy with
full gas from lap one to the end.
This puts a lot of energy on the tire
and creates spinning. "Anyway, we
analyzed all the data and the solu-
tion for tomorrow is that the soft
rear will not be allowed. You have
Briefly...
ROAD RACE I FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
