MotoGP News: Binder tops Marquez in practice 2 at Motegi
South African Brad Binder set the pace in practice 2 for the Motul Grand Prix of Japan at Motegi ahead of Marc Marquez and Jorge Martin.
After a lack of valuable running in FP1 due to spots of rain, Practice 2 delivered a vital 60 minutes for teams and riders on the Motegi road course, with Brad Binder climbing to the top of the timesheets after an impressive 1m43.436s.
The South African improved on his 20th lap of the session, allowing the #33 to clinch a 0.033s advantage over Marc Marquez, who delivered an incredible final flying lap.
It was a tense end to Friday for the eight-time World Champion, ending Practice ahead of current Championship leader Jorge Martin, who claimed third.
There was drama from the beginning, with Augusto Fernandez suffering an early fall at Turn 10 before Enea Bastianini crashed at Turn 13 in the opening 30 minutes – riders OK.
😱 @Bestia23 hits the deck halfway through the session!
And he runs to the pits 🏃🏃🏃#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/I9Ighjtk89
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 4, 2024
2024 Japanese MotoGP, Motegi – Practice 2 Results
Pos | No. | Rider | Nat | Team | Time | Behind | Gap |
1 | 33 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | 1m43.436s | +0.000s | +0.000s |
2 | 93 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Gresini Ducati (GP23) | 1m43.469s | +0.033s | +0.033s |
3 | 89 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP24) | 1m43.568s | +0.132s | +0.099s |
4 | 31 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16)* | 1m43.583s | +0.147s | +0.015s |
5 | 23 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP24) | 1m43.605s | +0.169s | +0.022s |
6 | 12 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) | 1m43.720s | +0.284s | +0.115s |
7 | 1 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP24) | 1m43.754s | +0.318s | +0.034s |
8 | 73 | Alex Marquez | SPA | Gresini Ducati (GP23) | 1m44.033s | +0.597s | +0.279s |
9 | 49 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | VR46 Ducati (GP23) | 1m44.082s | +0.646s | +0.049s |
10 | 72 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | VR46 Ducati (GP23) | 1m44.209s | +0.773s | +0.127s |
11 | 43 | Jack Miller | AUS | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | 1m44.239s | +0.803s | +0.030s |
12 | 30 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) | 1m44.258s | +0.822s | +0.019s |
13 | 21 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pramac Ducati (GP24) | 1m44.326s | +0.890s | +0.068s |
14 | 20 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | 1m44.401s | +0.965s | +0.075s |
15 | 41 | Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) | 1m44.470s | +1.034s | +0.069s |
16 | 36 | Joan Mir | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | 1m44.670s | +1.234s | +0.200s |
17 | 5 | Johann Zarco | FRA | LCR Honda (RC213V) | 1m44.685s | +1.249s | +0.015s |
18 | 25 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP24) | 1m44.694s | +1.258s | +0.009s |
19 | 37 | Augusto Fernandez | SPA | Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16) | 1m44.869s | +1.433s | +0.175s |
20 | 42 | Alex Rins | SPA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | 1m44.950s | +1.514s | +0.081s |
21 | 10 | Luca Marini | ITA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | 1m45.118s | +1.682s | +0.168s |
22 | 32 | Lorenzo Savadori | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) | 1m45.863s | +2.427s | +0.745s |
23 | 87 | Remy Gardner | AUS | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | 1m46.716s | +3.280s | +0.853s |
* Rookie