Marco Bezzecchi topped the timesheets in the final MotoGP practice session at Motegi, leading an Aprilia 1-2 and sending a strong signal ahead of qualifying.
The session was red-flagged inside the first six minutes for track conditions after Franco Morbidelli suffered an engine blow up, which disrupted the riders' final preparations before qualifying. However, the Aprilia riders were not deterred. Bezzecchi set a 1:43.321s lap time to top the timesheets by 0.080s over his teammate and championship leader, Jorge Martin.
Pedro Acosta took third, while Marc Marquez was fourth and 0.243s off Bezzecchi's best time. Fabio Di Giannantonio completed the top five. Brad Binder posted an impressive time to take sixth, followed by Enea Bastianini in seventh and Alex Marquez in eighth.
The Trackhouse Aprilia riders were evenly matched despite a crash for Ai Ogura. Raul Fernandez finished ninth, Ogura 11th, with Fabio Quartararo splitting them in 10th. Francesco Bagnaia was 12th, ahead of the LCR Honda duo of Johann Zarco and Diogo Moreira, with Luca Marini 15th.
Morbidelli was 16th despite the engine blow up, with Maverick Vinales in 17th and Fermin Aldeguer, who suffered a crash midway through FP2, in 18th. Jack Miller was 19th over Somkiat Chantra, as Alex Rins in 21st and Toprak Razgatlioglu in 22nd rounded out the standings.
This result is a valuable boost for Aprilia, who dominated at their home circuit. With Bezzecchi and Martin's performance, the Italian manufacturer is in a strong position to secure pole in qualifying. Meanwhile, the other riders will need to work hard to close the gap.
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