After Pedro Acosta stole the headlines with KTM's breakthrough victory in Austria, Enea Bastianini reminded everyone at Motegi why his tire management skills remain elite. The Tech3 star delivered a masterclass in race craft when it mattered most.
With the soft rear compound withdrawn from the allocation due to safety concerns, the entire grid was forced onto the hard rear tire. While longevity was theoretically secured, preserving optimal grip over a demanding 24-lap distance required supreme finesse.
Lagging more than two seconds behind Marco Bezzecchi at one stage, Bastianini unleashed a blistering late-race charge. He carved through the deficit to finish less than a tenth of a second behind the Aprilia rider at the checkered flag.
"I was waiting for this moment for a long time to ride like that, and today it arrived," a relieved Bastianini stated after securing his first podium of the campaign. Despite the RC16's usual tendency to stress rear rubber, Motegi offered a surprising sweet spot.
While the performance marks a major breakthrough for the squad, the Italian remains cautious about whether this speed will translate to upcoming circuits. Intensive data analysis following Spielberg clearly paid off, catapulting him right back to the sharp end of the grid.
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Marco Bezzecchi bangkit dari hasil buruk sprint untuk mengamankan podium ketiga di MotoGP Jepang Motegi setelah bertarung sengit melawan Enea Bastianini.
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