MARTIN TAKES 12-POINT TITLE LEAD INTO CRUCIAL ASIAN RUN

Jorge Martin arrives at Motegi leading the MotoGP championship as the series begins a demanding overseas stretch: five races across six weekends. The Aprilia rider holds a 12-point advantage over reigning champion Marc Marquez after beating him in both races at the Red Bull Ring. With seven rounds still to come, however, the contest extends well beyond the top two.

Martin’s team-mate Marco Bezzecchi is 42 points behind, while KTM’s Pedro Acosta sits 72 points back after claiming his first grand prix victory in Austria. Other 2026 race winners — Fabio di Giannantonio, Ai Ogura, Raul Fernandez and Alex Marquez — could also influence the title battle by taking points from the leading riders.

Martin described the start of the Asian tour as a significant moment in the season. “We are working very well as a team, and I want to thank Aprilia for the great job they are doing,” he said. He added that the priority was to maintain consistency, stay focused on their goals and continue along the same path. Martin also said he respected Japanese culture and was looking forward to racing in front of the country’s fans, before summing up the stakes: “An extremely important stage of the championship begins. Let’s go!”

The championship leader will also be keen to avoid a repeat of last year’s Motegi Sprint, when a collision with Bezzecchi at Turn 1 left Martin with a broken collarbone. He opted against arm-pump surgery after his strong Austrian weekend.

Bezzecchi, meanwhile, heads to Japan after scoring two third places in Austria. Despite being sore after last year’s Sprint crash, he returned the next day to finish fourth in the grand prix. He said he was eager to meet the Japanese fans and praised the circuit: “I like the Motegi track very much, and we did pretty well there last year.” His aim, he added, is to put together a good weekend and keep building on the work already underway.