Jorge Martin secures pole position for MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix

Jorge Martin of Aprilia achieved pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix, scheduled for October 4, 2026, after setting a new circuit record in qualifying at Motegi. He will be joined on the front row by Ducati's Marc Marquez, who won Saturday's sprint race, and KTM's Pedro Acosta. Marco Bezzecchi, also from Aprilia, starts fourth, while Alex Marquez will line up fifth but has to serve a double long lap penalty for incidents in the sprint. Francesco Bagnaia, the two-time defending champion, will start in 13th after failing to reach Q2. Michelin has mandated a reinforced hard compound tire for the race, with warm-up time extended to 20 minutes.

• 12:23 PMYahoo Sports — MotoGP Japanese GP: Full starting grid