Ryusei Yamanaka Leads Motegi Free Practice As Veda Pratama Breaks Into Top 20

Rider tuan rumah Ryusei Yamanaka melesat di fase akhir untuk jadi yang tercepat di Free Practice I Moto3 Jepang 2026, mencatatkan waktu 1 menit 55,676 detik di Sirkuit Mobility Resort Motegi pada Jumat morning.

The opening practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix delivered an intensely close battle at the top of the timesheets. Yamanaka seized the top spot on his final run, edging out Spain’s David Munoz by a razor-thin margin of just 0.033 seconds. Munoz had previously established the benchmark time of 1:55.709 before the local rider eclipsed it in the waning moments of the morning session.

Tight Margins Define the Opening Session at Motegi

Behind Yamanaka and Munoz, Alvaro Carpe secured third position overall with a lap time of 1:55.909, finishing 0.233 seconds off the pace. Valentin Perrone followed closely in fourth place with a 1:55.911, while championship leader Maximo Quiles completed the top five by clocking 1:56.132. The competitive spread remained exceptionally compressed across the upper tier, as Adrian Fernandez slotted into sixth just 0.001 seconds behind Quiles, and Marco Morelli rounded out the top ten with a deficit of 0.793 seconds.

The technical characteristics of the Mobility Resort Motegi circuit shaped the early running. Honda Team Asia Manager Hiroshi Aoyama noted ahead of the weekend that the track’s stop-and-go nature—combining high-speed straights with demanding heavy-braking zones and elevation changes—creates a layout broadly comparable to the Red Bull Ring. Amid the competitive scuffles, drama struck the LM-D Intact GP garage when David Almansa suffered two crashes during the session, with his second incident occurring at Turn 5.

Veda Pratama Navigates Rookie Campaign in Top Twenty

For the Indonesian contingent, Veda Ega Pratama experienced a fluctuating morning before securing 16th position. Pratama moved through the order after briefly dropping down the timing screens, eventually setting a lap of 1:56.743 to finish 1.067 seconds behind Yamanaka's leading mark. The Honda Team Asia rookie enters the Japanese round aiming to build on the positive momentum from his fourth-place finish in Austria—a result adjusted to 13th following a long lap penalty.

Pratama’s performance placed him comfortably inside the top twenty of the 2026 Moto3 rookie class. Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider Rico Salmela finished immediately behind him in 17th with a 1:56.756, separated by a minuscule 0.013 seconds. Brian Uriarte took 19th for Red Bull KTM Ajo, while Casey O’Gorman of SIC58 Squadra Corse placed 14th overall with a 1:56.699 to establish himself as one of the standout rookies in the opening practice.

Japanese Riders Experience Mixed Fortunes on Home Soil

While Yamanaka captured the imagination of the local grandstands by claiming the absolute fastest time, fellow Japanese competitors faced a steeper climb during the morning practice. Zen Mitani, competing alongside Pratama at Honda Team Asia, finished in 20th position with a 1:57.112, leaving him 1.436 seconds adrift of the pacesetter. Ryota Ogiwara, representing CODE Motorsports, slotted into 21st place with a lap of 1:57.223.