Motegi (Japan) (AFP) – Jorge Martín reinforced his candidacy for the MotoGP title this Saturday by conquering pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix with a lap record in Motegi, ahead of his main rival, Marc Márquez, and Pedro Acosta, in an entirely Spanish front row.

First modification: 03/10/2026 - 05:28

The Aprilia rider set a time of 1 minute and 42.371 seconds to achieve his second consecutive pole, after the one achieved in Austria, and beat Márquez (Ducati) by 0.110 seconds, while Acosta (KTM) completed the first starting line.

Martín established a new record for the Motegi circuit and confirmed the great moment he is going through in the fight for the championship. His return came shortly after Márquez had provisionally taken the track record, in another chapter of the intense fight that both maintain for the world title.

Acosta was just 0.122 seconds off the best time and completed a front row identical to the one seen at the Austrian Grand Prix, where he achieved the first victory of his career in the premier category.

© 2026 AFP

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