Moto3 Motegi, Almansa on pole with lap record after crashes: Quiles denied

David Almansa will start from pole position in the Moto3 Japanese Grand Prix. The Intact team rider set a 1:54.572 at Motegi, which also stands as the lap record, at the end of a fiercely contested Q2 in which Brian Uriarte and Alvaro Carpe piled on the pressure right up to the final lap. An all-Spanish front row, with Almansa ahead of Uriarte and Carpe.

A result far from guaranteed, considering the Spaniard’s Friday. The opening day in Japan was marked by numerous crashes involving many of the class’s big names: Quiles, Carpe, and Almansa himself, who ended up in the gravel no fewer than three times.

On Saturday morning in FP2 the situation calmed down. Almansa wasn’t rattled by the previous day’s spills and topped the session, with Maximo Quiles close behind. Alvaro Carpe was further back in third. Leo Rammerstorfer, despite a small gap, failed to gain direct access to Q2.

In Q1, the Honda-mounted Austrian—who will remain in the Moto3 World Championship in 2027 but with the MTA team and KTM—was 1.2 seconds off the best time and will start from 25th. No surprises among the four riders advancing: Guido Pini, winner of the United States GP, rookie Zen Mitani, Honda teammate Jesus Rios, and Finland’s Rico Salmela.

The 18 riders in Q2 found ideal conditions on the 4.8 kilometers of the Mobility Resort: 23 degrees and some clouds. This was immediately showcased by super rookie Brian Uriarte, who, with the Ajo team’s KTM, clocked a 1:54.647 on his first flying lap, a new track record.

The record stood for less than two minutes. Almansa went quicker by just 0.004, followed by Carpe and Quiles. Behind them were Salmela, Bertelle, and Morelli, all on KTMs, and only then Adrian Fernandez, the first on a Honda. Veda Pratama crashed, while most riders returned to the pits for a brief stop.

As his rivals headed back out, Almansa was already on the attack and shaved off another five hundredths. Uriarte was clearly up on his lap but crashed at Turn 5. A minute later, Carpe also ran into the gravel with the other Ajo KTM, though he managed to avoid a fall and launched into one final attempt.

With a record intermediate, the future Moto2 rider grabbed third place, pushing Quiles off the front row. No one, however, could beat Almansa, who will move up to Moto2 with Intact GP in 2027: his 1:54.572 earned him pole.

Further back was Marco Morelli, Friday’s fastest in pre-qualifying: in Q2 the Argentine couldn’t keep the leaders’ pace and ended up ninth. Now the challenge shifts to Sunday’s race, where Almansa will have to convert pole into a full result.

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