MotoGP Motegi: Miller heads Ducati one-two in FP1

Ducati Lenovo’s Jack Miller topped a factory one-two at Mobility Resort Motegi as MotoGP action returned to Japan on Friday.

Pecco Bagnaia trailed his teammate by just 0.028s as the extended free practice concluded with reigning champion Fabio Quartararo equally close for third.

A 75-minute MotoGP practice fired up on Friday as the rain threatened but held off, for now. Monster Energy Yamaha’s Quartararo set the pace after four laps of the Motegi circuit with a 1’46.072. Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez sitting second from Miller with Prima Pramac’s Johann Zarco half a second off the early pace in fourth.

Miller was the first to set a 1’45 as he took charge just before the hour mark. Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins just shy of the benchmark with his seventh attempt to better the reigning champion by a mere 0.017s.

Tetsuta Nagashima and Takuya Tsuda began their respective wildcards for Honda and Suzuki from 20th and 25th respectively. The latter lining up in place of the injured Joan Mir with fellow home hero Takaaki Nakagami heading to the track with his own complications following his Aragon hand accident and subsequent surgery at the start of the week.

Quartararo was back at the top after ten laps thanks to a 1’45.807 with Monster Energy teammate Franky Morbidelli running fourth, three-tenths adrift. Bagnaia sat sixth from KTM’s Miguel Oliveira while Maverick Viñales got back into the groove on the Aprilia from eighth.

Aragon winner Enea Bastianini led WithU Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow on the edge of the top ten before the Brit ran in hot halfway round a personal best. Zarco continuing his climb with two laps in quick succession on his way to fourth.

Crutchlow was up to ninth as the Yamaha test rider’s experience came to the fore.