The 18 riders competing for the pole position in the Moto3 Japanese GP have been determined. This Saturday in Motegi, Q1 selected the last four riders who will advance to Q2, with David Muñoz standing out.
Muñoz (BOE Motorsports/KTM) started Q1 in Motegi with the best time, followed by Stefano Nepa (LevelUp-MTA/KTM), Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia), and Riccardo Rossi (CIP Green Power/KTM) in the initial top four.
The four riders maintained their positions in the top four with their second attempts, but with six minutes remaining, the situation changed, with Rossi dropping to sixth and Scott Ogden (FleetSafe Honda – MLav Racing) in fourth. Nepa was leading ahead of Muñoz.
With two minutes left, Rossi moved up to third, leaving Ogden outside the qualifying spots. Then, Joel Esteban (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar) improved, climbing to fourth and pushing Furusato out of the top four.
However, competing at home, the Japanese rider did not give up, and with his final lap, he reached third place to secure his spot in Q2. Rossi also made it, finishing fourth, 0.287s ahead of Esteban.
As for the lead, it ultimately belonged to Muñoz, who, with his final attempt, surpassed Nepa by 0.084s.
