Jorge Martín signs a perfect Saturday and stalks Bagnaia

The Madrid native is only eight points behind the Italian's lead

Jaume Masià signs his third pole in a row in Moto3

MADRID, 30 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) -

This Saturday, the Spanish rider Jorge Martín (Ducati) took pole position and won the MotoGP sprint race at the Japanese Grand Prix, the fourteenth round of the Motorcycle World Championship, an excellent result that allows him to remain just eight points behind. leader of the category, the Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), and which offers him the possibility of attacking the general classification on Sunday.

The driver from San Sebastián de los Reyes started the day in Motegi by setting a record pole (1:43.198) which allowed him to start with an advantage over 'Pecco' in the first test of the weekend. Already in the race, he knew how to change the pace against the South African Brad Binder (KTM), the only one who could follow his wheel and who finished second, to sign his third consecutive victory in the sprint, the fifth of the year.

That, together with Bagnaia's third place, allows him to remain only eight units behind the transalpine, who until a few weeks ago seemed intractable at the head of the general classification but who showed signs of nervousness with his fall last week in India. If he wins this Sunday and 'Pecco' repeats his position, he would be the new leader of the premier category.

Among the rest of the Spaniards, Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) defended his seventh starting place and added another three points, while Maverick Viñales (Aprilia) was ninth. Outside the points zone, Raúl Fernández (Aprilia) finished tenth; Pol Espargaró (KTM), eleventh; Augusto Fernández (KTM), twelfth; and Joan Mir (Repsol Honda), thirteenth.

For his part, Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia) could not finish the test and Alex Rins (Honda) could not even start it, after being declared unfit due to the pain in his right leg that he has suffered since his fall at the Italian Grand Prix.

In Moto3, the Spanish rider Jaume Masià (Honda) has achieved his third consecutive pole after beating the Turkish Deniz Öncü (KTM) and the Italian Matteo Bertelle (Honda) in Q2, who will accompany him on the front row from the that will try to break the tie for the lead in the small category.

The man from Algemesí showed his good form in Motegi and will now try to finish off the move on Sunday by distancing himself from his compatriot Dani Holgado (KTM), who has the same 174 points and who will start sixth in the race. The Japanese Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna), who is hot on the heels of both by just one point (173), will start seventh.

In addition, Iván Ortolá (KTM) will start fifth, David Muñoz (KTM) will start eighth, José Antonio Rueda (KTM) fifteenth, Xavi Artigas (CFMoto) nineteenth, David Almansa (Honda) twentieth and Ana Carrasco (KTM) twenty-fifth.

Finally, in Moto2, the pole was awarded to the Thai Somkiat Chantra (Kalex), the only rider in the intermediate displacement capable of going under 1:50, and he will lead a first row of the grid without Spaniards in which the Japanese Ai will be Ogura (Kalex) and the British Jake Dixon (Kalex).

The championship leader, the Spanish Pedro Acosta (Kalex), will start fourth in a second line that will also include Alonso López (Boscoscuro), sixth. Just behind, seventh and ninth respectively, Arón Canet (Kalex) and Fermín Aldeguer (Boscoscuro) will start.

For his part, Manu González (Kalex) will start the event tenth, Marcos Ramírez (Kalex) will start twelfth, Sergio García Dols (Kalex) fourteenth, Izan Guevara (Kalex) nineteenth, Albert Arenas (Kalex) twentieth, Jeremy Alcoba (Kalex) twenty-third and Borja Gómez (Kalex) twenty-sixth.