Bezzecchi (Aprilia) looks down at the tarmac: “It’s also a leap into the unknown”

Works rider Marco Bezzecchi – the Italian will continue to ride for Aprilia in the coming years – is having an extraordinary, not to say extreme, 2026 season. Following a long run of form at the start of the campaign, the number 72 was hailed early on as the clear favourite for the title – partly because Marc Marquez was slow to hit his stride and his team-mate Martin was now focusing more on consistency.

As is well known, the MotoGP script did not allow Bezzecchi to cruise to victory. Following crashes and injury – and the comeback of his rivals – the undisputed championship leader ended up finishing third in the world championship. The Italian is still 42 points adrift of his former position at the very top ahead of the two races at Motegi. In between them sits the world champion – Bezzecchi still has 30 points to make up on Marc Marquez. Not to mention Pedro Acosta. With three consecutive GP podium finishes, capped by his triumph at Spielberg, the Spaniard has also closed the gap to 30 points.

But Marco Bezzecchi has never been one to worry publicly about the World Championship standings – and that’s not about to change. ‘Bez’ ahead of the first day of practice at Motegi: ‘For me, it’s a race weekend like any other – even though I really do love the circuit and Japan – but at the end of the day, it’s all about focusing on myself.’

Marco Bezzecchi continues: “As always, it’s very important to get off to a good start; Friday is crucial – and from there we have to work our way through the event and keep getting better. Whether there’s an Aprilia or a KTM racing alongside us makes absolutely no difference.”

A fresh track surface awaits all the riders at Motegi: “I’ve no idea what to expect. Partly because of the new tarmac. I’ve had a look at it and it looks fantastic – but it’s still a leap into the unknown. We don’t know how the surface will interact with the tyres – but of course I’m feeling optimistic,” said Bezzecchi after the on-site inspection.

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The Italian also highlighted a key strength of his bike that’s particularly important at Motegi: “The bike feels very good to me in terms of front-wheel control. The feel under braking and going into the corners is really very good.” As a reminder: despite a few flowing sections, the Motegi circuit – with its three brutal braking zones – is not one of the more harmonious tracks; the masters of braking have usually taken centre stage here.

Martin räumte Bezzecchi ab: Drama im Sprint für das Aprilia-Werksteam

Foto: Gold and Goose

A year ago, Marco Bezzecchi was only able to make limited use of the RS-GP’s qualities. The incident where he was knocked off by his team-mate in the first corner of the sprint is still fresh in the memory. Despite the pain, Bezzecchi managed to finish fourth over the long distance – but following the triumph of the Ducati factory team, the World Championship was already out of reach. A scenario that Bezzecchi will certainly be spared this time round.