The big unknown this weekend was whether the track was going to be in good enough conditions for racing, the mystery was only solved a few moments before the first race of the Japanese GP, scheduled to be the 125cc category, as it went ahead on time. The heavy rain that fell at Motegi yesterday had left the circuit so flooded that the warm-up this morning was held on a track full of puddles. Moreover, more rain after the start of the warm-up left the track even more treacherous, and worries that none of the races would take place.
However, when the 125cc riders settled on the starting grid the sun was shining brightly at Motegi and the track slowly began to dry out. The big doubt at that moment was whether to use tyres for wet conditions, slicks, or an intermediate option, and the grid strategy concerning tyres was fundamental.
Marc Márquez, who was on the third row, decided to use a tyre with tread on the front wheel, and a slick on the rear, a conservative option that proved to be effective at the end of the day. The Repsol rider made a great start, gaining three positions on the first corner, although with the track still wet he fell back two positions before the end of the first lap. From then on the tarmac eventually dried out and the rider who had chosen tyres for the wet lost their initial advantage. Márquez made the most of this situation to fight back little by little, following Bradl`s rear wheel, until he was up to fifth on lap 11, where he stayed until he crossed the finishing line.
The other side of the coin was seen by Esteve Rabat, who for the first time ever was on the front row. Rabat made a good start, and was 4th at the end of the straight, but at the end of the first lap he had fallen to 10th. The Repsol rider was obliged to start with a bad tyre combination owing to a problem with the rim of the front wheel of his Aprilia, something that his team discovered on the starting grid. In spite of this setback in the end Rabat was able to win his first points in 2009, finishing 13th.
Cameron Beaubier was almost among the points in his first ever complete GP, he like the rest of the riders only did four laps in Qatar, and finished 16th today. The Repsol rider started in 20th place, but already on the first lap was up to 14th, fighting to win his first ever points. As the laps went by the American fell back to 20th position but in the end he had recovered his lost ground and got a positive 16th place.
The fourth Repsol rider in this category, Rabat`s teammate Scott Redding, had worse luck. The young Briton did not have a good start and at the end of the first lap he was 22nd, but he began to fight back and on the sixth lap had overtaken four rivals. However, just two laps later he was on the way to the pits because of technical problems with the engine on his Aprilia, and at that very instant his race was over.
Marc Márquez, 5th at 13.061 secs. >> Audio
“This was a race more suited to experienced riders, because it was very important to make the right tyre selection before the race began, knowing what to use and what to rule out. Julián [Simón] started strongly and Pol [Espargaró] too, and I was left behind with Bradl, catching the riders with tyres for the wet. On the last ten laps I tried to follow Bradl, but I had been told that he had tyres for a dry track and I had an intermediate on the front and a slick on the rear. In spite of this I think that the 5th position after what happened in Qatar is a good result.”
Esteve Rabat, 13th at 59.889 secs. >> Audio
“We had a problem on the grid, we wanted to use the softest tyre we had but there was a defect on the rim and we had to use a harder compound. I started very carefully so as not to fall on the first few laps, but it was very difficult to ride with that tyre. With all the rushing around on the grid we did not adjust the suspension for the dry and it was too soft. With things against me I tried to win a point or two because at one point I was 18th. I improved my position taking advantage of the riders with tyres for the wet as they lost ground to the others, and at least I was able to win some points. I am sure that in Jerez things will go much better.”
Scott Redding, retired >> Audio
“We had a problem with the engine, and we still do not know what it was. It hardly stopped revving when braking, and halfway along the straight I had to cut off the throttle. I was braking very late but I was taking corners with a lot of inertia. I do not think I could have won any points, and what is more if things had continued the same I could have fallen. I decided to stop and see what the problem was and wait for Jerez.”
Cameron Beaubier, 16th at 1’02.609 secs. >> Audio
“This was a good race! I got off to a good start but I was not comfortable on the first few laps, perhaps because I had a slick on the rear wheel, and many of my rivals were with mixed tyres. I tried to keep up with them, get more comfortable, and at the end of the race I had a good pace. The big group got away from me, and I rode alone until the riders with the tyres for the wet and intermediates lost ground and then I overtook them. I got real close to Corsi, just eight thousandths behind him, but I think the result is OK for my second race.”
