Crash.net journalist Robert Jones runs through the field's rider ratings following a dramatic Japanese MotoGP at Motegi.
[Enea Bastianini ](/motogp/racer/973238/enea-bastianini)- 8 Without doubt the unluckiest rider at Motegi, Espargaro’s hopes of winning the race and/or claiming points back on Quartararo and Bagnaia with a good finish were destroyed before the race even got started. [Fabio Quartararo](/motogp/racer/911998/fabio-quartararo) early on, before eventually getting the better of the Yamaha rider and Maverick Vinales ahead of him. The Pramac rider never recovered and instead lost time on those ahead of him before ultimately finishing a tenth off Bezzecchi. While victory might not have gone to Ducati’s main title contender [Francesco Bagnaia](/motogp/racer/911999/francesco-bagnaia), Miller gave the Italian manufacturer its sixth consecutive win on what ultimately proved to be a tough day for many of the Bologna bullets. After managing to close up on Martin with a few laps remaining, Binder pounced at turn one of the penultimate lap as he cut underneath the Pramac rider.
The Aussie MotoGP star opens up about a Japanese GP victory where he reached levels he never felt possible, and how the flyaway rounds make him happier than ...
We've not really been able to say that for the past couple of years, so it feels unreal to be heading away and looking forward to what for me is the best part of the season. It was just so nice to be back in Japan, and even from Friday we had an amazing crowd here. It's the best I've ever ridden a motorcycle in my entire life, and the whole time I had a smile on my face. You have a lot of races end on end, and I get to be back on this side of the world. It's easy to say after a win like that – any win, really – but it just feels so good to be back on these flyaway races again after the last few years. I got a bit emotional on the in-lap and I was crying like a baby – yeah, I know, what's new right?! but no, it was amazing to be able do that again though, and the fans got a kick out of it. My boots went in the crowd, my knee sliders … Maybe that's the secret, have a not-so good Saturday and save all of the good stuff for Sunday ... Seventh on the grid – especially here at Motegi where there's a lot of places things can go wrong on the first laps because of the track layout – had the potential to trip me up a bit, but I got a good start and then was able to pick the boys off ahead of me fairly easily ... it was a pretty incredible feeling. Maybe I can ride a motorcycle sometimes ...
Neither rider moved up significantly, but the championship continued to be of primary importance as Bagnaia put in a patented late-race charge to settle onto ...
“This means so much for me to be part of this family for the past 30 years. I want to also thank my wife, Tammy, who has been a pillar of strength as I continue on this journey with cancer for the past two years as well. “To be able to pull out the season that we had, I cannot thank this team enough. “The tough thing about being in a championship fight, especially with teammates is we all want to be the best. Power, Newgarden and McLaughlin delivered nine of Chevrolet’s series-leading 11 victories this season, helping Chevy win the Manufacturer Award for the seventh time since it returned to the series in 2012 and the first time since 2017. To be a part of it, make it through it and for us at Team Penske, to topple it, is a very big deal. We are standing on the podium after winning the championship and we are talking about the car, the race, and the tires. “Overall, I’m filled with a lot of pride for our team and what we were able to do this year,” Newgarden said in his banquet address. “I want to thank Roger and Kathy Penske for everything they have done for me over the years. Marquez slipped to fifth in the middle stages of the race, before regaining a position to finish just off the podium. Quartararo was on the outside of row three in ninth with Bagnaia one row behind in 12th. It feels so awesome to be racing on this side of the world.