Enea Bastianini Analyzes Motegi Crash as Ducati Battles for Pace in Japanese MotoGP Practice

Enea Bastianini sheds light on the reason behind his fall during the Japanese MotoGP practice session. The Ducati racer took a tumble at Turn 14 on Friday in Motegi.

During Friday's practice session for the Japanese MotoGP at Motegi, Enea Bastianini experienced a crash.

On Friday, KTM had a standout day, announcing that Aki Ajo will take over as the team manager in 2025, while Brad Binder also impressed by setting the quickest time in practice.

Ducati's factory racer Bastianini secured fifth place, while his teammate and reigning MotoGP champion, Pecco Bagnaia, finished in seventh position. Bagnaia had earlier led the timesheet during the morning session.

Bastianini was performing well until he crashed at Turn 14. After getting back into the race, he climbed from 17th to second place but later dropped three positions.

🎙 "Pecco might be able to assist him here!" Enea Bastianini takes a tough fall but quickly gets back on his feet and SPRINTS to the pit lane 💪 #MotoGP | #JapaneseGP | Watch live on TNT Sports and Discovery+ pic.twitter.com/fK7snSEhwo— MotoGP on TNT Sports (@motogpontnt) October 4, 2024

Bastianini described the day as being rather complex.

"Initially, I faced some challenges: I had difficulty getting started in the morning and the afternoon appeared to unfold similarly."

"We adjusted the setup, which was beneficial, but then I had an accident because my foot got caught while trying to shift into second gear. This led to accidentally moving into fourth gear and losing control of the front end."

After the accident, I focused on the time trial.

"I initially used the first tire to gauge the right sensation, and in the last few minutes, I accelerated my efforts to achieve an impressive lap time."

"Qualifying for Q2 was crucial, but at the moment, my speed isn't at the top level."

Enea Bastianini trails championship leader Jorge Martin by 75 points, while Francesco Bagnaia, who is currently in second place in the championship standings, is 21 points behind Martin.

"It was an incredibly encouraging day," stated Bagnaia.

"We began strongly, and I immediately felt more comfortable with the bike."

"This circuit aligns perfectly with how I like to ride. We put in a great effort and made significant progress as the day went on, particularly in the third sector, which had previously been a bit challenging for me."

"Unfortunately, I went off track at turn 11 during my last fast lap. It was crucial to maintain a strong pace and secure a spot in the top ten, so I'm pleased with the result. We'll have to improve further tomorrow, but we're heading in the right direction."

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