Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) and Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) completed the rostrum in P2 and P3 respectively, as the crown is secured by the Colombian with four races to spare.
From pole position, Ortola got a lovely start and beat Alonso to the holeshot, as Veijer slipped from P2 to P7. Meanwhile, from P9, Holgado made quick – and necessary – progress on Lap 1 to get past Alonso into P2 behind Ortola.
P3 became P5 for Alonso at the start of Lap 2 as both Leopard Racing Hondas, Angel Piqueras and Fernandez, carved past at Turn 1. At the start of Lap 3, Ortola led from Holgado and Fernandez, with Alonso back ahead of Piqueras in P4. Fernandez, after a phenomenal double overtake at Turn 5, pounced to P1 as Alonso was shuffled back to P7 having been passed by Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) and David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports).
With 11 laps to go, Fernandez was still leading but after briefly sitting behind Holgado, Ortola was now back in second place and setting record-breaking race laps at the Mobility Resort Motegi. Piqueras then passed Holgado to relegate the #96 to P4, with Yamanaka swarming all over the rear tyre of the Spaniard before a move from the Japanese rider came at Turn 5 with 10 laps to go. Now, Holgado was P5 and Alonso was P6. As things stood, the title race would continue in Australia.
On Lap 9 of 17, Holgado and then Alonso were back past Yamanaka at Turn 9. That was the #80’s first big move of the race, as the Colombian set the fastest lap of the race. P5 was soon P3 for Alonso as a mistake from Holgado at Turn 10 saw Alonso move into P3, but Holgado bit back at Turn 11. The wick had been turned up.
With seven laps left, Alonso was in a Championship-winning position. P2 for Ortola, P3 for Alonso and P4 for Holgado was enough, but there was a long way to go. P3 then became P2 for Alonso at Turn 9 as Ortola was demoted to P3, now it was all about how could Ortola and Holgado respond.
Ortola and Alonso exchanged P2 on Lap 13, as Veijer elbowed his way through on Holgado at Turn 5. Piqueras then crashed out of the lead group at Turn 10 to make it a lead group of five, with Yamanaka 0.6s away in P6.
Four to go. Alonso, for the first time, led. But not for long. Fernandez fought back immediately as Ortola and Veijer went toe-to-toe. Turn 11 saw Alonso lead again as Holgado slammed it up the inside of Veijer to grab P4.
Three to go. As things stood, Alonso was the World Champion and there was a gap forming at the front. Fernandez made a small mistake at Turn 11 that cost him and Ortola time. Could that half a second be enough?
Two to go. Ortola forced his way through on Fernandez and set his sights on Alonso, as Veijer pinched P4 off of Holgado. That half a second advantage disappeared with a lap and a half to go, but at Turn 10, Ortola crashed. The polesitter was down and out of the podium fight, and this left Alonso with a 0.4s lead over Fernandez and Veijer heading onto the final lap.
Last lap time. With Alonso P1 and Holgado P4, it was all but done. Veijer and Fernandez battled hard for P2 to allow Alonso to keep his 0.4s buffer, and the pack weren’t close enough to even think about making a move on Alonso. The Colombian rounded Victory Corner, fired his way to the chequered flag and became a Moto3™ World Champion in the only way he knows how in 2024 – by winning. A 10th victory of the year, a record-breaking 14th Moto3™ win and the first Colombian World Champion. What a rider, what a win, what a World Champion. Congratulations David and to the whole Aspar outfit.
Veijer beat Fernandez on the final lap to claim P2, as the latter made it two podiums from two. Holgado’s title hopes are ended in Japan with a P4 finish, as Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completed the top five. Yamanaka was only 1.3s away from the win and was the lead Japanese rider in P6, with compatriot Tatsuki Suzuki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), Muñoz, Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia), and Stefano Nepa (LEVELUP – MTA) rounded out the top 10.
Elsewhere, Matteo Bertelle and Kopron Rivacold Snipers Team teammate David Almansa picked up P11 and P12, as Filippo Farioli (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Riccardo Rossi (CIP Green Power) and Joel Esteban (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) completed the points in Japan.
So there we go. David Alonso is your 2024 Moto3™ World Champion with four races to spare. #BabyGOAT will now go in search of breaking Valentino Rossi’s lightweight class victory record between now and Valencia, as we look forward to getting to Phillip Island where the pressure is off, and it’s all about winning.
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