Chantra stakes early claim in Japan with Friday double

Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) cemented himself as an early frontrunner the Motul Grand Prix of Japan with a comprehensive display on Friday. The Thai rider had already established his dominance at Mobility Resort Motegi, having been quickest on the grid in P1, before he doubled down to put in a 1:50.396 in the afternoon and head the combined timesheets.

Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Los40) was close behind with a time of 1:50.433, salvaging his day with a late charge. Meanwhile, Sam Lowes also recovered well after going down in Practice 1, taking third on his Triumph-powered Elf Marc VDS Racing Team machine.

With the prospect of rain looming on the horizon for tomorrow morning’s third and final practice session, Practice 2 took on additional importance and could well prove critical for qualifying…

Current Moto2™ Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was unable to break into the top three overall after ending P1 in second, with that lap still his fastest by the end of play as he finds himself fourth and a tenth behind Lowes. His title rival Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), however, had a tougher day as he finished 18th on the combined timesheets, looking for a lot more on Saturday.

Despite the threat of adverse weather conditions, everything is still to play for in Moto2™ with tomorrow’s Practice 3 scheduled for 9:25 AM local time (GMT+9), and qualifying set to begin at 13:45! Don’t miss it!

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