Deniz Öncü claimed a hard-fought seventh place on the final lap at the Moblity Resort Motegi on Sunday to continue his excellent recent run, while Aron Canet finished 17th. 

Conditions were close to perfect on Sunday at the circuit three hours outside Tokyo with ambient temperatures reaching a mild 20 degrees in the early afternoon.

The Moto2 race got underway at 12:15 and was contested over 19 laps.

An incredible crowd of 108,388 turned up at the Mobility Resort Motegi on race day to take in the 16th outing of the 2026 Moto2 season.

Aron Canet, 17th 

Starting from 22nd on the grid, Aron enjoyed a bright start to sit 16th at the close of lap one.

The Spaniard then lost a place to Barry Baltus on lap eleven. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t hold on to the Belgian and came home in 17th.

This result sees Aron remain 22nd in the championship standings with 17.5 points.

“I thought our pace would be a bit stronger” 

Aron’s comments:

“A tough race. I thought we were on for a great result on the first lap. I had a good start and was ready to push forward and start gaining some places. But I just didn’t have the feeling or confidence to push as I’d like. My feeling with the front wasn’t the best and the pace at the front was very fast. I was behind a few riders in the early laps but couldn’t overtake them. Then it felt like I was just trying to make it to the finish. It’s a shame to miss out on the points after some good rides in San Marino and Austria. I love Indonesia so we’ll be aiming for a good result there. I want to thank the team for all their hard work this weekend.” 

Deniz Öncü, 7th 

Starting eleventh after his best Saturday of 2026, Deniz had a brilliant start and gained three places on the first lap to sit eighth.

The Turkish rider showed excellent consistency while lapping in the low 1’48s to catch Dani Holgado with a lap remaining. A neat move on the Spaniard on the final lap yielded Deniz’s best result of the season.

Deniz’s fourth top nine finish in the past five rounds sees him remain 15th in the championship with 47.5 points.

“I like the work that we are doing” 

Deniz’s comments:

“We’ve finished the Japanese Grand Prix. Today’s race wasn’t bad! We finished the race in P7, which is another top ten result. I like the work that we are doing. The team is working well and I’m feeling more comfortable on the bike each weekend. Our results are gradually getting better. But we’re not finished yet. We still want more. Our job is done for now and we’ll soon start focussing on the next one. We’ll go to Indonesia and it will be full gas once we get there.”