The Moto3™ championship lead was at stake on Sunday at Mobility Motegi Resort, with Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Daniel Holgado still holding the lead tight with Jaume Masia, followed closely by Japanese Ayumu Sasaki. After another hard fought race in the lightweight class, Daniel Holgado returned on the podium for the first time since Austria, in third, but with his two title contenders finishing on the first two steps, he lost his championship lead for the first time this season, after thirteen rounds spent at the top. Despite a left hand injury sustained yesterday in qualifying, Filippo Farioli managed to make it to P16 in Japan.

CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER HOLGADO SET TO DEFEND HIS LEAD FROM SECOND ROW IN MOTEGI
The Moto3™ lightweight was once again the first to hit the track on Saturday morning at the Mobility Resort Motegi, with Free Practice 3 kicking off another action-packed day of the Japanese Grand Prix. After finishing fourth on Friday, Daniel Holgado confirmed his status of contender for the win on Sunday, closing up the combined standing in second, before getting himself a second row-start in sixth. Filippo Farioli will start the Japanese Grand Prix in twenty-second.

HOLGADO SETTLES WELL IN JAPAN AS HE TAKES P4, FARIOLI COMPLETES HIS FIRST-EVER DAY IN MOTEGI
In just a couple of days, the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team has travelled from India to Japan for the Japanese Grand Prix, round 14 of 2023. Both Daniel Holgado and Filippo Farioli were coming from a positive Indian GP, with Holgado taking fourth last Sunday meaning that he retained his championship lead, and Farioli got his best result of the season with an eleventh place. The Moto3™ stage was all set at the Mobility Resort Motegi this morning under a bright sun, as the lightweight class was the first to kick off the Japanese GP at 9:00 local time (GMT+9). Daniel Holgado rounded up day 1 taking P4 while Farioli was twenty-third after his first day in Motegi.