Record-breaking performance with Pirelli as Guevara and Almansa claim victory

· Another victory for Guevara. Following his success at the Austrian GP, Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) won the Moto2™ race at the 2026 Grand Prix of Japan, ahead of Tony Arbolino and Filip Salač, both on Kalex. All riders in the race opted for the SC1 front and supersoft SCX rear tyre combo, and Celestino Vietti (Boscoscuro) set the new race lap record of 1’47.479, improving the time set last year by Daniel Holgado (1’48.739) by more than 1.2 seconds.
 
· Almansa holds off Quiles. Spanish rider David Almansa (KTM) claimed the Moto3™ victory from pole position, leading throughout the race and fending off late attacks by Máximo Quiles (KTM), who finished second. Álvaro Carpe took third place, completing an all-KTM podium. In terms of tyre choices, all of the top seven riders opted for the medium SC2 rear tyre compound. As for the front, Almansa chose the soft SC1, while Quiles and Carpe preferred the medium SC2. The same SC2 combination on both axles was also used by Brian Uriarte (KTM), who finished fourth and set the new race lap record of 1’54.710 on the penultimate lap, almost six tenths faster than the previous race fastest lap set in 2025 by José Antonio Rueda in 1’55.305.

· Record-breaking race pace. Both races were significantly faster than previous years. In Moto2™, the overall race time was improved by 35.6 seconds, equating an average gain of more than 1.8 seconds per lap. The Moto3™ race was completed in 32’45.544, making it 24 seconds faster than last year’s race, with an average improvement of 1.4 seconds per lap.

Extremely fast races, new records and consistent tyre performance
 
“The Japanese Grand Prix’s conclusion has been extremely positive for Pirelli. On Motegi’s new asphalt – one of the weekend’s main unknown variables – the entire range delivered a consistently high performance, with the riders exploiting their full potential over a single lap and across the race distance. The timing data confirms how effective the solutions we brought to the track actually were: new race lap records were set in both classes, with improvements of more than 1.2 seconds in Moto2™ and almost six tenths in Moto3™. Even more significant is the comparison over the full race distance, with Moto2™ being more than 35 seconds faster than in 2025’s, and Moto3™ improving its race time by over 24 seconds.
In Moto2™, the new 2026-specification rear SCX tyre’s contribution was significant. Its supersoft compound proved well suited to the new asphalt’s characteristics, delivering high levels of grip and consistent performance throughout the race. In Moto3™, we received further confirmation of how much our range is versatile. With every possible combination of the soft SC1 and medium SC2 front and rear compounds being used in the race, we provide a broad range of options to the teams. In terms of results, those combos with medium SC2 tyres on both axles proved particularly effective, although Almansa still took home the race with SC1 tyres at the front. Finally, providing further evidence of the tyres’ consistent performance, Uriarte set the new race lap record on the penultimate lap, when the tyres had travelled almost the entire race distance”.