The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team is back on track at Motegi for the first of the 2026 MotoGP season Overseas.
MotoGP is approaching its final stages and the Overseas start, with the Japanese GP opening the Asian leg this weekend. The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team is flying to Motegi for the first of the two back-to-back Asian races with Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli, who are determined to be back in the top positions fight.
Di Giannantonio arrives to Motegi in fifth place in the World Standing with 230 points, just 4 points away from the Top4. Fabio likes the Japanese track, where he got a sixth place as his best result in MotoGP (Sprint, 2024), and he made s solid comeback last year. The rider from Rome’s goal is to be back in the podium fight this weekend.
Morbidelli, who is now sixteenth in the World Standing with 56 points, is ready to face the first of the Asian weekend with determination: at Motegi, Franco’s goal is to keep working to confirm the steps forward showed in these last races, even if they have not always translated into results. On the Japanese track, the Italian-Brazilian rider got a third place as his best result (Moto2, 2016), and he was one of the standout riders with a Top5 last year.
The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team will hit the track on Friday for free practice, while qualifying will take place on Saturday at ore 10:50 (local time, +9 UTC). The Sprint will get underway at 3:00 pm (local time, +9 UTC) on Saturday, while the Japanese GP will conclude on Sunday with the main race, starting at 2:00 pm (local time, +9 UTC).
FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO
“These last two races didn’t go as we wanted, so I want to be back on the bike and work even more. I look forward to be in Japan, I like Motegi track a lot, nad our goal is to be competitive and fight for the podiums again. We want to do a great job in this last part of the season, which will be challenging. But we will race on tracks I like a lot. We will stay focused and work together with the team. I am very pumped up!”
FRANCO MORBIDELLI
“Japan kicks off the Overseas: I like Motegi track a lot, even if it’s quite tough. This last parte of the season will be very challenging and we must be well prepared, adapting to the different time zones. In Japan, we will keep working and try to do our best to turn the situation around. I have a great support both from the team and Ducati, so we have everything we need to make other steps forward. We’re still confident for this Asian leg.”
