Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi staged a stunner last time out at Aragon as he got back on track to race only 24 days after breaking his leg, qualifying on the front row and then coming fifth – only half a second behind teammate Maverick Viñales.

Now it’s time for Motegi and the first of the three flyaways, with a little longer to recover ahead of the triple-header.

First there was a stop off in Tokyo for Rossi and his teammate for a Yamaha event; now it's onto the track to get ready for the weekend.

"After my return to MotoGP in Aragón, the work and my recovery have continued,” says the ‘Doctor’ ahead of the event. "It was good to have two more weeks after the last race to work on my rehabilitation, because now we will have three races in a row and it will be important to be in good physical condition."

Recovery has been the biggest focus for the Italian, of course, not only because it’s the first of three in a row, but also because it’s Yamaha’s home GP: “I did everything possible to get pretty fit for the round at Motegi, because this is always a very important GP for Yamaha. I like this circuit very much and I'm glad to be here. We will do everything we can to get the best result possible."

The nine-time World Champion - and polesitter at the venue last year - has won at Motegi before, on a 500 in the Pacific GP in 2001 and again in MotoGP in 2008.

The track has also staged some classic battles, like his 2010 showdown to edge then-teammate Jorge Lorenzo off the podium. Yamaha, meanwhile, have won four times – with the race on to take the fifth this season, and bounce back from a difficult Japanese GP for the manufacturer in 2016.

There’s a little more for Rossi in play, too, with some of his biggest inspirations coming from the land of the rising sun – making the Japanese GP something special.

source: motogp.com

That’s what reigning Champion – and Championship leader – Marc Marquez is expecting in the final four races of the year:  a three-way battle to the end against Andrea Dovizioso and Maverick Viñales.

With the story of the season having ups and downs for all three, Marquez’ ups of late – on the podium in every race since the Catalan GP bar one – have seen him able to gain a 16 point lead with 100 points still on the table.

But the season didn't get off to the best start; something that challenged Marquez to be patient and ‘revert’ to his 2016 way of thinking.

"The most difficult was the first five races,” says the five-time World Champion. “I was slow, plus taking a lot of risks, plus a lot of crashes, especially after Le Mans and Mugello and I said: ‘OK, it will be impossible’. I had the feeling from 2015, like ‘I can’t’. I was trying to be safe to be with the bike but I wasn’t able because if I was riding smooth then I finished 6th or 7th."

"And that was not the way to fight for the Championship so then I tried to change a little bit the mentality to 2016: be patient. Be patient until you have the feeling." He added

"Then we come back after Assen and again I had a good feeling with the bike, I understood the limits a little bit better than before."

"I think still I’m learning from this year, but I understand that a very small thing can change your riding style or can change completely your feeling. Every move matters of course."

source: motogp.com

KTM are about to complete their first year competing in MotoGP, but the team are already looking forward to next year with knowledge and data gained from races in 2017.

Further to the team’s announcement before the season, KTM clarifies their rider line up for 2018 – remaining with Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith following top ten finishes for the pair of them during this opening season with the KTM RC16.

The team remains committed to both riders, who have remained steadfast and unwavering in their commitment to furthering the biggest motorsport programme KTM has ever undertaken since the company started in 1953.

Pol Espargaro has been resolute and relentless in his drive to take the KTM MotoGP project forward to further success during one of the closest seasons in MotoGP history.

Espargaro has taken the best result for KTM so far – ninth at Brno – and has taken some qualifying positions much higher than the team conceived of before the first wheels were turned at the start of the year. To have the former Moto2 World Champion on board for the second season is fantastic for the Austrian squad.

KTM have supported Bradley Smith from the very first test on the KTM RC16 MotoGP bike in Valencia 2016. He has fitted into the team well and has worked hard at every test, practice and race as a new motorcycle is developed with new parts coming into the garage for every race.

The team want to confirm that in 2018 they will remain as committed to Smith as before, with both looking forward to bettering results and lap times. He is a Grand Prix winner and a podium man over the three classes of Grand Prix racing he’s contested, something that KTM wish to repeat with an orange motorcycle underneath him.

Mika Kallio will remain as the team’s test rider for 2018, with selected wildcard rides for the Finn. He has been a huge part of the progress of the MotoGP™ project through his vast experience in Grand Prix that go back 17 years, knowledge that has been a major factor in the project exceeding the initial expectations for 2017.

KTM look forward to Kallio’s ongoing speed and support so the motorcycle can jump forward to the next step in 2018 and beyond. His three races so far this year have been some of the most impressive for a wildcard in recent times, with his commitment and speed something that KTM look forward to seeing again at the season final in Valencia in a month’s time.

source: motogp.com

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS will field two former intermediate class World Champions at the Japanese Grand Prix, with HRC test and development rider Hiroshi Aoyama joining Tito Rabat in the team as a replacement for the injured Jack Miller.

Aoyama was crowned World Champion in 2009, the final year of the 250cc two-stroke machines, and the Japanese rider has extensive MotoGP experience, having raced four full seasons since making his debut in the premier class back in 2010.

Since 2015 the 35-year-old Japanese rider has been an HRC test rider and heavily involved in the development of the Honda RC213V he'll race this weekend in Motegi on home soil.

"Firstly I want to wish Jack a speedy recovery and I hope he will be fit to race in his home Grand Prix at Phillip Island. It’s never nice to replace an injured rider but I hope that I can do a good job for both Jack and the team in Motegi." Said Aoyama

"I also want to thank Michael Bartholemy and Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS for giving me the opportunity to race once again in front of the Japanese fans."

"I have not raced yet this season, so it will take some time to get back the feeling." He added "The fact that I already know a lot of the crew, having worked with them in the past, will help a lot, as will having a rider with Tito’s experience on the other side of the box. I am looking forward to the weekend ahead!"

Michael Bartholemy, Team Principal said: "Firstly I'd like to say a big thank you to Hiroshi for stepping in at the last minute to replace Jack in Motegi and to HRC for arranging everything at such short notice."

"I am looking forward to welcoming Hiroshi into the team this weekend. It won't be completely new for him, as he's worked with many of our technical staff previously, so we start already from a good position."

"I am sure he will do a good job for us this weekend and I hope he enjoys this opportunity to race once again in front of his home crowd." He concluded

source: motogp.com