Ryusei Yamanaka competes at home this weekend and aims to shine and fight for his first podium. David Alonso stalks the leading trio from fourth position

The Moto3 class is special. It is the one that usually offers the tightest finishes, although in India Jaume Masià took the clearest win of the season so far, with an advantage of more than five seconds over the second. But with the passing of the races and with the Valencia GP coming closer and closer each time, what should be a class where one or two riders stand out, is becoming a difficult enigma to decode. In India, the Moto3 leader Dani Holgado kept the lead after Collin Veijer crashed on the last lap, what allowed him to move up to fourth place and take two more points. With these thirteen points, Holgado reached a total of 174, the same as Jaume Masià after his second win of the year and only one more than Japanese rider Ayumu Sasaki. 174, 174 and 173, three numbers for three riders separated by a whisker with seven rounds to go this season. With 175 points up for grabs, more than what each of them has achieved, it is not possible yet to bet in one direction or the other.

In case any of them fail, Gaviota GASGAS Aspar rider David Alonso is waiting for his chance, still less than a race (23 points) off the leader after a fifth-place finish at an unknown circuit. At the Indian Grand Prix, everyone on the grid started with the same info, with the same weapons as it was a Grand Prix that made its debut in the World Championship. Now, Alonso is one of the few riders that has no experience in Motegi. Most of the Moto3 riders competed in Japan at least last year, as 2022 marked the World Championship's return to Asia for the first time since 2019. On that occasion, victory went for a rookie, GASGAS Aspar Team rider Izan Guevara, who finished the season with the title. A year later, Alonso is looking to emulate him in terms of fighting for victory at the Japanese track, although he will have to work hard from Friday to do it. His teammate Ryusei Yamanaka has experience at Motegi. The Gaviota GASGAS Aspar rider will compete at his home track, where he finished on the top step of the podium when he was in the Asia Talent Cup in 2017, and hopes to be able to return to the podium six years later as a World Championship rider.

David Alonso: “Motegi is another unknown track for me. We will try to ride a lot and follow a reference to understand the circuit. To complete more laps in practice will help us to be better prepared for the race. We will analyse the circuit beforehand and, once we arrive, we will try to make the most of all the laps.”

Ryusei Yamanaka: “I want to get a good result at my home Grand Prix and fight for the podium. It's a track I like and I want to have a good weekend. We need to solve some things to be able to compete at a high level. I'm looking forward to ride there.”