This weekend, MotoGP returns to the Twin Ring Motegi for the Japanese Grand Prix, one of the season’s most anticipated stops. Located in Tochigi Prefecture, Motegi has hosted many dramatic races and title-deciding moments since its introduction to the MotoGP calendar in 1999.
With a technical track layout, tight corners, heavy braking zones, and the ever-present threat of wet weather, this race often sets the true all-rounders from the rest. Marc Márquez can seal the Championship if he beats his brother Alex by just three points.
Across its 25-year history on the MotoGP calendar, the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi has delivered countless highlights. From championship-deciding rides to head-to-head battles in the rain. Motegi has witnessed some of the most iconic races in modern MotoGP history. Here are five of the greatest.
Top 5 Japanese Grand Prix Races at Motegi
5. 2004 – Makoto Tamada Beats Valentino Rossi To Win Home Grand Prix
One of the most emotional moments in Motegi History came in 2004, when local hero Makoto Tamada delivered a stunning performance to take home the win in front of the Japanese fans. Riding the Camel Honda, the race began dramatically, with a first-lap crash eliminating Max Biaggi and several others, immediately shaking up the order. Valentino Rossi seized the lead in the early laps, setting the pace and looking like the favourite, but the home fans had something special to cheer. By lap six, Tamada made his move on Rossi, and once he hit the front, he never really looked in danger of relinquishing first place.
As the laps ticked down, Tamada displayed total control, riding with composure and confidence despite the pressure of the occasion. Troy Bayliss later crashed out while chasing hard, removing another challenger from contention and further clearing the way for Tamada’s moment of glory. When he crossed the line to take victory, the crowd erupted in celebration, and Tamada became the first Japanese MotoGP rider to win at Motegi.
His triumph in 2004 remains one of the standout stories in Japanese Grand Prix history, a testament to the deep passion Japan has for the sport and the pride it takes in seeing one of its own succeed on home soil. Adding to the national pride, fellow Japanese rider Shinya Nakano joined him on the podium in third place, creating a day that remains etched in the memory of Japanese motorsport fans. It wasn’t one of the all-time classic duels, but it was deeply meaningful: a home-grown talent conquering the Honda-owned circuit in front of his home supporters.
4. 2007 – Stoner Seals The Championship In A Chaotic Wet Race
The 2007 edition of the Japanese Grand Prix was one of the most dramatic of the decade, culminating in Casey Stoner becoming world champion. Going into the race, Stoner knew that he needed to finish ahead of Valentino Rossi to secure the title, and he wasted no time in showing his intent. On the very first lap, he overtook Rossi, making it clear that he wasn’t going to sit back and wait. The race started in wet conditions, and Chaos quickly unfolded. Anthony West briefly stole the spotlight by taking the lead in the second lap, but a jump start forced him into a ride-through penalty, handing Stoner the advantage.
With the track beginning to dry, the race became a flag-to-flag contest with multiple bike changes. Rossi was still pushing hard, setting the fastest lap on lap eight and overtaking Stoner for second place with 13 laps remaining, while Marco Melandri was surging into the lead. The race continued to twist and turn: Dani Pedrosa overtook Stoner with 11 laps to go, and when Melandri came in for a tyre change, Rossi inherited the lead. Stoner made the call to make the tyre change with ten laps to go, but Rossi delayed his stop until lap 14, a decision that cost him a shot at the world title. On the same lap, Pedrosa crashed out, also waiting too long to change bikes.
The race unravelled further for Rossi in the closing stages. With eight laps to go, he was forced into the pits with a front-end problem and ran off the track on the following lap, all but ending his hopes for victory and the world championship. Loris Capirossi capitalised to take the win, Randy de Puniet came in second, and Toni Elías completed the podium in third. Stoner, meanwhile, brought home sixth place, which was enough to claim the 2007 world championship. At just 21 years old, he became the second youngest premier class champion. Stoner’s performance in the wet at Motegi showed the maturity and composure that defined his breakthrough year.
3. 2008 – Return Of The Doctor As MotoGP Champion
The 2008 Japanese Grand Prix was another historic chapter at Motegi, as Valentino Rossi clinched his sixth Premier class title and his eighth world championship overall. Starting from the second row, Rossi got away cleanly, but Dani Pedrosa immediately cut across him, forcing the Italian to bide his time in the opening corners. The first lap drama continued as Kousuke Akiyoshi’s race was over before the first couple of corners. Rossi kept his composure and began working through the pack. By lap two, he had overtaken his Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo. On the following lap, he slipped past Nicky Hayden to move into third place, the exact position he needed to secure the world championship.
The front of the race was just as lively, with Pedrosa and Casey Stoner duelling for the lead in the opening laps. On lap four, the pair went wheel-to-wheel, and by lap five, Stoner had taken control of the race. Rossi, showing his trademark determination and desperate to win the championship with a win, then pounced on Pedrosa to take second place, setting up a repeat of his 2007 duel with Stoner in Japan. For the next stretch, the pair exchanged punches, but Rossi’s sheer class shone through. With 11 laps remaining, he made his move on Stoner, overtaking with authority and never looking back.
From that point on, it was vintage Rossi, controlled, confident and efficient. The Italian stretched a visible gap in the final eight laps, while Chris Vermeulen peeled into the pits with seven laps remaining as conditions tested bikes and riders alike. Rossi, however, looked untouchable. By the chequered flag, he not only won the race but also secured the 2008 MotoGP world title, reclaiming his crown after two years without a championship. This was Rossi at his very best: calculated in the early stages, decisive in the key moments, and dominant when it mattered most. Stoner came in second in a reverse of the previous year, and Pedrosa completed the podium.
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2. A Rain-Soaked Thriller Between Márquez & Dovizioso
The 2017 Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi was one of the defining races of the modern era, remembered for its relentless rain and the breathtaking duel between Marc Márquez and Andrea Dovizioso. The race began in sodden conditions, with riders facing poor visibility and standing water, but the intensity only increased as the laps progressed. Johann Zarco had secured pole position, but it was clear early on that the real fight would be between Márquez and Dovizioso, the two men at the heart of that year’s championship battle.
From the opening stages, the pace was fierce, with Márquez pushing hard at the front and Dovizioso determined to keep him in sight. The pair traded fastest lap times throughout, while Danilo Petrucci briefly led the race in the early going, showcasing the strength of the Ducati bikes in the wet conditions. As the laps ticked away, however, the contest narrowed between the two riders battling it out for the championship, as the tension grew with every corner. Márquez threw everything into braking and corner entries, attacking with his trademark aggression, but Dovizioso matched him with precision and calmness.
With just three laps remaining, Márquez lunged for the lead, only for Dovizioso to immediately strike back, refusing to concede. The decisive moment came in the final sector of the last lap. Máquez attacked again at turn 11, briefly edging ahead, but Dovizioso responded instantly, reclaiming the lead into the final corners. Márquez’s final attempt saw him run wide, allowing Dovizioso to cut back through and dramatically snatch the win, and Petrucci finished in third just behind the epic battle between the two race leaders. It was a finish that perfectly captured the intensity of their rivalry and the razor-thin margins that defined the 2017 season.
1. 2018 Márquez Clinches the Title with a Masterclass
The 2018 Japanese Grand Prix was the stage where Marc Márquez sealed his seventh world championship, cementing his place among the all-time greats. Starting from sixth on the grid, Márquez faced an uphill battle, but the Spaniard thrived under pressure. Jack Miller initially took the lead, but it wasn’t long until the title contenders took the spotlight.
Andrea Dovizioso, Márquez’s closest rival in the title race, looked strong from the start. He moved to the front and tried to dictate the pace, with Jack Miller and Cal Crutchlow also mixing it up in the early laps. Márquez, meanwhile, showed patience in the opening stages, picking off riders one by one until he was tucked in just behind Dovizioso. By the halfway point, it was clear that there was going to be a repeat of the previous year, and it was going to be another showdown in Japan between Márquez and Dovizioso.
On lap 21, Márquez made his decisive move, overtaking Dovizioso with a bold manoeuvre that drew huge cheers from the Japanese crowd. Dovizioso refused to give up and stayed glued to his rival’s rear wheel, maintaining the pressure. However, with only two laps remaining, disaster struck for the Ducati rider. While pushing hard to stay in touch, Dovizioso lost the front end and crashed out, handing Márquez a clear path to victory and the championship. The incident summed up the knife-edge nature of their rivalry; one mistake was enough to swing the balance.
Márquez crossed the line in first place, claiming both the win and the 2018 MotoGP title in flawless fashion. Crutchlow and Alex Rins made the top three.
The Twin Ring Motegi circuit has consistently delivered some of the most iconic races in MotoGP history. From homegrown heroes like Makoto Tamada triumphing in front of ecstatic Japanese fans to championship-defining duels between legends such as Valentino Rossi, Marc Márquez, Andrea Dovizioso, and Casey Stoner, Motegi has provided drama, heartbreak, and glory in equal measure. What makes this race so special is not just the technical challenge of the track or the unpredictable conditions, but the fact that it so often plays a decisive role in shaping the world championship.
As we look forward to this weekend’s 2025 Japanese Grand Prix, the echoes of these unforgettable moments remind us that anything can happen at Motegi. History shows us that titles can be won, rivalries intensified, and heroes can emerge. If the past is anything to go by, fans can expect another thrilling chapter to be written in the history of the Japanese Grand Prix.
