2015 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2015 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix was the fifteenth round of the 2015 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, consisting of the MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 classes. It was held at the Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi on 11 October 2015.
| Race details | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race 15 of 18 races in the 2015 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date | 11 October 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Official name | Motul Grand Prix of Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Twin Ring Motegi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Course |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MotoGP | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moto2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moto3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the premier class, the race began in damp conditions but dried out over the course of the race. Jorge Lorenzo had started on pole but faded to third with tyre issues, and it was Dani Pedrosa that achieved his first victory since the 2014 Czech Republic Grand Prix, and as a result, became the eighth rider to record 50 victories at World Championship level. Valentino Rossi extended his championship lead to eighteen with a second-place finish, ahead of Lorenzo.
During free practice, Alex de Angelis crashed heavily and was taken to hospital in a critical but stable condition. De Angelis missed the remainder of the season as a result of the crash.
In the intermediate Moto2 class, Tito Rabat pulled out of the weekend due to injury and as a result, Johann Zarco won his first World Championship title, and the first by a French rider in the intermediate class since Olivier Jacque in 2000. Zarco went on to win the shortened race ahead of German duo Jonas Folger and Sandro Cortese. In the Moto3 race also shortened by weather delays, Niccolò Antonelli took his second win of the season ahead of Miguel Oliveira and Jorge Navarro, while championship leader Danny Kent maintained his points lead with sixth place.