What time is Japanese MotoGP qualifying and the Sprint? Saturday Motegi schedule

Summary

Q1 starts at 10:50 JST on Saturday, 3 October, followed by Q2 at 11:15.
The 12-lap Sprint begins at 15:00 JST, equivalent to 07:00 BST and 11:30 IST.
Qualifying falls on Friday evening in the US and Canada; the Sprint starts at 02:00 EDT on Saturday or 23:00 PDT on Friday.

Japanese MotoGP qualifying begins at 10:50 local time on Saturday, 3 October, at Motegi. Q1 opens the grid-setting action, followed by Q2 at 11:15 JST, before the Sprint at 15:00 JST.

For viewers in the United Kingdom, those starts are 02:50 BST for Q1, 03:15 for Q2 and 07:00 for the Sprint. In India, qualifying begins at 07:20 IST, with the Sprint at 11:30. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane viewers can follow Q1 from 11:50 AEST and the Sprint from 16:00.

What time is Japanese MotoGP qualifying?

North American fans need to prepare for Friday evening qualifying. Q1 starts at 21:50 EDT in New York and Toronto, or 18:50 PDT in Los Angeles and Vancouver, on 2 October.

Q2 follows 25 minutes later, at 22:15 EDT or 19:15 PDT. Each qualifying session lasts 15 minutes, with the two fastest riders in Q1 progressing to join the ten riders who qualified directly through Friday’s Practice.

Motegi qualifying and Sprint start times

Country or region	Time zone	Q1	Q2	Sprint
Japan — Motegi	JST, UTC+9	Sat 3 Oct, 10:50	Sat 3 Oct, 11:15	Sat 3 Oct, 15:00
United Kingdom	BST, UTC+1	Sat 3 Oct, 02:50	Sat 3 Oct, 03:15	Sat 3 Oct, 07:00
US and Canada — New York, Toronto	EDT, UTC−4	Fri 2 Oct, 21:50	Fri 2 Oct, 22:15	Sat 3 Oct, 02:00
US and Canada — Chicago, Winnipeg	CDT, UTC−5	Fri 2 Oct, 20:50	Fri 2 Oct, 21:15	Sat 3 Oct, 01:00
US and Canada — Denver, Calgary	MDT, UTC−6	Fri 2 Oct, 19:50	Fri 2 Oct, 20:15	Sat 3 Oct, 00:00
US and Canada — Los Angeles, Vancouver	PDT, UTC−7	Fri 2 Oct, 18:50	Fri 2 Oct, 19:15	Fri 2 Oct, 23:00
India	IST, UTC+5:30	Sat 3 Oct, 07:20	Sat 3 Oct, 07:45	Sat 3 Oct, 11:30
Australia — Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane	AEST, UTC+10	Sat 3 Oct, 11:50	Sat 3 Oct, 12:15	Sat 3 Oct, 16:00
Australia — Adelaide	ACST, UTC+9:30	Sat 3 Oct, 11:20	Sat 3 Oct, 11:45	Sat 3 Oct, 15:30
Australia — Perth	AWST, UTC+8	Sat 3 Oct, 09:50	Sat 3 Oct, 10:15	Sat 3 Oct, 14:00

All times are scheduled session starts. Australian times apply to Saturday, before daylight saving begins in participating states on Sunday, 4 October.

What happens before qualifying?

The premier-class riders have a final 30-minute FP2 session at 10:10 JST, ending ten minutes before Q1 begins. That practice gives teams another opportunity to refine their setups, but does not change the direct-Q2 places decided on Friday.

FP2 begins at 02:10 BST in the UK, 06:40 IST in India and 11:10 AEST in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. In North America, it starts on Friday at 21:10 EDT or 18:10 PDT.

What time does the Japanese MotoGP Sprint start?

The Sprint starts at 15:00 JST on Saturday and runs for 12 laps. Its grid is determined by the morning’s qualifying sessions, which also establish the starting order for Sunday’s grand prix, subject to applicable penalties.

The Sprint awards points to the first nine finishers, with 12 points for the winner. It therefore offers an opportunity to change the championship standings before Sunday’s longer race.

Where can you watch qualifying and the Sprint?

Broadcast and streaming options vary by territory. Consult the Japanese MotoGP TV guide for the UK, US, India, Australia and Canada before the sessions begin.

North American viewers should check both the time and the date, particularly on the west coast, where qualifying and the Sprint all take place on Friday evening.

MotoGP continues this weekend, from 2–4 October, in Japan. GRANDE PRÊMIO will cover all the action at Motegi.