{"id":3331,"date":"2026-10-03T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=3331"},"modified":"2026-10-03T10:45:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T13:45:44","slug":"marquez-can-take-the-motogp-lead-on-sunday-heres-when-the-japanese-gp-starts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/marquez-can-take-the-motogp-lead-on-sunday-heres-when-the-japanese-gp-starts\/","title":{"rendered":"M\u00e1rquez can take the MotoGP lead on Sunday \u2014 here\u2019s when the Japanese GP starts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Summary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Japanese MotoGP race starts at 14:00 JST on Sunday, 4 October.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>West Coast viewers in the US and Canada watch at <strong>22:00 PDT on Saturday, 3 October<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mart\u00edn leads M\u00e1rquez by seven points, with the championship lead at stake at Motegi.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Japanese MotoGP race starts at 14:00 local time on Sunday, 4 October<\/strong>, at Mobility Resort Motegi. That is <strong>06:00 in the United Kingdom, 01:00 on the US and Canadian east coasts, 10:30 in India and 16:00 in Sydney and Melbourne<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For viewers in Los Angeles and Vancouver, the race begins at <strong>22:00 on Saturday, 3 October<\/strong>. The date difference matters: the Japanese Sunday afternoon race falls on Saturday evening across much of North America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">MotoGP<\/a> championship lead is also in play. Jorge Mart\u00edn enters the main race with <strong>313 points<\/strong>, seven ahead of Marc M\u00e1rquez after the Ducati rider won Saturday\u2019s Sprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Japanese MotoGP race start times<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Country or region<\/th><th>Local date<\/th><th>Race start<\/th><th>Time zone<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Japan \u2014 Motegi<\/td><td>Sunday, 4 October<\/td><td><strong>14:00<\/strong><\/td><td>JST<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>United Kingdom<\/td><td>Sunday, 4 October<\/td><td><strong>06:00<\/strong><\/td><td>BST<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>United States \u2014 New York and Miami<\/td><td>Sunday, 4 October<\/td><td><strong>01:00<\/strong><\/td><td>EDT<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>United States \u2014 Chicago and Austin<\/td><td>Sunday, 4 October<\/td><td><strong>00:00<\/strong><\/td><td>CDT<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>United States \u2014 Denver<\/td><td>Saturday, 3 October<\/td><td><strong>23:00<\/strong><\/td><td>MDT<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>United States \u2014 Los Angeles<\/td><td>Saturday, 3 October<\/td><td><strong>22:00<\/strong><\/td><td>PDT<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Canada \u2014 Toronto and Montreal<\/td><td>Sunday, 4 October<\/td><td><strong>01:00<\/strong><\/td><td>EDT<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Canada \u2014 Winnipeg<\/td><td>Sunday, 4 October<\/td><td><strong>00:00<\/strong><\/td><td>CDT<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Canada \u2014 Calgary<\/td><td>Saturday, 3 October<\/td><td><strong>23:00<\/strong><\/td><td>MDT<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Canada \u2014 Vancouver<\/td><td>Saturday, 3 October<\/td><td><strong>22:00<\/strong><\/td><td>PDT<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>India<\/td><td>Sunday, 4 October<\/td><td><strong>10:30<\/strong><\/td><td>IST<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>UTC reference<\/td><td>Sunday, 4 October<\/td><td><strong>05:00<\/strong><\/td><td>UTC<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Midnight in Chicago, Austin and Winnipeg means the start of Sunday.<\/strong> Fans in those locations should prepare to watch late on Saturday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What time is the Japanese MotoGP race in Australia?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Daylight saving begins in participating Australian states on Sunday, 4 October<\/strong>, before the race. Sydney and Melbourne therefore use AEDT, while Adelaide uses ACDT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory keep their existing offsets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Australian location<\/th><th>Race start \u2014 Sunday, 4 October<\/th><th>Time zone<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Hobart<\/td><td><strong>16:00<\/strong><\/td><td>AEDT<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Adelaide<\/td><td><strong>15:30<\/strong><\/td><td>ACDT<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Brisbane<\/td><td><strong>15:00<\/strong><\/td><td>AEST<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Darwin<\/td><td><strong>14:30<\/strong><\/td><td>ACST<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Perth<\/td><td><strong>13:00<\/strong><\/td><td>AWST<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The clock change means viewers in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide should <strong>use Sunday\u2019s daylight-saving conversion<\/strong>, rather than the offset used for Saturday\u2019s Sprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sunday\u2019s Motegi race schedule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moto3 opens the race programme at <strong>11:00 JST<\/strong>, followed by Moto2 at <strong>12:15<\/strong> and the premier-class race at <strong>14:00<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Race<\/th><th>Japan \u2014 JST<\/th><th>UK \u2014 BST<\/th><th>US\/Canada Eastern \u2014 EDT<\/th><th>US\/Canada Pacific \u2014 PDT<\/th><th>India \u2014 IST<\/th><th>Sydney\/Melbourne \u2014 AEDT<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Moto3<\/td><td>Sun 4, 11:00<\/td><td>Sun 4, 03:00<\/td><td>Sat 3, 22:00<\/td><td>Sat 3, 19:00<\/td><td>Sun 4, 07:30<\/td><td>Sun 4, 13:00<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Moto2<\/td><td>Sun 4, 12:15<\/td><td>Sun 4, 04:15<\/td><td>Sat 3, 23:15<\/td><td>Sat 3, 20:15<\/td><td>Sun 4, 08:45<\/td><td>Sun 4, 14:15<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>MotoGP<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Sun 4, 14:00<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Sun 4, 06:00<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Sun 4, 01:00<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Sat 3, 22:00<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Sun 4, 10:30<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Sun 4, 16:00<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Times refer to the scheduled race starts. Television coverage may begin earlier, and the organisers can amend the programme.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Warm-up extended after Michelin\u2019s tyre decision<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sunday\u2019s MotoGP warm-up has been extended to 20 minutes<\/strong> after Michelin withdrew the soft rear tyre from the race allocation. The additional running gives riders more time to assess their remaining options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The original timetable listed warm-up from <strong>09:40 to 09:50 JST<\/strong>. Its revised start time should be checked against the updated event timetable before the session; the original ten-minute window should not be treated as the confirmed amended schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The medium rear remains available, while Michelin recommends the reinforced hard for the race. The reasons and implications are explained in <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/michelin-bans-soft-rear-at-motegi-after-tyre-problems-hit-martin-and-bagnaia\/\">the report on Michelin\u2019s Motegi tyre change<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where can you watch the Japanese MotoGP race?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Broadcast and streaming options vary by country. Consult <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/japanese-motogp-tv-guide-uk-us-india-australia-and-canada-viewing-options\/\">the Japanese MotoGP TV guide for the UK, US, India, Australia and Canada<\/a> for the relevant services and viewing options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Check the provider\u2019s programme start as well as the official race time, particularly in North America, where several sessions fall on Saturday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can Marc M\u00e1rquez take the championship lead?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Yes. M\u00e1rquez needs to gain at least seven points on Mart\u00edn<\/strong>, with the Ducati rider holding the advantage on the grand prix victory tiebreak if they finish level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A M\u00e1rquez victory with Mart\u00edn third or lower would put him ahead. If M\u00e1rquez wins and Mart\u00edn finishes second, however, Mart\u00edn retains the lead by two points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MotoGP continues this weekend, from 2\u20134 October, in Japan. <strong>GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong> will cover all the action at Motegi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">MotoGP today: FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who won the Japanese MotoGP race today?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marc M\u00e1rquez won the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, finishing 1.363s ahead of Jorge Mart\u00edn. Marco Bezzecchi completed the podium, while M\u00e1rquez secured a weekend double after also winning Saturday\u2019s Sprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who leads the MotoGP championship after the Japanese GP?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jorge Mart\u00edn remains the MotoGP championship leader with 333 points, just 2 ahead of Marc M\u00e1rquez on 331. M\u00e1rquez\u2019s two victories in Japan reduced the gap from 12 points at the start of the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When is the next MotoGP race?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next MotoGP race is the Indonesian Grand Prix at Mandalika on Sunday, 11 October 2026. The weekend runs from 9\u201311 October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What time does the Japanese MotoGP race start?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It starts at 14:00 JST on Sunday, 4 October: 06:00 BST, 01:00 EDT and 10:30 IST.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sunday\u2019s Japanese Grand Prix starts at 06:00 in the UK, 01:00 US Eastern, 10:30 in India and 16:00 in Sydney and Melbourne.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020316786,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Marc M\u00e1rquez","42wp_featured_image_credits":"MotoGP","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[{"id":59,"location":""}],"footnotes":"","42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[38],"tags":[586,646,708,569],"42wp_author":[59],"class_list":["post-3331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motogp","tag-japanese-gp","tag-motegi","tag-motogp-race-start-time","tag-motogp-schedule","42wp_author-fabricio-carvalho"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3331"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3332,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3331\/revisions\/3332"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020316786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3331"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=3331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}