A 2025 Japanese Grand Prix Supported by Many Fans

October 22, 2025

October 22, 2025—The Japanese Grand Prix, Round 17 of the MotoGP World Championship, was held at Mobility Resort Motegi in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, between September 26 and 28. The event was held under clear skies for the entire weekend, with 90,096 spectators attending across the three days—around 10,000 up from last year's 80,131. This was a higher attendance than the Suzuka 8 Hours held in August (61,500), clearly illustrating the appeal of MotoGP as the world's premier motorcycle racing series.

As part of the proceedings at the Japanese Grand Prix, all four Yamaha riders, including Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP riders Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins, along with Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP riders Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira, did several promotional events aimed at energizing the fans for the momentous race. Here, we take a look at these activities with several photos, and later on, interviews with the riders. We hope you enjoy it.

First is a look at the main event leading up to the race weekend, which was a follow-up to last year's event at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo. This year the pre-event was also held in Tokyo, in the Kabukicho area of Shinjuku on Wednesday, September 24th, where Rins and Miller were in attendance. The riders held a talk show for the tightly packed crowd, and were able to feel the passionate energy of the many fans who came to the center of the city. They walked around the venue signing autographs and communicating with as many fans as possible.

In addition to Yamaha’s YZF-R1 MotoGP machine on display, the venue featured a pink NMAX scooter designed by some of Yamaha Motor’s new hires for the riders to use as paddock scooters for the Japanese GP. The Shinjuku location was chosen to shine a spotlight on motorcycles and motorsport in general, both to existing fans and to passersby in the world’s largest city.

A few hours before the event in downtown Tokyo, all four Yamaha MotoGP riders attended a talk show for employees at Yamaha Motor's headquarters in Iwata City. They thanked everyone who works there supporting Yamaha’s various efforts, including MotoGP. In return, the large group wished the riders good luck in the race, resulting in a motivation boost for everyone involved.

During the talk show, the riders were asked a variety of questions. They answered about their time in Japan, with Rins talking about bringing his son to Japan for the first time and enjoying sightseeing in Tokyo. When the topic turned to favorite products, Quartararo had high praise for the Yamaha TMAX, and the other riders enthusiastically agreed, making for one of the standout moments of the talk show.

Following that, the riders got to experience ongoing projects at Yamaha headquarters. There was a bit of entertainment mixed with learning about Yamaha technologies, products and research areas, giving the riders a chance for some hands-on activities. From the Yamaha Motor side, it was also an opportunity to collaborate with the riders themselves, hearing the valuable feedback provided by top level athletes in the world of two wheeled motorsport.

Once the race weekend kicked off, the riders had multiple events to attend. For them, interacting with fans is important, so they often take time between sessions to communicate with fans lined up waiting to catch a glimpse in the paddock area. These kinds of events are one more opportunity to interact. Fans bring items decorated for their favorite riders and cheer loudly. This kind of support gives the riders an added boost in the race!

The official stage at the Yamaha Fan Booth played host to all four riders, and as these photos show, quite a few fans came out to watch and listen. The major motivation the riders got from everyone who turned out is clear to see.

Since this was the Japanese Grand Prix, we had the chance to sit down for interviews with the riders, and we’ll share what we heard here. Riders in the MotoGP paddock lead extremely busy lives, globetrotting from one race to the next during the season. So, our first questions were about how they spend their time between races and what they like to do when they visit Japan.

“Personally, I feel like I'm managing everything really well,” said Quartararo. “During the off-season, I focus mainly on aerobic training. I do a lot of running. I also hit the gym and do motocross and trials, but during the season, with so many races, I can't do much more than that. Still, for me, doing some training is definitely better than sitting on the couch.”

“Off-season is my time away from the M1,” says Rins. “So I’m mostly focused on the gym and cardio. I also ride my bicycle a lot, and I do trials in Andorra, which helps me when I'm back on the bike.” Exercise is something riders have to pay attention to on a daily basis to compete at the world level.

When asked how he spends his time when visiting Japan, Quartararo shared, "Unfortunately, I didn't have much time this year, but I usually go to places like Shibuya and Ginza. It's interesting because it's a bit different from our culture, and I definitely want to visit at least once a year,“ he says revealing his youthful, stylish side. Rins, on the other hand, came to Japan with his family. ”It had been a while since my family and I were in Japan, so we spent some time in Tokyo. It was great to see the different parts of the city and experience and learn about Japanese culture," he says, describing a relaxing time taken out of a hectic season to enjoy time with his family.

Miller was enthusiastic about his experience in Japan. “I love going to Japanese ‘home centers’ (hardware stores). The cleaning supplies they have are really amazing. Especially the products for cleaning motorcycles. They’re the best! They have some fantastic ones you can't get in Australia or Europe. Unfortunately, on this visit I didn’t have enough time to go, but I managed to buy some before the Suzuka 8 Hours!”

Oliveira remarked, “Nothing in particular, but for me just being in Japan feels completely different to my usual everyday life. I like to learn something from the Japanese people—that's always important.” It seems like each rider has their own way of spending time when they come to Japan.

Next, we asked Miller and Oliveira, who joined Yamaha this season, for their impressions of the YZR-M1's characteristics and Yamaha’s machine development.

Oliveira talked about getting on the YZR-M1 for the first time. “The first thing I noticed was that the braking is really different. At first, it was a bit tricky for me to adjust my braking markers. But at the same time, the front-end stability is very high. Even with changes in tire temperature or pressure, it has minimal impact on the ride and gives me a lot of confidence. Overtaking is challenging, but the M1 is competitive in terms of how close you can get to rivals.

“The engine responds to the electronics and to throttle inputs differently than other bikes, and at first it took some work for me to get used to it. But Yamaha has made a lot of progress this season—I think more progress in one season than any other bike I’ve ridden. They've done a great job giving us riders the best machine possible.

“I think what makes the M1 unique it’s overall design. It's so beautiful, and so high quality down to the smallest detail. Every bolt, every wire is organized, there’s no clutter anywhere. It made me think, ‘This is definitely a Japanese bike.’”

Miller also shared his thoughts on the M1. “The engine is so smooth. It’s amazing, there's none of the jerky acceleration or speed changes I've felt with other bikes. It's so smooth that it almost tricks you into thinking you need more power. The bike's front end is wider than others, and braking feels good. I like that because I use the front brake a lot.

“Like Miguel said, seeing the bike in the box every time is the best part. How detailed it is, the design, the seat. The seat's hardness is really impressive, too. The attention to detail and the level of quality is almost perfect. Plus, the M1 sounds great. Just the sound of it warming up in pit lane is incredible," he told us.

Jack Miller has a wealth of experience working with numerous teams on several makes of motorcycle. “I've worked with Japanese engineers, engineers from lots of countries, in quite a few teams, and even with Pramac before. Yamaha's approach is slightly different from all of them. Personally, I enjoy Yamaha's development style, which is everyone super focused on what we’re doing on track. It’s very hands-on, we can talk about the bike in detail.”

“The engineers are honestly looking forward to rider feedback. Like Miguel said, they’re very careful about confirming things first before moving to the next step, to make sure they deliver the best product. I think it’s a great mindset, and once everything comes together, I believe we'll be unstoppable," he shared this valuable insight.

Finally, we asked all four riders about their mindset heading into a race and their emotions during it.

Quartararo said, “Actually, I do get nervous—but only for a very short time. Especially from about two minutes before the start until after the first lap. For what I think about during the race, it depends, but when it’s going well, I think about all sorts of things. When it’s not going well, I just want the race to end quickly!”

Rins also spoke about race-day nerves. “For me, when I’m alone on the grid, I get nervous right before the race starts. But it’s a mix of nerves and adrenaline. Whether my race is going well or badly, I do talk to myself in my helmet.”

Miller also shared, “I wouldn’t say nerves, it’s more like being excited, the same feeling I’ve had since I started racing as a kid, and it hasn’t changed to this day.”

“When the lights go out, I’m sucked right into the race, launching forward. And from that point on I’m totally locked in. During it, I’m thinking about what’s happening right now—my feeling on the bike, how my body feels, how the bike feels. I’m doing lap after lap, thinking, ‘I can do better here,’ ‘I have to improve there,‘ ‘I have to make adjustments.’”

Oliveira’s experience is similar. “During the race, I’m always thinking about what’s happening, reacting to what’s going on around me and on the bike and just completing each lap. For me, the best way to get through a race is to think in small steps and not focus too much on the finish line. Sometimes though, feelings and thoughts do come up. Like, ‘This feels like a long race!’ Or ‘I’m getting tired,’ or just wondering what I should do. I have to keep in mind that the race will be over eventually!”

That concludes our report on this year’s Japanese Grand Prix. Looking back at the photos, it’s clear once again how much support we receive from the fans. Thank you to everyone who came out to cheer on the Yamaha squad. As the 2025 season draws to a close, we will keep giving it our best until the end. We’ll be counting on your support!