MotoGP’s traditional late-season surge with the triple-header of fl♔yaways begins at Motegi for the Japanese Grand Prix and despite Marc Marquez wrapping up the riders’ world title there’s still plenty to play for.

Marquez has made it clear he’s out to seal another Triple Crown for Honda, with the constructors’ and teams’ crowns next on his to do list, and while Honda holds a dominant 77-point lead over Ducati in the constructors’ standings it is going to take some doing for Repsol Honda to overhaul Ducati in th💝e teams’ with the Italian squad holding 🌳a 19-point advantage with four rounds to go.

The 26-year-old might have to single-handedly take on Ducati duo Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci given team-mate Jorge Lorenzo has failed to s꧂core a point🌺 since Misano.

But given Marquez’s exploits so far th✨is season, his fight can’t be discounted starting this w𝓡eekend at Honda’s race – one he’s claimed victory at in two of the last three seasons.

But with the all-important riders’ crown tied up in Thailand, it also provides Marquez with the ideal opportunity to get an early start to his 2020 preparatio💃ns.

The same can clearly be said for the rest of the MotoGP grid and while in truth the riders’ world championship has been largely decided for the last few races the mathematical certainty provided at the Chang International Circuit will only fast forward thoughts towa♍rds next season.

Can Quartararo spring a surprise?

Fabio Quartararo has already cemented himself as one▨ to watch for the rest of the season and going into 2020, when Marc Marquez expects him to challenge for the MotoGP world title, despite the rookie still hunting his maiden race win in the premier class.

After coming so near but so far to that first victory in Thailand, losing out in another final-lap duel with Marquez, Quartararo has four more chances to become the first rookie to win in MotoGP since the newly-crowned eight-time world c♈hampion back in 2013.

🐲Even before leaving Thailand and the disappointment behind him, the French rider was eying Motegi has a favourable circuit f🍌or him and Petronas Yamaha.

Quartararo won last y𓃲ear’s Moto2 race at the Japanese track, before losing it a couple of days later due to disqualification 𝓀for a tyre pressure infringement, something many believed wouldn’t have changed the result of the race.

While Yamaha♍ hasn’t tasted victory at Motegi since 2014, and hasn’t even featured on the podium since 2015, the team will be reasonably optimistic of a strong showing at the Japanese circuit given at least one Yamaha rider has featured on the rostrum in four of the last five rounds across a wide variety of circuit characteristics.

Regardless, if Quartararo can kee﷽p up his current form there is 🌟a growing sense the 20-year-old’s maiden premier class is a case of when rather than if.

Unhappy Rossi searching for ‘something different’

With Valentino Rossi currently going through his longest rostrum dro﷽ught since his first year at Ducati in 2011, the 40-year-old is desperate for a turnaround before the end of the season.

But rather than moving for♔ward the nine-time world champion has b♕een going backwards with a hat-trick of fourth place finishes followed up by a pair of eighth places in Aragon and Buriram.

Focus is starting to build on Rossi’s side of the factory Yamaha garage give❀n the general upward momentum Maverick Vinales is producing with three podiums from the last four races along with the standout rookie charge fro꧒m Quartararo.

It has led to Rossi being forthr🥂ight on his current situation as he searches for an immediate overhaul.

“During these upcoming three consecutive races we will try to solve some of our problems with the bike,” Rossi said. “Obviously, we a♍re not happy about the latest result♈s and in Motegi we will try other solutions, something different.”

Key to Rossi’s major pace problems this year has been a loss of rear grip causing frustrations under accelerations 🌱and in stability – something all other Yamaha riders have been able to partially or fully temper as the season has progr🗹essed.

Rossi will have t🔯o wait until the end of the season for a more radical shake-up, as he changes crew chief to Davide Munoz for 2020 along with receiving a prototype of next year’s Yamaha M1, but he’ll be anxious to rediscover some momentum heading into another long winter without success.

How does MotoGP fit into Japan’s season of sport?

Japan’s international airport halls&n🧸bsp;have been filled with a range of sporting icons in💙 recent weeks.

With the Rugby World C✱up currently ongoing across the country, which eꦓnters the quarter-final stage on the same weekend as MotoGP takes place, Formula 1 has just left Suzuka having been preceded by the World Endurance Championship at Fuji the weekend before.

During all of this Japan has battled the biggest typhoon its faced in decades, Typhoon Hagibis, which has left at least 73 people dead and thousands homeless⛦. The 😼strength of a nation frequently hit with deadly storms has been commendable and sport has provided a release of joy and focus.

While F1 saw its Saturday activities cancelled by the we🍸ather, with qualifying held on Sunday morning at Suzuka, the Japanese MotoGP is set to be unaffected by last weekend’s typhoon with the Motegi region avoiding the worst of the weather.

As a result, Japan’s sporting season will see the MotoGP race take place just hours before the home nation’s first-ever Rugby World Cup quarter-final when the Cherry Blossoms take on South Africa in Tokyo.

Whether this will impact the Japanese Grand Prix spectator attendance seems unlikely but MotoGP certainly has strong&nbꦓsp;competition this weekend.