MotoGP points leader Marc Marquez goes into this weekend’s Motegi round with a markedly different tactic to the one employed at Aragon three weeks ago.

Even though the Repsol Honda man will be racing in front of his factory’s home crowd, he doesn’t believe he will be able to attack as he did in Spain but aims to try and defend his series lead.

“The triple-header always marks a demanding period in the season because there are three races in a row in different time zones and different conditions, so we must handle them calmly and with the same mind-set we have kept throughout this season,” he said.

“The Japanese Grand Prix is an important appointment for us as it is Honda’s home race and one where we have great memories, as we clinched the title in 2014. On the other hand, it’s a circuit that has always been a bit challenging for us.

“So for example, if Aragon was a track that I marked for attacking, Motegi is one that I marked for giving up as few points as possible. That said, we’ll approach it with an open mentality, aiming for the best result possible but ready to adapt to the circumstances.”