Alex Rins was supposed to be getting a straightforward ride back to pit lane after Friday practice at Motegi. Instead, the return became one of the session’s most memorable scenes. Rins had parked his Yamaha M1 at the side of the circuit, prompting Jack Miller to stop and take him along. The day had been difficult for both Yamaha riders: Miller was 18th on the timesheets and Rins 20th.

Miller made the trip considerably less routine. With Rins perched behind him, he leaned the motorcycle in an attempt to touch a knee to the asphalt, immediately alarming his passenger. He then told Rins to hold on as they approached the braking zone on the back straight. A hard squeeze of the brakes lifted the rear wheel, creating a two-up stoppie with both riders still aboard.

The pair waved to the spectators before completing their journey to pit lane. Rins described Miller as “crazy” and said he enjoyed the episode, but admitted that the knee-down attempt was the frightening part because he was sitting at the rear and could not hold on securely. He judged the stoppie itself to be “not bad” and added that the stunt earned the two riders a few minutes of television exposure.