Lorenzo Poles in Japan

Getty Images

Jorge Lorenzo claimed pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix and will start one place in front of championship leader Marc Marquez for the second week in succession.

The Spaniard clocked a lap of one minute 53.471 seconds to edge his compatriot in an extended session after bad fog saw Friday practice postponed.

Britain's Cal Cutchlow was 11th, his worst grid position of 2013.

Marquez can win the world title if he outscores Lorenzo by eight points.

Lorenzo won in Australia last week to keep his title hopes alive and he maintained his momentum in a 75-minute session at the penultimate event in the season.

The Yamaha rider was quickest early on and then consolidated his fourth pole of the season as conditions dried at the Twin Ring Montegi track.

Ducati's Nicky Hayden earned third and his best grid position of 2013 but was nudged from second when Honda's Marquez found some pace on his final lap.

Marquez, 20, can win the world championship in his debut season this weekend and only he could finish qualifying within a second of Lorenzo as rival riders struggled to keep pace.

Honda's Dani Pedrosa and Yamaha's Valentino Rossi are on the second row with the second Ducati of Andrea Dovizioso in sixth, while Cutchlow finished outside the top 10 for the first time since last year's British MotoGP.

With 25 points available for a win, Marquez will become the youngest ever MotoGP World Champion and first rookie title winner for 35 years if he extends his existing 18 point lead to 26.

Results:

1 Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha 01min 53.471secs

2. Marc Marquez (Spa) Honda +0.658 seconds

3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati +1.068

4. Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Honda +1.071

5. Valentino Rossi (Ita) Yamaha +1.261

6. Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Ducati +1.565

7. Alvaro Bautista (Spa) Honda +1.664

8. Stefan Bradl (Ger) Honda +2.139

9. Aleix Espargaro (Spa) Aspar +2.248

10. Yonny Hernandez (Col) Ducati +2.527

Related articles

• Marques Marcs Aragon Pole
• Lorenzo Marc's Win Three
• Lorenzo Wins Australia
• Marquez in Practice Crash
• Lorenzo Poles Downunder
• Marquez extends lead as Pedrosa wins

Fog Hits MotoGP Practice

Getty Images

All of Friday's practice sessions for the Japanese MotoGP have been cancelled because of thick fog.

The Moto2 and Moto3 sessions were also called off at the Twin Ring Motegi.

The decision was made over safety concerns with the circuit medical helicopter unable to fly and the nearest hospital an hour away by road.

Spaniard Marc Marquez, 20, could win the championship this weekend with the rookie having an 18-point lead over Jorge Lorenzo with two races left.

"We are not prepared to run in these conditions when there is a risk that a seriously injured rider could not be given correct care," race director Mike Webb said.

Organisers said a 75-minute free practice session could be scheduled on Saturday afternoon but added that further adverse weather conditions could present problems.

"We expect more heavy rain on Saturday morning, but rain is not the key problem, it is low cloud cover affecting visibility," they wrote on Twitter.

"We are still committed to running this Japanese Grand Prix for all three classes."

Outlining his contingency plans, Webb added: "Nothing is fixed because it depends on the weather, but I'm aiming at 75 minutes for MotoGP and perhaps a little shorter for other classes.

"Taking into account the shortage of daylight at the end of the day, we will just run for as long as possible."

A draft plan has also been made for Sunday of 40 minutes for each qualifying session, although a single, longer practice run rather than two would also be considered.

"The original weather forecast when we arrived here was that the nearby typhoon would be quite close with very strong winds," added Webb.

"However, in place of those strong winds we have had low cloud cover which has been a lot worse (disrupting track action).

"We are still expecting heavy rain tomorrow morning, but rain does not stop the helicopter from flying - that all depends on the visibility."

Related articles

• Moto GP - Honda accept blame for Marquez disqualification
• Motorcycling: MotoGP Round 16 Phillip Island Review: Controversies Blow Title Race Wide Open
• Marquez in Practice Crash
• Jorge Lorenzo confident of MotoGP title success
• Lorenzo Wins Australia
• Jorge Lorenzo

Lorenzo Wins Australia

Getty Images

Jorge Lorenzo's MotoGP world title hopes remain alive after he won a dramatic Australian Grand Prix which saw championship leader Marc Marquez disqualified.

Yamaha's Lorenzo, who started from pole and led throughout, now trails his fellow Spaniard by 18 points going into next week's penultimate race in Japan.

Riders had to change bikes mid-race because of safety concerns over tyres.

But Marquez failed to pit by the required time and scored no points.

After the race, BBC Sport's MotoGP presenter Matt Roberts tweeted that Marquez's Honda team had said it was a pit-board error which led to their rider being disqualified.

Dani Pedrosa was second while Valentino Rossi held off the challenge of Britain's Cal Crutchlow for third.

Lorenzo described the race as "crazy" because of the compulsory bike change but his maximum return of 25 points, coupled with Marquez failing to register, means the title race has been opened up.

"We were lucky," said Lorenzo. "Without the mistake from Marc I think he would have been first or second - now the championship has changed so much.

"Before the race we had no chance - a 2% or 3% chance - and now it's 20% or 30%.

"Let's see what happens in Motegi." [the venue for next Sunday's race in Japan]

After setting the fastest time in qualifying, Lorenzo started well from pole and held off Marquez and Pedrosa in the opening lap before looking very comfortable.

Tyre supplier Bridgestone said before the race that they were unable to guarantee the safety of their rear slick tyres beyond 10 laps because of the newly-resurfaced track at Phillip Island.

As a result, it was decided to shorten the race to 19 laps from 27, with a mid-race pit stop.

Pedrosa was the first of the top three to pit on lap nine, while Lorenzo made his change on the following lap.

However, Marquez stayed out on the track until lap 11 and when he rejoined the race he had a minor clash with Lorenzo for top spot but the race leader retained his advantage.

Marquez's hopes of securing the title in his rookie season then suffered a blow when he was shown the black flag for exceeding the maximum number of laps permitted before having to pit.

Result

1. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha 29 minutes 07.155 seconds

2. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda +6.936 secs

3. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha +12.344

4. Cal Crutchlow (Britain) Yamaha +12.460

5. Alvaro Bautista (Spain) Honda +12.513

6. Bradley Smith (Britain) Yamaha +28.263

7. Nicky Hayden (US) Ducati +32.953

8. Andrea Iannone (Italy) Ducati +35.062

9. Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Ducati +35.104

10. Randy de Puniet (France) Aprilia +37.426

Championship standings

1. Marc Marquez (Spain) Honda 298 points

2. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha 280

3. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 264

4. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha 214

5. Cal Crutchlow (Great Britain) Yamaha 179

Related articles

• Lorenzo Poles Downunder
• Marques Marcs Aragon Pole
• Lorenzo Marc's Win Three
• Lorenzo wins dramatic Australian GP
• Marquez in Practice Crash
• Marquez on pole for MotoGP Malaysia

Lorenzo Poles Downunder

Getty Images

Jorge Lorenzo broke the Phillip Island lap record to claim pole for the Australian MotoGP as he fights to keep alive his World Championship defence.

The Yamaha racer, 26, dominated the session with a best lap of one minute 27.899 seconds - 0.221 seconds faster than fellow Spaniard Marc Marquez.

Marquez is 43 points ahead in the standings and will secure the title in his rookie season if he collects eight more points than Lorenzo. 

Briton Cal Crutchlow will start sixth.

Tyre problems - which have seen the Moto2 race shortened to 13 laps - mean that the MotoGP race will have a mandatory pit stop, for the first time in MotoGP history.

Bridgestone tyres say that they are unable to guarantee the safety of their rear slick tyres beyond 14 laps at a Phillip Island circuit which has been resurfaced since last year's race.

Each MotoGP rider will be required to enter the pits and change to his second machine with fresh tyres at the midway point of the 26-lap race, which has been reduced by a lap.

Lorenzo beat Casey Stoner's previous record of 1:28.665, set in 2008, but had to pit to remove a seagull that had lodged in his bike after a collision at the top of Lukey Heights before securing his 28th career MotoGP pole.

"We've done our best to be competitive," he said. "This lap [we did] is a lap you can only do with a PlayStation. Today we made it - we improved seven tenths [of a second] from our first ride here.

"It's impressive how much faster we can go with new tyres. We're very proud of pole, but our most important thing is tomorrow."

Results:

1. Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha, 1:27.899

2. Marc Marquez (Spa) Repsol Honda +0.221 seconds

3. Valentino Rossi (Ita) Yamaha +0.748

4. Alvaro Bautista (Spa) Gresini Honda +0.814

5. Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Repsol Honda +0.849

6. Cal Crutchlow (GB) Yamaha Tech +0.910

7. Bradley Smith (GB) Yamaha Tech +1.042

8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati +1.396

9. Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Ducati +1.761

10. Andrea Iannone (Ita) Ducati +1.857

Related articles

• Marques Marcs Aragon Pole
• Marquez in Practice Crash
• Lorenzo Marc's Win Three
• Dani Pedrosa denies teammate Marc Marquez in Malaysia MotoGP
• Lorenzo takes pole with lap record
• Marquez on pole for MotoGP Malaysia

Marquez in Practice Crash

Getty Images

Championship leader Marc Marquez crashed in practice for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix as title rival Jorge Lorenzo finished fastest.

The 20-year-old Spaniard, who is closing in on the world title in his rookie season, came off his bike early in the afternoon session.

He was uninjured and was able to return to the circuit 20 minutes later.

Marquez finished the day second fastest, 0.294 seconds behind Lorenzo, who clocked one minute 28.961secs.

British rider Cal Crutchlow was sixth fastest, while his Tech 3 Yamaha team-mate Bradley Smith recorded the seventh quickest time.

Marquez is bidding to become the first rookie in 35 years to win the premier class title.

He leads the standings by 43 points and can win the championship on Sunday if he wins the race and closest challenger Lorenzo finishes third or lower.

"The day went well, especially in the morning," said Repsol Honda rider Marquez.

"It's a pity about the crash right at the start of the afternoon run but we went back out with the second bike, which had a totally different geometry, and we had no time in which to change things. Thus, we used the initial set-up for the entire session."

Spain's Alvaro Bautista had the third-fastest lap, 0.477secs down on Lorenzo, with Marquez's Spanish team-mate Dani Pedrosa fourth at 0.517secs.

Seven-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi was fifth quickest.

Pedrosa's afternoon practice session was disrupted when an engine mounting bolt, which was not properly locked, came loose, forcing him to stop on the track.

"Today was very positive, the new asphalt felt good and the tyres worked well for us," said Pedrosa. "The only setback was that we were unable to make the most of all the time available, due to a problem with the bike at the end of the afternoon session."

LCR Honda's Stefan Bradl, who fractured an ankle at Sepang last Saturday, was able to take part in opening practice but finished almost four seconds off the pace and was later declared unfit.

Results

1. Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha 1:28.961

2. Marc Marquez (Spa) Repsol Honda 0.088

3. Alvaro Bautista (Spa) Honda Gresini 0.664

4. Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Repsol Honda 0.841

5. Valentino Rossi (Ita) Yamaha 0.886

6. Cal Crutchlow (Gbr) Tech 3 Yamaha 0.963

7. Bradley Smith (Gbr) Tech 3 Yamaha 1.194,

8. Nicky Hayden (Usa) Ducati 1.499

9. Randy De Puniet (Fra) ART 2.113

10. Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Ducati 2.128

Related articles

• Marques Marcs Aragon Pole
• Lorenzo Marc's Win Three
• Dani Pedrosa denies teammate Marc Marquez in Malaysia MotoGP
• Marquez extends lead as Pedrosa wins
• Marquez Early Misano Leader
• Dani Pedrosa denies teammate Marc Marquez in Malaysia MotoGP

Marques Marcs Aragon Pole

Getty Images

Championship leader Marc Marquez claimed his seventh pole position of the season at the Aragon Grand Prix ahead of title rivals Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa.

The Spaniard, 20, is aiming to become the first rookie to win the title since 1978 and left it late to take pole with a track record lap of 1:47.804.

Lorenzo was one hundredth of a second back, while Pedrosa will start third.

Great Britain's Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith were seventh and eighth.

Marquez leads the overall title standings by 34 points from both his compatriots - Lorenzo and Pedrosa.

With Aragon the first of five remaining races, Marquez is odds on to take Lorenzo's title and become the first rookie to be crowned world champion since American Kenny Roberts 35 years ago.

Ahead of the decisive qualifying session, Lorenzo failed to make use of final practice, with Yamaha team director Maio Meregalli stating the rider's bike was struggling for grip.

However, Lorenzo quickly broke Casey Stoner's 2011 qualifying record at the circuit and then went faster with two more laps before Marquez clocked his own record-breaking time.

"That pole was so close with Dani and Jorge going so fast, but the most important thing is the race and we will have to take care of the tyres," said Marquez.

Marc Marquez has become the youngest pole sitter and race winner in history this season

Lorenzo won at Misano last time out despite Marquez starting from pole, but the concerns surrounding his Yamaha were compounded after the race when the bike seemed to suffer more problems.

Pedrosa held pole for a brief period late on in the 15-minute qualifying session before eventually slipping to third, as did six-time world champion Valentino Rossi, who ended up fourth.

"I expected to improve with my second tyre but couldn't, so third in the end is ok," said Pedrosa, who won last year's race. "I'm hoping for a good start because the first corner is so tight."

Britain's Crutchlow will have work to do if he is to improve his fifth-place championship standing after only securing seventh on the grid, while his compatriot and Monster Yamaha team-mate Bradley Smith was pleased with eighth.

Aragon qualifying times:

1. Marc Marquez (Spa) Repsol Honda Team 1:47.804

2. Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha Factory Racing 1:47.814

3. Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Repsol Honda Team 1:47.957

4. Valentino Rossi (Ita) Yamaha Factory Racing 1:47.962

5. Stefan Bradl (Ger) LCR Honda MotoGP 1:48.128

6. Alvaro Bautista (Spa) Honda Gresini 1:48.302

7. Cal Crutchlow (GB) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1:48.653

8. Bradley Smith (GB) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1:48.854

9. Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Ducati Team 1:49.219

10. Aleix Espargaro (Spa) Power Electronics Aspar 1:49.348

Related articles

• Lorenzo Marc's Win Three
• MotoGP and the force of Marc Marquez
• Marquez On pole for Aragon Grand Prix
• Marquez on pole ahead of Lorenzo and Pedrosa
• Rossi fastest in final practice
• Marquez Early Misano Leader

Lorenzo Marc's Win Three

Getty Images

World champion Jorge Lorenzo cut Marc Marquez's lead at the top of the MotoGP standings to 34 points with victory in San Marino, his second win in a row.

The 26-year-old, who started from the front row on his Yamaha, has now won his last three races at Misano.

Fellow Spaniard Marquez took second, with Repsol Honda team-mate, and title rival, Dani Pedrosa third and Yamaha's Valentino Rossi fourth.

Britain's Cal Crutchlow finished in sixth position on his Tech 3 Yamaha.

Lorenzo insisted his title hopes were over after winning the British Grand Prix a fortnight ago, but his latest victory keeps alive his hopes of retaining the crown, with five legs of the 18-race season remaining.

He has moved into second place in the standings behind 20-year-old Marquez, and level on points with Pedrosa, but remains cautious about his title chances.

"It is important to win, but we have only recovered five points, so it is the same as Silverstone," he said. "It doesn't make a big difference to the championship.

"But I'm very happy for this victory, because we struggled a lot during the weekend, especially on braking."

Marquez, who started on pole but dropped to fourth early in the race, said: "The second place is important, especially because with the fuel tank full, I was struggling.

"I did go wide twice and that penalised me a lot in the race but we had a good race to take points for the championship. That is important."

The win, the 49th of Lorenzo's career, means the Mallorcan has triumphed at both Italian races on the calendar for three successive seasons. 

From second on the grid, he took the lead as Marquez dropped to third on the opening lap.

The championship leader, who crashed in the morning warm-up, recovered to pass both Rossi and Pedrosa but, with the Honda team-mates locked in battle until the end, Lorenzo cruised to victory.

Rossi was competing on his home circuit, renamed the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in honour of his close friend, whodied following a crash at the 2011 Malaysian MotoGP.

In Moto2, Britain's Scott Redding had his lead in the standings cut to 23 points by finishing sixth.

Title rival Pol Espargaro secured victory, denying Takaaki Nakagami a career-first win by passing him on the penultimate lap.

San Marino Grand Prix result:

1 Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha 44:05.522

2 Marc Marquez (Spa) Repsol Honda +3.379secs

3 Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Repsol Honda +7.368

4 Valentino Rossi (Ita) Yamaha +15.062

5 Stefan Bradl (Ger) LCR Honda +22.355

6 Cal Crutchlow (GB) Tech 3 Yamaha +22.599

7 Alvaro Bautista (Spa) Honda Gresini +31.059

8 Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Ducati +42.702

9 Nicky Hayden (US) Ducati +44.858

10 Michele Pirro (Ita) Pramac Ducati +47.818

Related articles

• Lorenzo triumphs in San Marino GP
• MotoGP: Marquez wins Brno and breaks rookie record
• Jorge Lorenzo wins San Marino Grand Prix
• Marc Marquez's self-belief as a rookie is more than Valentino Rossi ever had
• Dominant Lorenzo wins at Misano
• Crutchlow claims pole spot in Brno