Lorenzo Poles in Japan

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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

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Fog Hits MotoGP Practice

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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."

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Marquez in Practice Crash

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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

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Pedrosa Wins in Valencia

The 2012 MotoGP World Championship came to an exciting climax on Sunday with a fantastic display from the Repsol Honda Team. Dani Pedrosa took victory in the Grand Prix Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana (his sixth at this track) and finishes the season runner-up to champion Jorge Lorenzo by just 18 points but with the most victories of the championship, with a total of seven.

After the sighting lap, several riders chose to change to slick tyre bikes and start from the pit lane, including Pedrosa who lost his advantage of being on pole position. 

With the asphalt drying up very quickly, Pedrosa managed to catch race leader Lorenzo within 12 laps, just before the Yamaha rider crashed out. Pedrosa took the lead with a huge advantage of 23 seconds and remained calm to control the pace until the end, crossing the finish line with gap of 37 seconds and securing Honda's 19th premier class Constructor's Title.

Dani Pedrosa

"After Márquez's race, I thought I should do something similar! But seriously, I'm really happy with this win, it was very difficult at the start to make the decision with tyres. I saw Jorge on slicks on the grid and I was pretty sure with my decision, but standing there the track was drying up very quickly and before the start I didn't know if it would be better to forget about the pole and start from the pits or go out on wets and stop after 4 or 5 laps. In the last corner of the sighting lap, the instinct told me to get in immediately. I started from the pit lane and I managed to be fast from the beginning, I caught Jorge and then I made a mistake and lost three seconds again, but one lap later he also made a mistake and crashed out. From this point another race began for me. It was tough to maintain concentration with such conditions and a big advantage, so I planned the second half of the race like a practice session, taking the corners, the lines, lap by lap. It's a great end of the season and I'd like to thank all the Repsol Honda Team!”

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Pedrosa Win Closes MotoGP Gap

Dani Pedrosa has beaten MotoGP championship leader Jorge Lorenzo to win the Japanese Grand Prix.

The Honda rider overtook pole-sitter Lorenzo on the 12th lap of the 24-lap race and stayed in front to claim victory in 42 minutes 31.569 seconds.

Yamaha rider Lorenzo finished 4.275 seconds behind the Spaniard, with Alvaro Bautista third on a Honda 2.477 further back.

Pedrosa has now claimed victory in four of the last five races to close the gap on Lorenzo in the title race to 28 points with three races remaining in the season.

Lorenzo, who had earlier claimed his sixth pole position of the season, led the way around the first bend with Pedrosa left trailing.

But Pedrosa overtook Lorenzo at the halfway point after narrowing the gap on his compatriot, which had stretched to nearly four tenths of a second at one point.

Pedrosa continued to pull away to secure victory and leave Lorenzo with an increasingly slender looking championship lead ahead of next weekend's race in Malaysia.

"It was a hard race because from the beginning the pace was very fast," said Pedrosa.

"At the beginning, I tried to understand the bike because yesterday it had some chatter (vibration after braking).

"There was one moment I could get right with a right-hand corner so I could pass him and I tried to pull some good laps. I suffered a lot of chattering during the race but I could manage."

Lorenzo said: "I was completely at the maximum trying to stay with Dani but today we had such different performances on the straights and he was also riding really well.

"I tried to stay with him but it was impossible.

"Maybe next time it will be different. For sure the championship is closer now, but we are still very competitive and have the chance to win."

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Pedrosa Wins Gran Premio de Aragon

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Dani Pedrosa returned from his Misano non-finish to take victory in Sunday’s Gran Premio Iveco de Aragón, overhauling title rival Jorge Lorenzo before winning by 6.4 seconds. The Repsol Honda Team rider, who had started second at MotorLand Aragón, now trails his Yamaha Factory Racing opponent by 33 points.

The result marks Pedrosa’s fourth win of 2012 and 19th of his MotoGP™ career, one day after celebrating his 27th birthday. 

"It was good overall, especially after all of the problems at the last race," he commented. "This weekend I had a crash and broke one bike, so it wasn’t easy for the mechanics, but I was calm and well-focussed. I started well and was able to stay with him and keep the pace." 

Pedrosa stole the lead from Lorenzo at Turn 12 on the sixth lap, then extended the margin which became only greater when the latter suffered a large slide at the first corner. 

"I tried to maintain my rhythm and put some good laps in, so I was able to open up a good gap and the bike was working quite well," Pedrosa continued. "The bike was working well overall and especially in the corners. Thanks to all of the mechanics, my fans and my family – this victory is for them."

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Pedrosa Secures Czech Victory

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Dani Pedrosa closed the gap on Jorge Lorenzo at the top of the MotoGP standings with victory in the Czech Republic.

The Spaniard managed to complete 22 laps of the Brno circuit in 42 minutes 51.570 seconds, meaning he is now just 13 points behind the current leader with six races to go in the season.

It was Pedrosa's third victory of the season, one that also offers a positive sign for his title hopes - the the winner at the venue for the past five years has then gone on to lift the overall trophy.

"It was a difficult last lap because I knew Jorge was very fast in the middle of the corner and I could hear the bike full on me," said the 26-year-old Pedrosa.

Lorenzo, who started the race on pole, had to settle for second place ahead of British rider Cal Crutchlow, who claimed the first podium finish of his MotoGP career.

Casey Stoner remains in third place overall despite failing to take part after travelling home to Australia for surgery on his fractured ankle.

The reigning champion is retiring at the end of the season and his replacement at the Repsol Honda team, Spanish youngster Marc Marquez, won the Moto2 race.

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