Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) took the second win of his MotoGP career at Motegi, beating polesitter and teammate Valentino Rossi as the manufacturer took a home one-two.

The Superpole was cancelled due to rain Saturday, with organisers using other qualifying times to set the grid. Rossi started from pole, and surged into the lead at the start as Stoner, who was starting second, was not so lucky and rapidly fell to seventh.


What looked like a runaway victory for Rossi turned into a straight fight as teammate Jorge Lorenzo caught a struggling Rossi on lap 5. The youngster hounded Rossi for several laps before jumping into the lead on lap nine. The two Yamahas then pulled away from Pedrosa (Honda) but Rossi was still falling off the pace - allowing Lorenzo to get away.

The Honda rider passed Rossi on three occasions but Rossi, who appeared to be adapting his riding to prematurely worn tires, repassed Pedrosa a few laps from the end and hung on to second at the flag. Casey Stoner (Ducati) never recovered from a muffed start, also suffering from lack of traction, while teammate Nicki Hayden got bumped off the track on lap 2.

MotoGP Round-2 Motegi

Pos Rider Bike Time
1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 43m47.238s
2. Valentino Rossi Yamaha + 1.304s
3. Dani Pedrosa Honda + 3.763s
4. Casey Stoner Ducati + 5.691s
5. Andrea Dovizioso Honda + 9.207s
6. Marco Melandri Hayate Kawasaki + 30.555s
7. Loris Capirossi Suzuki + 32.756s
8. Mika Kallio Pramac Ducati + 39.416s
9. James Toseland Tech 3 Yamaha + 43.106s
10. .......................

MotoGP Championship (After 2-events)

1-Jorge Lorenzo 41 points
2-Valentino Rossi 40 points
3-Casey Stoner 38 points
4-Andrea Davisiozo 22 points
5-Dani Pedrosa 21 points
6-..........


Photo Credit : MotoGP