Stoner seals second straight win

Australia’s Casey Stoner (Ducati) followed up his first win of the season at Aragón with a second victory of 2010 in the Grand Prix of Japan this afternoon, with pole man Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) second and Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) third after an intense battle with team-mate and runaway championship leader Jorge Lorenzo.

Honda’s Dani Pedrosa didn’t race after breaking his left collarbone in Friday practice. He’s already had a titanium plate inserted back home in Barcelona.

It was another strong win from Stoner as he slowly pulled away from Dovizioso throughout the 24-lap race to win by 3.868 seconds.

It was Stoner’s 22nd career victory in the premier class, moving him level with MotoGP greats Geoff Duke, Kenny Roberts Snr and John Surtees.

“This win feels great. I could have never imagined when I began my first season in Grand Prix at 16 years of age that I would reach this level and all I can say is that it is an honour to be alongside such great names,” said the 24 year-old. “I have taken all my MotoGP wins with Ducati and it is down to their fantastic support, hard work and above all their belief in me that this has been possible.”

As he did last time out at Aragón Stoner got a fast start and took the lead on the opening lap, and as he settled into his rhythm and consistently posted fast laps but Dovizioso – starting from pole for the first time in the premier class – stuck with him for the early stages. Lorenzo hinted at what was to come as he passed Rossi to assume third, and that was just the start of the duo’s enthralling contest.

Ben Spies (Yamaha) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati) ran off at turn five together on only the second lap as they dropped down the order, while rookie Marco Simoncelli (Honda) and Colin Edwards (Yamaha) pitted their wits against one another in the push for fifth.

Stoner began to open up a slender lead over Dovizioso which grew to a second with seven laps remaining, while further down the order Loris Capirossi (Suzuki) was forced to retire when his bike stalled as he ran wide alongside team-mate Álvaro Bautista in the chase for seventh place.

With Stoner now assured of victory and Dovizioso a return to the podium after an eight-race stint without a top-three finish, Rossi and Lorenzo locked horns. Repeatedly pushing one another the pair touched bikes with two laps to go as they fought side by side in a rousing finale to the race.

Rossi managed to hold his own in third place and score a seventh rostrum result of 2010, and in the process ensure that Lorenzo (who has extended his contract at Yamaha by another two years) finished outside the top three for the second successive race.

Edwards posted a season’s best result of fifth, with Simoncelli sixth and Bautista seventh. Spies Randy de Puniet (Honda) and Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda MotoGP) completed the top 10.

In the absence of the injured Pedrosa, Lorenzo’s lead at the top of the championship was extended to 69 points. Stoner remains in third, with Dovizioso leapfrogging Rossi into fourth.

Australia’s Anthony West (MZ) was a distant 23rd in the Moto2 race, won by Moriwaki’s Toni Elias.

The next round will be held at Sepang (Malaysia) this weekend, followed by Phillip Island from October 15-17.

Click on the following link to buy tickets to Phillip Island.