Daily Update MotoGP

Casey Stoner said an early brake issue cost him a chance to fight for victory at Motegi today.
The pre-race championship leader, who had been dominant in Qatar a fortnight ago, fell back from second to seventh on the opening lap and could only recover to fourth.
He felt the lack of practice mileage - due to both this year's cuts and the rain that affected Saturday's running and forced qualifying to be cancelled - had ultimately meant Ducati was unprepared for the race.

"We have had the same issues as everybody else, I suppose, in that we haven't had time to set the bike up but all in all I think we were capable of at least matching the lap times of the front guys - we just lost too much time at the start," said Stoner.
"On the warm-up lap I felt I a lot of chatter from the front brakes, they weren't smooth and I wasn't confident over the first five or six laps. I really didn't know what to do, I wasn't able to brake where I wanted to and I wasn't confident.
"Maybe I could have gone faster but I don't know how safe that would have been. Anyway, I lost a lot of positions at the beginning of the race and I spent too much time battling to get past."
Once up to fifth, Stoner was able to match the times of the Yamahas and Hondas ahead, but could not close until the final laps, when he took fourth from Andrea Dovizioso.
"When I got closer to the front it was a bit too late, unfortunately," said Stoner.
"I tried to stay as consistent as I could and when I got closer to Andrea I rode a bit harder because I saw it was possible to pass him."
He is now three points behind new championship leader Jorge Lorenzo - and pointed out that he had lost more ground last year when he had a disastrous second round at Jerez.
"We didn't lose that many points and this is a much better start to the season than last year, so we can definitely feel positive going into the next one," said the Australian.
Ducati team boss Livio Suppo agreed that Stoner had done well to minimise the damage from this race.
"It has been a strange weekend and the weather definitely hasn't helped but it has been the same for everybody," he said.
"Casey produced a great performance, showing once again his ability to ride around problems and bringing home some important points."
[AS]
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Fiat Yamaha’s Spanish star Jorge Lorenzo took a superb win at the Polini Grand Prix of Japan on Sunday, but despite taking the standings lead after two races so far this year he still believes some of his rivals are stronger than him.
The former double 250cc World Champion stated during his preparations for his second MotoGP campaign over the winter that his target is a top three standings finish at the end of 2009 and his still playing up the strengths of some more establish premier class stars, after his Qatar podium and his brilliant Motegi performance.

“I am the leader in the championship but I still think that (Casey) Stoner, Valentino (Rossi) and (Dani) Pedrosa are stronger than us,” Lorenzo told motogp.com after the Twin Ring race. “They are more experienced with the Bridgestone tyres but we are still learning about them and improving.”
“Today I had a great opportunity to win,” continued the man from Mallorca, “I knew that with a hard rear tyre I had good pace, so I saw the chance and I attacked.”
Moving back to his native Spain for the first of a series of European races as the top man in MotoGP Lorenzo anticipated the huge support he will receive next week at round three saying, “Jerez is unbelievable -as we all know. All the people there have warm hearts and they are very passionate about the Spanish riders. I think if there is one track where you should take a risk to win it is there.”
[motogp.com]
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Jorge Lorenzo took the second win of his MotoGP career at Motegi, beating his Yamaha team leader Valentino Rossi to victory as the manufacturer took a home one-two.
Dani Pedrosa showed that his pre-season injuries have been overcome by taking third place for Honda, ahead of Qatar winner Casey Stoner's Ducati.

Rossi surged into a clear lead at the start as Stoner was swallowed up by the pack, falling to seventh.
It initially looked as if Rossi would saunter off to a comfortable victory, but within a few laps Lorenzo had passed the fast-starting Hondas and started creeping up behind Yamaha's number one, who seemed to be struggling for race pace.
Lorenzo hounded Rossi for several laps before slicing into the lead on lap nine. The two Yamahas then pulled away from the Hondas in unison for a while, before Rossi fell further off the pace - allowing Lorenzo to get away and Pedrosa to start pushing hard for second.
The Spaniard twice dived past Rossi only to lose the place again on the exit of the corner, but appeared to have made the move stick at Turn 11 with eight laps to go.
Rossi would not give up though, and a lap later he repassed Pedrosa with a similar move and set back off in pursuit of Lorenzo, who was able to maintain a sufficient advantage and clinch his first win since Portugal last year, moving into an early points lead in the process.
Having got back up to fifth within the first half-dozen laps, Stoner seemed unable to close on the lead pack. But in the closing stages he was able to reel in Andrea Dovizioso and take fourth from the Honda rider with two laps to go.
Marco Melandri took an excellent sixth on the Hayate Kawasaki, winning a mid-race battle with Loris Capirossi, as Suzuki disappointed in race trim again.
After the practice crash that left him at the back of the grid, Mika Kallio further enhanced his reputation with a charge through the field to eighth on the Pramac Ducati, ahead of Tech 3 Yamaha's James Toseland.
With so little pre-race mileage, it was unsurprising that several riders struggled to make their tyre or set-up choices work in the hot and dry conditions - in particular top five starters Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) and Colin Edwards (Tech 3 Yamaha), who both went into freefall in the race before regaining a little ground in the final stages.
The sole home rider in the field - Scot Honda's rookie Yuki Takahashi - did not even complete a lap before ploughing into the back of Ducati's Nicky Hayden and taking both out of the race.
Toni Elias (Gresini Honda) and Sete Gibernau (Hernando Ducati) also had falls, with Elias continuing at the tail of the field but Gibernau retiring in the pits afterwards.

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. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki + 43.245s
11. Randy de Puniet LCR Honda + 44.834s
12. Colin Edwards Tech 3 Yamaha + 46.540s
13. Alex de Angelis Gresini Honda + 53.525s
14. Niccolo Canepa Pramac Ducati +1m21.804s
15. Toni Elias Gresini Honda + 1 lap

Retirements:

Rider Bike Laps
Sete Gibernau Hernando Ducati 13
Nicky Hayden Ducati 0
Yuki Takahashi Scot Honda 0
[AS]
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Valentino Rossi will start Sunday's MotoGP race at Motegi from pole position after today's qualifying session was cancelled due to heavy rain.
A torrential downpour shortly after the MotoGP practice on Saturday caused the 125cc and MotoGP qualifying session to be delayed, and the decision to cancel the day's running was taken when the rained did not let up for the rest of the afternoon in Japan.

The grid was decided on the fastest times set by each rider during the weekend's practice sessions, all of which were set on Friday as Saturday's practice session was run in wet conditions.
Rossi earned his 42nd premier class pole position with his last flying lap of Friday's session when he beat Ducati's Casey Stoner's best effort by just 0.056s. Stoner will join Rossi's works Yamaha on the front row, along with the second factory Yamaha of Jorge Lorenzo.
Suzuki and Kawasaki were among those to benefit from the Friday times being counted, with Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi sandwiching Colin Edwards - who was fastest in today's wet practice session - on the second row. Marco Melandri's Hayate Kawasaki was eigth quickest on Friday, so will start in the middle of the third row.
Andrea Dovizioso's late effort on a poor Friday for Honda became more significant as it earned him seventh on the grid, while team-mate Dani Pedrosa will start down in 11th place.
Toni Elias will start ninth on his Gresini Honda, with James Toseland's Tech 3 Yamaha completing the top 10.

Pos Rider Team Time Gap
1. Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1m48.545s
2. Casey Stoner Ducati 1m48.601s +0.056
3. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 1m48.965s +0.420
4. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki 1m49.382s +0.837
5. Colin Edwards Tech 3 Yamaha 1m49.697s +1.152
6. Loris Capirossi Suzuki 1m49.980s +1.435
7. Andrea Dovizioso Honda 1m50.030s +1.485
8. Marco Melandri Hayate Kawasaki 1m50.123s +1.578
9. Toni Elias Gresini Honda 1m50.209s +1.664
10. James Toseland Tech 3 Yamaha 1m50.342s +1.797
11. Dani Pedrosa Honda 1m50.391s +1.846
12. Nicky Hayden Ducati 1m50.393s +1.848
13. Yuki Takahashi Scot Honda 1m50.404s +1.859
14. Sete Gibernau Hernando Ducati 1m50.538s +1.993
15. Alex de Angelis Gresini Honda 1m50.601s +2.056
16. Randy de Puniet LCR Honda 1m50.669s +2.124
17. Mika Kallio Pramac Ducati 1m51.643s +3.098
18. Niccolo Canepa Pramac Ducati 1m51.929s +3.384
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Dani Pedrosa says the works Repsol Honda team made the wrong call on set-up in Friday's practice session at Motegi, and believes it will leave the team at a disadvantage on Sunday if the race is dry.
The Spaniard and team-mate Andrea Dovizioso were well off the pace throughout the 45-minute practice today. Dovizioso managed to salvage seventh place with a quicker lap on his final run, albeit 1.4 seconds slower than pace-setter Valentino Rossi, while Pedrosa finished 11th.
Rain is forecast for Saturday's practice and qualifying sessions, so Pedrosa fears today's could have been his only run in the dry before race day.

"The problem was that we made totally the wrong setting," Pedrosa said. "I couldn't make good laptimes, so it was a shame because tomorrow it will be raining.
"If the race is in dry conditions, I think today we make the wrong decision."
Pedrosa added that he is much more comfortable on his bike in Japan than he was in Qatar, as his recovery from a broken wrist continues.
"Today I felt a little bit better than in Qatar," he said. "Still in the beginning it's very difficult, but after some minutes I get a little bit more movement, so this is good. I have to sit better on the machine."
[AS]
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Valentino Rossi set the quickest time in the opening practice session for this weekend's MotoGP round at Motegi, knocking Casey Stoner off the top spot with his last lap of the session.
It is the first time this season that a session has not been topped by Stoner's Ducati, although the Australian was fastest for the majority of the 45-minute practice.
Stoner had two excursions off track during the session, one at Turn 1 and one at the hairpin, but he escaped unscathed on both occasions and was the first rider to break into the 1m48s in the last quarter of an hour.
He returned to the pits with the best lap at the end of his final run, but reigning world champion Rossi found a chunk of time in the last sector of his last lap and posted a time half a tenth faster.

Jorge Lorenzo's factory Yamaha had a spell at the head of the timesheet, but was shuffled down to third as Rossi and Stoner trimmed their times at the end.
The works Suzukis ran well throughout the session, with Chris Vermeulen ending up fourth and Loris Capirossi sixth. They were separated by Colin Edwards' Tech 3 Yamaha in fifth.
Honda had a dismal session and rookie Japanese rider Yuki Takahasi spent most of it as the manufacturer's quickest representative on the fringes of the top 10, despite a trek through the gravel mid-way through.
The factory Hondas of Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa were well off the leaders' pace, although Dovizioso at least managed to salvage seventh place with his last lap of the session.
Marco Melandri was eighth quickest on the sole Kawasaki, ahead of Toni Elias's Gresini Honda and James Toseland's Tech 3 Yamaha.
The only faller was Mika Kallio, who had his first accident in MotoGP's top class when he was thrown from his Pramac Ducati in a high-side crash at Turn 3. The Finn landed awkwardly on top of his bike, but was uninjured and returned to the track later in the session.

Pos Rider Team Time Gap
1. Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1m48.545s
2. Casey Stoner Ducati 1m48.601s +0.056
3. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 1m48.965s +0.420
4. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki 1m49.382s +0.837
5. Colin Edwards Tech 3 Yamaha 1m49.697s +1.152
6. Loris Capirossi Suzuki 1m49.980s +1.435
7. Andrea Dovizioso Honda 1m50.030s +1.485
8. Marco Melandri Hayate Kawasaki 1m50.123s +1.578
9. Toni Elias Gresini Honda 1m50.209s +1.664
10. James Toseland Tech 3 Yamaha 1m50.342s +1.797
11. Dani Pedrosa Honda 1m50.391s +1.846
12. Nicky Hayden Ducati 1m50.393s +1.848
13. Yuki Takahashi Scot Honda 1m50.404s +1.859
14. Sete Gibernau Hernando Ducati 1m50.538s +1.993
15. Alex de Angelis Gresini Honda 1m50.601s +2.056
16. Randy de Puniet LCR Honda 1m50.669s +2.124
17. Mika Kallio Pramac Ducati 1m51.643s +3.098
18. Niccolo Canepa Pramac Ducati 1m51.929s +3.384

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A victory in Qatar and confidence in the setup of the Ducati Desmosedici GP9 have made for a happy Casey Stoner heading to round two in Motegi, but the former MotoGP World Champion has reiterated that he is taking nothing for granted.
Stoner has set his sights on a stronger start to his 2009 season to that made in 2008, and thus far things appear to be going according to plan. Motegi represents something of an unknown for the new ‘big red bike’, however, and the Australian is assured but cautious in his approach to the Polini Grand Prix of Japan.

“We haven’t tested here in preseason whereas we had in Qatar, so we’ll see how we get on starting from zero, with less practice time available. I’m fairly confident, the set-up we found in testing has worked well at different kinds of circuits so we should have a decent base setting to work from at Motegi,” states Stoner. “In any case, we won’t take anything for granted - we’ll keep working hard together and stay focused.”
Early signs show that reigning titlist Valentino Rossi will be the key man for Stoner to beat in 2009, although there has been no ruling out of any rider yet by the Ducati Marlboro man.
“At this stage Valentino has been the hardest rival in testing and we know that Valentino will always be there, but people should always expect the unexpected,” he warns. “You don’t know what other riders are capable of, so we will see how the beginning of the season goes during the first few races and understand who is going to be competitive and who is not, and then focus on the toughest challenger.”
Stoner’s second place at last year’s Japanese round was his first podium in the premier class at Twin Ring Motegi.
ref[motogp.com]
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