Lorenzo takes Japan Moto GP pole

Lorenzo was the fastest in both Free Practice 1 and Free Practice 2.

Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo set the fastest time in Friday’s practice for the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix.

The Sunday race at Motegi is extremely important for the battle at the top of the championship, as Rossi leads Lorenzo by only 14 points, which is not exactly much four races before the end of the season.

Thick cloud cover brought the temperature down at Motegi, where rainfall is expected for Sunday’s race.

That said, with a history of mind games spanning his illustrious career, there is no doubt Rossi’s motives for this acknowledgement are not entirely gracious.

The Italian’s mood darkened as pole position slipped away from him in the final minutes of the qualifying when Lorenzo stormed back to the top of the timesheets.

Despite the subdued atmosphere, qualifying went ahead as normal and Rossi positioned himself perfectly, shadowing Lorenzo before outpacing him on his opening lap. “Okay, it is a little bit different to Jorge [who sprained his shoulder in a training accident] because the bone is broken but I feel okay”, Marquez said at Motegi.

Fourth in the standings, Iannone is hoping to fight for the podium at Motegi, despite still recovering from his dislocated shoulder, after his fourth at Aragon: “Yeah, I’m really happy about Aragon so I think it’s a really good race for us”. The championship is unbelievable in this last part of the season but from now on we need to stay more focused if we want to keep the momentum and try to win the title.

“We couldn’t have had better weather and track conditions today at Motegi, so the riders were able to set a very quick pace from early in the first session”. “Next stop is Japan, a place where I have good memories, especially from the last two years”.

Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team riders Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro will contest in the 15th round of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship this weekend as they aim to kick start their triple flyaway challenge with two strong results. “Both of their riders are one step in front”.