MotoGP

Dani Pedrosa claimed his second MotoGP win in three races at Sunday's controversy-hit Malaysian Grand Prix, where standings leader Valentino Rossi finished third but was penalised for a clash with Marc Marquez.

Rossi's MotoGP lead was cut down to just seven points in the wake of Sunday's result, which saw team-mate Jorge Lorenzo finish second to book a fourth consecutive podium place for the second time this season.

There was major controversy in Malaysia after Marquez clashed with Rossi in a bid to break into the top places, but he saw his race brought to an early finish after coming off second best to the veteran.

However, it wasn't until after the race that Rossi's punishment was confirmed, via the official MotoGP Twitter account. The Doctor will start the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix in last as things stand, although Yamaha have appealed the decision:

Race Direction have awarded @ValeYellow46 three penalty points which will see him start last at the #ValenciaGP. #SepangClash

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 25, 2015

Sepang International Circuit produced another high-octane encounter as the end-of-season drama continued to set up a climactic finish to the 2015 campaign in Valencia on November 8.

LCR Honda's official Twitter account provided a glimpse of Sunday's top finishers, with Britain's Cal Crutchlow managing a very respectable fifth after starting out ninth on the grid:

5th place in #MalaysianGP for @calcrutchlow and 17th for @jackmilleraus. More soon. @Castrol @GIVI_OFFICIAL pic.twitter.com/a5J81Kb1jt

— LCR Team (@lcr_team) October 25, 2015

Here's a look at how Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix affects the overall standings, per the official MotGP website:

Position	Rider	Bike	Nation	Points
1	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	ITA	312
2	Jorge LORENZO	Yamaha	SPA	305
3	Marc MARQUEZ	Honda	SPA	222
4	Dani PEDROSA	Honda	SPA	190
5	Andrea IANNONE	Ducati	ITA	188
6	Bradley SMITH	Yamaha	GBR	171
7	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Ducati	ITA	153
8	Cal CRUTCHLOW	Honda	GBR	118
9	Danilo PETRUCCI	Ducati	ITA	107
10	Pol ESPARGARO	Yamaha	SPA	103
11	Aleix ESPARGARO	Suzuki	SPA	97
12	Maverick VINALES	Suzuki	SPA	92
13	Scott REDDING	Honda	GBR	83
14	Yonny HERNANDEZ	Ducati	COL	53
15	Hector BARBERA	Ducati	SPA	33
16	Alvaro BAUTISTA	Aprilia	SPA	29
17	Loris BAZ	Yamaha Forward	FRA	28
18	Stefan BRADL	Aprilia	GER	17
19	Jack MILLER	Honda	AUS	17
20	Nicky HAYDEN	Honda	USA	16
21	Eugene LAVERTY	Honda	IRL	9
22	Katsuyuki NAKASUGA	Yamaha	JPN	8
23	Michele PIRRO	Ducati	ITA	8
24	Mike DI MEGLIO	Ducati	FRA	8
25	Hiroshi AOYAMA	Honda	JPN	5
26	Takumi TAKAHASHI	Honda	JPN	4
27	Toni ELIAS	Yamaha Forward	SPA	2
28	Alex DE ANGELIS	ART	RSM	2

Rossi entered Sunday's race knowing the 2015 title could be won there and then depending on where team-mate Lorenzo finished, but it was Pedrosa who got the brightest start as he sought to upset the odds.

It wasn't long ago the Honda marvel tied up back-to-back podium finishes at Aragon and Motegi, and Rappler's Ryan Songalia confirmed the Spaniard led the charge early on:

#MotoGP racers pass by in the fourth lap. It's Pedrosa, Lorenzo & Rossi battling it out at #MalaysianGP @rapplerid pic.twitter.com/0mRPINusV5

— Ryan Songalia (@ryansongalia) October 25, 2015

A quarter of the way through Sunday's race and a scintillating battle was developing between the old guard and MotoGP's new blood as Rossi and Marquez locked horns in the duel for fourth place.

Both riders were guilty of showing some signs of frustration, but it was young gun Marquez who ultimately paid the price for his overzealousness. The two collided and it was the Spaniard who saw his race ended early, although questions were raised over whether Rossi kicked out at his opponent:

Disaster for @marcmarquez93 as he and @ValeYellow46 collide on track, #MarquezVsRossi https://t.co/zechiZeTyJ

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 25, 2015

MotoGP confirmed the incident would be reviewed after Sunday's race, but that left Lorenzo free to make his attempt in hounding down Pedrosa's lead while Rossi was distracted.

Marquez wasn't the only rider to fall by the wayside, either, and that fourth position was proving to be something of a Sunday curse as Andrea Dovizioso also fell in his attempt to crack the podium spots:

An unfortunate fall for @AndreaDovizioso from fourth. Rider OK but his #MalaysianGP is over. pic.twitter.com/EFPX8SP62g

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 25, 2015

It was far from the last-gasp finish fans saw at the Australian Grand Prix, with Pedrosa being able to extend his lead to over three seconds, but the order of the finish nonetheless made for great suspense.

BT Sport acknowledged Rossi's expression at the end of the race, suggesting the Italian may have known he was in trouble in relation to the impending review of the Marquez collision:

.@ValeYellow46 very subdued in parc-ferme. Does he know he's in trouble? #SepangClash #MalaysianGP https://t.co/23sDMhYup4

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) October 25, 2015

It's ultimately disappointing Sunday's race should be tinged by an incident that could well come to have a big impact on the standings and the overall championship, depending on MotoGP's decision.

Should Rossi's punishment stand, it could make a comeback all but impossible on November 8, with Yamaha compatriot Lorenzo now in prime position to go on and claim the 2015 title and his first crown since 2007.

After a stunning race in Australia last time out, MotoGP heads to Malaysia and the Sepang International Circuit this weekend for the penultimate race of a thrilling 2015 season.

Valentino Rossi leads his Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo by 11 points at the top of standings with Marc Marquez too far back in third place to trouble the leading pair no matter the results in the final races of the season.

Ducati's Andrea Iannone will be one to watch out for again in Malaysia after his wonderful third-place ride at Phillip Island.

Read on for a look at the full race schedule for this weekend, along with live streaming information and a closer examination of the top riders.

Date	Time (BST)	Event
Friday, Oct. 23	2:55 a.m. - 3:40 a.m.	Free Practice 1
Friday, Oct. 23	7:05 a.m - 7:50 a.m.	Free Practice 2
Saturday, Oct. 24	2:55 a.m. - 3:40 a.m.	Free Practice 3
Saturday, Oct. 24	6:30 a.m. - 7 a.m.	Free Practice 4
Saturday, Oct. 24	7:10 a.m. - 7:25 a.m	Qualifying 1
Saturday, Oct. 24	7:35 a.m. - 7:50 a.m.	Qualifying 2
Sunday, Oct. 25	7 a.m. GMT	Race

Pos.	Rider	Bike	Nation	Points
1	Valentino Rossi	Yamaha	ITA	296
2	Jorge Lorenzo	Yamaha	SPA	285
3	Marc Marquez	Honda	SPA	222
4	Andrea Iannone	Ducati	ITA	188
5	Dani Pedrosa	Honda	SPA	165
6	Bradley Smith	Yamaha	GBR	158
7	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati	ITA	153
8	Cal Crutchlow	Honda	GBR	107
9	Danilo Petrucci	Ducati	ITA	97
10	Pol Espargaro	Yamaha	SPA	96

Full schedule and standings available via the official MotoGP website.

All the action can be streamed live via the BT Sport website.

Valentino Rossi

The legendary Italian still has the title in his own hands despite conceding ground to Lorenzo with a fourth-placed finish in Australia.

Leading his team-mate by 11 points, Rossi can claim a seventh career world championship even if he finishes second to Lorenzo in both the remaining races.

He could theoretically claim the title in Malaysia if he can score 15 points more than Lorenzo, perhaps by taking first place with the Spaniard finishing sixth or lower.

However, given the form of both Yamaha riders, they are likely to both be finishing on the podium in Sepang, and the title race should go down to the wire.

Rossi cannot afford to give up many more points to Lorenzo in the penultimate race of the season, but his current cushion is comfortable enough for him to remain the heavy favourite to take the 2015 title.

A victory in Malaysia—he has won six times at the Sepang track—would, of course, be ideal, but it is not an absolute necessity given his current lead.

Jorge Lorenzo

Lorenzo, on the other hand, can have no other aim than to take the top spot in Malaysia to put as much pressure as possible on Rossi going into the final race in Valencia on October 8.

He will be hurting after being pipped to first place by Marquez in Australia on an extraordinary final lap, but he was helped out by Iannone pushing Rossi into fourth, per BT Sport MotoGP:

"I was lucky Andrea passed Valentino!" @lorenzo99 releived as @andreaiannone29 beats @ValeYellow46 at #AustralianGP http://t.co/DmHAs86dgM

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) October 18, 2015

Lorenzo has been on the podium at Sepang in each of the last four years, but never in victory. That has to change this time around, not least because it will ensure that Rossi cannot possibly win the title in Malaysia.

It has been a remarkable campaign for the 28-year-old in 2015, and he has every chance of adding a third title to his triumphs in 2010 and 2012.

While he may not have the title in his own hands he can put as much pressure as possible on Rossi by claiming a potentially game-changing win in Malaysia.

Andrea Iannone 

Iannone's performance in Australia was quite remarkable. Along with Rossi, Marquez and Lorenzo he played out one of the most exciting race finishes in MotoGP history.

He made a telling pass on Rossi in the final lap having previously shown off quite staggering skill to take out the Italian and Marquez in one move, per MotoGP:

The battle for second continues to rage, @andreaiannone29 charges through on both @marcmarquez93 & @ValeYellow46 http://t.co/LF629P3ylJ

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 18, 2015

The Ducati rider is always worth watching, and he will be high on confidence following his podium finish last time out.

Iannone is a risk-taker and he often produces fireworks on the race track. He has a slim chance of pipping Marquez to third place in 2015 depending on how things pan out in the final two races of the season.

He hardly needs such motivation as he will be as eager as ever to finish on the podium once more, and he could have a big say at the head of the race in Sepang. 

Yamaha will complete a one-two finish in the 2015 MotoGP standings despite seeing Marc Marquez claim victory in Sunday's Australian Grand Prix, with Jorge Lorenzo finishing second and leader Valentino Rossi in fourth.

Marquez's fifth win of the season will be a welcome boost heading into the final two races of the season, but the Spaniard now does so knowing a bronze medal is the best he can hope for at the end of the campaign.

Phillip Island produced very arguably the best finish to a race this season as four riders found themselves in the hunt for top spot heading into the last corners, but MotoGP confirmed Marquez's win by 0.249 seconds:

An incredible closing three corners sees @marcmarquez93 secure #AustralianGP victory! pic.twitter.com/xHlxgmuBpo

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 18, 2015

LCR Honda's official Twitter account provided a breakdown of Sunday's finishing times:

7th place finish for @calcrutchlow. @jackmilleraus in 15th and top Open! #AustralianGP @GIVI_OFFICIAL pic.twitter.com/8O44KPjuhL

— LCR Team (@lcr_team) October 18, 2015

Here's a look at how Sunday's Australian Grand Prix affects the overall standings, per the official MotGP website:

Pos.	Rider	Bike	Nation	Points
1	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	ITA	296
2	Jorge LORENZO	Yamaha	SPA	285
3	Marc MARQUEZ	Honda	SPA	222
4	Andrea IANNONE	Ducati	ITA	188
5	Dani PEDROSA	Honda	SPA	165
6	Bradley SMITH	Yamaha	GBR	158
7	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Ducati	ITA	153
8	Cal CRUTCHLOW	Honda	GBR	107
9	Danilo PETRUCCI	Ducati	ITA	97
10	Pol ESPARGARO	Yamaha	SPA	96
11	Aleix ESPARGARO	Suzuki	SPA	88
12	Maverick VIÑALES	Suzuki	SPA	84
13	Scott REDDING	Honda	GBR	78
14	Yonny HERNANDEZ	Ducati	COL	49
15	Hector BARBERA	Ducati	SPA	30
16	Loris BAZ	Yamaha Forward	FRA	28
17	Alvaro BAUTISTA	Aprilia	SPA	28
18	Jack MILLER	Honda	AUS	17
19	Nicky HAYDEN	Honda	USA	16
20	Stefan BRADL	Aprilia	GER	11
21	Eugene LAVERTY	Honda	IRL	9
22	Katsuyuki NAKASUGA	Yamaha	JPN	8
23	Michele PIRRO	Ducati	ITA	8
24	Mike DI MEGLIO	Ducati	FRA	8
25	Hiroshi AOYAMA	Honda	JPN	5
26	Takumi TAKAHASHI	Honda	JPN	4
27	Alex DE ANGELIS	ART	RSM	2

From the very beginning of Sunday's action, it was clear a tight pack would lead the assault, but one could hardly have expected that compact tension to be maintained for the entirety.

Andrea Iannone had his chance to claim his first podium finish since May after starting second on the grid, but an early error proved costly as his baying pursuers rammed through the opening:

A mistake from @andreaiannone29 at Turn 4 opens the door, many charging through in an incredibly close #AustralianGP http://t.co/awbs7CHBFi

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 18, 2015

It later emerged that Iannone's error perhaps wasn't of his own doing, though, as he appeared to hit a seagull that got a bit too close to the action:

A hard race for @andreaiannone29, an early encounter with local wildlife left him with a damaged fairing. #MotoGP pic.twitter.com/wBho3iVw3W

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 18, 2015

Rossi, on the other hand, was one of those striving to make his way up the ranks after starting seventh on the grid, but even The Doctor found it difficult to emerge among such a tangled group.

Such was the closed-off nature of that leading pack that Dani Pedrosa, Maverick Vinales and Cal Crutchlow each struggled in vain to break up the order, finishing fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively.

But this was all about the final four laps at Phillip Island, and Iannone in particular staged one of the most daring overtakes of the day just as Lorenzo had edged out in front:

The battle for second continues to rage, @andreaiannone29 charges through on both @marcmarquez93 & @ValeYellow46 http://t.co/LF629P3ylJ

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 18, 2015

The Yamaha marvel could taste victory as he came up on standings leader and team-mate Rossi, but 2013 and 2014 champion Marquez turned the odds in his favour with just three turns to go, taking the lead as his own.

It was a finish befitting of such a high-octane clash Down Under, and Lorenzo made sure to thank Italian Iannone for the part he played in helping close the gap on Rossi, per BT Sport MotoGP:

"I was lucky Andrea passed Valentino!" @lorenzo99 releived as @andreaiannone29 beats @ValeYellow46 at #AustralianGP http://t.co/DmHAs86dgM

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) October 18, 2015

Despite his win, Marquez remains more than 50 points off second spot and so cannot hope to finish higher than third, but will have been glad to show off the form closer to what we've seen last year and the year before.

For veteran Rossi, Sunday's result serves as a swift reminder that the 2015 title isn't yet his, with Lorenzo now just 11 points off Rossi's lead heading into the Malaysia Gran Prix next Sunday.

Valentino Rossi enters Sunday's Australian Grand Prix with an 18-point cushion over Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo as the manufacturer looks primed to complete an audacious one-two in 2015.

In fact, Yamaha could put the final touches on that achievement depending on how their riders fare against Honda's Marc Marquez, who holds onto the slimmest of hopes in claiming anything more than a bronze finish.

We provide all the essential viewing information for Sunday's race to ensure you don't miss out on any of the action at the Australian Grand Prix, complete with a look at who to keep an eye on in the third-to-last race of the season.

Date	Time	Event
Friday, Oct. 9	12:55 a.m. - 1:40 a.m.	Free Practice 1
Friday, Oct. 9	5:05 a.m - 5:50 a.m.	Free Practice 2
Saturday, Oct. 10	12:55 a.m. - 1:40 a.m.	Free Practice 3
Saturday, Oct. 10	4:30 a.m. - 5 a.m.	Free Practice 4
Saturday, Oct. 10	4:10 a.m. - 5:25 a.m	Qualifying 1
Saturday, Oct. 10	5:35 a.m. - 5:50 a.m.	Qualifying 2
Sunday, Oct. 11	6 a.m.	Race

Pos.	Rider	Bike	Nation	Points
1	Valentino Rossi	Yamaha	ITA	283
2	Jorge Lorenzo	Yamaha	SPA	265
3	Marc Marquez	Honda	SPA	197
4	Andrea Iannone	Ducati	ITA	172
5	Dani Pedrosa	Yamaha	SPA	154
6	Bradley Smith	Ducati	GBR	152
7	Andrea Dovizioso	Honda	ITA	150
8	Cal Crutchlow	Ducati	GBR	98
9	Danilo Petrucci	Honda	ITA	93
10	Pol Espargaro	Yamaha	SPA	88

Full schedule and standings available via the official MotoGP website.

All the action can be streamed via the BT Sport website.

Jorge Lorenzo

Lorenzo will need a couple of significant slip-ups from Rossi if he's to triumph in the standings this season.

However, he's returning to a fond hunting ground of his at the Australian Grand Prix this weekend, and the Spaniard has even insisted he's been the fastest rider this season after placing third at Motegi last Sunday, per Motorsport.com:

"I didn’t have the luck of circumstances, like some other races this year, which is why I have been losing points. I have been the fastest [rider] this year, because of the bike and my own speed, but circumstances haven’t helped."

Inconsistent conditions were the reason behind his stumble in Japan, but Lorenzo can take some comfort in knowing he's placed first or second at each of the last two meetings at Phillip Island.

His sole Australian Grand Prix victory came in 2013, and the weather promises to make for a smoother ride this Sunday after even he admitted a front tyre issue didn't help his case last time out, per BT Sport:

"Maybe I pushed too hard at the beginning of the race..." Did tyre issues cost @lorenzo99 victory today? #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/O15gbAoAHT

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) October 11, 2015

Accounting for an injury that prevented him from taking part in 2011, Lorenzo has taken a podium spot at four of the last five clashes in Australian territory, but the necessity to pull back points on his stable-mate Rossi makes this a much more desperate duel.

Valentino Rossi

While Lorenzo's recent record in Australia may be impressive, there isn't an active rider who can compete with Rossi when it comes to this particular venue, boasting a joint-record six crowns Down Under.

Technically, the first of those came under the 500cc class in 2001 prior to MotoGP's transition, but an in-form Rossi is seeking to add to his collection and become the outright "Wizard of Oz" on Sunday.

The Italian comes into Sunday's race having failed to win in any of his last three outings, but a second-place finish in Japan last week was sufficient to rouse the support of Hollywood actor Ewan McGregor:

https://twitter.com/mcgregor_ewan/status/653540286405214212

Rossi has reached this stage due to consistent podium form above anything else, having actually won two races fewer than Lorenzo in 2015.

However, this setting has been majorly hospitable to The Doctor in the past, and his bid to conjure the form that saw him seal five successive Australian Grand Prix wins between 2001 and 2005 is an irresistible tale.

Dani Pedrosa won the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi on Sunday as he claimed his first race win since August last year.

The Spaniard started back in sixth on the grid, but finished ahead of Valentino Rossi in second and Jorge Lorenzo in third as the Italian extended his lead at the top of the standings by four points.

BT Sport MotoGP shared Pedrosa's memorable victory:

.@26_DaniPedrosa comes from 6th on the grid to win #JapaneseGP from @ValeYellow46 and @lorenzo99... #MotoGP http://t.co/399wMwdkMK

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) October 11, 2015

Read on for the full results of the race, a recap of the thrilling action and how Sunday's drama affected the overall standings.

Pos.	Points	Rider	Nation	Team	Time/Gap
1	25	Dani PEDROSA	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	46'50.767
2	20	Valentino ROSSI	ITA	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	+8.573
3	16	Jorge LORENZO	SPA	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	+12.127
4	13	Marc MARQUEZ	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	+27.841
5	11	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	ITA	Ducati Team	+35.085
6	10	Cal CRUTCHLOW	GBR	LCR Honda	+37.263
7	9	Bradley SMITH	GBR	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	+37.667
8	8	Katsuyuki NAKASUGA	JPN	Yamaha Factory Racing Team	+44.654
9	7	Hector BARBERA	SPA	Avintia Racing	+48.572
10	6	Scott REDDING	GBR	EG 0,0 Marc VDS	+50.121
11	5	Aleix ESPARGARO	SPA	Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	+1'00.535
12	4	Takumi TAKAHASHI	JPN	Team HRC with Nissin	+1'01.211
13	3	Nicky HAYDEN	USA	Aspar MotoGP Team	+1'11.261
14	2	Yonny HERNANDEZ	COL	Octo Pramac Racing	+1'13.896
15	1	Mike DI MEGLIO	FRA	Avintia Racing	+1'15.421
16		Alvaro BAUTISTA	SPA	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	+1'20.507
17		Eugene LAVERTY	IRL	Aspar MotoGP Team	+1'31.224
18		Stefan BRADL	GER	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	+1'46.833
19		Kousuke AKIYOSHI	JPN	AB Motoracing	+2'00.072
20		Toni ELIAS	SPA	Forward Racing	1 Lap

There was drama from the very start of the race as Rossi—starting behind Lorenzo in second—overtook the Spaniard into the first turn, only to be passed again on the second, per BT Sport MotoGP:

The #JapaneseGP is under way! @ValeYellow46 leads into Turn 1 yet @lorenzo99 cuts through the inside #RossiVsLorenzo http://t.co/YfGq3Ae2RH

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) October 11, 2015

Meanwhile, Pedrosa shot from sixth straight up to third place but was soon overtaken by Andrea Dovizioso.

Lorenzo quickly opened up a lead of over three seconds on his team-mate, who in turn pulled a second ahead of his compatriot.

Pedrosa slowly but steadily reeled in Dovizioso as the Italian struggled to keep pace, and passed him at Turn 10 on the 12th lap when he ran wide. The Spaniard was setting the fastest times of any rider—almost one second quicker than Rossi, per MotoGP:

Last lap saw @26_DaniPedrosa almost a second faster than @ValeYellow46. The gap stands at 2.5 seconds with 11 laps of the #JapaneseGP left

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 11, 2015

With eight laps to go, Pedrosa overcame the Italian, and tension began to mount as Lorenzo's previously unchallenged lead was now under serious threat, particularly due to his increasingly deteriorating front tyre:

Will @lorenzo99's front tyre hold out? 7 #MotoGP laps to go of the... #JapaneseGP http://t.co/MzDA8ki2od

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) October 11, 2015

From there it was only a matter of time and just two laps later Pedrosa was in the lead, and Rossi followed suit shortly after in overtaking his team-mate, who ran wide at Turn 3.

There would be no more changes to the podium places in the last four laps, but Lorenzo was fortunate to hold a 13-second lead over Marc Marquez and Dovizioso, or his day could have gotten much worse.

According to Crash.net, he said:

"It's a real pity because today if the track didn't dry I would have won. Maybe the beginning push makes my front tyre worse. There was a dry line and I couldn't follow them. I just had to survive. Now there is only one target and that is to win the three races. Let's see if we can do it."

Here are the overall standings following the race:

Pos.	Rider	Nation	Points
1	Valentino ROSSI	ITA	283
2	Jorge LORENZO	SPA	265
3	Marc MARQUEZ	SPA	197
4	Andrea IANNONE	ITA	172
5	Dani PEDROSA	SPA	154
6	Bradley SMITH	GBR	152
7	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	ITA	150
8	Cal CRUTCHLOW	GBR	98
9	Danilo PETRUCCI	ITA	93
10	Pol ESPARGARO	SPA	88

Rossi now leads the championship with just three races to go, meaning that three race wins for Lorenzo still might not be enough.

However, with crashes and technical difficulties always a possibility, not to mention the likes of Pedrosa and Marquez who can contest the top positions alongside them, it's still possible for the Spaniard to make serious gains on his team-mate if events conspire to allow him a win and Rossi to finish outside the top three in Australia next time out.

Jorge Lorenzo will be hopeful of chopping the gap to Valentino Rossi at the summit of the MotoGP standings again this weekend, as Motegi gets set to play host to the Japanese Grand Prix.

The two Yamaha riders have been battling hard throughout this season and with just four rounds of racing to go, things are surely set to come to a head very soon indeed.

Going into this weekend, Rossi has a 14-point lead over the Spaniard, but the momentum is with Lorenzo after his display at Aragon last time out.

Drama is inevitable given the close proximity of these two great champions and the Motegi circuit is renowned for producing gripping racing.

With that in mind, here are all the key viewing details for this year’s race and a closer look at the two men vying for the world crown.

Date	Time	Event
Friday, Oct. 9	1:55 a.m. - 2:40 a.m.	Free Practice 1
Friday, Oct. 9	6:05 a.m - 6:50 p.m.	Free Practice 2
Saturday, Oct. 10	1:55 a.m. - 2:40 a.m.	Free Practice 3
Saturday, Oct. 10	5:30 a.m. - 6 a.m.	Free Practice 4
Saturday, Oct. 10	5:10 a.m. - 6:25 a.m	Qualifying 1
Saturday, Oct. 10	6:35 a.m. - 6:50 a.m.	Qualifying 2
Sunday, Oct. 11	6 a.m.	Race

Pos.	Rider	Bike	Nation	Points
1	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	ITA	263
2	Jorge LORENZO	Yamaha	SPA	249
3	Marc MARQUEZ	Honda	SPA	184
4	Andrea IANNONE	Ducati	ITA	172
5	Bradley SMITH	Yamaha	GBR	143
6	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Ducati	ITA	139
7	Dani PEDROSA	Honda	SPA	129
8	Danilo PETRUCCI	Ducati	ITA	93
9	Cal CRUTCHLOW	Honda	GBR	88
10	Pol ESPARGARO	Yamaha	SPA	88

Full schedule and standings available via the official MotoGP website.

All the action can be streamed via the BT Sport website.

Jorge Lorenzo

Massive amounts of credit must go to Lorenzo. Throughout the season he’s been blighted by a variety of poor fortune and is chasing down one of the sport’s all-time greats, so it would have been easy for him to have wilted under the challenge.

But the Yamaha man seized his chance at Aragon with a brilliant performance, keeping Rossi at bay and setting up a thrilling finale to the year.

The Spaniard admitted he felt as though he had to beat his team-mate last time out to keep his title hopes alive, per autosport.com:

It was a really important race. I really felt that if I lost even more points it would be almost impossible to win the world title. It was key. 

It was a very important and very difficult and very emotional race, because after these two races where I made some mistakes and probably had some bad luck with the weather, I had some negative feeling inside.

There were some concerns that Lorenzo, 28, wasn’t going to be able to take part in this race, as it emerged he had sprained his shoulder during training. But the two-time MotoGP world champion revealed he will be fine to participate at Motegi on his Twitter feed:

We are already in Dubai and now boarding to Narita. For the people who ask, the shoulder is ok. I will ride in Motegi with no big problems.

— Jorge Lorenzo (@lorenzo99) October 4, 2015

Lorenzo has happy memories of this venue, too, having triumphed at the circuit 12 months previously with an accomplished performance.

There’s little for him to lose coming into this weekend, with the pressure all on Rossi to preserve his lead at the top of the standings, but throughout the season, when Lorenzo has put everything together, he’s been the better rider.

Valentino Rossi

Rossi is experienced enough to have known that his team-mate wasn’t going to go down without a fight in the latter stages of the season and after a third-place finish at Aragon, the Doctor will be desperate to bounce back in Japan.

It’s a circuit the Italian has fared pretty well at during his illustrious career, finishing third 12 months ago behind Lorenzo and reigning world champion Marc Marquez.

As we can see here courtesy of MotoGP Fan Zone, it’s rare the Italian does not weave his way on to the rostrum come the end of the Grand Prix here:

Valentino Rossi has the most podium finishes at #Motegi (10). Dani Pedrosa is 2nd with 9, Lorenzo (6), Marquez (5) pic.twitter.com/W5prvqj260

— MotoGP Fan Zone (@bgmotogp) October 6, 2015

The prospect of Rossi going up against Lorenzo stirs memories of some classic clashes down the years between the two, including one notable battle on this circuit. 

Then, the latter was on the hunt for his first ever MotoGP world title, but Rossi, who had little to race for after an injury-riddled season, engaged him in a thrilling battle, which saw the Italian take third after six changes of position in the final two laps of the race.

Here’s a look at some highlights from the rivalry between the pair, including that tussle from five years ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vmtz9x_Zm5M

Rossi, 36, has had disappointing finishes of fifth and third in his last two races and will be intent on setting things right at a circuit where he has performed very well in the past.

His incomparable experience, pedigree and confidence will ensure he’s well prepared for what should be a gripping clash with Lorenzo too.

The Italian seems to be reliant on slip-ups from his team-mate at the moment, though. At some circuits, you’d anticipate that kind of lapse from Lorenzo, but he seems to relish Motegi and will have positive memories to call upon from a year ago.

A win for the Spaniard here is going to make matters even tighter in the weeks to come.

Prediction: 1. Lorenzo, 2. Rossi, 3. Marquez

Jorge Lorenzo made some ground on Valentino Rossi at the 2015 MotoGP Aragon Grand Prix on Sunday as he topped the standings.

The Italian finished third after being kept out by a heroic performance from Dani Pedrosa, who finished second.

As BT Sport MotoGP noted, Lorenzo is closing in on Rossi, as he gained nine points on his opponent:

.@lorenzo99 the shark closing in on @ValeYellow46! #AragonGP https://t.co/vBIvSAh4ez

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) September 27, 2015

According to Crash.net, the Spaniard admitted he was able to relax after compatriot Marc Marquez's crash:

I make a good start as usual. I tried to ride at the maximum, Marc was at the limit to follow me. I didn't expect his crash and when I saw that I breathe much more deep. I couldn't open much more gap to Dani and I needed to push hard to keep this distance.

Meanwhile, per BT Sport MotoGP, Rossi claimed he was happy with a podium finish:

"I tried everything!" Championship leader @ValeYellow46 admits @26_DaniPedrosa was just too fast for him! #AragonGP http://t.co/cBPk0PvGGz

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) September 27, 2015

Here are the full results and latest standings from the action in Spain:

Pos.	Points	Rider	Nation	Team	Bike	Km/h	Time/Gap
1	25	Jorge LORENZO	SPA	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	Yamaha	167.8	41'44.933
2	20	Dani PEDROSA	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	167.6	+2.683
3	16	Valentino ROSSI	ITA	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	Yamaha	167.6	+2.773
4	13	Andrea IANNONE	ITA	Ducati Team	Ducati	167.3	+7.858
5	11	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	ITA	Ducati Team	Ducati	166.2	+24.322
6	10	Aleix ESPARGARO	SPA	Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	Suzuki	166.2	+24.829
7	9	Cal CRUTCHLOW	GBR	LCR Honda	Honda	166.1	+25.367
8	8	Bradley SMITH	GBR	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	166.1	+25.503
9	7	Pol ESPARGARO	SPA	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	166.0	+26.452
10	6	Yonny HERNANDEZ	COL	Octo Pramac Racing	Ducati	164.9	+43.889
11	5	Maverick VINALES	SPA	Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	Suzuki	164.9	+44.255
12	4	Scott REDDING	GBR	EG 0,0 Marc VDS	Honda	164.6	+48.176
13	3	Alvaro BAUTISTA	SPA	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	Aprilia	164.5	+49.755
14	2	Eugene LAVERTY	IRL	Aspar MotoGP Team	Honda	164.5	+50.271
15	1	Nicky HAYDEN	USA	Aspar MotoGP Team	Honda	164.5	+50.364
16		Hector BARBERA	SPA	Avintia Racing	Ducati	164.5	+50.722
17		Loris BAZ	FRA	Forward Racing	Yamaha Forward	164.4	+51.997
18		Stefan BRADL	GER	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	Aprilia	164.3	+53.406
19		Jack MILLER	AUS	LCR Honda	Honda	164.1	+56.859
20		Mike DI MEGLIO	FRA	Avintia Racing	Ducati	163.9	+59.607
21		Toni ELIAS	SPA	Forward Racing	Yamaha Forward	162.9	+1'15.237

Pos.	Rider	Bike	Nation	Points
1	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	ITA	263
2	Jorge LORENZO	Yamaha	SPA	249
3	Marc MARQUEZ	Honda	SPA	184
4	Andrea IANNONE	Ducati	ITA	172
5	Bradley SMITH	Yamaha	GBR	143
6	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Ducati	ITA	139
7	Dani PEDROSA	Honda	SPA	129
8	Danilo PETRUCCI	Ducati	ITA	93
9	Cal CRUTCHLOW	Honda	GBR	88
10	Pol ESPARGARO	Yamaha	SPA	88

Starting in second, Lorenzo raced into the lead from the outset, where he would remain for the rest of the race.

Marquez, who began on pole, was the only rider to get close to him but quickly crashed out as he slid into the gravel on the downhill Turn 12:

.@marcmarquez93 crashes out of the #MotoGP #AragonGP! http://t.co/RHxyA2GuPu

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) September 27, 2015

Andrea Iannone replaced the Spaniard in second, but Pedrosa and Rossi swiftly passed the Italian in the third and fourth laps, as the Grand Prix began at a frantic pace.

From there, an incredible 19-lap battle between Pedrosa and Rossi for second place ensured.

The Spaniard valiantly held off the relentless Italian throughout, never allowing Rossi to edge ahead for more than a second or two before roaring back into the lead as both doggedly fought one another.

The constant toing and froing continued right to the end, culminating in a sensational final lap:

.@26_DaniPedrosa and @ValeYellow46 produce a thrilling battle for second as @lorenzo99 takes victory. #AragonGP http://t.co/xidJn0uEb2

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) September 27, 2015

Rossi is now just 14 points ahead of his Yamaha team-mate in Lorenzo in the world championship standings with just four races remaining.

Lorenzo will once again enjoy home advantage in the final race in Valencia, so it's set to go right down to the wire in what has been an incredible season of MotoGP.

Date	Time	Event
Friday, Sept. 25	8:55 a.m. - 9:40 a.m.	Free Practice 1
Friday, Sept. 25	1:05 p.m - 1:50 p.m.	Free Practice 2
Saturday, Sept. 26	8:55 a.m. - 9:40 a.m.	Free Practice 3
Saturday, Sept. 26	12:30 p.m. - 1 p.m.	Free Practice 4
Saturday, Sept. 26	1:10 p.m. - 1:25 p.m	Qualifying 1
Saturday, Sept. 26	1:35 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.	Qualifying 2
Sunday, Sept. 27	1 p.m.	Race

Marc Marquez’s dramatic win at Misano last weekend, in one of the most exciting MotoGP races ever, leaves the Aragon Grand Prix with plenty to live up to.

The Spaniard triumphed on his Honda in chaotic scenes at the San Marino circuit. But it was heartbreak for Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo, who, while hunting down team-mate Valentino Rossi for the world championship lead, crashed out from second place, allowing the Italian to take a 23-point lead atop the standings.

Aragon will pose a unique challenge for all the riders, including the experienced Rossi, who has never won at the venue. Here’s a closer look at the men vying for glory, the key viewing details and the schedule for what should be another enthralling race in a gripping 2015 season.

Pos.	Rider	Bike	Nation	Points
1	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	ITA	247
2	Jorge LORENZO	Yamaha	SPA	224
3	Marc MARQUEZ	Honda	SPA	184
4	Andrea IANNONE	Ducati	ITA	159
5	Bradley SMITH	Yamaha	GBR	135
6	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Ducati	ITA	128
7	Dani PEDROSA	Honda	SPA	109
8	Danilo PETRUCCI	Ducati	ITA	93
9	Pol ESPARGARO	Yamaha	SPA	81
10	Cal CRUTCHLOW	Honda	GBR	79

All the action can be streamed via the BT Sport website.

Valentino Rossi

One thing got overlooked among the chaos of Misano: Rossi's run of podium finishes came to an end. Just the 16 in a row then!

— Julian Ryder (@MotoGPJules) September 15, 2015

Rossi wasn’t able to get the podium finish so many would have craved from him last time out, but what looked to be turning into a disappointing day for the Italian quickly became a positive one, as Lorenzo’s DNF helped bolster his advantage in the race for the world championship.

As noted here by MotoGP writer Julian Ryder, Rossi’s fifth-place finish ended an incredible run of consistency from the nine-time world champion:

With Lorenzo likely to be champing at the bit going into these final five races, it’s a standard the Yamaha star will have to rediscover looking forward. It’s a groove he’s never quite struck at Aragon before, with just one podium finish in the last five years and zero wins overall as a MotoGP rider.

Rossi has admitted in the build-up to the race that he’s expecting a big challenge when the action gets under way and revealed he’s a little wary of Lorenzo’s pace around the circuit after some testing earlier in the year, per Crash.net: 

Now we go to Aragon, a track where we have tested some weeks ago. The results were positive but also Jorge went very fast. Our competitors are usually strong here too, so it will be a very challenging weekend. We have to work well from the first day and hopefully the received data from the tests will help us.

But Rossi has been impeccable in the main this season, as is evident by the 247 points accrued and the 23-point lead he has currently enjoys. The pressure of being in this position would be enough to faze a lot of riders, but with his wealth of know-how to call upon, expect another accomplished performance from Rossi.

Jorge Lorenzo

Watch highlights from a rollercoaster #SanMarinoGP as two Brits claim podium spots and Lorenzo crashes out! #MotoGP http://t.co/lryIBF4hGp

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) September 14, 2015

The Spaniard would have been devastated not to have capitalised on Rossi’s first finish outside the top three this season in San Marino, especially from what was an exceptional position.

After tussling with his team-mate for long spells, Lorenzo had eventually shook him off going into the final embers of a rain-interrupted race. But he lost his composure, slipping off the track at Turn 15 with just seven laps remaining.

As we can see here courtesy of BT Sport MotoGP, it was a remarkable moment in a race filled with thrilling highlights:

Lorenzo, on 224 points for the season, will need to bounce back in style here. Encouragingly for the Mallorcan, he will have positive memories of this venue from 12 months ago after a comprehensive victory. In addition, the Yamaha man has also finished on the podium four out of the five times he has raced at this tremendous circuit.

Also, the confidence still seems to be there. In the build-up to this race, Lorenzo was bullish when assessing his chances of winning the world title, insisting he has enough to reel in Rossi, per Marca (h/t Jamie Klein of Motorsport.com): 

During this championship, I have been faster than Valentino in the dry, by between three and six tenths. 

The title definitely isn’t lost. I don’t need to win every race; finishing in front of Valentino would be sufficient to win the championship. It’s difficult, but possible. I think that the points [gap] is recoverable if I don’t have bad luck and if we don’t face unusual conditions.

The forecast for the weekend in Aragon suggests rain is unlikely, which should assist Lorenzo as he seeks to haul his way back into contention for this championship. A good record counts for plenty at a circuit too, especially when you consider Rossi has never been able to get the job done here.

Marquez’s resurgence will see him race clear again this weekend, but expect Lorenzo to perform well throughout the grand prix and chop the deficit on Rossi going into the final four races of the season.

Prediction: 1. Marquez 2. Lorenzo 3. Rossi

Marc Marquez won the 2015 MotoGP San Marino Grand Prix on Sunday as Valentino Rossi failed to truly capitalise on a late crash from Jorge Lorenzo.

Valentino Rossi finished fifth as Bradley Smith and Scott Redding rounded out the podium places. Nevertheless, the Italian now enjoys a 23-point lead over his team-mate in the riders' championship.

BT Sport MotoGP shared Marquez's impressive finish ahead of the field:

.@marcmarquez93 takes #MotoGP victory in the wet conditions at the #SanMarinoGP http://t.co/sCKH2UpUED

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) September 13, 2015

Here are the full results and latest standings from yet another excellent grand prix in this entertaining 2015 season:

Pos.	Points	Rider	Nation	Team	Bike	Km/h	Time/Gap
1	25	Marc MARQUEZ	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	146.6	48'23.819
2	20	Bradley SMITH	GBR	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	146.3	+7.288
3	16	Scott REDDING	GBR	EG 0,0 Marc VDS	Honda	145.7	+18.793
4	13	Loris BAZ	FRA	Forward Racing	Yamaha Forward	145.3	+26.427
5	11	Valentino ROSSI	ITA	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	Yamaha	145.0	+33.196
6	10	Danilo PETRUCCI	ITA	Octo Pramac Racing	Ducati	144.9	+35.087
7	9	Andrea IANNONE	ITA	Ducati Team	Ducati	144.8	+36.527
8	8	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	ITA	Ducati Team	Ducati	144.8	+37.434
9	7	Dani PEDROSA	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	144.7	+39.516
10	6	Aleix ESPARGARO	SPA	Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	Suzuki	144.7	+39.692
11	5	Cal CRUTCHLOW	GBR	LCR Honda	Honda	144.6	+41.995
12	4	Jack MILLER	AUS	LCR Honda	Honda	144.4	+46.075
13	3	Mike DI MEGLIO	FRA	Avintia Racing	Ducati	144.2	+48.381
14	2	Maverick VIÑALES	SPA	Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	Suzuki	144.1	+52.325
15	1	Alvaro BAUTISTA	SPA	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	Aprilia	144.0	+53.348
16		Stefan BRADL	GER	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	Aprilia	143.7	+58.828
17		Nicky HAYDEN	USA	Aspar MotoGP Team	Honda	143.5	+1'02.649
18		Hector BARBERA	SPA	Avintia Racing	Ducati	143.4	+1'04.768
19		Eugene LAVERTY	IRL	Aspar MotoGP Team	Honda	143.4	+1'05.677
20		Claudio CORTI	ITA	Forward Racing	Yamaha Forward	138.8	1 Lap
21		Karel ABRAHAM	CZE	AB Motoracing	Honda	137.4	1 Lap

Pos.	Rider	Bike	Nation	Points
1	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	ITA	247
2	Jorge LORENZO	Yamaha	SPA	224
3	Marc MARQUEZ	Honda	SPA	184
4	Andrea IANNONE	Ducati	ITA	159
5	Bradley SMITH	Yamaha	GBR	135
6	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Ducati	ITA	128
7	Dani PEDROSA	Honda	SPA	109
8	Danilo PETRUCCI	Ducati	ITA	93
9	Pol ESPARGARO	Yamaha	SPA	81
10	Cal CRUTCHLOW	Honda	GBR	79

Lorenzo—who started on pole—raced into the lead from the outset, with Marquez and Rossi both hot on his heels.

The Spaniard did his best to shake them off, though, and in Lap 4 posted the fastest lap of the race at the time at one minute, 33.273 seconds with Rossi around a second behind.

The weather was seriously affecting conditions, though, and the leaders were soon forced to swap their bikes.

Marquez overtook Lorenzo as he ran wide on Lap 8, but Lorenzo soon clawed his way back in front after Marquez carelessly returned the favour.

Rossi was determined to chase the pair down, though, and steadily closed the gap before taking them in stunning fashion one after the other, per BT Sport MotoGP:

.@ValeYellow46 passes @marcmarquez93 into second place as the San Marino crowd go crazy! #SanMarinoGP http://t.co/LgV9mr7wUx

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) September 13, 2015

.@ValeYellow46 passes @lorenzo99 and now leads the #MotoGP #SanMarinoGP http://t.co/8hO5D01XCd

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) September 13, 2015

As weather conditions improved, the riders began to pit in order to change tyres. Marquez was the first to do so on Lap 19 to great advantage as the Yamaha riders continued on but relented just two laps later, allowing the Spaniard back into the lead.

Lorenzo quickly found himself out of the race, though, suffering a disastrous crash that ended his race on Lap 22. BT Sport MotoGP shared the footage:

.@lorenzo99 crashes out of the #MotoGP #SanMarinoGP! http://t.co/OD0rGCijZs

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) September 13, 2015

Meanwhile, having been the last to pit, Rossi found his position under threat from several riders including Smith and Redding.

The British duo weren't troubling Marquez, but they and rookie Loris Baz valiantly held off Rossi to secure their incredible finishes, who in turn had to fend off the challenge of Danilo Petrucci.

MotoMatters' David Emmett was full of praise for the trio's handling of the race:

https://twitter.com/motomatters/status/643044519131357184

According to Crash.net's live coverage of the race, Redding explained his approach to the race after suffering a crash early on. He said: "I thought I had nothing to lose—I locked the front and crashed but kept pushing. I had nothing to lose, came into the pits for dry tyres and, yeah, I'm there!"

As for Rossi, the Yamaha man's failure to finish on the podium is something of a missed opportunity with Lorenzo having crashed out. Nevertheless, the 36-year-old continues to pull away in the standings and has an excellent chance of earning his 10th world championship title.

However, Lorenzo will undoubtedly be back hungrier than ever in their next outing, and a home-soil Grand Prix in Aragon will provide the perfect platform to bounce back.

Championship leader Valentino Rossi will be hopeful of extending his lead at the top of the MotoGP standings this weekend on home soil, as the Yamaha man looks to make it back-to-back wins at the San Marino Grand Prix.

The Italian rider raced to victory at Silverstone last time out to put some daylight between himself and team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, but there is still plenty at stake heading to Misano, with just 12 points separating the two Yamahas. Marc Marquez’s error at the British Grand Prix looks to have ruled out his chances of retaining the world title; the Honda man trails Rossi by 77 points.

Here’s a look ahead to one of the most absorbing races on the MotoGP calendar, some key viewing details and a rundown of the two men chasing world championship glory.

Date	Time	Event
Friday, Sept. 11	8:55 a.m. - 9:40 a.m.	Free Practice 1
Friday, Sept. 11	1:05 p.m - 1:50 p.m.	Free Practice 2
Saturday, Sept. 12	8:55 a.m. - 9:40 a.m.	Free Practice 3
Saturday, Sept. 12	12:30 p.m. - 1 p.m.	Free Practice 4
Saturday, Sept. 12	1:10 p.m. - 1:25 p.m	Qualifying 1
Saturday, Sept. 12	1:35 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.	Qualifying 2
Sunday, Sept. 13	1 p.m.	Race

Action can be streamed via the BT Sport website.

Jorge Lorenzo

The Spaniard’s win at Brno moved him level on points with Rossi going into Silverstone, but Lorenzo was unable to take advantage of a superior grid position on the day and eventually finished the race in a disappointing fourth place.

Now, the challenge will be to bounce back and reel in a rider who has incomparable experience to call upon. Perhaps that's why Lorenzo has been in a pensive mood this week, tweeting a quotation from legendary boxer Muhammad Ali:

"True success is reaching our potential without compromising our values." #MuhammadAli

— Jorge Lorenzo (@lorenzo99) September 8, 2015

But it’s what he does out on the track that will ultimately determine whether or not the Yamaha man can become a three-time MotoGP world champion. Indeed, on race days, his team-mate has had an edge over Lorenzo, meaning the Spaniard hasn’t been able to convert his superior performances in qualifying into a more consistent set of results.

Lorenzo seems to be up for the fight, though, insisting he will relish the challenge of taking on Rossi in his own back yard, per Crash.net: "Now I'm focused on the race at Misano because it's a special track for us and for Yamaha. I know Valentino will feel good because it's his home Grand Prix, but in the past I've always been quite fast there and achieved several victories, so let's see what happens."

Expect another strong performance from Lorenzo, who has won on three of his last four visits to Misano. As such, the Yamaha man should be imperious in qualifying once again, but he will fall short of glory when the chequered flag is waved on Sunday afternoon.

Prediction: Runner-Up

Valentino Rossi

As is often the case at Misano, expect plenty of Italians to make the trip to San Marino to lend their backing to Rossi, whose home town of Tavullia is located close to the track. The world championship leader has been in wonderful form on Sundays this season, compensating for poor qualifying performances with wily drives when the lights go out.

Silverstone was a prime example of that. In a frantic start, Rossi kept his cool to manoeuvre his way to the front of the field and maintained focus in changeable conditions while others, like Marquez, showed their inexperience.

Here’s a look at the highlights from that virtuoso Rossi performance, per BT Sport MotoGP:

Relive @ValeYellow46's #MotoGP victory at Silverstone. #BritishGP http://t.co/wkTpO5kDiX

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) August 30, 2015

The man known as the “the Doctor” has been unerringly consistent so far this season. Rossi, despite being way down the grid on occasions, has been on the podium at the end of every single Grand Prix. As noted by MotoGP statistician Martin Raines, that’s 16 in a row now for the Italian, and he’s getting close to his all-time record:

https://twitter.com/motogpmart/status/638778359506432000

There are few more fervent backers anywhere in motorsport than the fanatics who pack out Misano, and they’ll want to see Rossi take another substantial step toward the title. With Lorenzo strong at this circuit and Marquez looking close to his best again, it’s certainly not going to be an easy feat.

But there’s an aura about the veteran rider at the moment. Of all the men on the grid, you’d trust Rossi the most with a 12-point lead.

At a venue where he has tasted victory on three separate occasions so far in his MotoGP career, expect another Sunday masterclass from the 36-year-old superstar.

Prediction: Winner