If Casey Stoner finishes in front of Valentino Rossi in the A-Style Grand Prix of Japan on Sunday he will be crowned the 2007 MotoGP World Champion with three rounds remaining. The 21 year-old Australian leads the Italian by an impressive 76 points and if he finishes in front of him in the 24-lap race he will win the title that he has had firmly in his grasp since that opening round of the championship in Qatar way back in March. However, Rossi may be able to delay the inevitable for another week after a superb win in the bwin.com Grand Prix of Portugal on Sunday. His Fiat Yamaha and Michelin tyres for once stood up to the all-conquering combination of Stoner’s Marlboro Ducati and the Bridgestone tyres in a superb race in which the Repsol Honda of Dani Pedrosa also paid a large part.
Rossi won from the impressive Pedrosa with Stoner calmly picking up 16 precious points in third place despite a clutch problem. Stoner has already won eight grands prix this season and knows how the flat Motegi circuit suited the Ducati and Bridgestone tyres last year. Loris Capirossi, riding the Ducati, was a comfortable winner from Rossi and also started the race from pole position. Capirossi also brought Ducati similar success at the race in 2005. A repeat performance by Stoner would bring Ducati their first premier class title and ironically at the Motegi circuit, which is owned by Honda.
World Champion Nicky Hayden is also bouncing back to form after facing the same problems as team-mate Pedrosa. He looks certain to be handing over his title to Stoner in the next two races but showed in Estoril he will fight to the finish after grabbing his first pole position for a year.
John Hopkins moved back into fourth place in the Championship after his fifth place behind Hayden in Estoril, pushing his Rizla Suzuki team-mate Chris Vermeulen back to fifth. Just ten points behind the Australian is Marco Melandri who wants to finish his time at Gresini Honda with at least one more win before joining Stoner at Ducati next year. He was third last year behind Capirossi and Rossi.
Former World Superbike Champion Colin Edwards and 125 and 250cc World Champion Loris Capirossi are switching teams next year. They are separated by just one point, together with Hayden in a three-way battle for seventh.
Three years ago Makoto Tamada brought Honda and Bridgestone success at their home race and returns on Sunday with little chance of continuing his MotoGP career next season after a miserable season on the Dunlop Tech 3 Yamaha.
Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo could also clinch the 250cc world title on Sunday but he faces a much tougher task than Stoner. Riding the Fortuna Aprilia, he leads the Kopron Team Scot Honda of Italian Andre Dovizioso by 51 points with four rounds remaining. He needs to score 24 more points than Dovizioso to retain his title. Last year Japanese rider Hiroshi Aoyama brought the Austrian KTM factory a famous victory and both he and team-mate Mika Kallio could do with a change of fortune after breaking down in Portugal.
It looks certain that the 125cc Championship will go to the final round with just five points separating Bancaja team-mates Gabor Talmacsi and Hector Faubel who won their duel in Estoril. Sixteen year-old Spaniard Pol Espargaro was third, a performance he would love to repeat.
MotoGP News The 250cc Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo confirmed he will test the MotoGP Yamaha at Motegi on Monday after the grand prix. Valentino Rossi will also test the Yamaha and said he expects many changes on the bike which will be reflected in the 2008 machine.
German Alex Hofmann has had his contract terminated by the Pramac D’Antin Ducati team after claiming he was demotivated after retiring from the race in Estoril. He will be replaced at the final four races this season.
Alex De Angles has been confirmed as the rider who will replace Marco Melandri in the Gresini Honda team next season.
Former 125 cc World Champion Andre Dovizioso will make his MotoGP debut next season riding a Honda for a combined team of JIR and his present 250cc team, Scot Honda.
Frenchman Sylvan Guintoli will continue in MotoGP after signing a contract with the Pramac D’Antin Ducati team next season. His team-mate has still to be named.
British Riders
Smith Relishes Motegi ReturnBradley Smith is looking forward to his return to Motegi after achieving his best 125cc result of the season in Japan last year, riding the Repsol Honda. It’s been a tough time in the last few races for the 16 year-old Oxfordshire rider but he still lies tenth in the World Championship just one point behind the Spaniard Joan Olive.
Ulsterman Eugene Laverty picked up two welcome points in the 250cc class after finishing 14th in Estoril but he is still having problems with the production LCR Honda as he prepares for his first race in Japan.
Both Danny Webb and Dan Linfoot also face their first races in Japan hoping to open their points scoring accounts in the 125 and 250cc World Championships respectively.
Bradley Smith:“I had a good race at Motegi last year even though I was coming back from injury. I finished in front of Gabor Talmacsi who leads the championship this year and so a repeat of that would be great. I was disappointed with the first bend clash in Portugal but I will continue to be aggressive off the start.”
Danny Webb:“My first race in Japan and I’m looking forward to it and it would great to score my first points of the year at the home of Honda.”
Eugene Laverty:“It was great to score some points in Portugal but I really should have been faster. We gambled on the race set-up to try and fix the problems with braking stability but it did not work and the rear wheel was bouncing too much. Hopefully we can get it right on Friday morning practice for my first race in Japan.”
Dan Linfoot:“My first race in Japan and I could do with a little change of luck to finish the race and score some points.”
Motegi Track FactsThe 2.983 miles Motegi circuit is flat and certainly not the most demanding track on the MotoGP calendar. However the circuit, which is situated in the rural wooded hillsides some 100 miles north of Tokyo, has hosted some very close racing since staging its first grand prix in 1999.
There are plenty of overtaking opportunities and especially at the end of the long downhill straight into the 90’ right hand corners just before the start and finish complex.
The circuit also features two underpasses allowing the road circuit to pass under the Indy style oval that surrounds the track.
The enormous Motegi complex was built by Honda and also includes their magnificent museum, a driving school, world championship standard trials and moto-cross tracks and a hotel.
It staged its first grand prix in 1999 which was won by Kenny Roberts on the Suzuki in the pouring rain. For the next four years Motegi hosted the Pacific Grand Prix but when Suzuka dropped off the MotoGP calendar the Japanese Grand Prix returned to Motegi in 2004 and has been there ever since.
Length: 2.983 miles
Pole position: Left.
Width: 12 – 15 metres
Right corners: Eight
Left corners: Six
Longest straight: 0.473 miles
Constructed: 1997
Flashback 2006
MotoGP
Winner: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 43m13.585s
Record lap: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1m47.288s
Pole lap: Capirossi 1m45.724s
250cc
Hiroshi Aoyama (KTM) 43m36.310s
Record lap; Shinya Nakano (Yamaha) 1m52.253s (2000)
Pole lap: Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) 1m51.374s
125ccMika Kallio (KTM) 1m57.231s
Record lap: Kallio 1m57.666s
Pole lap: Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) 1m57.231s
TelevisionPractice, qualifying and racing will be shown at the following times on British television.
BBC
Sunday125 and 250cc races live BBC i 04.45 -06.30
MotoGP race live BBC one 0740 – 0900
Repeat BBC Two 12.30 – 13.35
Eurosport
Friday05.00 – 05.45 Live 125cc
05.45 – 07.00 Live MotoGP
07.00 – 07.45 Live 250cc
20.15 – 21.50 MotoGP
Saturday05.00 – 05.45 Live 125cc
05.45 – 07.00 Live MotoGP
07.00 – 07.45 Live 250cc
19.00 – 19.45 MotoGP
22.45 – 23.45 MotoGP
Sunday04.00 – 05.15 Live 125cc
05.15 – 07.00 Live MotoGP
07.30 – 08.00 250cc
08.00 – 09.00 MotoGP
16.15 – 18.15 MotoGP
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