Dani Pedrosa has closed the gap on MotoGP championship leader Jorge Lorenzo to 28 points with a win in Japan. Lorenzo, however, is still favourite for the title as he only needs to finish third in the final three races to be champion again, even if Pedrosa wins them all.
This was Pedrosa’s fifth win of the season but Lorenzo has finished in the top two in every race except Assen, where he crashed out. Consistency is paying off.
1. Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Repsol Honda
2. Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha
3. Alvaro Bautista (Spa) Gresini Honda
4. Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Tech 3 Yamaha
5. Casey Stoner (Aus) Repsol Honda
6. Stefan Bradl (Ger) LCR Honda
7. Valentino Rossi (Ita) Ducati
8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati
9. Katsuyuki Nakasuga (Jpn) YSP Yamaha
10. Hector Barbera (Spa) Pramac Ducati