Two in a Row for Stoner

Casey Stoner has stood on the top of the podium for two consecutive races. Stoner took the victory at Imola, and beat out Andrea Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi today for the MotoGP race win today at Motegi.

Stoner backed up his first 2010 MotoGP victory at Imola with another solid performance today. Stoner was able to jump in front of pole sitter Iannone and take the lead by the end of lap 1. Dovizioso stuck with Stoner for much of the race, as Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo would enter into an epic battle for third place.

At the midway point, Stoner was beginning to put some time between himself and Dovizioso. With 7 laps remaining, Stoner had opened up a 1 second gap. Dovizioso kept the pressure on Stoner, but never became a threat, as the two cruised into 1st and second place with three seconds between them.

The battle for third was not nearly as cordial. With Lorenzo fighting for the MotoGP championship, you might expect his teammate Rossi to play it safe. But that isn't what Rossi, or Lorenzo, is all about. The competitiveness of these two great racers truly came out as they locked horns around the Motegi track.

The two swapped positions numerous times, and even bumped into each other around the turns. Lorenzo would express his displeasure with Rossi after the race for being dangerous on the track, but Rossi's moves did earn him the third place spot, and forced Lorenzo to sit off the podium for the second race in a row.

With Dani Pedrosa sitting out the Motegi race with an injury, Lorenzo's fourth place finish puts him within inches of the MotoGP championship. Lorenzo needs to claim 7 points at the next round to clinch the title.

MotoGP - Motegi - Race Results