MOTORCYCLING Live

0' Lorenzo wins in Japan!! He leads the riders' standings by one point from Rossi, who comes home in second. Pedrosa coasts over the line in third.

1' The front three well spaced entering the final lap. Toseland still in ninth, keeping Vermeulen at bay.

2' The gap between Lorenzo and Rossi steady enough, but reducing slightly. 1.3s at present.

2' Stoner fourth after passing Dovizioso!! The Italian, in his second season and first with a factory squad, unable to hold off the Aussie.

3' The sun still shining at Motegi as Stoner eyes a push on Dovizioso, cutting the gap by over half a second to 0.9s...

4' Rossi actually closing on Lorenzo again with Pedrosa dropping back a little. No change in the order among the remaining 13 riders.

5' Rossi will lead the championship if he finishes behind Lorenzo, who is enjoying the fact that there is a battle behind him.

6' AND ROSSI BATTLES BACK UP THE INSIDE A FEW CORNERS LATER!! Great pass.

6' And Pedrosa back past Rossi up the inside... this time he makes it stick!!

7' Kallio has passed Toseland.

7' Pedrosa all over Rossi now as Lorenzo pulls clear... he is past!! But Rossi fights back!! And then a couple of corners later the same happens again!! What a battle!!

8' Rookie Kallio is past De Puniet and fighting with Toseland for eighth. Canepa seems to have retired.

9' Gibernau is out of the GP. Edwards is up to 13th by the way after Gibernau's accident; and Lorenzo is now 1.4 seconds clear of Rossi.

10' Rossi over four seconds in front of Stoner, who is lapping in similar times behind the Hondas. He may be in a position to go past them soon, the 2007 world champion.

11' Gibernau slides out into the hairpin and tries to get the bike going again. He is having trouble with it.

12' Vermeulen drops to 11th while Kallio rises into 10th and De Puniet into ninth.

13' Rossi keeping up with Lorenzo after the early signs were that he would pull away... Pedrosa and Dovizioso trail them.

14' Toseland holding eighth, 3.4 seconds behind Capirossi at present.

15' Lorenzo down the inside, knee to knee the two Yamaha men... and he takes a clean lead!! He begins to pull away immediately.

16' Lorenzo through against Rossi... he fights back and regains the lead though!!

17' Vermeulen up three places to seventh. Capirossi passes him again.... and then Toseland also passes the Australian for eighth.

18' Stoner now fifth, followed by Melandri, Capirossi, Vermeulen, Toseland - ninth now - and Gibernau. Lorenzo right behind Rossi.

19' Stoner bullying his way past Vermuelen. Elias's Honda out of the GP after a slide... Dovizioso fourth behind Pedrosa, who has been struggling so far on the Repsol Honda.

20' Vermeulen holding off Stoner ahead of Toseland.

21' Melandri is up to fifth while Vermeulen is down into sixth after holding second early on. Edwards having a 'mare, down in 16th - last position. His Tech 3 team-mate Toseland drops back a place.

22' Lorenzo closing already on Fiat Yamaha team-mate Rossi, the gap around a second.

23' Lorenzo shoots through three spots and into second!! Great work by the Spaniard on the Yamaha.

24' Hayden out of the race after a crash!! Takahashi had a rush of blood at the start and took them both out!!

24' Vermeulen up from fourth into second; Pedrosa follows ahead of Stoner, Lorenzo, Dovizioso and Toseland in seventh!!

24' We are go go go!! Rossi away quickly!!

- Read about what happened in the 125s and 250s by clicking

- Off we go on the warm-up lap... an exciting race in prospect after two good ones in the lower classes.

- Briton James Toseland on the grid: "It was all decided in Friday practice and we were fifth, sixth and seventh in that session, but we start in 10th. We went with a new setting on Friday and it went very well, a step in the right direction. The track temperature is similar to Friday, it will be a dry race and the fans will be drier than yesterday!! The sun's out now - it should be good."

- The starting grid then: 1. Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha); 2. Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro); 3. Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha); 4. Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki); 5. Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3); 6. Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki); 7. Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda); 8. Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing); 9. Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini);

- 10. James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3); 11. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda); 12. Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro); 13. Yuki Takahashi (Scot Racing); 14. Sete Gibernau (Francisco Hernando); 15. Alex de Angelis (Honda Gresini); 16. Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda); 17. Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing); 18. Niccolo Canepa (Pramac Racing)

- Rain washed out qualifying so free practice determines the starting grid.

- Welcome to LIVE commentary from the Japanese MotoGP!!