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Casey Stoner takes pole position in Japan

In Japan, Casey Stoner delivered an incredible late lap, securing his 10th pole position of the season.

Initially, Jorge Lorenzo appeared poised to start Sunday’s race in pole position until Stoner recorded a lap time of one minute 45.267 seconds.

Lorenzo will occupy the second position on the grid, followed by Stoner’s Repsol Honda teammate Andrea Dovizioso, with Dani Pedrosa rounding out the top four.

Heading into the final four races of the season, Stoner enjoys a 44-point advantage at the top of the standings.

Stoner commented: “Everything has gone very well so far this weekend. We’ve been fastest in all but one session, so it’s been fantastic.

“Jorge has been riding exceptionally well, as have Dovi and Dani, but there’s no question that the Honda is well-suited to this track.

“I’ve been eagerly anticipating riding here for a while, and I’m not disappointed.”

During a qualifying session filled with action, Colin Edwards crashed out early, and Marco Simoncelli also fell while entering turn one but managed to return to the pits to rejoin with 20 minutes remaining in the session.

For much of the session, Pedrosa led ahead of Stoner and Lorenzo.

With less than a quarter of an hour to go, Stoner set the fastest time, but Lorenzo made a remarkable push to break the lap record, claiming the top spot with just five minutes remaining.

Nevertheless, Stoner responded once more, shaving a quarter of a second off that time to secure another pole position.

Valentino Rossi improved to seventh place, while British rider Cal Crutchlow found himself in 12th.

Crutchlow stated: “I was coughing and sneezing all last night, and I’ve consumed about eight liters of water today, yet I still feel dehydrated.

“My throat feels like I’ve swallowed gravel, but I still managed to get out there and lap faster than last year’s pole time. Given that this is a circuit I’ve never even seen before in my life, I can’t really ask for much more.”

Motegi qualifying times:

1. Casey Stoner (Aus) Repsol Honda 1’45.267

2. Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha 1’45.523

3. Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Repsol Honda 1’45.791

4. Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Repsol Honda 1’45.966

5. Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha 1’46.042

6. Marco Simoncelli (Ita) Gresini Honda 1’46.211

7. Valentino Rossi (Ita) Ducati 1’46.467

8. Alvaro Bautista (Spa) Suzuki 1’46.586

9. Hector Barbera (Spa) Aspar Ducati 1’46.694

10. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati 1’46.763

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