Fantastic win for Pedrosa in Motegi with impressive 5th for Stoner

Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa clinched victory for the second year in a row in Honda's backyard in Motegi, with teammate Casey Stoner holding on to take 5th.

Podium: winner Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team

Photo by: Repsol Media

It is Pedrosa's fifth win of 2012 - his record in MotoGP, and he also equals his podium record in a single season (13 in 2004). It is another important points haul as he chases down current Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo in the fight for the 2012 MotoGP title, with just three rounds now remaining. With this victory, Dani maintains his position as the only rider to record victories at Motegi in all three classes.

In his first race back since surgery, 2011 Champion Casey Stoner started from 7th on the grid. He managed to make up two places on the first lap and rode a strong race to finish 5th with his damaged ankle affecting his riding ability.

Dani Pedrosa

"It was a hard race because the pace was very fast from the beginning. I tried to understand the bike, as yesterday we had a lot of chatter so I didn't know how it would be today. In the beginning it wasn't too bad but then it got a little worse during the race. I managed it as best I could and I stayed with Jorge, I was able to get a better line out of the corner and pass him and then I put in some good laps and controlled the gap. Jorge tried to stay with me, but then decided to settle for the second place. We did what we needed to do and it's just a pity that there is no one else who can stay with us because every race I win, he's been second. But anyway, it's a great feeling to win races and we are doing it now. Thanks to Honda and the whole team, I'm really happy to win again here in Motegi!"

Casey Stoner

"I'm a little disappointed to be honest. We slowly improved over the weekend and got the bike to a point we were pretty happy with in warm up. At the start of the race I felt had the pace to stay with Dani and Jorge and the bike was feeling pretty good. Then as the race progressed my body started to suffer and ache in ways I didn't expect. We had the pace to run a lot higher and be on the podium but unfortunately I couldn't manage it physically today. A big thanks to my team, they gave me a fantastic bike today but I couldn't do anymore in my condition.”

Source: Repsol Honda Team