Stoner storms to Japanese GP win

Australian Casey Stoner stormed to his second successive victory for Ducati at the Japanese Grand Prix while MotoGP world champion-elect Jorge Lorenzo finished fourth.

The fast-starting Stoner continued his recent hot form at Motegi's Twin Ring circuit but the real drama unfolded behind him as Lorenzo locked horns with Yamaha team mate Valentino Rossi.

The Ducati rider passed Honda's pole-sitter Andrea Dovizioso almost as soon as they had exited turn one and never looked back, finishing almost four seconds clear of the Italian.

"This weekend we were going in the wrong direction," Stoner said after completing back-to-back wins. "It was pretty much a lucky dip for the race as to how well the bike was going to work.

"To win here was completely unexpected going into the race. We were the underdogs coming to this track but it worked out. It was awesome."

Behind the front two a furious battle raged between Yamaha's Lorenzo and Rossi, the pair clashing repeatedly and their bikes scraping against each other with two laps left in a hair-raising finale.

Rossi held off Lorenzo to keep his team mate off the podium for the second race in a row, although the Spaniard stretched his lead in the title race to 69 points.

Lorenzo is virtually assured his first premier class world title after countryman Dani Pedrosa fractured his collarbone in Friday's practice.

Lorenzo has 297 points to Pedrosa's 228 and can clinch the championship by scoring just seven points next weekend in Malaysia.

Pedrosa is recovering in a Barcelona hospital from surgery after to fix a titanium plate to his damaged shoulder and Honda have yet to say when he will return.

Stoner, who also won at Aragon last month, is third in the standings on 180 points with four races remaining.