Race

Bautista just inching out a bit of a gap over Crutchlow, the Brit no longer close enough to attack.

Bautista's move was a beauty, on turn eight at the exit of the double-S bend. Crutchlow has just four and a half laps left to get back at him...

Bautista takes Crutchlow! The Spaniard climbs up into third place, but both men are pushing hard and the two bikes are wobbling and sliding now.

Valentino Rossi is almost 22 seconds off the lead down in eighth place, unable to get anything going today.

Pedrosa's lead is up to two seconds now, Lorenzo clearly happy to cede the five points extra for a win that he might or might not earn by going all out.

Dovizioso is showing his class and cutting through the field now - he's just taken Casey Stoner at the end of the start-finish straight to go up into fifth spot.

Bautista has dropped back a bit off Crutchlow's tail, the British rider clearly picking up the pace to try and cement his podium finish.

Pedrosa is pulling further and further ahead - the lead is over 1.5 seconds now.

Woah! Crutchlow is in trouble briefly as he slides and almost comes off his bike, and Bautista uses the blip to close right up on his tail.

That gap is quickly creeping up towards a clear second between the front two - the next battle that looks like developing is one between Crutchlow and Bautista for third, with Bautista having closed up.

Pedrosa has pulled out a good half-second gap already, and Lorenzo really doesn't look like he's going to contest this - at least, not until the tyres start going off later in the race.

Lorenzo didn't exactly fight that one too hard, and he seems happy to have dropped back a bit. Is he playing tactics now, letting Pedrosa have the win, knowing full well that three second places in the final three races will see him collect the championship safely?

Pedrosa makes his move! He nips through on the exit to the final corner and passes his compatriot on the start-finish straight!

Pedrosa closes up on Lorenzo a little in this lap - with the half-way point in sight it looks like he might make his move soon.

Pedrosa still lapping very comfortably on Lorenzo's tail - these two are just in their own private battle right now.

There's a nice battle developing back in the fight for sixth place as Dovizioso cuts past Bradl with a textbook manoeuvre on the inside.

Pedrosa has a bit of a scary moment as his front tyre slides slightly under breaking - looks like he was trying to get in a bit closer but it nearly went wrong.

The gap between Pedrosa in second and Crutchlow in third is around four seconds now, and Crutchlow is two seconds clear of Bautista.

It's still a bit of a procession out there right now - Pedrosa remains happy to lap in Lorenzo's wake, staying within a comfortable half second of the championship leader.

Bautitsta has slipped past Stoner into fourth place, while Andrea Dovizioso is down in seventh and Rossi in eighth.

Pedrosa is keeping close, but making no effort to try and go past Lorenzo just yet. He's happy to keep his tyres under control and bide his time.

As the riders come round again Pedrosa has just chopped a tenth of a second off Lorenzo's new fastest lap - he's closed right up on his Spanish rival, the two quite close now, while Crutchlow in third is over two seconds back now albeit clear in third.

Jorge Lorenzo has posted the fastest lap of the race so far - and it's a new race lap record of 1:45.727, a quarter of a second quicker than last year's best mark.

Lorenzo and Pedrosa are pulling clear of the field, Crutchlow leading the chase 100 yards behind them and Casey Stoner right on the Brit's tail having climbed up to fourth from seventh.

BEN SPIES IS OUT! The American simply misses his breaking point at the end of the start-finish straight, and has no option but to charge straight on through into the gravel before bumping clumsily into the advertising hoarding.

First man down, and it's Randy de Puniet who goes off on the final bend of lap 1.

Great start from Lorenzo, Pedrosa tucks into second, with Ben Spies and Cal Crutchlow also making sharp starts to sit third and fourth. Pedrosa was marginally quicker off the line and got to the opening corner first, but Lorenzo nailed the line to keep his lead from pole.

The riders re-form back on the grid, and we're moments from the off...

We're under way for the parade lap now - it's cloudy but dry, great conditions for racing.

The organisers are beginning to clear the grid of all the hangers on, and it's just final preparations with the riders and their mechanics - we'll be under way in a few minutes.

Australia's Casey Stoner is back in action this weekend for the first time following his big crash and subsequent ankle operation in the US race a few weeks back. He has qualified seventh.

Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo starts on pole and with a great chance to extend his 33-point lead over Dani Pedrosa in the standings.

Morning everybody, and welcome to our LIVE coverage of the Japanese MotoGP race from Motegi.