 1 Round 2 - Motegi, Japan - Sunday, April 26, 2009 The Twin Ring Motegi facility is owned by Honda. It has an oval NASCAR track and a road-race track that winds its way under and within the oval. The track has been described as five straights joined by a total lack of imagination. |
 2 Round 2 - Motegi, Japan - Sunday, April 26, 2009 On Saturday, when FP2 and Qualifying were to take place, it rained heavily and made the track unrideable. |
 3 Round 2 - Motegi, Japan - Sunday, April 26, 2009 Another of the ratbag rule changes introduced this year in response to the global financial crisis was to reduce both number of practice sessions and the duration of each session. |
 4 Round 2 - Motegi, Japan - Sunday, April 26, 2009 This meant that the grid positions were allocated based on Friday's one shortened practice session. Valentino was fastest then but it severely disadvantaged riders new to their teams like Nicky Hayden on the Ducati. |
 5 Round 2 - Motegi, Japan - Sunday, April 26, 2009 Thankfully, the rain clears by Sunday. The lottery for grid positions saw Row 1: Rossi, Stoner, Lorenzo Row 2: Vermeulen, Edwards, Capirossi Pedrosa qualified 11th (still injured) and Nicky Hayden was 12th. |
 6 Round 2 - Motegi, Japan - Sunday, April 26, 2009 Rossi gets away quickest and leads into turn 1. Pedrosa gets an incredible start and moves from 11th into 2nd on turn 5. Lorenzo moves into 3rd by turn 7. |
 7 Round 2 - Motegi, Japan - Sunday, April 26, 2009 Nicky Hayden and Yuki Takahashi crash out of the race during the first lap. |
 8 Round 2 - Motegi, Japan - Sunday, April 26, 2009 Chris Vermeulen holds second place for the first lap but finishes 10th. He has problems with his quick shifter and is forced (ohmygosh) to change gears using the clutch. How awful! |
 9 Round 2 - Motegi, Japan - Sunday, April 26, 2009 By lap 3, Stoner drops to 7th behind Vermeulen and Melandri. |
 10 Round 2 - Motegi, Japan - Sunday, April 26, 2009 Over the first 8 laps, Lorenzo steadily gains on Rossi. |
 11 Round 2 - Motegi, Japan - Sunday, April 26, 2009 And then passes him. Incredibly, an injured Dani Pedrosa is still behind. |
 12 Round 2 - Motegi, Japan - Sunday, April 26, 2009 On lap 17, Pedrosa overtakes Rossi to take second place but Rossi takes it back again at turn 4 on the next lap. |
 13 Round 2 - Motegi, Japan - Sunday, April 26, 2009 A jubilant Lorenzo takes his first win of the season by a comfortable 1.3 seconds. |
 14 Round 2 - Motegi, Japan - Sunday, April 26, 2009 Rossi arrives second, 2.4 seconds ahead of Pedrosa with Casey Stoner a comfortable 4th. |
 15 Round 2 - Motegi, Japan - Sunday, April 26, 2009 The 2009 season was expected to be a fight between Rossi, Stoner and Pedrosa. However, with Lorenzo on the same bike and tyres as Rossi, he is now a serious contender for the championship. |
 16 1 Round 2 - Motegi, Japan - Sunday, April 26, 2009 |
 17 Round 2 - Motegi, Japan - Sunday, April 26, 2009 Marco Melandri finished a creditable 6th on an outclassed bike. This went a long way to erasing the demons from his ride on the Ducati last year. |
 18 Round 2 - Motegi, Japan - Sunday, April 26, 2009 Lorenzo with a win and 3rd was now leading the championship from Rossi with two 2nd places. Three Ducati's occupy the next-to-last positions on the table reinforcing the opinion that only Casey Stoner can ride this bike. |
