Rossi ready for Lorenzo battle in Motegi
MotoGP championship leader Valentino Rossi is ready for a battle with Yamaha team-mate and title rival Jorge Lorenzo at the Japanese MotoGP.
Valentino Rossi knows he must produce a faultless ride at the Japanese MotoGP this weekend if he is to maintain his slender advantage over Jorge Lorenzo in the riders' championship.
The Yamaha duo are separated by 14 points heading into the final four races of 2015 after Lorenzo took maximum points in Aragon last time out, with Rossi having to settle for third.
A seventh riders' title remains Rossi's to lose heading to Motegi, but he has not won at the circuit since 2008 and was third there behind Lorenzo 12 months ago.
And the Spaniard's performances in Japan – where he has won the last two races – make it imperative Rossi performs well on Sunday.
"The battle this year between me and Jorge is very tough," he said. "We're playing point by point because Jorge rides fantastically, he's very close to perfection. It will be hard.
"Motegi is a track that I like very much. Here I made a good race in the past and also last year I had a good weekend but Jorge was stronger than me so he won.
"For this reason I will have to give my all because there are only 14 points between him and I. These points may seem a lot but they are few.
"It will be important not to make any mistakes, but at the same time make sure to get the best possible results."
Both Yamaha riders come into the weekend having suffered minor injuries following the race in Aragon, Rossi having injured his arm following a crash in testing and Lorenzo a shoulder.
Neither expect that to hamper their performances as the title race looks set to go down to the wire, the pair now able to focus solely on their personal goals, having secured the team championship on September 28.
The man they are looking to replace as champion is Repsol Honda's Marc Marquez, who remains in contention for the title despite crashing in Spain.
However, the 22-year-old – who needed surgery on his hand after a mountain bike accident recently – needs a dramatic turn of events if he is to make it three titles in succession and will be out of the running if he fails to outscore Rossi by five points in Japan.