Bridgestone has won there for the last three years, the two most recent occasions with Ducati. Makoto Tamada gave them their first victory on the 4.8km track with a Camel Honda in 2004, and
Loris Capirossi followed this with two successive wins in on Ducati in 2005 and 2006.
Motegi also puts more pressure on the front tyre than the rear, which plays to one of the strengths that Bridgestone has displayed this season. It also has a 762-metre main straight, which will allow Stoner to use his power advantage from the desmo V4.
If Stoner can maintain his 76-point advantage over
Valentino Rossi in Japan, he would take the title as only three rounds - worth a total of 75 points to the winner - would then remain. The world was relieved to see a jubilant Rossi back on form in Portugal, but will be equally happy to see Stoner and Ducati clinch one of the greatest underdog performances in grand prix history.
Sunday pm - Vermeulen Demolishes 'Point-and-Squirt' Electronics Myth
As you watched the action in today's Portuguese
MotoGP, you might well have assumed that electronic aids are turning motorcycle racing into a simple twist-and-go operation for riders. Launch control and traction control are taking the skill and the spectacle away from the sport, it is increasingly claimed.
But what's it like for a rider lining up on the grid on a 220bhp MotoGP missile? I asked Rizla Suzuki's
Chris Vermeulen - a strong critic of electronic assistance - what his job is now like. And he shattered one big myth about traction control.
"It isn't like you can just give it a big handful of throttle when you come out of a corner," he said. "If I do that my bike will highside instantly. Traction control merely helps a rider. If the bike starts to spin it will help it to grip again."
The 25-year-old Australian has a button on his bike that offers five settings for traction control from zero to maximum. "It gives me the option to change it during a practice session without having to come into the pits, or during the race as the tyre degrades," he explained.
