MOTEGI: Dani Pedrosa won the Japanese MotoGP on Sunday while championship leader Valentino Rossi extended his lead in the standings with a second-place finish. Repsol Honda rider Pedrosa came from sixth on the grid and crossed the finish line with an 8.573-second lead over Yamaha rider Rossi. Rossi’s Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo was third. Pedrosa took the lead for good on lap 17 and continued his record of winning at least one race in every season he has competed in MotoGP. With three races left, Rossi now has 283 points for an 18-point lead over Lorenzo. Defending world champion Marc Marquez is a distant third with 197 points. Marquez was fourth on a Repsol Honda followed in fifth by Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso. The next race will be held at Phillip Island, Australia, on October 18.