vettel: I could not have done this alone

Sebastian Vettel claimed a leading second World title in Suzuka on Sunday but insists the "hardest thing is winning after winning last year."

Vettel has been by far the best driver on the grid this season, claiming 12 pole positions and nine race victories. Added to that, he also had an added five podium finishes to his name.

But while his race to the World title may have looked easy on paper, Vettel reckons winning the second is harder than claiming the first.

"The hardest thing is winning after winning last year," he said. "We won the Championship, it was so close and we were so eager, even knowing how to do it doesn't let you to forget all these steps.

"I could not have done this all alone. It is as confusing as the first one I must say. It is hard to hit upon the right words."

The German, who finished Sunday's Japanese GP in third place after being beaten by Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso in the pits, was quite emotional in the post-race press conference.

"It's hard where to start. It's such a long year and a unbelievable year and the good thing is it's not over yet," he said.

"Today's race we weren't as quick on the soft tyres and we misplaced two positions. It was difficult to get past Alonso and I don't think he's letting me throughout this way twice after Monza.

"To win the Championship here is unbelievable.

"There are so many things you want to say but it's hard to keep in mind all of them. I'm so thankful to everyone in the team, pushing hard to construct those two cars. It's great to attain the goal we set ourselves this year already now.

"One person that actually stands out this year is the person I spend most of my time with my trainer Tommi Parmakoski. He was the one not allowing me at any stage this year to start to think about things that were not in my power.

"It's great to know that it is so rigid but to know that we can come so strong out of it. This year we've always been this one step ahead. It's down to people like Tommi and persons who keep us on the right track."

Sunday's title means Vettel has gone downward in the record books as F1's youngest double World Champ and youngest back-to-back title holder.

US premiere of Fastest to get place this month

The much predictable US premiere of Fastest will take place on October 14th with a private and exclusive screening at The Deuce Lounge inside the Aria resort and Casino at City Center in Las Vegas.

Shot around the world in 2010 and 2011 Fastest, the sequel to the enormously successful Faster, captures the thrilling reality of the MotoGP World Championship and distills it into a maximum-speed, full-length documentary feature film. As with its predecessor, Fastest is narrated by bike enthusiast and actor Ewan McGregor, and brilliantly captures a essential moment in the sport. In pursuit of his tenth world title Valentino Rossi meets the toughest challenge of his career to date; a wave of fiercely fast young riders, a horrific leg-breaking crash at his home Mugello GP, an amazing but agonising comeback 41 days later at the Sachsenring, and the question of who really is the fastest rider now?

Directed by the award-winning Mark Neale, whose previous work includes Faster and The Doctor, The Tornado and the Kentucky Kid, Fastest debuted worldwide on September 20th in the UK to an audience of 1300 and has established rave reviews.

Pedrosa takes spectacular Motegi MotoGP

Dani Pedrosa (Honda) took the the honours in a dramatic Japanese Grand Prix where only two of the top seven riders didn't either run off the circuit or incur a ride-through penalty (or both!). Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) and Pedrosa's Honda team mate Casey Stoner completed the podium.

MOTOGP

The 24-lap race began with pole man Stoner launching into Turn 1 at the head of the field, while team mate Andrea Dovizioso jumped the start from the front row, with Marco Simoncelli (Honda) and Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Tech 3) also incurring ride from side to side penalties for the similar mistake.

Ducati's Valentino Rossi crashed out on the first lap, colliding with Yamaha rider Ben Spies and forcing off the track and down the order. Meanwhile Stoner appeared set to take another victory, leading clear and free until running off the track on lap five, just before Ducati privateer Hector Barbera crashed out, and Nicky Hayden on the second works Ducati went farming while running fourth.

MotoGP results	Points afer 15 rounds
1 Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda - 42min47.481	1 Casey Stoner (Australia) Honda - 300 points
2 Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha +7.299sec	2 Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha - 260
3 Casey Stoner (Australia) Honda +18.380	3 Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda - 196
4 Marco Simoncelli (Italy) Honda +23.550	4 Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda - 195
5 Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda +23.691	5 Ben Spies (US) Yamaha - 156
6 Ben Spies (US) Yamaha +37.604	6 Valentino Rossi (Italy) Ducati - 139
7 Nicky Hayden (US) Ducati +39.167	7 Nicky Hayden (US) Ducati - 123
8 Colin Edwards (US) Yamaha +45.023	8 Marco Simoncelli (Italy) Honda - 119
9 Hiroshi Aoyama (Japan) Honda +49.074	9 Colin Edwards (US) Yamaha - 98
10 Randy de Puniet (France) Ducati +59.022	10 Hiroshi Aoyama (Japan) Honda - 94
11 Cal Crutchlow (Britain) Yamaha +1min13.964
12 Kousuke Akiyoshi (Japan) Honda +1min21.709
13 Shinichi Ito (Japan) Honda +1min26.381 POINTS AFTER 15 ROUNDS

Dovizioso, Pedrosa begin battle for third

Repsol Honda team -mates Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso start this weekend's Japanese MotoGP estranged by just 15 points in the championship.

It's a somewhat artificial 'battle' - given that Pedrosa missed three races through injury - but has exacting significance for Dovizioso.

The Italian is set to lose his Repsol seat as the team scales back to two riders for 2012 and finishing third in the title would do his prospect employment prospects no harm.

Dovizioso suffered his first non-score of the season after a first-lap accident at Aragon, but his strong memories of Motegi - having taken his first MotoGP pole at the Honda-owned track last year, earlier than finishing second in the race, behind future team-mate Casey Stoner.

"We go to Japan focused on returning to the podium, this has to be our target," said Dovizioso. "We will turn up at the Japanese GP this year in the same position we were last year - straight from a crash and zero points, but I'm strong-minded to transform this disappointment with extra inspiration.

"Last season we had a great race and we almost won, so I'm certain to repeat a great performance at Motegi, a circuit that I like and where I have been on the podium in all the three classes.

"Moreover, this is Honda's home GP and it's very significant to score a good result here," he continued. "Concerning the Championship, we are third in the World Standings and we aim to strengthen our position, improving some points on Lorenzo and maintaining the gap to Dani."

Pedrosa's 2010 title chances ruined when a technical problem caused a collarbone-breaking accident during practice for last year's Japanese GP. The Spaniard proceeds seeking his third race win for 2011.

2011 final run in to commence at Motegi

The Grand Prix of Japan starts a succession of three races in the space of three weeks in which Casey Stoner will attempt to safe his second premier class title, whilst Jorge Lorenzo tries to hold onto his crown.

The Grand Prix of Japan takes place this weekend as the 2011 Moto GP World Championship heads into a swift termination which will see three of the final four rounds – starting at Motegi – take place in the space of three weeks.

Taking a 44-point lead into this weekend’s 15th round is Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner, who with conquest last time out at Aragón – his eighth of the season – extended his advantage at the top over defending World Champion Jorge Lorenzo. Stoner won last year’s race at Motegi and a repeat of that result would put him in a place to be able to secure the 2011 title in the following round, his home race at Phillip Island.

The Australian knows that is purely imaginary at the moment however and remains fully focused on taking each race as it comes. Likewise Lorenzo knows that whilst his chances of retaining his title are now slim, there is still everything to play for. The Yamaha Factory Racing rider was fourth in last year’s Motegi race on his way to the 2010 title, but won the previous year so knows his way about the Japanese track well.

Reliability has been the cornerstone of Andrea Dovizioso’s 2011 season and is the reason for the Repsol Honda rider’s current position of third in the Championship, but the rarity of a DNF at Aragón – the first time he has failed to score points in a race this season – will have infuriated the Italian. He will be keen to put that right at a circuit at which he ended second in last year’s race.

Supreme Vettel secures victory

Sebastian Vettel took a leading victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, holding off a late charge from Jenson Button whose second place ensured the title hunt will stay alive for at least another round.

Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton are now all mathematically out of the running after finishing third, fourth and fifth on the streets of Singapore. Button was the only man to take the fight to Vettel but the champion elect's attentiveness never wavered and he was rewarded with his ninth victory of the season.

He led contentedly from the start of the race, extending his advantage at more than a second a lap through the early stages. He then responded to the possible danger of a safety car period by pulling out a similarly imposing lead at the restart before defending from Button's late charge over the final ten laps.

The McLaren was within 1.7s of Vettel at the chequered flag after pushing hard on super soft tyres and trying to take benefit of back markers. However, closing the gap was one thing while really passing Vettel would have been another challenge completely and in the end the Red Bull never looked under serious threat. Webber was 27.5s behind Button in third, with Alonso another 26.1s down the road in fourth.

Sebastian Vettel deserves title say Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso has paid honor to his rival Sebastian Vettel, saying the Red Bull driver deserves to win the world title this season.

Vettel can be crowned this Sunday if he wins and Alonso is lower than third with McLaren's Jenson Button and Red Bull's Mark Webber lower than second.

Alonso said: "He's been the best driver, (with) the best team. They justify to be where they are."

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton added Vettel had been "exceptional this year".

Vettel said he was going to treat the Singapore weekend like any other race.

"So far we haven't won anything," the German said. "(There is) still some way to go, we have to race and do our best.

"It is a long way to the chequered flag. Certain things have to happen, and it reminds me a little bit of the condition we had in Abu Dhabi last year when people came up and gave me another choice every five minutes.

"The target is to optimise our performance. The target has been to protect our title, there is no reason why the target should change."

And Vettel starved of he felt under any extra pressure this weekend because of the championship being so close.