Italian rider Valentino Rossi is preparing to take his first 'match point' and seal a sixth MotoGP title at Motegi this weekend.

The Fiat Yamaha rider became the most successful racer in premier Grand Prix history a fortnight ago with his 69th win at Indianapolis, and a podium in Japan this weekend will bring the extraordinarily talented 29-year-old his eighth world championship in total.

"I really would like to win in Motegi, especially as it's such an important race for Yamaha and it would be a great reward for them for all of the work they have done," he said.

"However, we cannot put too much pressure on ourselves and I will try to treat it like another normal race," he added.

Should reigning champion Casey Stoner win the race on his Marlboro Ducati then Rossi must finish third or better to seal the crown with three races remaining but if the 22-year-old Australian does not win then a top eight finish will suffice.

"In 2005 I was in the same situation in Motegi but I crashed and had to wait for Malaysia to win the title, and then last year we lost the championship in Japan," Rossi added.

"We have a good margin of points, but there are still four more races so it is still not over! Everyone is very relaxed and focused, my Bridgestone tyres and my M1 are working very well and hopefully we can have another great weekend in Motegi."