Photo: motogp.com
Jorge Lorenzo claimed an authoritative victory at MotorLand Aragon Sunday, as he started from the second position on the grid and was able to take a perfect start, getting in the lead at Turn 1. With ideal weather condition at the Spanish track, Lorenzo did what he knows best, getting ahead and opening a gap as soon as possible, in his trademark way.
Marc Marquez started from pole and tried to stick with Lorenzo straight from get go, possibly thinking about an early attack on the Mallorcan. Disaster stroke on lap two, as Marquez lost grip at the front wheel and crashed out of the race.
His DNF was rather more helpful for Rossi than it was for Lorenzo, as it meant that Rossi stepped up one position. The current championship leader fought his way up from 6th on the grid and got behind Dani Pedrosa, staying with the Spaniard for the entire race before starting to attack.
Few laps before the checkered flag would be flown, Rossi attacked Pedrosa, but it turned out that the Spaniard was in no mood for such "jokes". Each time Rossi got past him, Pedrosa would respond immediately, so Rossi only spent less than a minute combined being in the second position.
Dani Pedrosa has undoubtedly run one of the best races in his entire career, and it's been years since we last saw the Repsol Honda rider fight so valiantly. And winning a battle against one of the world's best-ever riders makes everything even better.
Ducati's factory riders completed the top five, with Iannone fourth and Dovizioso behind him. Iannone's placement is even more admirable, as he rode with a recently dislocated shoulder and was already in pain after the opening 6-7 laps, according to his own account.
Aleix Espargaro was 6th at Aragon, getting in front of Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith, who ended eighth, after making an error and dropping several positions in the race. He was followed by his teammate Pol Espargaro, who also ran wide on one occasion, and Yonny Hernandez for the top 10.
Vinales was 11th, while Redding had to settle for the 12th position. Eugene Laverty shared the parc ferme with the top three riders, as he finished the Aragon race as the best Open class pilot. On the DNF list, Marquez was joined by Alex de Angelis, Danilo Petrucci, and Karel Abraham, whose injured toe caused him too much pain to continue racing.
Something tells us that this year's title will go down to the wire and will be decided at Valencia. Even in case Lorenzo and Rossi end the 2015 campaign with the same number of points, the Spaniard will still have the upper hand, thanks to the greater number of victories.
As interesting the 2016 season is expected to be with so many technical changes, it looks like the end of the current championship will represent a most thrilling transition.
In the world standing, things are the same, Rossi leading with 263 points, Lorenzo right behind him with 249, Marquez being third with 184 and beginning to feel Iannone's breath in the back of the head, as the young Italian has 172 points, far from Smith, who is third with 143.
PS: And how about Lorenzo winning the trophy himself helped design?
His DNF was rather more helpful for Rossi than it was for Lorenzo, as it meant that Rossi stepped up one position. The current championship leader fought his way up from 6th on the grid and got behind Dani Pedrosa, staying with the Spaniard for the entire race before starting to attack.
The fierce battle for the second place will remain in the MotoGP history books
With everybody knowing that catching up with Lorenzo was no longer possible, the focus shifted on the fierce battle for the second. We can say that the final rounds of the Arago round were better than anything else.Few laps before the checkered flag would be flown, Rossi attacked Pedrosa, but it turned out that the Spaniard was in no mood for such "jokes". Each time Rossi got past him, Pedrosa would respond immediately, so Rossi only spent less than a minute combined being in the second position.
Dani Pedrosa has undoubtedly run one of the best races in his entire career, and it's been years since we last saw the Repsol Honda rider fight so valiantly. And winning a battle against one of the world's best-ever riders makes everything even better.
Ducati's factory riders completed the top five, with Iannone fourth and Dovizioso behind him. Iannone's placement is even more admirable, as he rode with a recently dislocated shoulder and was already in pain after the opening 6-7 laps, according to his own account.
Aleix Espargaro was 6th at Aragon, getting in front of Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith, who ended eighth, after making an error and dropping several positions in the race. He was followed by his teammate Pol Espargaro, who also ran wide on one occasion, and Yonny Hernandez for the top 10.
Vinales was 11th, while Redding had to settle for the 12th position. Eugene Laverty shared the parc ferme with the top three riders, as he finished the Aragon race as the best Open class pilot. On the DNF list, Marquez was joined by Alex de Angelis, Danilo Petrucci, and Karel Abraham, whose injured toe caused him too much pain to continue racing.
Rossi seen even clearer in Lorenzo's sights
With Lorenzo winning at Aragon and Rossi managing to earn only 16 points, the gap between the two was reduced to 14. Four rounds are left in this season, and if Lorenzo continues to stay focused, reducing the gap even further is not at all a hard task.Something tells us that this year's title will go down to the wire and will be decided at Valencia. Even in case Lorenzo and Rossi end the 2015 campaign with the same number of points, the Spaniard will still have the upper hand, thanks to the greater number of victories.
As interesting the 2016 season is expected to be with so many technical changes, it looks like the end of the current championship will represent a most thrilling transition.
In the world standing, things are the same, Rossi leading with 263 points, Lorenzo right behind him with 249, Marquez being third with 184 and beginning to feel Iannone's breath in the back of the head, as the young Italian has 172 points, far from Smith, who is third with 143.
PS: And how about Lorenzo winning the trophy himself helped design?
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