autoevolution
 

Marquez Wins at Rain-Chaotic Misano, Lorenzo Crashes Hard But Is Alright

Rain was the cause of huge drama at the San Marino Grand Prix, as the grid was forced to do a double bike change at the Misano circuit. Marc Marquez claimed victory as Lorenzo crashed out of the race, and Valentino Rossi made a wrong bike swap decision.
Marquez wins at Misano, 2015 29 photos
Photo: motogp.com
Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105Misano, 2105, race resultsMotoGP world standing as of Misano, 2105
A dry race during the early laps, the Misano GP quickly saw the white flag waved as the Race Direction indicated that riders could enter the pit lane to change their bikes for the ones equipped with rain tires. Lorenzo took a wonderful start from pole, but he could not lose Marquez as the young Spaniard knew only too well that keeping Lorenzo in sight was his only chance.

Drama was about to unfold in front of the record crowd gathered at Misano (around 92,000 people), as Lorenzo set a blistering pace in the early laps, trying to open up a gap while still on slicks, before swapping the bikes. By Lap 6, the pace went down by almost 6 seconds, making it obvious that wet tires were needed.

The three front riders, Lorenzo, Marquez and Rossi went to the pits together, and went out on wet tires to better their lap times. However, this was only an intermediate stage in the race, as the rain stopped and the track begun to dry once more. Rossi started to cover the gap separating him from the two rider at the front and even got within striking range. Still, the wet tires deteriorated very fast, and safety started to be an issue.

Loris Baz was the first to get back on slicks, and his smart move proved to be a great one, that almost got him on the podium. In the end, the might of Scott Redding's satellite Honda proved to be too much for the customer Yamaha Baz rode, and the Brit claimed the third position on the podium. Redding's podium is especially important as he also crashed during the race but was able to restart his bike and rejoin the action.

Smith's gamble

Marquez was the first of the leading trio to change his bike again, and this was the move that won the race. Lorenzo followed him one lap earlier, while Rossi tried to open up a new gap using what was left of his wet tires. Jorge Lorenzo crashed out of the race shortly after rejoining and seven laps before the finish, mauling his Yamaha severely but thankfully walking away with a minor contusion only.

Rossi's decision to stay so late on the wet tires effectively cost him any chance to fight for the win, as his slow lap times were impossible to recover after changing bikes. On the other hand, Bradley Smith missed the chance to pit in the first place and played everything on the drying track card.

His wild assumption turned out to be a successful move as the rain stopped. Treading cautiously on slicks on the damp track, Bradley Smith was able to set a very good pace late in the race and scored another podium.

Having two Englishmen on the podium is a first since 1979 when Barry Sheen and Tom Herron finished in top three in the Venezuelan GP. All in all, Marquez ticked Misano on his list too, one of the tracks he has never won at previously.

Rossi was fifth, followed by Danilo Petrucci, who once more rode a wonderful race, especially in such crazy conditions. Ducati's factory riders Iannone and Dovizioso were next, followed by Dani Pedrosa, who barely managed to hold Aleix Espargaro in the tenth position.

Yonny Hernandez crashed out early in the race, taking Alex De Angelis down in the process. Alongside Lorenzo, Pol Espargaro also did not finish the race after a crash, while Michele Pirro retired.

Lorenzo's battle for the title just got more difficult

With Lorenzo not earning any points at Misano, the gap between him and Rossi grew to 23 points. While making up for 23 points in the five remaining rounds is doable for a rider like Lorenzo, his battle for the title has just got way harder. That is because Rossi is obviously in a wonderful shape and seems to also have the psychological strength needed to claim his tenth World Title.

At the same time, Marc Marquez, despite no longer being in contention for the title, is looking forward to winning as many points as possible and getting in the way of both Yamaha riders is also on the list, so Lorenzo will have to fight on multiple fronts for the 2015 crown.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories