Photo: motogp.com
Victory in the penultimate round of the 2015 MotoGP championship belonged to Dani Pedrosa, but it's really saddening to see his success overshadowed by less happy events that took place on the track.
Pedrosa started from pole, as he smashed the former track records to smithereens, and he was joined by Marquez and Rossi on the first row, with Jorge Lorenzo fourth, sharing the row with Crutchlow and Iannone. He led the race from the get-go and was able to put an incredible race that was hard to match, in a way successfully replicating one of Lorenzo's favorite recipes.
Lorenzo, who had fallen from 4th to 6th in the race debut, put the hammer down and started his way to the front, assailing the factory Ducati and swiping past them, with Rossi in his sights. Lorenzo's pace for the weekend was much better than Rossi's, so the Spaniard quickly overtook the Doctor and started chasing Marquez down.
A mistake from the current title holder and no hesitations from Lorenzo got the Mallorcan in the second position, a place he retained until the checkered flag flew at Sepang.
Rossi and Marquez passed each other countless times, but it looked like neither had the strength to make it stick and open up a gap. It all culminated with Rossi making nervous gestures that seemed to demand some sense from Marquez, and running wide shortly after.
The Italian said that the move was the only one that seemed to be capable of bringing some sense in Marquez' riding style at the moment. However, the two bikes clashed, and Marquez, who was on the outside, took a low-side fall and was out of the race, thankfully unharmed.
With Marquez out of the race, Bradley Smith, who won the battle with Crutchlow, finished in a very good fourth position, followed by Cal, who seems to get along better and better with his LCR Honda machine. Petrucci was sixth, trailed by Aleix Espargaro, his teammate Maverick Vinales, and Pol Espargaro and Stefan Bradl for the top ten.
However, added Webb, it was Rossi who made an illegal move, while Marquez played it safe from this point of view. As Rossi had already collected one penalty point, he will have to start the final round of the season from the back of the grid.
Yamaha appealed the Race Direction decision and took the case in front of an FIM Steward, but the appeal was rejected, thus putting an early end to the whole deal. The Race Direction's initial ruling was maintained, and Valencia will see Rossi taking the start from the back of the grid. Catch up with us later today to analyze how this new turn of events will influence the 2015 championship.
Ahead of the showdown of the season, Rossi still leads the world standing with 312 points, followed by Lorenzo with 305, while Marquez is still at 222. Pedrosa's two recent victories put him two points ahead of Iannone, so the 4th and 5th place will also be decided in early November at Valencia.
Lorenzo, who had fallen from 4th to 6th in the race debut, put the hammer down and started his way to the front, assailing the factory Ducati and swiping past them, with Rossi in his sights. Lorenzo's pace for the weekend was much better than Rossi's, so the Spaniard quickly overtook the Doctor and started chasing Marquez down.
A mistake from the current title holder and no hesitations from Lorenzo got the Mallorcan in the second position, a place he retained until the checkered flag flew at Sepang.
A fierce battle between Rossi and Marquez, fueled by the Italian's direct allegations in the press conference
Rossi openly expressed his suspicions that Marc Marquez was trying to influence the championship in Lorenzo's favor, riding in such a way as to hinder Rossi as much as possible. These accusations were uttered during the pre-race press conference and were the indicators of a fiery weekend.Rossi and Marquez passed each other countless times, but it looked like neither had the strength to make it stick and open up a gap. It all culminated with Rossi making nervous gestures that seemed to demand some sense from Marquez, and running wide shortly after.
The Italian said that the move was the only one that seemed to be capable of bringing some sense in Marquez' riding style at the moment. However, the two bikes clashed, and Marquez, who was on the outside, took a low-side fall and was out of the race, thankfully unharmed.
With Marquez out of the race, Bradley Smith, who won the battle with Crutchlow, finished in a very good fourth position, followed by Cal, who seems to get along better and better with his LCR Honda machine. Petrucci was sixth, trailed by Aleix Espargaro, his teammate Maverick Vinales, and Pol Espargaro and Stefan Bradl for the top ten.
Race Direction handed Rossi a three-point penalty
The Rossi-Marquez incident was analyzed by the Race Direction, and the Italian was found guilty of irresponsible riding. A three-point penalty was handed to him, even though Race Director Mike Webb made is clear that both riders share the blame.However, added Webb, it was Rossi who made an illegal move, while Marquez played it safe from this point of view. As Rossi had already collected one penalty point, he will have to start the final round of the season from the back of the grid.
Yamaha appealed the Race Direction decision and took the case in front of an FIM Steward, but the appeal was rejected, thus putting an early end to the whole deal. The Race Direction's initial ruling was maintained, and Valencia will see Rossi taking the start from the back of the grid. Catch up with us later today to analyze how this new turn of events will influence the 2015 championship.
Ahead of the showdown of the season, Rossi still leads the world standing with 312 points, followed by Lorenzo with 305, while Marquez is still at 222. Pedrosa's two recent victories put him two points ahead of Iannone, so the 4th and 5th place will also be decided in early November at Valencia.
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