Maverick Vinales topped the podium after an incredible performance at Silverstone!
MotoGP Great Britain Race Report
This weekend, us British fans were treated to an exciting home race at the MotoGP Great Britain. The usual rain loomed over the start, and the red flag was brought out on lap 1 after a bike-flipping crash for Loris Baz and Pol Espargaro. Both riders were conscious, but debris lay all over the track and the race had to begin again.
Maverick flies to victory
Suzuki have been waiting a long time for a winner. After returning to the MotoGP last year, they took a gamble on the young and energetic Maverick Vinales. Their choice was a sound one, as the young Spaniard has proved himself more than capable. After this weekend’s win, we might ask: is this another Marquez in the making?
Vinales’ first podium came earlier in the year in Le Mans. Now he’s taken his success over the channel at the MotoGP Great Britain, reflecting glory on the Suzuki Ecstar team and showing his true potential. He masterfully took the lead for the first start and the restart, and simply never looked back.
In the end, Maverick crossed the line over 3 seconds clear of the chasing pack. Pulling away lap after lap, he tore off in a style reminiscent of Rossi at his best… and soon he stood two steps higher than his idol (and soon-to-be teammate) on the podium.
Vinales was ecstatic: “It feels incredible, for what I’ve fought for all the time to come true…the lap times were so good. The team has worked so much and I’m so grateful to them…Today, we did it. This is a dream come true and I hope I can give Suzuki more things like this!”
Crutchlow’s home podium
Cal Crutchlow gave us British fans yet another reason to celebrate, with a podium finish at the MotoGP Great Britain. He achieved a brilliant second place, still on a high from his debut win in the last round. He started in pole position, kept riding hard and led from Rossi over the line.
Cal had to battle hard for the podium, staying with the leading pack and holding his nerve until Andrea Iannone crashed with just six laps to go. This was unfortunate for the Ducati rider, but opened up the second place spot for Crutchlow on the LCR Honda bike.
Our lad from Coventry was pleased with his performance: “It was great to be a part of that battle today and really entertain the British crowd. I want to thank the LCR team and Honda for all the hard work…We started the year with a few crashes, and problems with the bike, but it shows that all the hard work has paid off.”
Rossi breaks down the championship gap
Going into his 250th MotoGP race this weekend, Valentino Rossi trailed 53 points behind the championship leader Marquez. It’s going to take a miracle to plug that gap, but the Doctor came a little closer this weekend with a third place finish, shaving three points off his rival’s lead.
Fans were gifted with a classic Rossi vs Marquez scrap for third place, with Marquez emerging victorious – until he ran out wide and Rossi grabbed his chance. In the end, the veteran Yamaha rider kept Marquez at bay in fourth.
Rossi reflected on a difficult but thrilling race: “For the championship these are just three points but I‘m very happy because it was a hard battle. I fought for the entire race and never gave up…I enjoyed it a lot and I‘m so happy with this podium, because I knew I had to fight from the first corner to the last to arrive in front.”
What about the rest of the Great Brits?
Scott Redding didn’t feel so great after the race in Silverstone. Aiming for the top eight after the race restart, he was forced out after two laps with an unfortunate crash.
That wasn’t the end for Scott – he hopped back on the bike and stayed out on the track to cross the line in 17th. Despite not gaining any points, we think he deserves respect for riding on to finish the race in front of a home crowd.
Redding lamented his bad luck: “It is a pity. I started very well in the first race. In the second race, something changed, I felt I had less feeling. I crashed without any warning from the bike…But we never give up! I continued until the end, even though it was not easy. I wanted to thank my fans who supported me lap by lap.”
Bradley Smith was sadly forced to miss the MotoGP Great Britain for Monster Yamaha Tech 3. After suffering a serious ligament injury and having surgery, all we can do is hope and pray for a swift recovery for the young Brit. He’s been ruled out of the next round at Misano too. You can read Bradley’s thoughts on his injury and his compatriot Crutchlow’s recent victory on the MotoGP website.
Alex Lowes MotoGP debut
Smith was replaced by fellow Brit Alex Lowes, more often seen on a PATA Yamaha in the WSBK. Joining the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team for the time being, Alex also joins his brother Sam Lowes who races in the Moto2.
Alex impressed in his debut MotoGP race, proving a worthy rider to cover Smith’s sick leave. In 13th place, he took three points for his temporary team and came in just behind the Irishman Eugene Laverty.
Lowes enjoyed this valuable learning opportunity: “Overall I have to be pleased with how the weekend has ended and I really learnt a lot in my first MotoGP experience, which I thought was amazing…In the end, I finished 40 seconds back from the leader and 20 from Lorenzo in my first GP race, which is positive, but the main objective was to reach the flag and I also claimed a few points.”
We can safely say our Brits did us proud on their home circuit – what a weekend for British motorcycle racing!
When’s the next fix of MotoGP?
The next round will be held at Misano on the 11th September, less than a week away. If you can’t even wait that long, why not check out our Racing News section of the blog to look back over the season so far. Can’t contain your excitement? Leave us a comment with your thoughts, hopes and predictions for the rest of the 2016 MotoGP.
Photos courtesy of Motogp.com.
