MotoGP Italy saw a thrilling battle between Marquez and Lorenzo – and disappointment for Doctor fans.
MotoGP Italy Race Report
It was another round of thrilling racing in MotoGP Italy as Lorenzo, Marquez and Rossi went at it for the win, all three champions determined to take the victory. Three riders crashed out on the very first turn, marking the start of the excitement which carried on right to the end.
This was Valentino Rossi’s first time starting in pole position since 2008. With a special (eye-wateringly bright) yellow helmet, Rossi was tasked with getting a home win for Italy. Pressure built up as VR46 fans filled the stands to cheer him on.
All the fans were treated to a classic Yamaha battle, the team mates going nose-to-tyre throughout the opening laps. The Doctor stalked his teammate like the assured hunter he is, never dropping back, looking like he was in with a chance.
On the 8th lap, the yellow flags stopped waving as Rossi’s bike let him down. Smoke poured out of its side as the Yamaha engine failed for the second time that day. Earlier, in Warm Up, Lorenzo blew the engine on his bike – and that’s exactly what happened to Rossi in the race.
There’ll be some serious questions asked in the Yamaha garage. Yellow-clad fans immediately left the stadium, showing the massive pull that Vale has with his fans. Italian disappointment was audible as the stands went quiet, but Lorenzo carried on setting the pace.
Lorenzo v Marquez
Marc Marquez was chasing the Yamaha bikes all the way, and as soon as Rossi was out of the picture he took the chance to hunt down Lorenzo. The battle was epic, with Marquez charging on to set the fastest lap.
Sticking close behind his rival, Marquez fired a warning shot by passing Lorenzo on lap 20. Jorge immediately took back the lead as Marquez wobbled under pressure.
On the last lap, the old Marquez came roaring out of retirement. He launched a vicious attack on Lorenzo, passing him again on the last lap in a last-ditch attempt at victory. The commentators called it for Marquez as he took the lead, leaving the reigning champion behind him.
No-one told Jorge Lorenzo that he’d been beaten! The Yamaha man wasn’t ready to concede his win to a Honda, so he whipped past Marquez just before the finish line and made the younger rider settle for second. What a performance! Even the most determined version of Marquez couldn’t quite outrun Lorenzo at his best.
After MotoGP Italy, Lorenzo is now ten points clear at the top of the table. Marquez has proved that the young Spaniard isn’t quite as tame as we thought he was, producing some exciting action. His push to the win paid off, and he now has a 27 point lead over Rossi.
Lorenzo commented: “The pace wasn’t very fast so I couldn’t escape like I wanted, Marquez stayed strong all the race… Finally my bike was quite fast and I could get past Marc for an unexpected victory.”
Marquez acknowledged his own split personality: “For the first time in my career I know what it is like to lose the race in the last 50 meters, I don’t think I ever felt it before…This race the old Marquez came and I forgot about the championship and just attacked.”
The Ducati madness continues…
Andrea Iannone completed the podium in third place, giving Italian fans the consolation of having an Italian on the podium. It was a relief for Ducati, who’ve experienced nothing but chaos this season.
Andrea Dovizioso also contested for the podium after starting in 13th, seeming to have recovered from his losing streak. He had to fight with his teammate again, and at several points it looked like a repeat of Argentina – God forbid!
While the Ducati riders concentrated on passing each other, Dani Pedrosa’s Honda closed in. Dovi was forced out wide by Iannone in a hair-raising moment. In the end, Pedrosa took Dovi’s podium place away and nearly stole Iannone’s too.
Iannone himself was less than enthusiastic about his podium place: “I thought it was going to be a disaster for me but OK…The disappointment is the result because, yes, the podium in Italy is great but I have the potential to fight for victory. I needed this today and we’ll keep trying.”
What did the Brits take away from MotoGP Italy?
Scott Redding challeged for 6th place, looking strong throughout the race until he was forced to retire on the same lap as Rossi. His front brake went and his bike limped into the pit lane, finishing his race for the fourth time this year without any points.
Redding explained: “The problem? I saw the red light flashing, and I tried to slow down to see if the problem could be solved. But there were no signs of improvement, so I preferred to stop to avoid damaging the engine. I am disappointed because the weekend had been good even if with some ups and downs. We will try again in Barcelona.”
Bradley Smith did really well, finishing as the top independent rider. He took seventh place and nine championship points, a great result after keeping a consistent pace up throughout the race.
Smith commented: “I am very happy to finally be the top independent rider plus back to where I need to be. I worked on my starts all weekend and we did way more practice than usual but it looks like it paid off!” Well done Bradley!
Cal Crutchlow finished the MotoGP Italy unscathed, which is a victory in itself after such a disastrous string of DNFs. He took 11th place and 5 much-needed points.
The next race is MotoGP Catalunya, on the 5th of June.
If you can’t wait that long for more MotoGP action, check out our Racing News section of the blog for all our MotoGP race reports.
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Photos courtesy of Motogp.com.
