MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo’s Winning Streak Continues

Jorge Lorenzo has secured yet another victory for Yamaha in Le Mans!

MotoGP France Race Report

Yamaha have a lot to celebrate this week, after Lorenzo took his place at the top of the podium for the second time this season. After a thrilling home win in Jerez and now a victory in France, it seems that Jorge Lorenzo’s winning streak is far from over. He now sits in second place on the table, 15 points behind Valentino Rossi.

Despite finishing 3rd in qualifying, Lorenzo led from the very first lap in the race itself, leaving even the Doctor unable to catch up as the Spaniard kept his cool and gradually widened the gap. He finished the race with almost a four second lead, showing his own considerable expertise which previously led him to two MotoGP championship titles. Valentino Rossi finished in second, determined not to lose his spot on the podium after a brief battle with Dovizioso.

Jorge isn’t resting on his laurels just yet, though. He said: “Winning two races in a row after finishing outside of the podium in three Grand Prix is a big contrast…but you have to keep your feet on the ground and not hesitate, because things can change very quickly and I can have bad results in the future.” We’ve seen from the season so far that no rider can afford to be complacent, with so many excellent riders and former champions vying for the top of the podium.

Marc Marquez has learned that particular lesson the hard way in the last few races. This weekend, he fell back to fourth place, missing out on the podium again after he battled it out with Ducati’s Andrea Iannone, changing positions on almost every corner. Although it could have been worse if Iannone had won their tussle, Marquez will now be desperate to climb back up the table by the end of the season. The chances of him holding on to his crown are looking slim- but if we can say anything about Marquez, it’s that he won’t give up without a fight! Marquez is missing the fire we saw in the Americas, but will he re-ignite for the Grand Prix d’Italia on May 31st?

Honda will have some lessons to learn after this race, with all the Honda bikes struggling with a sudden rise in temperature. The front grip was a particular problem and explains some of Marquez’s troubles on the track. There was no joy for CWM LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow, whose previous strong performance gave us high hopes for this race. The British rider crashed out, missing out on any championship points he could have gained.

Crutchlow explained his crash without blaming the bike: “Obviously I’m very disappointed with today. It seems all the Hondas struggled for front grip today but this wasn’t actually the reason for the crash. My foot slipped off the rear brake pedal and as that happened I grabbed the front brake, which caused a big spike in the front braking and caused me to crash.” Whether it was problems with the bike or just bad luck, Crutchlow and his team have some serious catching up to do in Italy.

Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso impressed again with his fourth podium finish out of five races – but by now, he must be feeling like ‘always the bridesmaid, never the bride!’ Can he creep up to the top spot on May 31st and finally get the chance to crack open the champagne? Or will Rossi sail to victory again on his own home tarmac? With so many expert racers in the paddock, anything could happen. Tell us your predictions in the comments below.

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Photo courtesy of www.motogp.com