Will Lorenzo make Rossi’s nightmares come true?
MotoGP Czech Republic Race Report
It’s the moment that Rossi fans have been dreading. Jorge Lorenzo gave a masterful performance in Brno and earned his 5th win of the season, crossing the line with an impressive 4.462 second gap on the chasing Marc Marquez. Rossi finished in a lonely third place. The Doctor and his teammate are level on 211 points at the top of the championship standings – and with 5 wins to Rossi’s 3, Lorenzo is now the world number one.
Lorenzo may have knocked Rossi off the top spot, but the Movistar Yamaha team have a lot to celebrate. Repsol Honda had a few brief shining moments in Germany and America; but all eyes are on the battle within the Yamaha team, as Marc Marquez faces an even bigger points gap of 52 between him and the overall victory. This is the first win that Yamaha have achieved in Brno since 2010, and it looks like they’ve firmly seen off the Repsol Honda competition for the 2015 championship title.
Setting a blistering pace from the beginning, Lorenzo held on to pole position, from starting grid to chequered flag. Marc Marquez did his best to catch up, but Lorenzo’s strategic, consistent riding paid off. The Yamaha rider commented: “This was not a perfect race, because I could have been a little bit faster. I had a margin, not enough to be comfortable but enough to risk less…I was able to get away little by little and win the race.” Lorenzo set an example for the whole paddock this weekend, executing his plan perfectly.
All of the riders on the Brno podium finished in their grid positions, with Marc Marquez gaining valuable points in second place. Leaving Valentino Rossi trailing in his wake, Marquez knows that second place is a considerable achievement in such top-class company. He said: “We achieved the goal we had for today: to try and open a gap to Valentino and the others from the start so I’m happy about that…I think that this second position is good.” He’s still a long way off from the 2015 title, but Marquez can hold his head high after seeing off Rossi again.
Valentino Rossi himself had a troubled start, ending up in fifth place at the first corner and eventually battling with his old rival Dovizioso. He proved the strength of his skill and determination by achieving third place, holding off Andrea Iannone in fourth, but he still finished a disappointing 10.397 seconds behind his teammate. Rossi has never left the podium this season (he’s not about to start now) but is this consistency enough, when the number of wins could decide the championship?
Is Rossi finally getting tired of chasing the younger, stronger contenders? From his comments after the race, this is exactly what critics of the Doctor might be thinking. He said: “This weekend Jorge always rode very fast, but at the same time I had hoped to be closer…Unfortunately I wasn’t fast and strong enough and also my rhythm was quite slow.” This can’t be the end of Rossi’s glorious career, can it? One more push and Rossi could still claim his 10th MotoGP title, allowing him to hang up his helmet with pride.
Bradley Smith did Great Britain proud again, seeing off the Espargaro brothers in 8th and 9th to finish in 7th place. He has remained the top satellite rider for most of the season, and maintains 5th place in the championship standings, above the likes of Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa. When he comes home on August 30th, hopefully his home crowd will inspire him to do even better! Cal Crutchlow will also need some encouragement from his home crowd, after an unfortunate crash in Brno that saw him off the track after only 8 laps.
It’s all to play for in the next round – and it’s going to go down at our own Silverstone track! If you have tickets, you’re a lucky devil, because some of us here at Two Wheel Centre would give our left arms to join you. Wherever you watch the race on August 30th, it promises to be a crucial showdown where anything could happen. Every point matters now, every win could make or break the riders’ title hopes. We’ll be back after the bank holiday weekend, to report on all the action.
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While you wait for the action to start again here in Great Britain, why not read our take on the season so far? Check out the Racing News section of our blog for coverage of MotoGP, BSB – and the Two Wheel Centre sponsored racer, Taz Taylor, who will also be racing at Silverstone in the HEL Performance Motostar Championship.
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