MotoGP Jerez, Results & Full Race Report: Lorenzo Led at the End, but Pedrosa Dominated from Pole

What Happens When It’s the Beginning and the End That Are Exciting

8:58am EST — Jorge Lorenzo won a race that looked as though it were in the sole possession of countryman Dani Pedrosa, who led from pole until halfway through the final lap and finished second after some close fighting with Lorenzo.  Valentino Rossi finished third, with Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner’s Ducatis rounding out the top five.  While the MotoGP Spanish GP from Jerez did not live up to the incredibly exciting racing of the season opener in Qatar, the two young Spaniards made up for it at the end.  Mika Kallio had a great race to finish in seventh, while the satellite Yamaha’s of Colin Edwards and Ben Spies did not fare so well, finishing twelfth and not at all, respectively.

Despite a postponed race last weekend due to the volcanic ash cloud, qualifying showed the bike mad Spanish crowds the sort of show they wanted, with the end result being two Spaniards on on the front role, with Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner, and Valentino Rossi the top four qualifiers.  American Ducati rider Nicky Hayden seems to have shaken off the gremlins from his first season at Ducati, qualifying fifth.  Pedrosa’s problems with the Honda continued, as he changed chassis and set up multiple times, despite his good qualifying.  Rossi still suffered from his injured shoulder and cracked humerus, while Lorenzo’s thumb seemed to be quite healed, though still not 100%.

Pedrosa got a good start from pole, maintaining the lead into the first turn, with Rossi just behind from the second row.  Hayden also got a fabulous start, slotting into a solid third and challenging Rossi for second.  Behind, Stoner was behind Lorenzo in fifth, with Ben Spies very close behind. Randy de Puniet, meanwhile, had a terrible start, sliding backward amongst the pack.

The top three managed a bit of a gap to a second group of three within the first lap.  Then Hayden ran a little bit wide and slid back to the second group, as Rossi and Pedrosa moved forward.  Stoner slid smoothly past Lorenzo and set off in chase of Hayden, though the gap had very been particularly large in the first two laps, with Hayden a second behind Rossi.  Rossi had been complaining that his shoulder required that he brake far too early into the corners, but he remained quite close to Pedrosa in the front, even as the two pulled away from the Ducatis in second and third.

Further back, Spies lost position to Melandri and Simoncelli, ending up ninth, just before Loris Capirossi crashed out behind them.  Four laps in, Lorenzo took fourth back from Stoner with twenty-three laps to go.  For a few laps, the riders seemed to settle in, particularly in the top five, as some gaps slightly increased and positions held.  Seven laps in, Lorenzo had reeled in Hayden noticeably, with a visibly smaller gap between the former world champion and the likely future champion.  Pedrosa had gained about a second’s worth of breathing room over Rossi, though that could easily be no breathing room at all.

L8 saw Spies retire after sliding back through the pack.  He went into the garage, turned off his Yamaha, and ended his race, with the team later revealing a front tire issue.  Ten laps in, it was still Pedrosa, Rossi, Hayden, Lorenzo, Stoner, with a nearly a second and a half between Pedrosa and Rossi, but soon after the lap ended and another began, Lorenzo attempted a move on Hayden, failed, then slid right on through as Hayden ran a bit wide.  Lorenzo then went off the minimize the three second gap up the track to his Fiat Yamaha teammate.

By L13 of 27, Pedrosa still led Rossi with1.3s between them, but Lorenzo was gaining small increments in third, only 1.8 behind his teammate.  It was now a waiting game on tires, to see whose went off first, and whose went off worst.  Very far back, Aleix Espargaro on the satellite Pramac Ducati team was in and out of the garage with some sort of issue.  Conditions had been deteriorating throughout the race, as the shining sun was covered by clouds and the wind picked up.  Five riders, ranging from eighth to eleventh position took up the work of exciting racing for the fans, trading position and keeping the racing very close.  Mika Kallio led the pack, with Colin Edwards one position out of the top ten.

With only eight laps to go, Lorenzo had Rossi well in his sights, with only seven tenths between them, a gap that would drop to one tenth, then Lorenzo was into second and three tenths ahead of the world champion on L22.  Lorenzo had spent a few laps shadowing Rossi very closely and smoothly took the position at the end of hte back straight.  Hayden, nearly six seconds behind Rossi in fourth, maintained his lead over teammate Stoner by more than two and a half seconds.

Two laps to go, and Lorenzo was only three tenths behind Pedrosa, setting up a fantastic finale for the Spanish fans as the sun returned to the sky.  There was nearly no space between them through the corners, but Pedrosa maintained speed on the straightaways, as Lorenzo attempted a close move, but failed, even as the two nearly touched, then they did, quite dramatically, just before entering the last lap.  Lorenzo went through as Pedrosa went very wide after Lorenzo showed him his front wheel again.  Interestingly, Pedrosa only went a tiny bit wide as Lorenzo attempted the pass, and Lorenzo was already through before Pedrosa went so wide it looked at though Rossi might be able to catch him up and pass him in the remaining turns.  With that small mistake, Lorenzo won his home grand prix with a small bit of time to spare, and Rossi finished third.

Final Positions from the MotoGP Spanish GP:
1. Lorenzo
2. Pedrosa +.543
3. Rossi +.890
4. Hayden +9.015
5. Stoner +10.034
6. Dovizioso +23.144
7. Kallio +34.489
8. Melandri +34.687
9. de Puniet +36.160
10. Butista +36.791
11. Simoncelli +37.155
12. Edwards +38.260
13. Barbera +38.371
14. Aoyama +1:02.052
15. Espargaro +3 Laps

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