After an absolutely masterful display at Jerez this weekend, Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo has risen to establish himself as a genuine threat to take his third MotoGP crown this year. Lorenzo followed his record lap during qualifying to storm away in the race from pole position and lead flag-to-flag with several seconds in hand over second place Marc Marquez at the finish.
From roughly half way through the race it appeared that Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), the series points leader, might once again catch Marquez from behind and claim second place for himself. Marquez, however, broken finger and all, responded to pressure from Rossi by upping his own pace during the latter stages of the race. Rossi settled for third.
Both of the factory level Ducatis had misfortune today. Starting third on the grid, Andrea Iannone mistakenly toggled his bike into “rain mode” before the flag fell at the start and the drag race began. He was shuffled well back before recovering to finish in sixth position. His teammate Andrea Dovizioso had an even worse day with an off-track excursion putting him at the back of the field early in the race. Dovizioso rode superbly thereafter to pass a large number of fast riders and take ninth place at the finish.
For additional details, results and points, visit the official MotoGP site here.
| Pos. | Points | Num. | Rider | Team | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | 25 | 99 | Jorge LORENZO | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 44’57.246 |
| 2 | 20 | 93 | Marc MARQUEZ | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | +5.576 |
| 3 | 16 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | +11.586 |
| 4 | 13 | 35 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | CWM LCR Honda | Honda | +22.727 |
| 5 | 11 | 44 | Pol ESPARGARO | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | +26.620 |
| 6 | 10 | 29 | Andrea IANNONE | Ducati Team | Ducati | +27.021 |
| 7 | 9 | 41 | Aleix ESPARGARO | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | Suzuki | +35.445 |
| 8 | 8 | 38 | Bradley SMITH | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | +36.296 |
| 9 | 7 | 4 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | Ducati Team | Ducati | +41.933 |
| 10 | 6 | 68 | Yonny HERNANDEZ | Pramac Racing | Ducati | +51.072 |
| 11 | 5 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | Suzuki | +51.674 |
| 12 | 4 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Pramac Racing | Ducati | +52.421 |
| 13 | 3 | 45 | Scott REDDING | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Honda | +53.052 |
| 14 | 2 | 8 | Hector BARBERA | Avintia Racing | Ducati | +53.200 |
| 15 | 1 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | +57.344 |
Outstanding ride from Lorenzo. He deserved the win. Thought it might be a little closer when Marquez was on his tail through the first few laps. Really expected to see Rossi get a bit closer to Marquez near the end, possibly even pass. Looked like Marquez had a little bit of tire left for the end. I thought Crutchlow put in a great ride, even if it was some 20 seconds or more back from the leader. Enjoyed the race!
Lap record and riding ability – 10 points
Humility and the example of what a winner does – minus 5 points
…there more to racing than racing.
Again impressed with the Moto3 result of Danny Kent. No British rider has won 3 GPs in a row since Sheene in 1977. Would love it if he got the title.
re: “I don’t know if he has the nerve to trade punches with really aggressive riders like Marquez or Rossi in close quarters, or even Dovi and Crutchlow.”
2 words… Silverstone 2013.
he’s got the nerve, the Law of NATCORK though question’s whether or not he has the bike…?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgIcGM004gE
“2 words… Silverstone 2013.”
I know he HAD the nerve. What I wonder is if he HAS the nerve right now. He did some great racing in the latter part of 2013. Not so much after that. I am hoping this win kick-started his mojo again so that we can see him return to form.
I am not so sure NATCORK the driving issue here. Marquez was on him like glue for the first few laps and probably would have challenged Jorge at some point were he in peak condition, but, still, the Yam is clearly working well. I am not saying he has the best kit out there, and I am sure Rossi’s input into changes carries far more weight at Yamaha that Lorenzo’s. However, the bike clearly works to the point that Jorge should be able to put up more of a fight for the podium more often.
From here on out, I think you can count on it. Continuing in France in two weeks, I expect we’ll see Jorge supplant Dovi as the main threat to Rossi and Marquez. I just hope none of the Big Three have any fluky DNFs, or any serious injuries. I want to see this one play out in full, with all three guys having no excuses.
I would like to see that, though I do hope Dovi still manages to keep things interesting.
Speaking of NATCORK, I hope the point Honda was trying to make was worth the price they paid for not enlisting Stoner. I figured their test rider must be pretty slick for Honda to go with him over Stoner, but instead, there is a new dictionary entry:
NAKCORT – No Amount of Kit Can Overcome Routine Talent
NATCORK, NAKCORT – kind of like matter and antimatter.
Q: “I know he HAD the nerve. What I wonder is if he HAS the nerve right now.”
A: yes. Ross himself has covered this. contrary to popular belief, the nerve doesn’t go anywhere or dissipate in 2 years time.
re: “I am not so sure NATCORK the driving issue here.”
no worries I get that a lot. however (comma) the passage of time invariably forces one to see more clearly, it is after all a LAW.
Great ride for Jorge, his favorite home track, holeshot, MM good start, showed heart riding with broken finger, VR great to see the old man come through traffic. When he started reeling MM in, I thought “Nobody’s as good riding shagged tires as the Doctor.”. I was wrong. I hate being on the bandwagon, but, rooting for the Doctor.
I like Lorenzo and that buttery riding style, so I was glad to see him take a win. Now if the guy could just ride like that in the crowd, he’ll be a serious contender. He clearly still has the skill, but I don’t know if he has the nerve to trade punches with really aggressive riders like Marquez or Rossi in close quarters, or even Dovi and Crutchlow.
And, Jorge… You’ve had your arse handed to you far too many times to be celebrating like that my friend. More humility next time. If there is a next time.
Wasnt it Jerez 2013 where Marquez came under Lorenzo and bumped him into the grass for the win and Lorenzos response was to shake his head and refuse to accept his apology after the race.
Yes, Pedrosa actually won that one, with Lorenzo and Marquez fighting it out for 2nd. I remember Jorge just waving his finger at Marquez and when he attempted to apologize. Lorenzo complained about the aggressive pass by Marquez (of course), but I am also pretty sure he later admitted during the interviews that he said the mistake was his by failing to completely shut the door on Marquez.
Ahh must have been when Dani was still getting great holeshots. To me Lorenzo is a little smoother but both have similar riding styles. I will go fast as long as no one is around me, but I don’t want to scrap in a crowd. That’s for the other guys. i’d rather ride alone.
I found it interesting that Honda put a tire heater (cover) over MM rear skin in the winners circle. The Yamaha’s tire surface(s) looked like it had been hit with buckshot.
I’ve always been a JLo fan and his smooth style is like no other but it’s after he wins, that’s where he and I need to talk. Enough of the celebratory laughy happy slappy post race party, dragging on and on… The last shot of him standing on his gas tank, while a bunch of his wrenches were staring at the tank (wondering if it’ll buckle?) was a bit much. Take your win graciously, accept it just as you ride, with aplomb and confidence.
Told my wife if Lorenzo gets the holeshot, they will never see him again. he did and they didn’t. he is in his element when out front by himself. Marquez rode really well. Thought Rossi would reel him in, but nope settled for points. Not a great race to watch, but sometimes it’s like that.
Rossi was held up too long by Pol. By the time he passed #44, #’s 93 and 99 had cleared off into the distance.
I know I sound like a broken record but Rossi simply cannot continue to handicap himself this way, not against a resurgent Lorenzo and the always fast Marquez. Whatever it takes, he has to find a way to start on equal terms with them.
Good point, Mickey. Lorenzo seems reluctant to run as hard in traffic as he does in space. It makes me wonder if he’s lost his nerve. He’s not been the same rider that he was two years ago.
Pedrosa is like that too. A couple years ago when he was a hole shot specialist, he would just disappear, but if he got off in 3 rd, that’s about where he stayed the whole race.
Lorenzo is fast and smooth when there are no interruptions in the force. To Marquez and Rossi it doesn’t matter where they start they start swimming for the front.
re: “I know I sound like a broken record but Rossi simply cannot continue to handicap himself this way, not against a resurgent Lorenzo and the always fast Marquez.”
he’s never gotten on with the new shortened qualifying session. don’t think he ever will, or is even interested at this point.
If he really wants that tenth title, he better learn to take an interest. Starting off each race with a scrum in the first two laps is eventually going to cost him a DNF, or at least a well-down-the-order finish, never mind constantly finding himself two or three seconds behind the frontrunners by the third lap. Conversely, when Rossi is at the front, he usually wins. Bare minimum, he typically doesn’t fade.
The thing is, he’s clearly as fast as anyone on the grid. There is no reason he can’t show it in qualifying, too. He just has to give two shits about it.
re: “If he really wants that tenth title, he better learn to take an interest.”
i fear that train has left the station. I remember back at Indy 2 years ago, dude basically didn’t even try. iirc when he went out for Q2, he did a parade lap and then pulled back into the pits. dunno, maybe that was an Indy thing, but all those paying attention were like WTF…?
That was on the recalcitrant Ducati, though, right? If so, yeah, I can see where that all-too-familiar feeling of hopelessness completely killed his give-a-shit.
He has no reason to feel that way with this year’s M1. His bike is clearly competitive. It can win races. It can be ridden to pole position. He has every reason to be eager to pounce, from the very first practice session. This title is within reach. If he pushes hard enough, it’s there for the taking.
That’s how he’s wired. Or, at least that’s how he used to be wired, and his race results this year give no indication that he’s lost any of his old competitive fire.
On a side note, how cool is it to be having this discussion at all, at this point in Rossi’s career? The simple fact of his being atop the points standings while appearing to be a legitimate threat for the win every weekend is a real boon to this MotoGP season. It wasn’t that long ago that there was genuine concern as to whether Rossi would even continue racing, so this is quite the unexpected treat for MotoGP fans. Even if someone isn’t specifically rooting for Rossi, come on, this sure beats having only Marquez, Lorenzo, and little Dani being shoo-ins for the top step on the podium.
re: “That was on the recalcitrant Ducati, though, right?”
no no, he was definitely Yam mounted. technically I may be thinking of last year, but for some reason it seems longer than that.
How in heaven could he jump that high in that photo in gp site?
Interesting 15’s gp, Rossi constant on the podium (and 1st overall), a duc on the 2nd place so far and Lorenzo 2nd place.
Seems full of surprises for the remaining season; go doc!!
(last but not least, both Suzis within the first ten)
re: jump, he’s probably 6 feet closer to the camera than MM & VR, and the camera is well below podium elevation. That’s not do diminish JL’s energy on the podium though. You’d have thought he’d won his first GP.
Yeah, it looks spectactular but there’s all you point out AND the fact that P1 podium is of course the highest too. So, dramatic shot but photography is often like that – part reality/composition, part suggestion/illusion….