Casey Stoner (Honda) took the win at Estoril earlier today, and a slim 1 point lead in the championship over Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) who finished in second place. Stoner’s teammate Dani Pedrosa finished third.
Valentino Rossi had his best performance of the year by finishing top Ducati in seventh place. For additional details, results and points, visit the official MotoGP site.
| Pos. | Points | Num. | Rider | Nation | Team | Bike | Km/h | Time/Gap |
| 1 | 25 | 1 | Casey STONER | AUS | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 154.0 | 45’37.513 |
| 2 | 20 | 99 | Jorge LORENZO | SPA | Yamaha Factory Racing | Yamaha | 153.9 | +1.421 |
| 3 | 16 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 153.8 | +3.621 |
| 4 | 13 | 4 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | ITA | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 153.2 | +13.846 |
| 5 | 11 | 35 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | GBR | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 153.1 | +16.690 |
| 6 | 10 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | SPA | San Carlo Honda Gresini | Honda | 152.8 | +21.884 |
| 7 | 9 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | ITA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 152.5 | +26.797 |
| 8 | 8 | 11 | Ben SPIES | USA | Yamaha Factory Racing | Yamaha | 152.1 | +33.262 |
| 9 | 7 | 6 | Stefan BRADL | GER | LCR Honda MotoGP | Honda | 152.0 | +35.867 |
| 10 | 6 | 8 | Hector BARBERA | SPA | Pramac Racing Team | Ducati | 151.0 | +53.363 |
| 11 | 5 | 69 | Nicky HAYDEN | USA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 150.5 | +1’02.630 |
| 12 | 4 | 41 | Aleix ESPARGARO | SPA | Power Electronics Aspar | ART | 149.6 | +1’20.736 |
| 13 | 3 | 14 | Randy DE PUNIET | FRA | Power Electronics Aspar | ART | 149.4 | +1’23.483 |
| 14 | 2 | 51 | Michele PIRRO | ITA | San Carlo Honda Gresini | FTR | 148.7 | +1’37.905 |
| 15 | 1 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | ITA | Came IodaRacing Project | Ioda | 147.2 | 1 Lap |
Mladin said last night on Wind Tunnel that Spies was at a tenth or so deficit per lap because of his physical size – relatively tall and broad shouldered compared to the little guys in front. Not as aerodynamic.
You know, that theory sounds interesting, but I don’t think it holds water. If that was the case, smaller displacement bikes (those with less horsepower) would put a larger rider at a bigger disadvantage, yet with more power, Ben is slower. I think Mladin is trying to kick Spies while he’s down. Per usual.
Spies is chasing setup. He’ll be back in the mix.
Stoner has the horsepower to just toy with the other guys. Mix a great rider with a completely dominant bike and you have a tough combo to beat. If I was a top rider I’d be offering a large portion of my salary to his chief mechanic in an attempt to lure him away. How nice would it be, when others are getting close, to simply open the throttle a little more and leave everyone else in the dust? The only thing keeping him from lapping the field is the need to conserve fuel.
Kind of like Rossi in his first year on the 4T Honda?
The Honda does not look much faster than the Yamaha to me, and I’m sure Pedrosa’s Honda is equal to Stoner’s. But it looks like Stoner is riding just fast enough to hold a lead, conserving his tires for the end. Lorenzo and Pedrosa make up ground–and Stoner wicks it up just enough to stay in front. That must be mighty discouraging for the Spaniards.
I would agree with you if not for what I’ve witnessed in the final few laps the past two weeks. Stoner is smoking them on the straights, not the curves. Regardless, his riding has been beautiful.
Straight line speed comes from corner exit speed, get the corner right, and stand the bike up early and use the hp early and carry more speed onto and all the way down the straight. This is what Stoner is very very good at and makes it appear he has a faster bike, when in fact all he does is turn the throttle sooner than the others. Easy to say, not so easy to do.
Well said bergdonk. Lozenzo set the lap record during the race at Estoril so one could make a valid arguement that the Yamaha is a quicker bike! It is defiently caseys riding style and ability to get on the gas earlier that makes the honda seem quicker than it is.
Where have all the clowns that said Stoner would be good on the Thous gone?
Being no good soory. Me being a clown.
Is it just me, or have they messed up the audio on these races? It’s like they cranked the motor sounds and turned down the commentary. Seems like an OK idea, but its like you are eavesdropping on the conversation, and I don’t get it..
Doesn’t help that the Americans are struggling, making it harder to watch as well..
I agree, FWIW.
Spies beat my 10th place bet by 2 places (8th). 33 S off the leader. 4th place Yamaha. 32 S off his factory Yamaha team mate.
So this is the result of Spies’ recent setup magic?
Yawn.
I propose Spies has never seen competition this stiff at these speeds. Re-read the last three words before you reply. I know it took the last race for Spies to win WSBK. When Spies started winning AMA SBK Mladin was getting older nearing the end of his career, Mladin had a beautiful wife and children telling daddy to return home safely every race, Mladin had won IIRC seven consecutive Championships, and every single bike on the grid except for Mladin’s was absolutely un-competitive.
Might Spies sycophants consider a new love?
Max Biagi never won GP/MotoGP but did take WSBK #1.
Spies has won a Moto GP race, and has 6 podium finishes and he finished 5th overall last season. A scarce few ever do that well in their careers. He’s having a tough time. It’ll get better.
Real yawner today. Nice to see Rossi doing better. Hope he’s not satisfied with seventh place finishes. Wonder if Lorenzo goes back into the pits and asks for more horsepower? He got the talent, but when he closes the gap on Stoner, Casey justs twists the throttle and is gone. Spies is sure having a poor season so far, but Crutchlow and Doviare running well.
Spies better start worrying about his seat. Last placed Yamaha again.
Hope he gets himself and the bike sorted soon.
They should all worry about their seats. Only 11 factory bikes and hardly any competitive racing at the front? Not even worth holding the races.
Moto2>Moto GP.
Nice result for my fellow Aussie.