Defending champ Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) followed up his domination of practice and qualifying at Le Mans this weekend with a wire-to-wire victory in the race. As he has done in the past when “in the groove”, Lorenzo took the hole-shot and then clicked off consistently fast laps to create a comfortable gap to second place by mid-race, and in the end won by 10 seconds over second place teammate Valentino Rossi.
Rossi fought his way from a 7th place grid position and a poor start past both Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) and Marc Marquez (Honda) who were disputing second place. Ultimately, both Dovizioso and Marquez crashed (independent of one another) in the same corner. This handed the final podium spot to Suzuki’s Maverick Viñales. Although Marquez re-mounted to gain a few points with a 13th place finish, Lorenzo takes over the championship points lead. You can see full race results below, along with a list of today’s many DNFs. Visit the official MotoGP site for additional details.
| Pos. | Points | Num. | Rider | Nation | Team | Bike | Km/h | Time/Gap |
| 1 | 25 | 99 | Jorge LORENZO | SPA | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 160.3 | 43’51.290 |
| 2 | 20 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | ITA | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 159.6 | +10.654 |
| 3 | 16 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | SPA | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | Suzuki | 159.4 | +14.177 |
| 4 | 13 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 159.1 | +18.719 |
| 5 | 11 | 44 | Pol ESPARGARO | SPA | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 158.8 | +24.931 |
| 6 | 10 | 41 | Aleix ESPARGARO | SPA | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | Suzuki | 158.3 | +32.921 |
| 7 | 9 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | ITA | OCTO Pramac Yakhnich | Ducati | 158.0 | +38.251 |
| 8 | 8 | 8 | Hector BARBERA | SPA | Avintia Racing | Ducati | 158.0 | +38.504 |
| 9 | 7 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | SPA | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | 157.4 | +48.536 |
| 10 | 6 | 6 | Stefan BRADL | GER | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | 157.0 | +54.502 |
| 11 | 5 | 50 | Eugene LAVERTY | IRL | Aspar Team MotoGP | Ducati | 156.5 | +1’02.677 |
| 12 | 4 | 76 | Loris BAZ | FRA | Avintia Racing | Ducati | 156.3 | +1’07.658 |
| 13 | 3 | 93 | Marc MARQUEZ | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 152.4 | 1 Lap |
| Not Classified | ||||||||
| 38 | Bradley SMITH | GBR | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 158.8 | 9 Laps | ||
| 43 | Jack MILLER | AUS | Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS | Honda | 157.4 | 11 Laps | ||
| 4 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | ITA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 159.7 | 13 Laps | ||
| 29 | Andrea IANNONE | ITA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 153.9 | 17 Laps | ||
| 53 | Tito RABAT | SPA | Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS | Honda | 155.7 | 21 Laps | ||
| 35 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | GBR | LCR Honda | Honda | 157.5 | 22 Laps | ||
| 68 | Yonny HERNANDEZ | COL | Aspar Team MotoGP | Ducati | 156.5 | 22 Laps | ||
| 45 | Scott REDDING | GBR | OCTO Pramac Yakhnich | Ducati | 156.8 | 23 Laps | ||
See more of MD’s great photography:
If we could see a Mugello finish with: Rossi winning, MM 2nd or 3rd and JLo 3rd or 4th then that would really give the season some spice…need Dani or Maverick to get in there and make it happen
I wonder if any of the factories are experimenting with adjustable winglets? They’ve got them on airplanes and doesn’t F1 have them, so it be just a matter of time… Then again, we’re in the age of “Dumbing Down”, so forget that idea.
F1 wings are NOT active. In fact, one of the teams (Ferrari, I believe) got in trouble a few years ago because they designed in a certain amount of flex, so that at high speed the wings bent downward and added more downforce. They were caught when their onboard camera show the wings moving.
Some of the technical advances they’ve created for racing have practical and useful purposes that can help all motorcycle riders, like traction control. But winglets, active or not, have absolutely no relevance in the real world. The teams are still not allowed to have aerodynamic bodywork, such as full wheel covers or teardrop-shaped fairings, yet they’re letting the teams play around with wings? It’s ridiculous. It needs to stop.
It is after all the prototype class so why not let them experiment with the wings? Because in reality a majority of the tech doesn’t filter down to production models as it’s too costly to make available to the public’s pocket book.
So far the only bikes accessible to the public with actual wings would be the H2 with small ones on the mirrors and the H2R which isn’t road legal but still.
A Suzuki on the podium, congrats to Mr. Vinales. He’s on his way up.
last year at Lemans a bunch of riders crashed too, and the track has been particularly hard on the Honda riders the last 2 seasons for some reason.
It was an interesting race. I know Rossi fans would love to see him qualify well every race, but I like him right where he was… so I can watch him snipe his competitors one by one as he moves towards the front. Not the best recipe for a Rossi championship, I know, but man it sure is entertaining. That was a brilliant finish to be starting from 7th like that.
Congrats to Suzuki and Vinales. It was a podium gained from attrition, but it seems that staying upright the whole race is a skill not to be taken lightly this season.
Also have to hand it to Marquez for getting into the points despite that strange tandem crash with Dovi.
And finally I tip my hat to Jorge. He ran a masterful race from the moment he dropped the clutch to the moment he crossed the finish line.
Here’s to hoping the points race stays tight, ladies and gents!
Would be great if MD posted the overall points for the championship as well as the individual race results.
Thanks guys.
I’ve got to admit I’ve been rooting for Dovi. Second place podium in the first race. Sure second place in the second race and his teammate knocks him down, he gets up and pushes his Duc across the finish line. Third race, he’s in second place and little Dani locked in the cross-hairs and nailed him. Forth race, bike trouble?? And now Le Mans. It really looked like someone greater than us didn’t like the way this race was going and decided to intervene. Did I just witness the hand of ultimate power telling me to quit rooting for Dovizioso?
I agree to just rid the bikes of winglets, save the cost and goofy looking bikes and use the TC if you want to wheelie less.
All said… something changed yesterday for that many riders to go down at a certain point of the race… Time to build a little bit of FEEL into that front tire.
At least a crash day like this let’s some of the lesser teams get to the points and get some recognition…
Pacer put out a good point about those winglets… They only provide downforce when the bikes are vertical, or near vertical. But when you are dipping the bikes down to over 60 degrees of lean, scratching the limits of tire traction, that downforce is now pushing the tires down at 60 degrees, or more sideways than downforce, leading to a low-side.
Either they make winglets that move as the bike leans (more complicated and more weight), or they do without the wings.
Not sure how much added downforce if really helping the bikes when they are vertical anyway. They only create drag when trying to reach top speed. They do provide extra down force on the front tire during high speed braking, but I would think that is almost a wash in pros versus cons. I suppose it is theoretical benefit, or they wouldn’t be trying it.
I would how it would affect handling to try and generate downforce when the bike is leaned over? Basically, a shape of the side of the fairing that is about 50 or 60 degrees from vertical, so it would be realatively neutral when vertical, but angled up when leaned over. It would require the bike to have a really narrow front end and wide in front of the rider, so that would likely impede lean angle. Perhaps a “pop-up” wing that only deploys on the high-side of the bike, when leaned over, and retracts when coming out of the corner? Eh.. now my head hurts… Back to my day job!
I’d think that for a given speed the wings generate the same force whether the bike is vertical or leaned over. When the bike is vertical, the force is “down”. When the bike is leaned over the force would seem to be pushing the bike towards the outside of the curve. In the curves, they need to retract the wings they have now while adding wings parallel with the ground, on the ends of the front axle. Also, outriggers. And key pads so they can tweet how the race is going.
The wings could be self leveling. On the other hand they could just get rid of them.
for the same speed, the downforce would be the same, and when leaned over in fast corners much of that force is trying to push the bike out, not just down to the ground. At slower speeds, wings have less effect, but the faster the corner, the more the wings come in to play.
This extra force is something the riders would have to get used to, as they “feel” the front tire for traction, and find the limits. Now, enter the effects of crosswinds. Wind is going to happen at most tracks, and would constantly vary from corner to corner, minute by minute even. Just when the rider thinks they have the limit, the winds change and could be giving more, or less, force on those wings. Before the wings, wind would hit the bodywork and have some effect, but the wings are more effective.
Wind.. maybe one more reason they seem to be unpredictable with these wings?
It all goes to show that those guys are at the limit, and it makes you appreciate what the combination of Lorenzo and the M1 does when JL dominates races.
Smith has commented that the tire pressure may be building beyond an optimum level in the front. Extra down force could be a culprit there as well. I am surprised they dont use an inert gas instead of normal air.
They do, they use nitrogen.
Good to know, thanks.
“use the TC if you want to wheelie less.”
Maybe I’m being to simplistic, but every time the TC kicks in they lose forward drive. If the winglets allow them to reduce the amount of intervention from the TC system, faster speeds on the straights will result. Not sure if the winglets help much anywhere else.
As I watched the slow motion camera work, I was surprised at how much JLo’s front end was hopping and moving around. I also noticed that he wasn’t wrestling the handlebars as the others did.
The light gray area on the track, where Dovi and MM went down, needs to investigated. A few years back the riders didn’t like the surface of Indy and it got fixed. I wonder if LeMans will do something to improve their track surface?
The old saying is that it’s easier to teach a fast rider to stop crashing than it is to teach a slow rider to go fast. Sometimes that’s true. Look what happened to “Crashey Stoner” after his first season.
But sometimes it just never happens. Look who we see crashing out time and time again, year after year… Crutchlow, Smith, Miller, Iannone… Would I want to invest millions of dollars on these guys if I were a factory team? I don’t think so.
Yes, but 2 of the best couldn’t keep it on 2 wheels either. I think Michelin has some work to do…
I think it’s the wings.
I also think the down force generated may also throw the weight distribution off, causing the spinning. Michelin is trying to make a spec tire when they are all playing with areo differently.
Good observation.
Sorry I clicked on the report post by accident …
Way back when the rider was actually in control of his bike, entry speed, weight distribution, acceleration … were all evaluated. Call me a luddite, but in the end the rider has to be the final decider on what the bike is doing. I don’t believe that this is happening.
The wings are fixed, so the downforce they generate is perpendicular to their surface. As speeds vary, so does the downforce. Once speed decreases the impact of grip is altered. So … when one comes from a straightaway to a turn, there is a hige transition in grip. When it is sudden, then oops! happens. Anyone remember when F1 outlawed ground effects cars?? Once the cars trued to turn at slower corners the grip/downforce transition was to great. No difference here folks. Don’t Blame The Tires.
It’s never made sense to me that a fixed winglet on the front of a motorcycle that creates downforce on a straight could be anything but detrimental in corners. I really don’t know what the teams think they’re accomplishing.
The only way to get wings to help a motorcycle would be to make them “active”, using a computer to constantly make adjustments. And even Formula 1 doesn’t allow that!
I say get rid of the stupid things!
Re: “Way back when the rider was actually in control of his bike, entry speed, weight distribution, acceleration … were all evaluated. Call me a luddite, but in the end the rider has to be the final decider on what the bike is doing. I don’t believe that this is happening.”
The rider is still in absolute control of all the things you list above, including at what level the electronics intervene, otherwise they wouldn’t crash anymore. They’re still throttle steering, and there’s still no ABS. The rider aids just allow them to ride closer to the edge, more consistently.
While the wings are fixed, their effect is not. Airfoil design is advanced enough that for all we know, the wiglets they use have no effect at all below 100mph, and a progressive effect all the way up to top speed. These bikes have such power that power wheelies above any realistic corner speed is an issue. Control that wheelie with something other than power reduction and you gain at the end of straightaways.
It’s new, they’re figuring it out.
I think its the Michelin tires. Maybe they should reverse engineer a Bridgestone from last year to find some grip. Btw, there were a number of crashes in the Moto 2 race and they don’t use wings…
Somebody please teach Iannone not to crash then!
How does Crash Crunch-low still have a job?!?
With a name like that he’ll be surfing the Aussie shores before long.
From a marketing and promotions POV, 1 podium and a sea of crashes, gets you more attention than an entire season of solid journeyman performances. Televised sports is like the rest of the entertainment business: Repeated Hit Wonders are best, but One Hit Wonders still trump solid players without any hits.
I’ve read his name being bandied about for taking Dani’s job if he makes a switch. I think ol Cal is crashing himself out of contention for a pretty cushy ride.
Lord,anyone that believes Crutchlow might slide (pun!) into Pedrosa’s potentially vacant spot needs to stop smoking whatever it is they have in the pipe. I think someone is going to be taking Crutchlow’s seat on the satellite while he hopes for and would be lucky to get an open class bike or WSB ride.
apparently it was from MCN..this from Moto Matters:
Dani Pedrosa at Yamaha leaves Maverick Viñales at Suzuki, and opens up a new front of speculation over who will take the second seat in Repsol Honda. MCN had earlier reported that Cal Crutchlow could get the seat, and given the current state of the market, that may not be so far off the mark. In part due to a lack of alternatives: when I spoke to a senior Honda source at Jerez, they told me that neither Maverick Viñales nor Alex Rins had done enough to impress them. Jack Miller is in a similar situation, despite having an HRC contract. The Australian is suffering with a lingering ankle injury, and has failed to impress so far this year.
That second Repsol seat could come down to a question of who is available. Andrea Iannone is fast, but has a number of black marks against his name, with the incident at Argentina as the most obvious example. Pol Espargaro is desperate to get onto a Honda, and would love a shot at the Repsol seat, but has yet to demonstrate beyond all doubt that he has earned. Michael van der Mark has been impressive in World Superbikes, but the leap from WSBK straight into a factory MotoGP seat is a massive step. Reigning WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea would be capable of making the jump, but he seems to have given up on the idea of a MotoGP ride.
Lots of names on that list! And realistically, it could end up being any one of those guys. As long as they’re Spanish.
From MCN? Ah, those Brits are so optimistic. It’s kind of cute, really.
I actually had pretty high hopes for Crutchlow when he first came on the MotoGP scene, but I think it has become apparent (grain-of-salt disclosure: apparent through my expert analysis 🙂 ) that he just can’t ride on the frayed edge as well as the other guys. He spends too much time imitating a field plow instead of an alien.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d like to see Cal get the Repsol just to see how he compares to Marquez (like the Rossi / Hayden comparison at Ducati that everyone likes to make.) It would be interesting for sure. I just don’t think he has a chance of getting the job. However, that is a crow I wouldn’t mind throwing on the grill.
Scott that would just leave Espargaro and Rins then wouldn’t it?
This might blow that whole Spanish conspiracy thing out of the water
(although Italians and Spaniards are ruling motorcycle roadracing these days due to great novice racing programs)
It is encouraging to see Suzuki improving their standing.
Love it. Hope they can hold onto both riders next season. With JL’s spot open and all…. Nothing against Honda and Yamaha, but it’s nice to see someone else in contention. And Ducati just don’t seem to get it together, despite doing very well in WSB. Also, with their long and strong presence in grassroots racing here in the US, Suzuki is about as close to “America’s” team as MotoGP is likely to have for a long time.
Only Marc Marquez could still manage to pick up two points from that mess. Man, what a colossal cluster-eff.
In other news, that Iannone fellow might actually have a nice little future in MotoGP if he could ever just keep it on two wheels.
I’d hate to be a Ducati fan. Wow.
Yea, but I’d still stick with crazy Joe if I were Ducati. He’s younger than Dovi and has more upside..
I think that shows how much MM has grown, He is now thinking long term instead of next corner. Wouldn’t it be something if the Championship came down to those 2 points?
Synchronized crashing may be the next big Olympic sport.
Feel bad for Ducati, the Marquez/ Dovi double washout was freaky…then again, MM was unhurt, so I thoroughly enjoyed it…