The season finale for the 2012 MotoGP World Championship is in Valencia, Spain, at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, which is named after a former motorcycle racer. It's located in Cheste, Spain and repaved. However, it's very bumpy.
Jorge Lorenzo is already champion. This race is purely for bragging rights, going into 2013. Dani Pedrosa has to return to form to prove himself, and Casey Stoner wants to go out with a bang before retiring, as this is his last career MotoGP race.
In qualifying, it was dry. Dani Pedrosa is on pole with Jorge Lorenzo (the new world champ), second. Casey Stoner rolls off third in his last race with the two Tech 3 Yamaha's and Nicky Hayden's Ducati, on the second row. Stefan Bradl splits the two Tech 3 bikes. Hiroshi Aoyama moves to MotoGP from World Superbike for next year. He starts this race as does Moto 2 racer Claudio Corti, and, Katsuyuki Nakasuga will also make a start in this season finale race for MotoGP.
The bikes head out on their warmup lap. Some riders will run slick tires and others, wets. The race will be 30 laps. This is it, for all the marbles. Riders enter the pits. But, the grid is set. At the start, it's Aleix Espargaro! Many riders had to pit and start from pit lane. Will the race dry out? The CRT bike leads with Espargaro aboard. The riders on wet tires will need to change. Valentino Rossi has third. Andrea Dovizioso passes Casey Stoner. Will there be more rain?
Valentino Rossi passes Hector Barbera. Alvaro Bautista, Dani Pedrosa, and Nicky Hayden are way down the order. Aleix Espargaro is now leading. Jorge Lorenzo is eighth. He's coming quick. Dani Pedrosa is closing up on the CRT bikes, passing Randy de Puniet. One lap is complete. If you are on wet tires, don't pit too soon, in case it does rain. The track is very abrasive, wearing down the tires. Michele Pirro is having problems. Andrea Dovizioso takes over the lead. He's running his last race for Tech 3 Yamaha. Casey Stoner needs to change to dry tires.
Aleix Espargaro is still leading on wet tires and he runs wide as Jorge Lorenzo gets the lead. Rossi stays out on wet tires as more riders come in. This is quite the race. Stoner and Pedrosa change tires. Andrea Dovizioso's bike wouldn't start. This race is only four laps old. Dani Pedrosa and Kasayuki Nakasuga are both flying on slicks. Claudio Corti started on slick tires. Jorge Lorenzo has taken over the lead running fast lap at 1:39.5. Valentino Rossi and Aleix Espargaro pit and actually change from their main bikes to their spares with the rain tires on. There are spots of rain around. But it's nothing serious.
Nicky Hayden crashes out of the race. His 2012 season is over. Jorge Lorenzo resets fast lap three seconds quicker at 1:36.8. He's outrunning Dani Pedrosa. Dani Pedrosa has won five times in Valencia between all three divisions (125cc, 250cc, and MotoGP). Nakasuga is being pressured by Stefan Bradl. Kazuke Nakasuga is riding on Ben Spies' bike this weekend. Spies did not start the race due to injury. Dani Pedrosa runs a 1:33.3 and is right on top of Jorge Lorenzo now.
There are large black clouds coming, as many riders are using the pits, worried about the tires and the conditions. It's another battle between Pedrosa and Lorenzo. Pedrosa brings fast lap down to 1:33.1 and Nakasuga now runs third. Actually, Cal Crutchlow takes over third. Pedrosa wiggles the bike and loses time. He ran wide behind Lorenzo. Aleix Espargaro led the race. But now, Lorenzo is clearly in control. Lorenzo has a huge crash! The bike begins to fishtail, and he gets swept off! So, the top three is now Pedrosa, Crutchlow, and Nakasuga.
Dani Pedrosa is pushiong hard now, coming up on halfway through this race. Fifteen laps is halfway. Working lap fourteen at the moment. Former MotoGP and World Superbike champion Max Biaggi is attending this race. He has retired from riding, but knows a lot about the conditions. His exploits were followed in World Superbike this year on this blog of course. Nicky Hayden's crash was in turn ten and Stefan Bradl also crashed. All this before Lorenzo's high side. Nakasuga remains third with Bautista fourth, and the lead CRT bike is fifth, with Michele Pirro aboard.
Randy de Puniet runs off in the gravel. Just ten laps remain now. Dani Pedrosa is leading and tehn, Claudio Corti crashed. Corti is now team mate to Colin Edwards. Pedrosa battles with the lapped bike of Karel Abraham. He must get by. He flies by down the front straight, easily. Stefan Bradl and Jorge Lorenzo ended up getting away well at the start. The bikes in the pits had a really wicked time getting off the starting blocks. Cal Crutchlow runs second and Katsuyuki Nakasuga will be third, getting on the podium. Nakasuga will not challenge for second place.
Seven laps remain now. Pedrosa is running a second slower than before. Unfortunately, Cal Crutchlow crashes! He's out of it. Nakasuga is now second and Alvaro Bautista will be third. Crutchlow had a nasty slide off the bike, tumbling through the gravel after going wide. Casey Stoner will get fourth, but he's not done yet. He closes up on Alvaro Bautista. Only four laps remain now. It's Bautista vs. Stoner for the last podium spot. Stoner wants it, in his last ever MotoGP race. Stoner is closing on Bautista two seconds a lap.
Stoner won his first race in 125cc competition in 2003 at Ricardo Tormo. Andrea Dovizioso slides off line and fortunately continues. Casey Stoner moves through Doohan corner. Can Stoner get by Bautista? Will Bautista hold him off? Well, it looks like Stoner will make the pass. Two laps remain in Stoner's career. He'll finish on the podium. Dani Pedrosa has dominated this race despite starting from pit lane. Dani Pedrosa will be second in the championship, eighteen points behind Jorge Lorenzo. Pedrosa will score another win, scoring the most wins in 2012 MotoGP competition!
#26 Dani Pedrosa ESP Honda
Kasuki Nakasuga finishes second. Nakasuga was Japanese Superbike champion this year, too. Casey Stoner gets his tenth podium of 2012 and his 69th career podium. He has 38 race wins. Happy retirement, Casey Stoner! So ends a great season of MotoGP racing. Looking forward to 2013.
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