Jorge Lorenzo is on pole for this 23 lap race at Motorland Aragon in Aragon, Spain. Hector Barbera is on track after problems. Here we go.
At the start, Jorge Lorenzo gets the jump as Marc Marquez is up to second past Dani Pedrosa. Stefan Bradl fourth. Cal Crutchlow sixth. Through the Aragon Corkscrew. Valentino Rossi is pushing early on. Stefan Bradl is chasing. Cal Crutchlow runs wide. The gap is a second between Marquez and Lorenzo. Lorenzo does a 1:50 lap. Marquez has the softer front tire. The Honda's could have the advantage at this track over the Yamaha's. Cal Crutchlow has to pass Alvaro Bautista coming into turn sixteen.
Lorenzo has rocketed into the distance. But, Dani Pedrosa is fastest right now. Danilo Petrucci, Michael Laverty, and Luca Scassa, have all crashed. Scassa is a new rider in the championship. He rides the ART bike. Dani Pedrosa has taken second away from team mate Marc Marquez. Pedrosa is reeling in Jorge Lorenzo into The Chase. Pedrosa is riding the defensive line and Marquez pushes into turn number eight. Pedrosa has crashed! Pedrosa will lose the World Championship. He's hurt. The two touch. No. Actually, it was a high side for Pedrosa.
Valentino Rossi has to take evasive action. Lorenzo has two seconds on Marquez. Pedrosa may have had the wind knocked out of him. Bradl, Bautista, and Crutchlow, are behind Rossi. Wow. That was a surprise. It was win or bust for Pedrosa. Unfortunately, it's bust. Valentino Rossi wants to keep his spot. But, Bradl, Bautista, and Crutchlow, they all want a podium. Bautista runs wide, and Crutchlow is now right on top of him.
Crutchlow will try passing on the wider outside line. He can't quite get there. Crutchlow passes into the turn. He's up to fifth. Lorenzo has a 1.1 second lead over Marquez. It's Lorenzo and Marquez 1-2 at this point. Pedrosa high sided his bike. One wonders if he thought Marquez was there. Pedrosa is at the medical center, being checked out. Marquez continues to close on Lorenzo. After this race, there will be only four left to run.
Jorge Lorenzo must beat Marc Marquez. Twelve laps left. It's about halfway through the race. Andrea Dovizioso is in his 200th Grand Prix. He chases Bradley Smith, who seems to be improving. Dovizioso was third here last year, and Smith, had a podium in the 125cc class. Lorenzo runs a 1:49.6. Andrea Ianonne and Aleix Espargaro battle. After his wreck, it could be that Pedrosa has a knee injury. Bautista passes Crutchlow for fifth.
Less than eleven laps to go. Marquez is coming, and fast. Jorge Lorenzo knows Marquez is right on his tail. Here's the battle. Marquez fires into the lead. Can Lorenzo respond? He has to go for it with ten laps left. Marquez will disappear into the distance. Marquez has recovered from his earlier mistake. There's a monster battle for the final podium place. Nicky Hayden is ninth. Colin Edwards is 16th. Cal Crutchlow is keeping up. Smith is still fending off both Ducati's.
This is the last MotoGP race of the season in Europe. Now, has Jorge Lorenzo got something left in the locker for the end of this one? Lorenzo had some real flying laps in practice. Lorenzo runs deep into every corner, and he's throwing everything he's got at Marquez on the Honda. Lorenzo gains another tenth of a second. Six laps to go now. Can Lorenzo take a third consecutive race win? Marquez actually also might have a streak going. These bikes are reaching 212 miles an hour!
Valentino Rossi is fastest. Ah. Dani Pedrosa doesn't have serious injuries. Now, Alvaro Bautista is on the podium. Can Bautista hang on and make it an all Spanish podium? It's Marquez, Lorenzo, Bautista, as opposed to Marquez, Lorenzo, Pedrosa. Damien Cudlin is also running some races in MotoGP. His name should be familiar to FIM World Endurance Championship fans. Michael Laverty is another rider who has been lower down the order in this one.
Tire management might be what this race comes down to. Lorenzo has closed in on Marquez. Four laps left. Lorenzo has won the last two races. Rossi sticks to Bautista, with Bradl behind. Lorenzo loses 3/10ths of a second to Marquez in the second sector of the track. It's too little too late for Lorenzo to get anything out of this race, as far as going for the win. Lorenzo is giving it everything he's got. He's won four championships. Two 250cc titles and two MotoGP titles. But, he's likely not going to win this year's championship.
Nicky Hayden, Andrea Ianonne, and Aleix Espargaro, all battle for ninth. Bradley Smith is seventh or so. Stefan Bradl pushes in fifth. Rossi closes on Bautista. Bautista blocks. Rossi might have a chance to pass through turn two. Bautista is on the defensive. Rossi will push hard. He slides past into turn seven. Bautista tries and then, into the Aragon corkscrew, Rossi takes advantage. Bautista is fighting. This is the race since in front it's pretty well done and dusted. Gressini is getting nervous. Can Rossi keep the edge? This is thee final lap of the race.
Marquez should have this race in the bag. Now, Stefan Bradl passes Bautista for fourth. No all Spanish podium here. Bradl and Bautista battle for third. Rossi is pulling away. Rossi has the advantage and he'll get third. Crutchlow can't get to this battle. Rossi will get a podium. Lorenzo will be second. Marc Marquez is going to win his sixth race of 2013 in his rookie season as a MotoGP rider. Marquez does it!
#93 Marc Marquez ESP Honda
Four races left. Three of them, will be flyaway races. The first of those, will be the Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang Circuit, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, coming up in two weeks.
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