Motorland Aragon in Aragon, Spain, brings us to the final European race of the 2015 MotoGP season, before the flyaway races begin, that usher in the last leg before a champion will be crowned.
hat does a champion do when he's down? He fights. Jorge Lorenzo must fight and ride flawlessly, to finish ahead of team mate Valentino Rossi. One more mistake, and his championship dreams will vanish before his very eyes. Just five races now remain. We head to Spain for the third and final time this season. This is round fourteen of the championship. Five steps to take for Valentino Rossi to get his tenth title, and eighth championship in the premier division.
In motorcycle racing, crashing is part of life. Low side crashes are dangerous. But, high sides, are even more, when they lose the rear tire. There are those who have crashed, and those who will, whether racing professionally, or, at a track day. There are two kinds of crashes. If the bike brakes straight, the rear tire loses grip, losing the front end. The other, is, bike on an angle, with no brake, and no throttle. You are on the limit, lose the front end, and fall off. This can happen, when you have a new front and rear tire.
The rear tire, pushes the front. Engine braking helps. The high side, happens, at the exit of the turn, when you open the throttle, and are playing with rear grip. If you open the throttle earlier or too much, you create a loss of rear grip, the suspension compresses, the rear tire loses grip, the suspension expands, and the rider gets thrown off the motorcycle, like an ejection seat. Escape a high side, by letting the rear tire spin, and then, let the traction control kick in, and save the motorcycle. Keep yourself on the bike, and keep racing.
The bike, can detect if you as the rider, are over the limit, so it cuts the power. But, if you lose grip and hit the throttle, you are still going to crash. Marc Marquez crushes his own lap record. He slid through the gravel trying to better it. Andrea Ianonne charged in qualifying to third, despite his separated shoulder. Ducati had three straight top finishes in the first three races. But, Ducati, has had bad luck, since then.
Has the Ducati GP15 tailed off? Andrea Dovizioso had three second place finishes in Qatar, Austin, Texas, and Argentina. The team has not solved all the problems with the bike. They can't find enough grip at the maximum angle of the bike, in corners. It's a big step, and hopes are that the problems are reduced and eventually solved. Ducati only has had one podium since the sixth event of the season. In Britain, they had a good result, in the rain. But, the results have just not been there, in dry conditions.
Motorland Aragon is a newer track on the calendar. It is 3.16 miles with 17 corners. Ten lefts and seven rights, with a 2/3 mile straight. 23 laps are scheduled. Down the front straight, overtake into turn one. Around turn two, uphill. Keep climbing, go right, into Carlos Checa corner. Turn four, is hard, because you have to brake and stand the bike up. Turns five, six, and seven, and it's tight. Go up hill. Hit third gear so you don't lose speed. Go through the reverse corkscrew, opposite of Laguna Seca.
Then, you flow through turns eleven through fourteen. You have to slow down into the final corner, but you can still pass around your rivals, onto the back straight. Go full speed. Then, come through the final corner, and fly down the straight. In qualifying, Marc Marquez set a new record at 1:46.635. H crashed in his third run, and didn't back up the time. Jorge Lorenzo could not push how he wanted. Andrea Ianonne was in good form despite his separated shoulder. Pol Espargaro did well. Valentino Rossi is sixth. He didn't have the run he wanted.
Marc Marquez has his seventh pole of 2015. Tire choice is big. Tire life should be extended. Go to the soft tire, or play it safe on hard tires. Take off, and hang with Lorenzo and Marquez. Be smart, and collect points, if you are out of contention, for the win. We are ready, for 23 laps of MotoGP action, at Aragon. It's live, and, it's... next!
The riders are on the formation lap. You can cut the atmosphere with a knife as race. We wait, poised, for the start. This is round fourteen. It's go time in northeast Spain. Go! At the start, MJarc Marquez drops down the order and Jorge Lorenzo leads. He can break, now. Andrea Ianonne is second. Marc Marquez tries inside Ianonne. Dani Pedrosa is up to fourth ahead of Pol Espargaro. Through turns eight and nine. Marquez is now second, and he's going to try to stop Lorenzo from moving ahead and whistling into the distance.
Lorenzo wants to make it six wins this year. They fly at 215 miles an hour into turn sixteen. Lorenzo leads as Valentino Rossi is two seconds behind, down in fifth place. Andrea Ianonne and Dani Pedrosa battle for third. Rossi wants by Dani Pedrosa. Oh no! Marc Marquez has crashed out of thye race for the second yar in a row! He was just closing in on Lorenzo. He loses it in turn 12! That's the fifth race crash for Marquez in 2015! Ugh! Jorge Lorenzo is now in the lad, and will likely dominate.
But, watch out for Valentino Rossi. Rossi will push. He knows he has a chance. Pedrosa tries Ianonne through turn seven. Andrea Ianonne is still having shoulder problems. This is Jorge Lorenzo's race to lose, in the meantime. Marc Marquez has crashed five times this year. Rossi moves by Ianonne. These guys are buddies off track. But, rivals, on it. Rossi is right behind Dani Pedrosa now. Marc Marquez has made some big mistakes, and he's obviously furious with himself.
They run into turn sixteen. Valentino Rossi is minimizing the damage. He needs to pass Dani Pedrosa. Pol Espargaro runs tenth, but, he's slowing somewhat. Rossi is biding his time. Rossi still pushes Pedrosa. Dani Pedrosa has won here and had a few podiums. Rossi has only had one podium here at Motorland Aragon. Five laps now done and dusted. Pol Espargaro has sunk from fourth to tenth, after running off the road and missing his braking point.
Rossi continues chasing Pedrosa. The last thing Rossi needs is Andrea Ianonne coming back into this fight. "Maniac Joe" as he is called, will go for it. All five crashes Marc Marquez has had, have been of his own making. Alex de Angelis crashes. He tries to go by Loris Baz, and falls off. Game over. Good fight between Stefan Bradl, Eugene Laverty, and others. The second half of the race, beckons. It looks like Jorge Lorenzo, could win it.
Valentino Rossi has closed in on Dani Pedrosa, as Jorge Lorenzo has gapped these riders significantly. Keep an eye on the time gap. Dani Pedrosa runs his personal best lap at 1:48.451. Pedrosa is pushing. But, Rossi is there. When it comes down to crunch time, Rossi is going to push. Valentino Rossi can bide his time and does not have to take unnecessary risks. Bradley Smith and Aleix Espargaro are battling, and closing on Andrea Ianonne. Espargaro on the Suzuki is running well. Cal Crutchlow is eighth, a second behind Espargaro.
Danilo Petrucci is behind him, on the Pramac Ducati. Cal Crutchlow got a podium here last year, in the rain on a Ducati. Oh no. Danilo Petrucci crashes, losing th bike. He trailed th brake into turn fourteen and had the front end wash away. He can finish this race, though. The last time Petrucci had a DNF was almost a year ago in Malaysia. The concentration level running on your own, must be really hard. It is easier, to run in groups, battling, and pushing.
Valentino Rossi does not want to take risks. He needs to finish. It's not the end of the world if he doesn't win. But, he still needs a good haul of points. Ten laps now done. Andrea Ianonne may be feeling fatigue and pain, due to his shoulder, and also, he might be getting tired. Game over for Karel Abraham. He has had a nightmare season. Abraham hurt his foot, about four months ago. It could be six months to a year before he's fully fit again. Rossi is sizing up Dani Pedrosa. Meanwhile, Andrea Ianonne is still going for it. A brave, brave rider indeed.
Bradley Smith is sixth. He ran wide a while ago, and was caught out by Andrea Dovizioso sliding wide. Smith is now down to eighth, being passed. The Honda has the power down the straightaway compared to the Yamaha. The gap is 3.3 seconds. Jorge Lorenzo still leads with ten laps now remaining. Yonny Hernandez and Scott Redding run tenth and eleventh. Redding fights for the top ten. Hernandez came through both qualifying sessions yesterday. Jorge Lorenzo has been running consistent laps in the 1:48 range.
Marc Marquez admits that his crash was an unforced error. If Rossi makes it to second, he will only be ten points behind Jorge Lorenzo in the championship. He is now, fourteen points behind. A great battle for the last part of the top ten. These bikes fly at 210 miles an hour. If Rossi passes Pedrosa, he gains back points. Dani Pedrosa is still motoring through these corners. He's going for it. So is a battle between Eugene Laverty, Nicky Hayden, Jack Miller, and Loris Baz, for the Open class motorcycles.
Rossi, flat out at 340 kilometers an hour (215 miles an hour), closes on Dani Pedrosa. Just six laps left. No attack yet. Pedrosa knows Rossi is right there. He hears the motor of the Yamaha. Trust me. Dani Pedrosa picks up the bike and is on the fatter part of the tire, to gain more grip. If Rossi passes Pedrosa, he could gain eighteen points on Jorge Lorenzo. Body weight is also a factor. Pedrosa is a lot lighter than Rossi is. Five laps to go, with Lorenzo leading by three seconds. Rossi flies up the inside! He tries to get second.
Pedrosa has second now. Rossi retaliates, and they fly into the reverse corkscrew. Rossi is close. He is trying to get ahead of Dani Pedrosa, and he wants to make a break for it. Rossi is going to dive inside Pedrosa, and he makes it, but, no, he doesn't. Rossi now goes inside, and Pedrosa swings back inside. This is a real hot battle for second! Rossi tries to overtake, down the reverse corkscrew. Rossi is pushing. Who has the best tires for the last three laps? Manage the left hand side of the tire. Pedrosa has more power.
Rossi closes into turn sxitreen. Rossi is going to try again. Pedrosa is too strong. Andrea Ianonne is still fourth. Two and a half laps left. Jorge Lorenzo is going to win this race. Pedrosa is putting hup a great fight. Vamos! Come on! This is a crucial last two laps. What will the points be, headed into the next race in Japan? Two laps to go. He has three seconds in hand. Rossi tries to pass, gets in too hot, and cannot hold off Pedrosa. He can't lunge by the Honda. A lap and a half left. This is the battle. No quarter asked, and no quarter given.
Rossi tries Pedrosa again. He's still not close enough. Pedrosa pulls away on the one kilometer back straight. Rossi runs wide again, as Jorge Lorenzo starts his final lap. A fifth win for Lorenzo beckons. Now, Rossi is lining up Pedrosa, and he does it! There's no place for Pedrosa to go. Pedrosa has the power. Here he comes, and he gets by! Rossi loses ground again! Pedorsa is charging. The second half of the lap is where Pedrosa is strong. This is as good a performance we've seen from Pedrosa in a long time.
Rosssi tries again. He passes. Honda has more power. Rossi can't get by. Pedrosa surely will finish second. Jorge Lorenzo wins at Aragon! Pedrosa second, and Rossi, third. Andrea Ianonne is fourth. Andrea Dovizioso is fifth. Rossi does not gain those points back. We now head to the flyaway races.
#99 Jorge Lorenzo ESP. Yamaha
The next race is in Japan, in two weeks, starting a streak of three straight flyaway races. Japan, Australia, and Malaysia, will be run, before the season finale, in Spain. These last races are going to be exciting. Follow all the action, here, on 2 Wheelin'. We'll see you, in Japan, in two weeks. So long for now, everyone.
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