As we prepare for round four of the MotoGP World Championship, here at Jerez de la Frontera, in Spain, you can tell we are back in Europe. The number of fans, down on the starting grid, just before the race, is amazing. The front row of riders are all on hard option front and medium option rear Michelin tires. Dani Pedrosa and the Ducati riders are going for softer option front tires. Tire degradation on the rear, will be a big deal, because of the heat. Marc Marquez has had his tires spin through the weekend. Valentino Rossi knows this place and loves it. This is the 30th running of the Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix, starting back in 1986. Valentino Rossi has been here, for 20 of them.
Tire endurance might be paramount. Opposite tire strategies, for the Yamaha boys, in qualifying, because Rossi opted for a softer option front tire, while Jorge Lorenzo, set his qualifying time, using the hard front tire. Lorenzo and Rossi have both been at the top of the times before this race. His rivals will have to break up Jorge Lorenzo's rhythm. This race will be 27 laps, in the heat. It will be a longer race. Aleix Espargaro starts sixth on the Suzuki. He will take risks and be a factor. He is close to Maverick Vinales, his team mate. Jorge Lorenzo is second. Dani Pedrosa, is seventh. Pol Espargaro starts in eighth. Jorge Lorenzo made his debut in world level motorcycle racing, at age 15, here at Jerez de la Frontera, way back in 2002, the first year of what is now known as the MotoGP World Championship.
Ducati is opting to change tire strategies for Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso, according to team director, Davide Tardozzi. Cal Crutchlow starts tenth. Loris Baz rolls off 12th. Alvaro Bautista is right behind Baz in 13th on the Aprilia. Lots of upgrades to the factory RSGP MotoGP bike. Bautista, in 2006, won the 125cc race here, and that was the same year, a decade ago, that he won the 125cc World Championship. Bradley Smith starts 14th. Bradley Smith has also won here, on a 125cc bike. Eugene Laverty has had a good season so far, rolling off 15th for this race.
Laverty swept both World Superbike races held here back in 2013. Laverty's Aspar team mate, Yonny Hernandez lines up 16th. Everyone in the race, is running winglets, except the Suzuki's. Stefan Bradl rolls off in 18th place. Stefan Bradl's grandfather, sadly passed away not too long ago, and of course, his dad, Helmut Bradl, won the 250cc race here in 1991. Jack Miller is back on the motorcycle for this race, but is not 100% on his fitness level. He is still nursing the ankle that he hurt at Circuit of the Americas. He was on pole here in Moto3 back in 2014. Michele Pirro is 20th. Andrea Iannone is the only Ducati rider on a harder front tire.
Tito Rabat is 21st. He has a Moto2 win here and podiums in the lower formula, but is having a hard time coming to grips with the MotoGP bike. Andrea Dovizioso, in fourth, is gambling by running the soft option front tire. Michelin believes the harder tire is more difficult to work with. We've seen some incredible battles here at Jerez de la Frontera over the years. Can Jorge Lorenzo win this race again? The tire selections are interesting as some riders go for mediums on both wheels, while others use soft or hard front tires, and medium rears. The top three riders have elected to go with hard tires front and mediums rear.
Valentino Rossi has won here eight times. Six times in the premier class between 500cc and MotoGP, once on a 125cc motorcycle, and once, on an intermediate, 250cc bike. 21 riders start. The talking stops. We are ready, to race. They are away on the warm up lap. The track temperature is getting hotter. Rossi, Lorenzo, and Marquez, are all on the same tires. They are running through the stadium section, coming through the Angel Nieto curve, Peluqui curve, Alex Criville curve, and Ferrari curve. Valentino Rossi starts from his 62nd career pole. We are ready, for the 30th annual Spanish Grand Prix.
MotoGP, in southern Spain, is, go! Rossi gets a great start headed for the first corner as Jorge Lorenzo challenges. Andrea Dovizioso tries going around Lorenzo. Lorenzo looks inside Rossi through turn two. No dice. Marc Marquez is third, and Lorenzo, wants by Rossi ASAP. Into the Sito Pons corner for the first time, Jorge Lorenzo goes inside Rossi. Rossi holds on. Lorenzo will take another shot, undoubtedly, at Dry Sac. Dani Pedrosa has moved up three places, from seventh on the grid, to fourth. Can Jorge Lorenzo attack Rossi? No. Rossi runs a defensive line as Dani Pedrosa passes team mate Marc Marquez on the Honda and moves to third.
Dani Pedrosa has always finished on the podium at Jerez in MotoGP. Through Aspar and into the stadium section. The crowd goes crazy! Marc Marquez has to pull away along with the two factory Yamaha's, and right now, Dani Pedrosa, his team mate, is nothing more than a road block for him. At Suzuki, Aleix Espargaro gains places and is fifth, while Maverick Vinales drops to seventh. Andrea Dovizioso was almost up to second but drops to sixth, as the riders fly into Jorge Lorenzo corner, turn 13. Dani Pedrosa opting for the softer front tire, was a good decision. He'll have to use it now, before it fades, later in the race.
Rossi defends from Lorenzo into turn six at Dry Sac. Marquez closes on Pedrosa and through Dry Sac, he runs wide. Lorenzo is up inside Rossi, for the race lead! He runs wide through Angel Nieto corner, and Rossi takes P1 back! The crowd goes bonkers! Lorenzo still wants by Rossi and he just cannot get there! Marc Marquez moves ahead of Dani Pedrosa. Yamaha, Yamaha, Honda, Honda. Marquez sets first fast lap of this race at 1:40.433. Your top ten is Rossi, Lorenzo, Marquez, Pedrosa, Aleix Espargaro, Andrea Dovizioso, Maverick Vinales, Eugene Laverty, Pol Espargaro, and Hector Barbera. This is wild!
Eugene Laverty picks up something like seven places within two laps! Lorenzo has to switch to Plan B. Plan A isn't working. Marc Marquez will have a go at Jorge Lorenzo through Alex Criville corner. Rossi is keeping his rivals at bay so far. New fast lap from Rossi. 1:40 flat. He runs a 1:40.090. Andrea Dovizioso is the meat in a Suzuki sandwich right now. Eugene Laverty is a tenth or so slower than Maverick Vinales at the moment. Rossi begins to eke out an advantage. Marc Marquez must feel he needs to pass Jorge Lorenzo to stop Rossi from checking out on everyone else here in Spain.
Lorenzo runs his personal best lap of the race at 1:40.3 but he's 2/10ths behind Rossi. Rossi is in control as Cal Crutchlow passes Alvaro Bautista for 11th place. Eugene Laverty loses time in his scrum with Maverick Vinales. Eugene Laverty, Pol Espargaro, and Hector Barbera are the next group of riders on the road. Rossi is stretching the field having set a 1:40.150. Andrea Iannone is 14th, and it's a disaster for him so far. Marc Marquez can't pass Lorenzo. They race into the Sito Pons corner another time. Pons is a double 250cc World Champion from Spain. Valentino Rossi continues to put a tremendous amount of daylight between himself and the rest of the field here in Spain.
Dani Pedrosa, meanwhile, is 7/10ths of a second slower than Rossi and is not running on pace with the leaders. Rossi has a 1.1 second lead, and he's running a race that he's managing, so far. Maverick Vinales passes Andrea Dovizioso for sixth. Ducati vs. Suzuki. It's game over, for Alvaro Bautista, as he crashes the factory Aprilia, while battling with Cal Crutchlow for 11th spot. Marquez closes on Lorenzo as Rossi is well and truly checking out. Rossi is putting on a clinic. But, has he gone too early, and will he risk burning his tires up? We've got 21 laps to find out. Rossi has a second and a half lead at the moment. Cal Crutchlow is on a mission to finish here in Spain, after scoring nil points in the first three races so far.
Eugene Laverty runs eighth but is being pursued hotly by both Pol Espargaro and Hector Barbera. In the battle for second, Jorge Lorenzo holds Marc Marquez at bay. Marquez can't get close enough to Lorenzo without making a banzai move that would be unsafe. Rossi had to make a clean start, because if Lorenzo or Marquez would have done so, they surely, would have left "The Doctor" in the dust, and whistled off into the distance. In the battle for fourth, Aleix Espargaro is steadily closing in on Dani Pedrosa. Valentino Rossi is 2.2 seconds clear of everyone else. Trouble for Andrea Dovizioso as he runs wide on the Ducati.
Dovizioso has mechanical problems with the motorcycle, and it is smoking. Poor old Andrea Dovizioso just cannot catch a break this year at all. We work lap ten and Rossi is now up on Lorenzo by 2.3 seconds. It looks like Lorenzo and Marquez are going to be stunned by Rossi's pace in this race ladies and gentlemen. Rossi is riding incredibly well right now. Nil points for Andrea Dovizioso for the third straight race. Game over. Marquez will not challenge Lorenzo until he is comfortable with the level his Michelin tires are at. He will also be keen to find out how Lorenzo is racing, watching the blue bike in front of him. Scott Redding struggles in 17th spot. The top fifteen is as follows: Rossi, Lorenzo, Marquez, Pedrosa, Aleix Espargaro, Vinales, Laverty, Pol Espargaro, Hector Barbera, Cal Crutchlow, Andrea Ianonne, Bradley Smith, Yonny Herandez, Stefan Bradl, and Loris Baz.
Eugene Laverty is being pushed for seventh by Pol Espargaro, and Hector Barbera is being pressured by Cal Crutchlow. Marc Marquez cuts his personal best lap at 1:40.317. We've settled into a rhythm, but are not even halfway home yet. Pol Espargaro passes Eugene Laverty for seventh through Angel Nieto corner. Dovizioso had the same tire setup as the blokes who are in the front of this motorcycle race. Ducati is analyzing what happened to the bike. Aleix Espargaro and Eugene Laverty are falling behind. Laverty has perhaps burned up his tires fighting to get into the top ten places. Braking hard for Dry Sac once again, many riders are definitely going for it.
Crutchlow runs wide and Andrea Ianonne finds a way past. According to Ducati team boss Paolo Ciabatti, Dovizioso did not feel safe out on track with a spinning tire. Jorge Lorenzo is now opening a gap on Marc Marquez. We watch Aleix Espargaro fighting with Dani Pedrosa at the moment. Marquez has run wide into Dry Sac a few times. The winglets provide more downforce, but on the Honda's they also overheat the tires. Eugene Laverty is under pressure from Andrea Ianonne and Hector Barbera. The gap remains constant. Aleix Espargaro is pushing Dani Pedrosa. Marc Marquez has dropped back into the 1:41 bracket at a 1:41.3. Aleix Espargaro should be stronger in the final part of the race with the hard option front tire, and Pedrosa has the opposite with the soft tire that might fall off.
Ianonne passes Barbera for ninth. The gap between Rossi and Lorenzo closes up. Ten laps remain. Andrea Ianonne is the lead Ducati rider, passing Eugene Laverty for eighth. Rossi has a cushion to back off a shade if need be. But, Lorenzo is starting to close up. Dani Pedrosa had switched to a harder option front tire. How will he fare with scrapping with Aleix Espargaro? Lorenzo is faster through the fourth sector of the track, and he's trying his hardest to catch Valentino Rossi. Lorenzo cannot push too hard, or, he'll crash, just like in Argentina. Lorenzo moves into turn 13, the corner named after him.
The gap is two seconds between the two Yamaha's. Rossi continues to lead and Lorenzo is still pushing, but can't get quite under the two second barrier. Don't throw away a boatload of points. Rossi is quicker through the Criville and Ferrari corners. The gap remains constant. Pol Espargaro is now coming under pressure from Andrea Ianonne. Cal Crutchlow runs wide into turn six at Dry Sac. Rossi and Lorenzo are separated by 2.7 seconds right now. Andrea Ianonne pushes past Pol Espargaro. Valentino Rossi is now 3.3 seconds clear of Lorenzo. It looks as if Jorge Lorenzo will have to settle for second place here. Dani Pedrosa also has a one second gap over Aleix Espargaro as we head for the finish here in Spain.
Valentino Rossi will have his 87th MotoGP win, and his 113th overall World Championship win, edging closer to the great Giacomo Agostini. The stats are amazing. 24 championships between Rossi and Agostini. Rossi has nine and Agostini, is king, with 15 MotoGP world championships. Agostini gave Yamaha their first ever title in 500cc Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Three laps now remain. Rossi had a heavy wreck last time out at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. However, he's come back, and come back, strong. Rossi is not too far away from 40 years old, and he's still really competitive. Rossi had more lean angle in the same corner. Lorenzo had to sit up on the bike.
Two laps remain now. Rossi will likely get his 113th win here at Jerez. He leads Jorge Lorenzo by 4.2 seconds. Rossi has crushed the competition in Spain. It will be his first win since the wet British race at Silverstone, last August. Marc Marquez is in damage limitation mode as far as the championship. Rossi starts the last lap of one of his more memorable recent races. Many in the world of Grand Prix motorcycle racing, thought Rossi was in the twilight of his career and that hsi veneer was fading. Well, he's going to put another coat of varnish on it, today. He's headed for his seventh win at Jerez, and he earned his first pole, at Jerez, since 2005.
Rossi is doing what he does best. Valentino wins it! Rossi reigns in Spain!
#46 Valentino Rossi ITA. Yamaha
Dani Pedrosa finishes off the podium and Jorge Lorenzo does as well, becoming only the third rider in MotoGP history to score 100 podiums. Lots of riders, have good performances in this race. But, Rossi gets the headlines. The nine time world champ, shows the world he can still kick major tail on a motorcycle. The next race, is actually, tomorrow, in France, at the Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans. Look for the highlights of that race, in the not too distant future.
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