Here are the highlights of the Moto 2 race from Autodromo Estoril.
Twenty six laps are scheduled for this race. The bikes are off on their formation lap.
At the start, all bikes get away well with Marc Marques, Tom Luthi and Scott Redding leading. Actually, Max Neukirchner and Pol Espargaro both had good starts. Marques is being chased by Luthi. Toni Elias and Bradley Smith battle as well coming up to the end of the first lap. Neukirchner battles with Johann Zarco of France. Marques and Luthi are beginning a definite battle. Andrea Ianonni and others are coming up quickly. Luthi tries holding off Marques. Scott Redding passes Neukirchner. Pol Espargaro wants by Marc Marques and can't quite get there.
There's a four bike breakaway at the front. It's Luthi, Marques, Espargaro and Ianonni. Brad Smith drops to twelfth and Mika Kallio moves up. Ianonni ran fastest lap at a 1:41.8. Marc Marques is just riding around. He wants to save what he has for the end of the race. Six or seven bikes are glued together. Andrea Ianonni twitches into the chicane and Scott Redding tried to pass, but thought better of it. Johan Zarco passes Pol Espargaro for third place. Zarco set new fast lap but Mika Kallio is even quicker. He's carved his way through the field. Kallio used to ride in MotoGP. He's also ridden 125cc and 250cc bikes.
Tom Luthi runs a 1:41.49 and Marques and Zarco both run laps at 1:41.8. Marc Marques is cruising right now. He's got nineteen wins in Moto 2. Can he make it 20 today? Tito Rebaque is 11th now. Gino Rea has electrical problems on his bike and he'll need to make a second pit stop. Pol Espargaro sets a new fast lap that would have given him pole. But, Zarco (the Frenchman) is quick, too. Scott Redding seems to be fading. Thomas Luthi continues to lead. Pol Espargaro is going after Tom Luthi. Meanwhile, the top five hasn't really changed as a whole. Sixteen laps are left.
Marques passes Zarco down the front straight. Andrea Ianonni has run wide and given a spot to Scott Redding. Redding is fifth. Toni Elias is running sixth ahead of Ianonni. Elias was champion in Moto 2 two years ago. Elias is catching Redding. Luthi continues to lead, halfway through the race. Axel Pons slid off his bike and thankfully recovered. Everyone thought Marques would run away with this race. That hasn't happened. Pol Espargaro tries passing Marques and Marques defends his spot. Will Marques go after Luthi? Espargaro may have tire degradation issues.
Zarco hangs on in fourth place as the bikes complete another lap. Marques is quicker by 3/10ths of a second over the other riders. Simone Corsi slides wide off the track as Alex de Angelis and others make successful passes into the top ten. Scott Redding's race seems to be getting worse. Ten laps to go. It will be a battle between Luthi and Marques. Catching is one thing while passing is another. Bradley Smith passes Scott Redding. Two British riders having a scrap. This lead battle is intense. Pol Espargaro is still lurking in third place.
Marques (I think), just set a lap in the 1:40 bracket. Marques passes Luthi for the lead and Espargaro also gets by. Luthi is now third. The bikes nearly went three wide! Luthi is flying right now. The bikes move into Interior Parabolica. Marques is the points leader right now. Pol Espargaro tries to set up a pass. Esteve Rebat goes down. Corsi also fell down. Just six more laps to run. Zarco is still running fourth, but, he'll end up in the top half dozen.
Alex de Angelis passes Toni Elias. They were former team mates in MotoGP. Mike di Meglio dumps his bike. It's getting down to the end of the race. Just four laps to run. Marques wants to dispense with Espargaro. There's lapped traffic in the way.; Blue flags should be waving to signal the backmarkers. It's Marques and Espargaro! This will be a hammer and tongs battle. These two riders are the winners of the previous races in Jerez and Qatar. Simone Corsi (as mentioned) is out. He crashed. Espargaro is right on Marques' rear wheel. Johan Zarco holds fourth. Mika Kallio has passed Toni Elias for eighth place.
Julian Simon is also back there someplace. But, it's the battle between Espargaro and Marques. Espargaro tried passing and couldn't quite do it. He's done it tiwce and now a third time! Marques is pushed out wide and then goes back by Espargaro! These two are hammering each other. Espargaro is right on Marques' rear tire. Espargaro runs wide and Marques has been handed the win! Marques wins his second GP of the year.
#93 Marc Marques ESP Suter
Next race: France (Le Mans Bugatti Circuit)
Friday, June 8, 2012
AMA Pro Racing Infineon: Race 2
Here are the highlights of race two for both the Daytona Sport Bike and Super Bike classes at Infineon Raceway.
Daytona Sport Bike race two is up first.
Ted Rich and David Gavinia were the riders that went down in the accident bringing out the red flag in yesterday's race. What will happen in today's race? Stay tuned. Cameron Beauvier will not race today as his knee which was injured at Daytona is swelling.
At the start, taking the hole shot will be Jason DiSalvo on the Triumph. J.D. Beach is also up at the sharp end. Jake Zempke dumps his Ducati in the first turn. He'll be fine. But, he got right into the dirt going into turn one. That was a complete mistake. He ran out of road. DiSalvo leads Beach and Martin Cardenas with Bobby Fong in fourth place. Corner speed is a big deal with these Daytona Sport Bikes. Another crash. Paul Allison on bike #20 and #72 Bryce Prince. Jason DiSalvo slides wide and J.D. Beach leads. However, there's a red flag. The race will be stopped. Riders have actually been allowed to circulate slowly around the track.
There is a minimum of ten minutes that can be allotted for red flag time. Jake Zemke resumes the race. On the restart, Jason DiSalvo launches into the lead from pole. J.D. Beach is buried unlike the previous start. Meanwhile, Martin Cardenas is seventh or so. Jake Gagne and Joey Pascarello battle. Pascarello is riding hurt. Tommy Hayden is currently fourth. Jake Gagne is also in this scrum. Dane Westby runs behind J.D. Beach. Meanwhile, DiSalvo is gapping the field. Pascarello passes for seventh place. Joey Pascarella is pretty competitive. Westby and Cardenas are behind. Tommy Hayden moves around Jake Gagne.
Tommy Hayden is running well, having won the Superbike class in 2011. If he can win on a Superbike, he can do well on a 600cc bike, too. Cardenas plans to take things easy in the early part of the race. Meanwhile, Bryce Prince passes another bike. Beach has been swamped and Cardenas is on a charge. He's chasing Gagne. Westby and Beach follow. Westby falls down and taps his team mate. He'll be fine and continue. Westby ran into the back of Cardenas decelerating from 100 miles an hour to 30 miles an hour. Pascarella and Hayden battle. Hayden will be in pursuit of Jason DiSalvo's Triumph Triple.
DiSalvo has a 2.7 second lead running a 1:38.9 lap time on lap eight of 22. So, close to halfway. Cory West, J.D. Beach and Bobby Fong all battle. Beach is eighth. Fong passes Jake Gagne. He's now fifth. Cory West's Suzuki is also flying. J.D. Beach also passes Gagne. He's sinking like a stone. Bobby Fong is riding an underpowered bike, but he's still working hard to make a point. Fong has won one race. He's racing a Yamaha. Cory West leads J.D. Beach as the race is two laps from halfway.
J.D. Beach does both road racing and flat track dirt racing. Meanwhile, Tommy Hayden is under attack from Joery Pascarella and Martin Cardenas as DiSalvo is racing into the sunset. Cardenas is the points leader right now. Pascarella is fading as he's injured. His shoulder is bothering him. Meanwhile, halfway through the race, Cardenas is losing ground, too. DiSalvo marches on in the lead. Jake Gagne is officially out of this race. Cardenas passes Tommy Hayden. DiSalvo's lead is 5.2 seconds right now.
The battle for second, third, and fourth continues. Tommy Hayden has a slight slip up in turn eleven. Just seven laps remain in the race. Hayden of course is filling in for Garrett Gerlach who crashed heavily in practice at Daytona. Six laps remain in this race. Frankie Garcia on a lapped bike, moves over. DiSalvo has clear race track. It's his race to lose. But, Martin Cardenas is closing by half a second a lap. Garcia maybe slowed DiSalvo down, or, Cardenas is booking it. He's the only rider in the 1:39 range. He ran a 1:39.2 while DiSalvo is in the 1:40 bracket. He runs a 1:39.7.
Martin Cardenas is now out in a big crash. Into the esses, he loses the front end of the bike, spearates from it and the bike somersaults over the tire barrier. Yikes! That Suzuki GSX-R 600 is totaled. Three laps to go in this race now. Joey Pascarella is now on the podium at the expense of Cardenas. Cory West and Bobby Fong battle for fourth. J.D. Beach lurks behind Fong. Michael Beck and Benny Solis round out the top ten with two laps left. It's the last lap for DiSalvo on his Triumph Triple. This will be the first win for Triumph in AMA Pro Racing for Triumph in the Daytona Sport Bike division. DiSalvo wins it!
#40 Jason DiSalvo Triumph
In the battle for fourth place, Cory West holds fourth with J.D. Beach fifth and Bobby Fong, sixth.
The Superbike division race is on deck.
Steve Rapp will not start this race after an incident in yesterday's race. He broke his wrist and will be out of action for anywhere from six weeks to two months.
The bikes are on their formation lap. The riders form up for a start. Stefan Nabel is needing a backup bike. He will have to join the field from the pits. At the start, Josh Hayes leads into corner number one as Roger Hayden slots into second. Danny Eslick is behind Blake Young. Hayes goes into the lead. Josh Herin is third now, team mate to Josh Hayes. Stefan Nabel is back on track. Chris Fillmore is his KTM team mate of course. Hayes is pulling out a lead. This race is 22 laps in distance, working lap two. Blake Young passes Josh Herin. Roger Hayden maintains second. Now, Young passes. But, Josh Hayes has crashed. He resumes, but, he needs to get back into position. Blake Young takes over the lead.
Hayes probably just ran off. He had a lot of lean angle on a full fuel tank. Danny Eslick slides the EBR. Young, Hayden, Herrin, Eslick, May, the top five. Danny Eslick could be the rider with a big opportunity if he can make passes work. Roger Hayden closes on Blake Young. It's anyone's race. It's Young, Hayden and Herin 1-2-3. Six laps into the race. Danny Eslick and Geoff May on the EBR's are coming quickly. Four laps to halfway. It's still Young vs, Hayden for the top two. Larry Pegram and Robertino Pietri are coming up into the top ten.
The race reaches it's halfway mark. The lead battle remains the focal point with Young in the lead. Hayes tries passing Robertino Pietri. David Anthony is his next target. Meanwhile, Roger Hayden runs real deep into a corner and loses a place into third place. He outbraked himself into the turn. Hayes will have to claw his way through the field. Blake Young is gapping the field with eight laps remaining. Josh Herin is second. Young has a three second lead. Chris Fillmore battles with Danny Eslick. It's KTM vs. EBR. Eslick is having issues with his bike. Tires could be the cause of the problem as they're wearing out.
Josh Hayes runs thirteenth right now and needs to collect points. The Eslick/Fillmore battle continues. Josh Herrin has a problem. The Yamaha bikes are very reliable. He's got something wrong. It could be either tires or the bike. Josh Hayes makes up another spot at the expense of his team mate. Blake Young continues to lead with just four laps to go. Geoff May is second now on the sister EBR 1190 RS. Roger Hayden is third with team mate Ben Bostrom right on his rear wheel. May is going 4/10 of a second quicker as compared to Blake Young.
This could be a dash to the finish. Roger Hayden is not geared properly, so he's losing momentum to some of the bikes following him. Blake Young has a gap that is closing. The race now is really between Geoff May and Roger Hayden. Ben Bostrom slips behind. May is the devlopment rider for the EBR. Meanwhile, Blake Young will take the white flag. He'll score his third win of the year. Blake Young cannot relax. He'll be overtaken. Roger Hayden drives by Geoff May through the Carousel. They run through the esses. Can May get by Hayden? Meanwhile, Blake Young wins it! Eslick and Fillmore beat Hayes to the line.
#79 Blake Young Suzuki GSXR 1000
The next race is Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. That race is in three weeks.
Daytona Sport Bike race two is up first.
Ted Rich and David Gavinia were the riders that went down in the accident bringing out the red flag in yesterday's race. What will happen in today's race? Stay tuned. Cameron Beauvier will not race today as his knee which was injured at Daytona is swelling.
At the start, taking the hole shot will be Jason DiSalvo on the Triumph. J.D. Beach is also up at the sharp end. Jake Zempke dumps his Ducati in the first turn. He'll be fine. But, he got right into the dirt going into turn one. That was a complete mistake. He ran out of road. DiSalvo leads Beach and Martin Cardenas with Bobby Fong in fourth place. Corner speed is a big deal with these Daytona Sport Bikes. Another crash. Paul Allison on bike #20 and #72 Bryce Prince. Jason DiSalvo slides wide and J.D. Beach leads. However, there's a red flag. The race will be stopped. Riders have actually been allowed to circulate slowly around the track.
There is a minimum of ten minutes that can be allotted for red flag time. Jake Zemke resumes the race. On the restart, Jason DiSalvo launches into the lead from pole. J.D. Beach is buried unlike the previous start. Meanwhile, Martin Cardenas is seventh or so. Jake Gagne and Joey Pascarello battle. Pascarello is riding hurt. Tommy Hayden is currently fourth. Jake Gagne is also in this scrum. Dane Westby runs behind J.D. Beach. Meanwhile, DiSalvo is gapping the field. Pascarello passes for seventh place. Joey Pascarella is pretty competitive. Westby and Cardenas are behind. Tommy Hayden moves around Jake Gagne.
Tommy Hayden is running well, having won the Superbike class in 2011. If he can win on a Superbike, he can do well on a 600cc bike, too. Cardenas plans to take things easy in the early part of the race. Meanwhile, Bryce Prince passes another bike. Beach has been swamped and Cardenas is on a charge. He's chasing Gagne. Westby and Beach follow. Westby falls down and taps his team mate. He'll be fine and continue. Westby ran into the back of Cardenas decelerating from 100 miles an hour to 30 miles an hour. Pascarella and Hayden battle. Hayden will be in pursuit of Jason DiSalvo's Triumph Triple.
DiSalvo has a 2.7 second lead running a 1:38.9 lap time on lap eight of 22. So, close to halfway. Cory West, J.D. Beach and Bobby Fong all battle. Beach is eighth. Fong passes Jake Gagne. He's now fifth. Cory West's Suzuki is also flying. J.D. Beach also passes Gagne. He's sinking like a stone. Bobby Fong is riding an underpowered bike, but he's still working hard to make a point. Fong has won one race. He's racing a Yamaha. Cory West leads J.D. Beach as the race is two laps from halfway.
J.D. Beach does both road racing and flat track dirt racing. Meanwhile, Tommy Hayden is under attack from Joery Pascarella and Martin Cardenas as DiSalvo is racing into the sunset. Cardenas is the points leader right now. Pascarella is fading as he's injured. His shoulder is bothering him. Meanwhile, halfway through the race, Cardenas is losing ground, too. DiSalvo marches on in the lead. Jake Gagne is officially out of this race. Cardenas passes Tommy Hayden. DiSalvo's lead is 5.2 seconds right now.
The battle for second, third, and fourth continues. Tommy Hayden has a slight slip up in turn eleven. Just seven laps remain in the race. Hayden of course is filling in for Garrett Gerlach who crashed heavily in practice at Daytona. Six laps remain in this race. Frankie Garcia on a lapped bike, moves over. DiSalvo has clear race track. It's his race to lose. But, Martin Cardenas is closing by half a second a lap. Garcia maybe slowed DiSalvo down, or, Cardenas is booking it. He's the only rider in the 1:39 range. He ran a 1:39.2 while DiSalvo is in the 1:40 bracket. He runs a 1:39.7.
Martin Cardenas is now out in a big crash. Into the esses, he loses the front end of the bike, spearates from it and the bike somersaults over the tire barrier. Yikes! That Suzuki GSX-R 600 is totaled. Three laps to go in this race now. Joey Pascarella is now on the podium at the expense of Cardenas. Cory West and Bobby Fong battle for fourth. J.D. Beach lurks behind Fong. Michael Beck and Benny Solis round out the top ten with two laps left. It's the last lap for DiSalvo on his Triumph Triple. This will be the first win for Triumph in AMA Pro Racing for Triumph in the Daytona Sport Bike division. DiSalvo wins it!
#40 Jason DiSalvo Triumph
In the battle for fourth place, Cory West holds fourth with J.D. Beach fifth and Bobby Fong, sixth.
The Superbike division race is on deck.
Steve Rapp will not start this race after an incident in yesterday's race. He broke his wrist and will be out of action for anywhere from six weeks to two months.
The bikes are on their formation lap. The riders form up for a start. Stefan Nabel is needing a backup bike. He will have to join the field from the pits. At the start, Josh Hayes leads into corner number one as Roger Hayden slots into second. Danny Eslick is behind Blake Young. Hayes goes into the lead. Josh Herin is third now, team mate to Josh Hayes. Stefan Nabel is back on track. Chris Fillmore is his KTM team mate of course. Hayes is pulling out a lead. This race is 22 laps in distance, working lap two. Blake Young passes Josh Herin. Roger Hayden maintains second. Now, Young passes. But, Josh Hayes has crashed. He resumes, but, he needs to get back into position. Blake Young takes over the lead.
Hayes probably just ran off. He had a lot of lean angle on a full fuel tank. Danny Eslick slides the EBR. Young, Hayden, Herrin, Eslick, May, the top five. Danny Eslick could be the rider with a big opportunity if he can make passes work. Roger Hayden closes on Blake Young. It's anyone's race. It's Young, Hayden and Herin 1-2-3. Six laps into the race. Danny Eslick and Geoff May on the EBR's are coming quickly. Four laps to halfway. It's still Young vs, Hayden for the top two. Larry Pegram and Robertino Pietri are coming up into the top ten.
The race reaches it's halfway mark. The lead battle remains the focal point with Young in the lead. Hayes tries passing Robertino Pietri. David Anthony is his next target. Meanwhile, Roger Hayden runs real deep into a corner and loses a place into third place. He outbraked himself into the turn. Hayes will have to claw his way through the field. Blake Young is gapping the field with eight laps remaining. Josh Herin is second. Young has a three second lead. Chris Fillmore battles with Danny Eslick. It's KTM vs. EBR. Eslick is having issues with his bike. Tires could be the cause of the problem as they're wearing out.
Josh Hayes runs thirteenth right now and needs to collect points. The Eslick/Fillmore battle continues. Josh Herrin has a problem. The Yamaha bikes are very reliable. He's got something wrong. It could be either tires or the bike. Josh Hayes makes up another spot at the expense of his team mate. Blake Young continues to lead with just four laps to go. Geoff May is second now on the sister EBR 1190 RS. Roger Hayden is third with team mate Ben Bostrom right on his rear wheel. May is going 4/10 of a second quicker as compared to Blake Young.
This could be a dash to the finish. Roger Hayden is not geared properly, so he's losing momentum to some of the bikes following him. Blake Young has a gap that is closing. The race now is really between Geoff May and Roger Hayden. Ben Bostrom slips behind. May is the devlopment rider for the EBR. Meanwhile, Blake Young will take the white flag. He'll score his third win of the year. Blake Young cannot relax. He'll be overtaken. Roger Hayden drives by Geoff May through the Carousel. They run through the esses. Can May get by Hayden? Meanwhile, Blake Young wins it! Eslick and Fillmore beat Hayes to the line.
#79 Blake Young Suzuki GSXR 1000
The next race is Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. That race is in three weeks.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
MotoGP round 3: Portugal
Round number three of the MotoGP World Championship is the Portuguese Grand Prix at the Circuito Estoril in Estoril, Portugal.
The weather is going to be a factor just as it was in Spain last weekend. In qualifying, who could hook up the bike in the last corner? Casey Stoner is on pole. There was a wreck in qualifying betweeen Dani Pedrosa and Colin Edwards. He will not start due to a collarbone injury. He will have surgery on his collarbone tomorrow. The bikes head out on their formation lap before the race begins. The track is 2.6 miles with a 6/10 mile straightaway. Thirteen corners on this track. The track has new pavement, but, the riders do not like it. The race will be 28 laps.
At the start, Casey Stoner takes the lead into the first corner. But, Dani Pedrosa tries, and no. It's Stoner followed by Jorge Lorenzo. Cal Crutchlow has lost some spots. The bikes file into turn seven. Stoner has momentum after his Jerez victory last weekend. Valentino Rossi is ninth and moving up as the bikes go into the Parabolica and down the straight to complete lap one. Rossi passes Alvaro Bautista. Stefan Braml also is coming quickly. Running wide is Ben Spies. Stoner is gapping the field.
Spies under pressure from Rossi. 26 laps left to run. There's a ways to go. Casey Stoner is running the fastest laps while Nicky Hayden passes Hector Barbera. Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso battle. They are team mates for Tech 3 Yamaha. The bikes are running medium compound tires. In Spies' off course excursion, Dani Pedrosa was almost collected. Jorge Lorenzo sets a new lap record on lap three. He is second behind Stoner. Stefan Bradl is running well. He's ridden a Moto 2 bike at Estoril, but never a MotoGP bike, until today's race.
Andrea Dovizioso passes Cal Crutchlow. Pedrosa is third and coming quick. Stoner gets loose and fortunately holds onto the bike! Whoa! The top three are pulling away. Stoner and Lorenzo (as well as other riders) run in the 1:37 lap time range. Lorenzo is consistent between the esses and the Parabolica. Dovizioso and Crutchlow scrap for fourth spot. Lorenzo closes on Stoner. There's a bike in pit lane. Not sure who. One of the riders drops his bike. Not sure who. The right hand corners on this track wear out the tires. Stefan Braml and Ben Spies scrap for eighth.
The race is already half over. Fourteen laps down. Fourteen remain. The battle continues between the three top riders in the sport. Spies passes Braml again into turn six. That is the Parabolica Interior. Into the esses, Stoner seems quicker than Lorenzo going into the outer Parabolica. The Honda as a bike corners really well and maybe Lorenzo's Yamaha just doesn't quite have the gumption out of the corner. Pol Espargaro and Randy de Puniet battle in the CRT bike class. This race is going down at a tremendous clip.
In a replay of the start, Casey Stoner clearly gets away quick and Lorenzo falls into second place. Meanwhile, just eight laps left. Stoner has a 6/10 of a second gap over Lorenzo. This front battle will be the one to watch until the end of the race. Pedrosa, Crutchlow and Dovizioso are close together. Cal Crutchlow may be on his way to his fourth consecutive fourth place finish. Alvaro Bautista has been passed by Valentino Rossi. James Ellison retired his Paul Bird Motorsport ART bike.
Ben Spies still wants by Stefan Bradl, coming to the finish in four more laps. Karel Abraham is out of the race. He's had a bad weekend and hasn't felt well. Stoner continues to lead. Bradl and Spies continue their battle. There isn't much else going on on track as it seems Lorenzo is fading away from Stoner. Stoner runs in the 1:38 bracket, losing a second, but it doesn't matter if he slows down slightly. Spies on Bradl, and Spies passes cleanly. No one can catch Stoner, though. If Stoner should win, he'll take over the championship lead from Lorenzo.
Alvaro Bautista looks like he'll finish sixth. Casey Stoner will win his second consecutive race and his first at Estoril! Winning this race means Stoner takes over the championship lead! Pedrosa is third making it a 1-3 for Repsol Honda. Casey Stoner has now won on all the tracks that MotoGP races at. Dani Pedrosa scores his 100th podium finish.
The next race in MotoGP is the French Grand Prix at Le Mans (on the Bugatti circuit), in two weeks.
The weather is going to be a factor just as it was in Spain last weekend. In qualifying, who could hook up the bike in the last corner? Casey Stoner is on pole. There was a wreck in qualifying betweeen Dani Pedrosa and Colin Edwards. He will not start due to a collarbone injury. He will have surgery on his collarbone tomorrow. The bikes head out on their formation lap before the race begins. The track is 2.6 miles with a 6/10 mile straightaway. Thirteen corners on this track. The track has new pavement, but, the riders do not like it. The race will be 28 laps.
At the start, Casey Stoner takes the lead into the first corner. But, Dani Pedrosa tries, and no. It's Stoner followed by Jorge Lorenzo. Cal Crutchlow has lost some spots. The bikes file into turn seven. Stoner has momentum after his Jerez victory last weekend. Valentino Rossi is ninth and moving up as the bikes go into the Parabolica and down the straight to complete lap one. Rossi passes Alvaro Bautista. Stefan Braml also is coming quickly. Running wide is Ben Spies. Stoner is gapping the field.
Spies under pressure from Rossi. 26 laps left to run. There's a ways to go. Casey Stoner is running the fastest laps while Nicky Hayden passes Hector Barbera. Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso battle. They are team mates for Tech 3 Yamaha. The bikes are running medium compound tires. In Spies' off course excursion, Dani Pedrosa was almost collected. Jorge Lorenzo sets a new lap record on lap three. He is second behind Stoner. Stefan Bradl is running well. He's ridden a Moto 2 bike at Estoril, but never a MotoGP bike, until today's race.
Andrea Dovizioso passes Cal Crutchlow. Pedrosa is third and coming quick. Stoner gets loose and fortunately holds onto the bike! Whoa! The top three are pulling away. Stoner and Lorenzo (as well as other riders) run in the 1:37 lap time range. Lorenzo is consistent between the esses and the Parabolica. Dovizioso and Crutchlow scrap for fourth spot. Lorenzo closes on Stoner. There's a bike in pit lane. Not sure who. One of the riders drops his bike. Not sure who. The right hand corners on this track wear out the tires. Stefan Braml and Ben Spies scrap for eighth.
The race is already half over. Fourteen laps down. Fourteen remain. The battle continues between the three top riders in the sport. Spies passes Braml again into turn six. That is the Parabolica Interior. Into the esses, Stoner seems quicker than Lorenzo going into the outer Parabolica. The Honda as a bike corners really well and maybe Lorenzo's Yamaha just doesn't quite have the gumption out of the corner. Pol Espargaro and Randy de Puniet battle in the CRT bike class. This race is going down at a tremendous clip.
In a replay of the start, Casey Stoner clearly gets away quick and Lorenzo falls into second place. Meanwhile, just eight laps left. Stoner has a 6/10 of a second gap over Lorenzo. This front battle will be the one to watch until the end of the race. Pedrosa, Crutchlow and Dovizioso are close together. Cal Crutchlow may be on his way to his fourth consecutive fourth place finish. Alvaro Bautista has been passed by Valentino Rossi. James Ellison retired his Paul Bird Motorsport ART bike.
Ben Spies still wants by Stefan Bradl, coming to the finish in four more laps. Karel Abraham is out of the race. He's had a bad weekend and hasn't felt well. Stoner continues to lead. Bradl and Spies continue their battle. There isn't much else going on on track as it seems Lorenzo is fading away from Stoner. Stoner runs in the 1:38 bracket, losing a second, but it doesn't matter if he slows down slightly. Spies on Bradl, and Spies passes cleanly. No one can catch Stoner, though. If Stoner should win, he'll take over the championship lead from Lorenzo.
Alvaro Bautista looks like he'll finish sixth. Casey Stoner will win his second consecutive race and his first at Estoril! Winning this race means Stoner takes over the championship lead! Pedrosa is third making it a 1-3 for Repsol Honda. Casey Stoner has now won on all the tracks that MotoGP races at. Dani Pedrosa scores his 100th podium finish.
The next race in MotoGP is the French Grand Prix at Le Mans (on the Bugatti circuit), in two weeks.
MotoGP legends
Before continuing with highlights of the motorcycle races that have currently happened this season, I urge readers who are just getting introduced to this blog to check out the MotoGP legends page on motogp.com. These riders have much significance in the history of the sport of motorcycle racing and are still relevant even today. Here's the link to the list.
http://www.motogp.com/en/MotoGP+Legends
http://www.motogp.com/en/MotoGP+Legends
AMA Pro Racing round 3, Infineon Raceway, Great Clips West Coast Moto Jam Race 1
In the Daytona Sport Bike class, Cameron Beauvier led after a red flag began the race. Not sure what the incident was that caused the red flag. But, Beauvier along with Martin Cardenas and Jason DiSalvo are the top three. Can DiSalvo pass the leaders here in this 22 lap race at Infineon Raceway? Five laps into the event thus far. Rocky Nash battles with Bryce Beck. Cardenas started on the outside of the front row. It's a battle between DiSalvo and Cardenas in the early laps. Cameron Beaubier maintains the lead.
Martin Cardenas manages to pass Jason DiSalvo, nine laps into the race. Two laps before halfway. DiSalvo overcooked the entry into turn ten. Cardenas ran slightly wide into the final corner and almnst gave DiSalvo an opportunity to pass. Cameron Beauvier continues to hold down third place. Dane Westby, Tommy Hayden and Joey Pascarella follow. The trick is to know when the tires go away and who can ride through having worn tires before the end of the race. One lap to halfway now. The battle continues between Westby and Hayden. Garrett Gerlach (who usually rides the bike Tommy Hayden is on), may be back for the race at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Cardenas and DiSalvo are the ones to watch in this race coming up to halfway. It's sunny and hot. The temps during practice and qualifying were much cooler and there was a fair wind blowing. Tire degradation is a major issue at Infineon Raceway because there isn't a true straightaway on the course.
Joey Pascarella holds down sixth place. DiSalvo has taken the lead from Martin Cardenas. Where is the Triumph stronger or weaker vs. the Suzuki? The two bikes touched and fortunately continued. This is a majorly difficult track with it's 2.32 mile, 11 turn layout. No rider can afford mistakes around this track. It's very slippery on course. Tires are falling off as the bikes make their way through the uphill section and onto the back part of the course. There's lapped treffic all over the place. If you see the blue flag, move over!
The earlier red flag was caused by a backmarker. The #181 bike of Craig Mason was in the way of the leaders and almost caused a crash. Mason was in a battle of his own with another rider. Jason DiSalvo passed Cardenas for the lead. Martin Cardenas went deep into turn seven allowing DiSalvo to go by. Just five laps left as the riders pass David Sadowsky Jr. The rest of the top ten includes riders like J.D. Beach and Jake Zemke. This is the first of two races for the weekend at Infineon. Westby and Hayden battle for fourth and fifth. Cardenas can carry more corner speed in the middle of the corner as compared to DiSalvo.
DiSalvo runs a motorcycle riding school. Cardenas sweeps around DiSalvo on the outside in the Carousel. Just three laps left in this race. Cardenas has the lead now. The battle between Westby and Hayden continues. This is for fourth spot. The two leaders can handle their tires fading better than the other bikes in the top five can. Just two laps remain. Hayden wishes that Westby would make a mistake. This is the last lap of the race. Cory West, Bobby Fong and J.D. Beach battle for the back half of the top ten. Martin Cardenas has been able to virtually vanquish DiSalvo and the Triumph. Cardenas wins another race.
#36 Martin Cardenas Suzuki
Coming up, it's the Daytona Sport Bike race.
This is the first of two races for the Superbike series race, the first of two races in Daytona Sport Bike in the wine country of northern California.
The EBR bike could be successful on this track since it's about riding skill more than horsepower. Josh Hayes will also be looking for another chance after winning the second race at Road Atlanta. Hayes scored his first Superbike win at Infineon Raceway over former champion Mat Mladin. KTM has Chris Fillmore and German super bike champion Stefan Nabel.
At the start, Josh Hayes takes the lead. Danny Eslick slots into third. Blake Young shoots up to second spot. It's going to be another Hayes vs. Young battle for the lead. Danny Eslick on the Buell is close to the leaders. Steve Rapp's Kawasaki and the two Jordan Suzuki's of Ben Bostrom and Roger Hayden are also coming up through the pack in this 22 lap race. Eslick's #69 bike is actually the EBR, not the Buell. Danny Eslick and Roger Hayden both run wide allowing Josh Herrin (team mate to Josh Hayes), to get by. Eslick was on maximum braking as his rear wheel lifted.
Ben Bostrom is sliding back through the field. Hayes is ahead. Meanwhile, Heron and Eslick are still battling. Eslick and Heron battle. These two have run together in Daytona Sport Bike as well. Heron's arm is sore. He has trouble using the brake lever and can't use the pressure. The Superbikes are much more difficult to ride than a 600cc motorcycle. Rapp, Hayden and Fillmore battle for fifth, sixth and seventh. The race is four laps old. Ben Bostrom is not running as well as he wants. Ditto for Geoff May. May rides behind the #72 BMW of Larry Pegram.
May passes Pegram on the inside. It's EBR vs. BMW. Eslick and Heron continue their battle. Hayes is beginning to gap the field. All he has to do is stay calm and ride the bike. Blake Young is still second. He's running laps in the 1:37 range. Danny Eslick is quicker than Young right now. Roger Hayden, Steve Rapp and others battle for fifth place. Hayden loses three spots. Chris Fillmore on the KTM moves up. Ben Bostrom is in the pocket on his Jordan Suzuki. Bostrom is a true veteran of the sport and has run AMA Superbike, World Superbike, and MotoGP. Rapp is into the top five. He's the only rider in the division riding a Kawasaki ZX10R.
Two laps before halfway. The Kawasaki ZX10R has won in World Superbike and World Endurance motorcycle competition. But, the bike has yet to win in the U.S. as the suspension setups are very different between U.S. spec bikes and European spec FIM bikes. Chris Fillmore is beginning to gap Steve Rapp. He passed Rapp and is pulling away. In turn 11, Filmmore is able to be more stable on the KTM under braking. Josh Hayes continues to lead. He was 9/10ths quicker over everyone else in qualifying. Hayes has a 7.8 second lead. Young and Eslick scrap for second and third.
The EBR stands for Eric Buell Racing and is not related at all to the Buell brand. That's the bike Eslick pilots. Eslick whistles by Blake Young. Just eight laps to go. Into turn nine, Eslick swept by Young who struggled into the corner. Eslick on the EBR is hooked up. He has no traction control or electronic assistance. The EBR came into the series two races before the end of last season. Geoff May passes Ben Bostrom. May is on the sister EBR. Just six laps left to run. Geoff May reels in Chris Fillmore. It's EBR vs. KTM. Stefan Nabel is the original rider who developed the KTM bike.
Like EBR, KTM does not have factory support for their U.S. racing efforts. Four more laps to run. Josh Hayes appears to have this race in the bag. But, Chris Fillmore ditched his KTM in turn 11. He lost the bike int turn nine, leaning over too far. The handlebar broke on impact. Former seven time Superbike champion Mat Mladin is in attendance at Infineon Raceway. Just three laps to go. Robertino Pietri and Chris Ulrich on Suzuki's battle. Stefan Nabel is also in contention. He's done well in the German Superbike Championship. Nabel was floored by the track at Infineon Raceway.
Two laps left. Nabel passes Chris Ullrich. Meanwhile, Josh Hayes is cruising. The white flag is up. One lap to go. Blake Young made a mistake. Eslick still wants the spot. Neither Hayes nor Blake Young have finished lower than second this year so far. Eslick has got to be happy about his performance on the EBR. He'll be on the podium. It's the last lap. Young runs defense over Eslick. Hayes wins! Blake Young holds off Danny Eslick.
#1 Josh Hayes Suzuki
There will be two more races, tomorrow.
Next race: Miller Motorsports Park
The race at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, takes place in three weeks time.
Martin Cardenas manages to pass Jason DiSalvo, nine laps into the race. Two laps before halfway. DiSalvo overcooked the entry into turn ten. Cardenas ran slightly wide into the final corner and almnst gave DiSalvo an opportunity to pass. Cameron Beauvier continues to hold down third place. Dane Westby, Tommy Hayden and Joey Pascarella follow. The trick is to know when the tires go away and who can ride through having worn tires before the end of the race. One lap to halfway now. The battle continues between Westby and Hayden. Garrett Gerlach (who usually rides the bike Tommy Hayden is on), may be back for the race at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Cardenas and DiSalvo are the ones to watch in this race coming up to halfway. It's sunny and hot. The temps during practice and qualifying were much cooler and there was a fair wind blowing. Tire degradation is a major issue at Infineon Raceway because there isn't a true straightaway on the course.
Joey Pascarella holds down sixth place. DiSalvo has taken the lead from Martin Cardenas. Where is the Triumph stronger or weaker vs. the Suzuki? The two bikes touched and fortunately continued. This is a majorly difficult track with it's 2.32 mile, 11 turn layout. No rider can afford mistakes around this track. It's very slippery on course. Tires are falling off as the bikes make their way through the uphill section and onto the back part of the course. There's lapped treffic all over the place. If you see the blue flag, move over!
The earlier red flag was caused by a backmarker. The #181 bike of Craig Mason was in the way of the leaders and almost caused a crash. Mason was in a battle of his own with another rider. Jason DiSalvo passed Cardenas for the lead. Martin Cardenas went deep into turn seven allowing DiSalvo to go by. Just five laps left as the riders pass David Sadowsky Jr. The rest of the top ten includes riders like J.D. Beach and Jake Zemke. This is the first of two races for the weekend at Infineon. Westby and Hayden battle for fourth and fifth. Cardenas can carry more corner speed in the middle of the corner as compared to DiSalvo.
DiSalvo runs a motorcycle riding school. Cardenas sweeps around DiSalvo on the outside in the Carousel. Just three laps left in this race. Cardenas has the lead now. The battle between Westby and Hayden continues. This is for fourth spot. The two leaders can handle their tires fading better than the other bikes in the top five can. Just two laps remain. Hayden wishes that Westby would make a mistake. This is the last lap of the race. Cory West, Bobby Fong and J.D. Beach battle for the back half of the top ten. Martin Cardenas has been able to virtually vanquish DiSalvo and the Triumph. Cardenas wins another race.
#36 Martin Cardenas Suzuki
Coming up, it's the Daytona Sport Bike race.
This is the first of two races for the Superbike series race, the first of two races in Daytona Sport Bike in the wine country of northern California.
The EBR bike could be successful on this track since it's about riding skill more than horsepower. Josh Hayes will also be looking for another chance after winning the second race at Road Atlanta. Hayes scored his first Superbike win at Infineon Raceway over former champion Mat Mladin. KTM has Chris Fillmore and German super bike champion Stefan Nabel.
At the start, Josh Hayes takes the lead. Danny Eslick slots into third. Blake Young shoots up to second spot. It's going to be another Hayes vs. Young battle for the lead. Danny Eslick on the Buell is close to the leaders. Steve Rapp's Kawasaki and the two Jordan Suzuki's of Ben Bostrom and Roger Hayden are also coming up through the pack in this 22 lap race. Eslick's #69 bike is actually the EBR, not the Buell. Danny Eslick and Roger Hayden both run wide allowing Josh Herrin (team mate to Josh Hayes), to get by. Eslick was on maximum braking as his rear wheel lifted.
Ben Bostrom is sliding back through the field. Hayes is ahead. Meanwhile, Heron and Eslick are still battling. Eslick and Heron battle. These two have run together in Daytona Sport Bike as well. Heron's arm is sore. He has trouble using the brake lever and can't use the pressure. The Superbikes are much more difficult to ride than a 600cc motorcycle. Rapp, Hayden and Fillmore battle for fifth, sixth and seventh. The race is four laps old. Ben Bostrom is not running as well as he wants. Ditto for Geoff May. May rides behind the #72 BMW of Larry Pegram.
May passes Pegram on the inside. It's EBR vs. BMW. Eslick and Heron continue their battle. Hayes is beginning to gap the field. All he has to do is stay calm and ride the bike. Blake Young is still second. He's running laps in the 1:37 range. Danny Eslick is quicker than Young right now. Roger Hayden, Steve Rapp and others battle for fifth place. Hayden loses three spots. Chris Fillmore on the KTM moves up. Ben Bostrom is in the pocket on his Jordan Suzuki. Bostrom is a true veteran of the sport and has run AMA Superbike, World Superbike, and MotoGP. Rapp is into the top five. He's the only rider in the division riding a Kawasaki ZX10R.
Two laps before halfway. The Kawasaki ZX10R has won in World Superbike and World Endurance motorcycle competition. But, the bike has yet to win in the U.S. as the suspension setups are very different between U.S. spec bikes and European spec FIM bikes. Chris Fillmore is beginning to gap Steve Rapp. He passed Rapp and is pulling away. In turn 11, Filmmore is able to be more stable on the KTM under braking. Josh Hayes continues to lead. He was 9/10ths quicker over everyone else in qualifying. Hayes has a 7.8 second lead. Young and Eslick scrap for second and third.
The EBR stands for Eric Buell Racing and is not related at all to the Buell brand. That's the bike Eslick pilots. Eslick whistles by Blake Young. Just eight laps to go. Into turn nine, Eslick swept by Young who struggled into the corner. Eslick on the EBR is hooked up. He has no traction control or electronic assistance. The EBR came into the series two races before the end of last season. Geoff May passes Ben Bostrom. May is on the sister EBR. Just six laps left to run. Geoff May reels in Chris Fillmore. It's EBR vs. KTM. Stefan Nabel is the original rider who developed the KTM bike.
Like EBR, KTM does not have factory support for their U.S. racing efforts. Four more laps to run. Josh Hayes appears to have this race in the bag. But, Chris Fillmore ditched his KTM in turn 11. He lost the bike int turn nine, leaning over too far. The handlebar broke on impact. Former seven time Superbike champion Mat Mladin is in attendance at Infineon Raceway. Just three laps to go. Robertino Pietri and Chris Ulrich on Suzuki's battle. Stefan Nabel is also in contention. He's done well in the German Superbike Championship. Nabel was floored by the track at Infineon Raceway.
Two laps left. Nabel passes Chris Ullrich. Meanwhile, Josh Hayes is cruising. The white flag is up. One lap to go. Blake Young made a mistake. Eslick still wants the spot. Neither Hayes nor Blake Young have finished lower than second this year so far. Eslick has got to be happy about his performance on the EBR. He'll be on the podium. It's the last lap. Young runs defense over Eslick. Hayes wins! Blake Young holds off Danny Eslick.
#1 Josh Hayes Suzuki
There will be two more races, tomorrow.
Next race: Miller Motorsports Park
The race at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, takes place in three weeks time.
Moto 3: Spain
Here are the highlights of Moto 3 from the Spanish Grand Prix. MotoGP and Moto 2 have already been highlighted. So, here are the Moto 3 race highlights.
This race will be 23 laps. Just as it was in MotoGP and Moto 2, the wind will be a factor on the circuit. Alex Rins is on pole position. The bikes go out on a sighting lap before coming back to the grid for the start. Hopefully this will be a dry race. At the start, Alex Rins jumps into the lead and Arthur Sissis actually takes over the lead position. Jack Miller is fourth. Jakub Kornfeil takes the lead. Danny Kent, Jack Miller and one other rider went down. They all continued. Kent hit Jack Miller's bike. Romano Fenati also went down. Maverick Vinales ditched his bike, too, and fortunately continued. Miguel Olivera has taken over the lead from Jakub Kornfeil. Vinales has fallen down the order after that crash.
Kornfeil is lurking behind Miguel Oliveira. Maverick Vinales could be out of this race and not win his fourth consecutive Moto 3 Grand Prix race. Rins and Fenati battle. Two more riders have crashed out. Jakub Kornfeil and Brad Binder both went down. Kornfeil tried his hardest to hang onto the bike, but, he couldn't do it. He's out of the race. Rins leads. Miguel Oliveira goes down, too. In replay, the image is of Kornfeil's unreal save of his bike. Alex Rins still leads. Now, Arthur Sissis crashes! They're dropping like flies! This was into Nieto corner. Simone Grotzkyj also went down earlier on.
Maverick Vinales is still in the race. He can pick up points despite the earlier incident. Vinales had his moment in the Esso corner. Alex Rins knows the Jerez circuit as he rode the circuit in the Spanish motorcycle championship. Sixteen laps remain in the race. Alex Rins ALMOST loses control of his bike! But, he hangs on! He loses the lead and goes down to third after that scary incident. Fenati, Faubel and others are coming. Louis Rossi is the new leader. Luis Salom and Sandro Cortesi are two other riders moving up.
Rossi gives up the lead. Vinales languishes in 14th. Rins is the leader and might still have some difficulties going through Alex Creville corner. The riders have also been having some action packed moments into Dry Sac, just like in MotoGP and Moto 2. Louis Rossi dumps his bike meaning Sandro Cortese is now on the podium. Louis Rossi was the leader before crashing. He probably was like, "what on earth was that?!" Fenati leads with Sandro Cortesi, Luis Salom, and Alexis Masbou. Maverick Vinales has moved up to eighth place.
Danny Webb on the Mahindra bike is also in this scrap between at least half a dozen bikes. Twelve laps to go. Dutchman Jasper Iwema is also there. Romano Fenati still leads. Maverick Vinales has made it to sixth place. He will not win his fourth consecutive Grand Prix. But, the points are more important in terms ot the championship. Alex Rins crashes out! He can get back on the track, actually. But, he's lost the lead. Masbou and others are right on top of Rins now. Cortese, Salom and Masbou battle. Rins is second. Fenati leads.
Alex Rins continues to push. Jasper Iwema crashed and resumed. But, he languishes down in 17th. Rins, Salom and Cortesi run 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Romano Fenati continues to lead. Adrian Martin crashes. So does Danny Webb. How many bikes have been ditched in this race? Yikes! Eight laps left. Only eighteen riders and bikes remain in the race. Turn nine at Jerez seems to catch these riders out. That's Curva Angel Nieto. Alex Rins is still second as the top three run into Dry Sac. Fenati is now passing lapped bikes.
Sandro Cortese moves into second after going three wide. Danny kent and Jack Miller do have injuries from their crashes. Jack Miller has a collarbone injury and Danny Kent has bruises. Will they be clear to ride in the next Grand Prix? That race is this weekend in Portugal at the Estoril circuit. Alex Rins battles Sandro Cortesi. Luis Salom is also in this. Fenati is dominating this race in only his second Grand Prix. This championship (Moto 3) is bound to grow throughout the season.
Rins wanted to pass Cortese but thought better of it at least for the moment. Into Sito Pons, the bikes go onto the back straight. Cortese wants by Rins. Rins re-passes. Fenati looks to be the one to win this race should he hold it together for two more laps. He's at Curva Sito Pons, so, he's got quite an advantage on everyone else. Rins and Salom pass. Salom wants by Cortese. There are lapped riders in the way as the last lap begins. Fenati will win the race and take the lead in the championship points table. Rins, Cortese and Salom still battle. Romano Fenati wins his second Moto3 start. He's the third youngest winner in all MotoGP behind Scott Redding and Marco Melandri.
#5 Romano Fenati ITA FTR Honda
Next race: Portugal
This race will be 23 laps. Just as it was in MotoGP and Moto 2, the wind will be a factor on the circuit. Alex Rins is on pole position. The bikes go out on a sighting lap before coming back to the grid for the start. Hopefully this will be a dry race. At the start, Alex Rins jumps into the lead and Arthur Sissis actually takes over the lead position. Jack Miller is fourth. Jakub Kornfeil takes the lead. Danny Kent, Jack Miller and one other rider went down. They all continued. Kent hit Jack Miller's bike. Romano Fenati also went down. Maverick Vinales ditched his bike, too, and fortunately continued. Miguel Olivera has taken over the lead from Jakub Kornfeil. Vinales has fallen down the order after that crash.
Kornfeil is lurking behind Miguel Oliveira. Maverick Vinales could be out of this race and not win his fourth consecutive Moto 3 Grand Prix race. Rins and Fenati battle. Two more riders have crashed out. Jakub Kornfeil and Brad Binder both went down. Kornfeil tried his hardest to hang onto the bike, but, he couldn't do it. He's out of the race. Rins leads. Miguel Oliveira goes down, too. In replay, the image is of Kornfeil's unreal save of his bike. Alex Rins still leads. Now, Arthur Sissis crashes! They're dropping like flies! This was into Nieto corner. Simone Grotzkyj also went down earlier on.
Maverick Vinales is still in the race. He can pick up points despite the earlier incident. Vinales had his moment in the Esso corner. Alex Rins knows the Jerez circuit as he rode the circuit in the Spanish motorcycle championship. Sixteen laps remain in the race. Alex Rins ALMOST loses control of his bike! But, he hangs on! He loses the lead and goes down to third after that scary incident. Fenati, Faubel and others are coming. Louis Rossi is the new leader. Luis Salom and Sandro Cortesi are two other riders moving up.
Rossi gives up the lead. Vinales languishes in 14th. Rins is the leader and might still have some difficulties going through Alex Creville corner. The riders have also been having some action packed moments into Dry Sac, just like in MotoGP and Moto 2. Louis Rossi dumps his bike meaning Sandro Cortese is now on the podium. Louis Rossi was the leader before crashing. He probably was like, "what on earth was that?!" Fenati leads with Sandro Cortesi, Luis Salom, and Alexis Masbou. Maverick Vinales has moved up to eighth place.
Danny Webb on the Mahindra bike is also in this scrap between at least half a dozen bikes. Twelve laps to go. Dutchman Jasper Iwema is also there. Romano Fenati still leads. Maverick Vinales has made it to sixth place. He will not win his fourth consecutive Grand Prix. But, the points are more important in terms ot the championship. Alex Rins crashes out! He can get back on the track, actually. But, he's lost the lead. Masbou and others are right on top of Rins now. Cortese, Salom and Masbou battle. Rins is second. Fenati leads.
Alex Rins continues to push. Jasper Iwema crashed and resumed. But, he languishes down in 17th. Rins, Salom and Cortesi run 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Romano Fenati continues to lead. Adrian Martin crashes. So does Danny Webb. How many bikes have been ditched in this race? Yikes! Eight laps left. Only eighteen riders and bikes remain in the race. Turn nine at Jerez seems to catch these riders out. That's Curva Angel Nieto. Alex Rins is still second as the top three run into Dry Sac. Fenati is now passing lapped bikes.
Sandro Cortese moves into second after going three wide. Danny kent and Jack Miller do have injuries from their crashes. Jack Miller has a collarbone injury and Danny Kent has bruises. Will they be clear to ride in the next Grand Prix? That race is this weekend in Portugal at the Estoril circuit. Alex Rins battles Sandro Cortesi. Luis Salom is also in this. Fenati is dominating this race in only his second Grand Prix. This championship (Moto 3) is bound to grow throughout the season.
Rins wanted to pass Cortese but thought better of it at least for the moment. Into Sito Pons, the bikes go onto the back straight. Cortese wants by Rins. Rins re-passes. Fenati looks to be the one to win this race should he hold it together for two more laps. He's at Curva Sito Pons, so, he's got quite an advantage on everyone else. Rins and Salom pass. Salom wants by Cortese. There are lapped riders in the way as the last lap begins. Fenati will win the race and take the lead in the championship points table. Rins, Cortese and Salom still battle. Romano Fenati wins his second Moto3 start. He's the third youngest winner in all MotoGP behind Scott Redding and Marco Melandri.
#5 Romano Fenati ITA FTR Honda
Next race: Portugal
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Posts
Bear with me. Just started this motorcycle racing blog that was contained as part of another blog I have that needed these articles separated from when the motorcycle season truly got underway in March. There will be a dozen or so posts all with the same date on them, but it signifies races that took place earlier on in the year. Will continue updating on the motorcycle races as they happen. A lot will come in as the next couple of days go by.
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