Aragon 2010
THIS NEW TRACK, ONLY RECENTLY BUILT AND ADDED TO THE CALENDAR TO REPLACE THE HUNGARIAN ROUND, PRODUCED SOME INTERESTING AND HIGH SPEED RACING. THE MAIN STRAIGHT, AS USED FOR THIS ROUND, IS SPLIT INTO TWO SECTIONS BY A CHICANE BUT, IF THE CHICANE IS LEFT OUT OF TRACK LAYOUT, THE STRAIGHT BY-PASSES THE CHICANE COMPLETELY AND BECOMES ONE LONG DOWNHILL STRETCH OF 1.7 KM (1.1 MILES)!
CASEY STONER TOOK POLE ON SATURDAY FOLLOWED BY JORGE LORENZO AND DANI PEDROSA. ON SUNDAY, CASEY GOT A GOOD START AND LED INTO THE FIRST CORNER. FORTUNATELY, ALL THE MOTOGP RIDERS NEGOTIATED THIS 90º LEFT TURN WITHOUT INCIDENT, UNLIKE BOTH THE 125 AND MOTO2 RACES. JORGE ALSO STARTED WELL BUT DANI, UNUSUALLY, DID NOT AND WAS ONLY 5TH AS THEY ROUNDED THAT CORNER.
JORGE LOOKED QUITE AGGRESSIVE AT THE START AND LOOKED AS IF HE WAS DETERMINED TO CATCH AND PASS STONER. MORE LIKE HE USED TO BE EARLIER IN THE SEASON BEFORE THE PRESSURE TO WIN HIS FIRST TITLE STARTED TO FEATURE IN HIS RACE TACTICS.
HOWEVER, HIS MATURITY IN DECIDING THAT THE TITLE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY SINGLE WIN AT THIS POINT IN THE SEASON SHOWED ITSELF AGAIN HERE. HAVING ENSURED A LEADING POSITION WITH HIS FORCEFUL RIDING AT THE START, HE SOON ADAPTED HIS, BY NOW, CUSTOMARY TACTIC OF CLAIMING THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF POINTS WITH THE MINIMUM RISK.
DANI, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAS TO GO ALL-OUT FOR VICTORY OR, AT LEAST, THE MAXIMUM POSSIBLE POINTS HE CAN EARN GIVEN THE RACE SITUATION ON ANY ONE DAY. HE SOON CAUGHT AND PASSED RIDERS, INCLUDING JORGE, UNTIL CROSSING THE GAP TO CASEY STONER WAS GOING TO BE IMPOSSIBLE AND HE SETTLED FOR SECOND PLACE BEHIND THE AUSTRALIAN.
CASEY AND THE DUCATI WERE BACK TO THEIR BEST - NO DOUBT THE LONG STRAIGHT HELPING THEM ON THIS OCCASION. WHO WAS THIRD? WELL, YOU MAY THINK LORENZO MADE IT TO THE LINE TO TAKE THE LAST PODIUM PLACE BUT THAT IGNORES NICKY HAYDEN WHO RODE WELL ALL RACE AND JUST MANAGED TO SLIP INSIDE JORGE AT THE CHICANE ON THE LAST LAP AND THE SUPERIOR SPEED OF THE DUCATI OVER THE YAMAHA ENABLED HIM TO HOLD THIRD PLACE TO THE LINE.
SO, TWO DUCATIS ON THE PODIUM AND NO JORGE FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SEASON. VALENTINO ROSSI WAS NOTABLE BY HIS ABSENCE FROM THE LEADERS DURING THE WHOLE RACE - HIS SHOULDER PROBLEMS CLEARLY AFFECTING HIM AND WILL REQUIRE SURGERY AFTER THE END OD THE SEASON.
STARTING GRID
| | | | | |
| 1.
|
Casey Stoner
|
| 2.
|
Jorge Lorenzo
|
| 3.
|
Dani Pedrosa
|
| 4.
|
Nicky Hayden
|
| 5.
|
Ben Spies
|
| 6.
|
Randy de Puniet
|
| 7.
|
Valentino Rossi
|
| 8.
|
Andrea Dovizioso
|
| 9.
|
Marco Simoncelli
|
| 10.
|
Hector Barbera
|
| 11.
|
Colin Edwards
|
| 12.
|
Alvaro Bautista
|
| 13.
|
Aleix Espargaro
|
| 14.
|
Marco Melandri
|
| 15.
|
Hiroshi Aoyama
|
| 16.
|
Mika Kallio
|
RESULT
| |
| 1.
|
Casey Stoner
|
| 2.
|
Dani Pedrosa
|
| 3.
|
Nicky Hayden
|
| 4.
|
Jorge Lorenzo
|
| 5.
|
Ben Spies
|
| 6.
|
Valentino Rossi
|
| 7.
|
Marco Simoncelli
|
| 8.
|
Alvaro Bautista
|
| 9.
|
Marco Melandri
|
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Riders :
| |
| Jorge Lorenzo
|
284
|
| Dani Pedrosa
|
228
|
| Casey Stoner
|
155
|
| Valentino Rossi
|
140
|
| Andrea Dovizioso
|
139
|
| Ben Spies
|
131
|
| Nicky Hayden
|
125
|
| Randy de Puniet
|
81
|
| Marco Melandri
|
74
|
| =Marco Simoncelli
|
74
|
Constructors :
|
| Yamaha
|
293
|
| Honda
|
265
|
| Ducati
|
195
|
| Suzuki
|
72
|
Race Results posted by
David Little
19th September 2010
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