Catalunya 2009
THIS TURNED OUT TO BE AN EPIC RACE. VALENTINO ROSSI WON BUT EVEN HE SAID THAT THE HARDEST FIGHTS HE HAS HAD WERE LAGUNA SECA 2008 (CASEY STONER) AND HERE (JORGE LORENZO) AND ALL THREE OF THEM WERE ON THE PODIUM HERE AND ALL ARE NOW ON 106 POINTS IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP!
MY SON, ANDREW, WHOSE WEBSITE THIS IS, ARRIVED IN THE EARLY EVENING TO WATCH THE RECORDING OF THE RACE AS HE HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO SEE IT LIVE. THIS WAS A GOOD THING FOR ME BECAUSE I HAD ONLY SEEN THE EARLY LAPS AND THE LAST FEW LAPS OF THE LIVE BROADCAST. I HAD NODDED OFF TO SLEEP DURING THE MIDDLE LAPS AS I WAS TIRED AFTER A LONG, HARD BICYCLE RIDE IN THE MORNING.
AS IT TURNED OUT, I HAD NOT MISSED ANY OF THE ACTION BECAUSE THOSE MISSING MIDDLE LAPS DID NOT HAVE MUCH ACTION - JUST VALENTINO SHADOWING JORGE FOR LAP AFTER LAP. AS IT TURNED OUT, VALENTINO WAS PROBABLY WORKING OUT ALL THE PLACES WHERE HE COULD POSSIBLY OVERTAKE JORGE.
JORGE TOOK THE LEAD FROM THE START BUT DID NOT PULL AWAY. VALENTINO AND CASEY KEPT CLOSE FOR THE EARLY LAPS. THEN VALENTINO TOOK THE LEAD AND CASEY DROPPED BACK (AND I DROPPED OFF TO SLEEP!).
JORGE THEN REGAINED THE LEAD AND HELD IT UNTIL THERE WERE JUST THREE LAPS TO GO AND THEN THE FIREWORKS STARTED (AND I WOKE UP!). FROM THEN ON, VALENTINO REGAINED, AND HELD, THE LEAD AND JORGE TRIED EVERYTHING TO GET PAST.
ON THE LAST LAP THE LEAD SEEMED TO CHANGE AT EVERY TURN AND, BY THE TIME THEY CAME UP TO THE FINAL TURN, JORGE WAS IN FRONT AND HAD THE RACE WIN IN HIS HANDS. BUT VALENTINO IS NOTHING IF NOT A TRIER AND WITH ONE DARING SWOOP HE TOOK JORGE BY SURPRISE AND GOT UP THE INSIDE ON THE APPROACH. FROM THERE TO THE LINE THERE WAS ONLY GOING TO BE ONE WINNER AND IT WOULDN'T BE JORGE.
LORENZO LEARNED A VALUABLE LESSON HERE, AS HE MENTIONED IN HIS INTERVIEW. 'NEVER LEAVE A GAP ON THE INSIDE'. IF HE HADN'T, ROSSI COULD NOT HAVE POUNCED.
CASEY STONER'S LACK OF PACE AS THE RACE PROGRESSED TURNED OUT TO BE ILLNESS - HE WAS ABSOLUTELY DRAINED AT THE END AND HOW HE GOT THROUGH THE PODIUM CELEBRATIONS AND POST-RACE INTERVIEWS IS A MIRACLE IN ITSELF. THERE WERE MANY TIMES WHEN I THOUGHT HE WOULD COLLAPSE BUT THESE RIDERS ARE TOUGH AS DANI PEDROSA DEMONSTRATED BY RIDING WITH SEVERE INJURIES AND PAIN-KILLING INJECTIONS TO FINISH 6TH.
STARTING GRID
| | | | | |
| 1.
|
Jorge Lorenzo
|
| 2.
|
Valentino Rossi
|
| 3.
|
Casey Stoner
|
| 4.
|
Andrea Dovizioso
|
| 5.
|
Tony Elias
|
| 6.
|
Colin Edwards
|
| 7.
|
Randy de Puniet
|
| 8.
|
Dani Pedrosa
|
| 9.
|
James Toseland
|
| 10.
|
Mika Kallio
|
| 11.
|
Loris Capirossi
|
| 12.
|
Chris Vermeulen
|
| 13.
|
Nicky Hayden
|
| 14.
|
Alex de Angelis
|
| 15.
|
Sete Gibernau
|
| 16.
|
Yuki Takahashi
|
| 17.
|
Marco Melandri
|
| 18.
|
Niccolo Canepa
|
| 19.
|
Gabor Talmasci
|
RESULT
| |
| 1.
|
Valentino Rossi
|
| 2.
|
Jorge Lorenzo
|
| 3.
|
Casey Stoner
|
| 4.
|
Andrea Dovizioso
|
| 5.
|
Loris Capirossi
|
| 6.
|
Dani Pedrosa
|
| 7.
|
Colin Edwards
|
| 8.
|
Randy de Puniet
|
| 9.
|
Mika Kallio
|
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Riders :
| |
| Valentino Rossi
|
106
|
| Jorge Lorenzo
|
106
|
| Casey Stoner
|
106
|
| Andrea Dovizioso
|
69
|
| Dani Pedrosa
|
67
|
| Colin Edwards
|
54
|
| Marco Melandri
|
50
|
| Loris Capirossi
|
49
|
| Randy de Puniet
|
42
|
Constructors :
|
| Yamaha
|
140
|
| Ducati
|
106
|
| Honda
|
89
|
| Suzuki
|
60
|
| Kawasaki
|
50
|
Race Results posted by
David Little
14th June 2009
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