France 2008
A WEEKEND AND RACE FULL OF INCIDENT. JORGE LORENZO STILL UNABLE TO WALK BUT STILL RIDING! MIND YOU, AT TIMES HE SEEMS INTENT ON DOING FURTHER DAMAGE. CRASHED ONCE DURING PRACTICE AND HAD TO PERFORM MIRACLES TO STAY UPRIGHT AT OTHER TIMES. STILL MANAGED 5TH IN QUALIFYING THOUGH. DANI PEDROSA SNATCHED POLE AWAY FROM COLIN EDWARDS AT THE LAST MINUTE ON SATURDAY AND WHO KNOWS IF COLIN COULD HAVE RESPONDED BECAUSE HE WAS ON A FAST LAP IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS BUT HE WAS BAULKED BY MARCO MELANDRI AND SUITABLY REMONSTRATED WITH HIM FOR THE REST OF THE LAP! CASEY STONER EVENTUALLY FOUND THE RIGHT SET-UP TO JOIN PEDROSA AND EDWARDS ON THE FRONT OF THE GRID.
WHEN THE RACE STARTED, CASEY TOOK THE LEAD AND HELD OFF VALENTINO ROSSI AND DANI PEDROSA FOR THE FIRST FEW LAPS BUT ONCE VALENTINO EVENTUALLY GOT TO THE FRONT THAT WAS LAST ANYONE SAW OF HIM UNTIL THE PODIUM. JAMES TOSELAND AND ANDREA DOVIZIOSO HAD A 'RACING INCIDENT' ON LAP 2 WITH JAMES HAVING TO RETIRE. STONER GRADUALLY DROPPED DOWN THE ORDER, WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE BIKE PROBLEMS BECAUSE THE BIKE STOPPED WORKING JUST AS THE OFFICIALS DECLARED THAT IT WAS NOW A WET RACE. THE AUSTRALIAN MADE IT BACK TO THE PITS AND WENT OUT ON THE SPARE BIKE FITTED WITH FULL WET TYRES. HE COULDN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE BECAUSE, FOR AN OFFICIAL 'WET RACE' THE RIDER HAS TO GO OUT ON DIFFERENT TYRES THAN HE CAME IN ON. IT THEN STOPPED RAINING! HE DIDN'T GET INTO THE POINTS, FINISHING 16TH BEHIND HIS TEAM-MATE, MARCO MELANDRI, WHOSE FORM IN CHINA DESERTED HIM HERE.
JORGE LORENZO LOST PLACES AT THE START BUT COURAGEOUSLY STARTED TO RECOVER AND MOVED GRADUALLY ALL THE WAY UP TO FINISH 2ND AND THE CONGRATULATORY HANDSHAKES, HUGS AND OTHER BODY LANGUAGE BETWEEN HIM AND HIS TEAM-MATE, VALENTINO ROSSI, APPEARED GENUINE AND BELIED TALES OF ANIMOSITY BETWEEN THEIR RESPECTIVE SIDES OF THE YAMAHA GARAGE. COLIN EDWARDS AND HIS PRIVATEER TECH-3 YAMAHA COMPLETED AN ALL-YAMAHA PODIUM.
VALENTINO'S WIN, 2ND IN A ROW AND TAKING HIM TO THE TOP OF THE STANDINGS, WAS HIS 90TH IN ALL MOTOGP CLASSES AND TAKES HIM TO EQUAL SECOND WITH ANGEL NIETO IN THE ALL-TIME LIST BEHIND GIACOMO AGOSTINI. NIETO WAS AT THE TRACK IN HIS ROLE AS A COMMENTATOR FOR SPANISH TV BUT FORSOOK THE BOOTH TO DRESS IN HIS LEATHERS AND THEN MET UP WITH VALENTINO ON HIS VICTORY LAP TO PRESENT HIM WITH A FLAG THAT SAID '90 + 90'. HE THEN RODE ROSSI'S BIKE BACK TO THE PITS WITH VALENTINO RIDING PILLION AND WAVING THE FLAG. AGAINST MOTOGP REGULATIONS BUT NO-ONE SEEMED INCLINED TO ARGUE WITH THESE TWO GREAT RIDERS!
STARTING GRID
| | | | | |
| 1.
|
Dani Pedrosa
|
| 2.
|
Colin Edwards
|
| 3.
|
Casey Stoner
|
| 4.
|
Valentino Rossi
|
| 5.
|
Jorge Lorenzo
|
| 6.
|
Nicky Hayden
|
| 7.
|
James Toseland
|
| 8.
|
Chris Vermeulen
|
| 9.
|
John Hopkins
|
| 10.
|
Andrea Dovizioso
|
| 11.
|
Loris Capirossi
|
| 12.
|
Randy de Puniet
|
| 13.
|
Shinya Nakano
|
| 14.
|
Tony Elias
|
| 15.
|
Alex de Angelis
|
| 16.
|
Sylvain Guintoli
|
| 17.
|
Marco Melandri
|
| 18.
|
Anthony West
|
RESULT
| |
| 1.
|
Valentino Rossi
|
| 2.
|
Jorge Lorenzo
|
| 3.
|
Colin Edwards
|
| 4.
|
Dani Pedrosa
|
| 5.
|
Chris Vermeulen
|
| 6.
|
Andrea Dovizioso
|
| 7.
|
Loris Capirossi
|
| 8.
|
Nicky Hayden
|
| 9.
|
Randy de Puniet
|
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Riders :
| |
| Valentino Rossi
|
97
|
| Jorge Lorenzo
|
94
|
| =Dani Pedrosa
|
94
|
| Casey Stoner
|
56
|
| Colin Edwards
|
47
|
| Loris Capirossi
|
42
|
| Nicky Hayden
|
37
|
| Andrea Dovizioso
|
36
|
| James Toseland
|
33
|
Constructors :
|
| Yamaha
|
115
|
| Honda
|
94
|
| Ducati
|
61
|
| Suzuki
|
45
|
| Kawasaki
|
28
|
Race Results posted by
David Little
19th May 2008
The HTML code for this page has been validated by the World Wide Web Consortium.