Italy 2008
VALENTINO ROSSI SEEMS TO HAVE MADE THIS EVENT HIS OWN - HE HAD ALREADY WON IT IN EACH OF THE LAST SIX YEARS (INCLUDING A CHANGE OF MANUFACTURER) AND HE TOOK POLE POSITION ON SATURDAY AND THEN PROCEEDED TO TAKE HIS SEVENTH CONSECUTIVE VICTORY ON SUNDAY.
THE WEEKEND WAS WET UNTIL QUALIFYING ON SATURDAY BUT FROM THEN ON THE SUN SEEMED TO SHINE ALL THE TIME. THIS POSED A PROBLEM IN THE FACT THAT THE RIDERS HAD HAD VIRTUALLY NO DRY RUNNING DURING FREE PRACTICE AND SO HAD TO COME OUT FOR THE REAL ACTION WITHOUT REALLY KNOWING HOW THE TYRES WOULD REACT TO THE HOTTER TEMPERATURES AND WHETHER THEY HAD A DECENT DRY-WEATHER SET-UP.
PERHAPS THIS IS WHY THERE WERE AT LEAST 4 CRASHES - RANDY DE PUNIET CAME OFF IN FRONT OF MARCO MELANDRI, LEAVING MARCO WITH NO OPTION BUT TO TAKE TO THE GRAVEL AND HIT THE AIR-BARRIER. JOHN HOPKINS ALSO CRASHED BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT 'OFF', IN TERMS OF THE TITLE RACE, WAS THAT OF JORGE LORENZO, WHO LATER ADMITTED THAT IT WAS HIS OWN FAULT.
DANI PEDROSA HAD DONE HIS USUAL ROCKET START AND TOOK THE LEAD IMMEDIATELY BUT IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE CASEY STONER HAD TAKEN OVER IN THE LEAD. CASEY'S LEAD DID NOT LAST TOO LONG THOUGH BECAUSE VALENTINO CAME THROUGH AND WAS THEN NEVER REALLY TROUBLED. DANI GOT PAST CASEY FOR A WHILE BUT THE AUSTRALIAN THEN PUT HIS HEAD DOWN AND WORKED HIS WAY BACK TO SECOND PLACE AND WAS GOING STRONG AT THE END.
ONE INTERESTING FACET TO THIS RACE WAS THAT HONDA TRIED OUT THEIR NEW PNEUMATIC-VALVE ENGINE HERE AND GAVE THEIR TEST-RIDER. TADAYUKI OKADA, THE CHANCE TO SHOW WHAT IT COULD DO AND IN THE PROCESS HE BECAME THE OLDEST RIDER EVER TO COMPETE IN A MOTOGP RACE. APPARENTLY, HONDA WILL BE MAKING A DECISION SOON ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THEIR RIDERS WILL HAVE THE BENEFIT OF THIS LATEST DEVELOPMENT.
STARTING GRID
| | | | | |
| 1.
|
Valentino Rossi
|
| 2.
|
Dani Pedrosa
|
| 3.
|
Loris Capirossi
|
| 4.
|
Casey Stoner
|
| 5.
|
Colin Edwards
|
| 6.
|
Nicky Hayden
|
| 7.
|
Jorge Lorenzo
|
| 8.
|
James Toseland
|
| 9.
|
Shinya Nakano
|
| 10.
|
Alex de Angelis
|
| 11.
|
Chris Vermeulen
|
| 12.
|
Randy de Puniet
|
| 13.
|
Andrea Dovizioso
|
| 14.
|
John Hopkins
|
| 15.
|
Tadayuki Okada
|
| 16.
|
Tony Elias
|
| 17.
|
Sylvain Guintoli
|
| 18.
|
Marco Melandri
|
| 19.
|
Anthony West
|
RESULT
| |
| 1.
|
Valentino Rossi
|
| 2.
|
Casey Stoner
|
| 3.
|
Dani Pedrosa
|
| 4.
|
Alex de Angelis
|
| 5.
|
Colin Edwards
|
| 6.
|
James Toseland
|
| 7.
|
Loris Capirossi
|
| 8.
|
Andrea Dovizioso
|
| 9.
|
Shinya Nakano
|
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Riders :
| |
| Valentino Rossi
|
122
|
| Dani Pedrosa
|
110
|
| Jorge Lorenzo
|
94
|
| Casey Stoner
|
76
|
| Colin Edwards
|
58
|
| Loris Capirossi
|
51
|
| Andrea Dovizioso
|
44
|
| James Toseland
|
43
|
| Nicky Hayden
|
40
|
Constructors :
|
| Yamaha
|
140
|
| Honda
|
110
|
| Ducati
|
81
|
| Suzuki
|
54
|
| Kawasaki
|
29
|
Race Results posted by
David Little
2nd June 2008
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