Portugal 2010
IT WOULD BE AN UNUSUAL MOTOGP WEEKEND AT THE ESTORIL CIRCUIT IF THERE WAS NO DRAMA AND 2010 WAS NO EXCEPTION. BECAUSE OF HEAVY RAIN, FRIDAY PRACTICE WAS BADLY AFFECTED, ALL QUALIFYING ON SATURDAY WAS CANCELLED WHEN THE RAIN WAS EVEN HEAVIER AND THE I25 RACE ON SUNDAY WAS OFFICIALLY A DRY/WET RACE IN 2 SESSIONS. EVEN WHEN IT WAS DRY ON SUNDAY, THE GROUND AND AIR TEMPERATURES WERE VERY LOW.
THE GRID PLACINGS WERE DETERMINED BY THE AGGREGATE OF ALL TIMINGS FROM FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. ON SUNDAY, BEN SPIES CRASHED OUT AS HE WENT TO TAKE UP HIS 5TH PLACE GRID SLOT, DISLOCATED HIS ANKLE AND TOOK NO FURTHER PART IN PROCEEDINGS. THE OTHERS ALL MADE IT TO THE GRID.
WHEN THE RACE EXPLODED INTO LIFE ON SUNDAY, THERE WERE INNUMERABLE FIGHTS FOR THE LEAD, PRINCIPALLY BETWEEN JORGE LORENZO AND NICKY HAYDEN, BUT SOON THE TWO YAMAHAS OF JORGE AND VALENTINO ROSSI STARTED TO DRAW AWAY FROM THE TWO DUCATIS OF HAYDEN AND CASEY STONER. BY LAP 4, ROSSI HAD TAKEN THE LEAD FROM LORENZO, STONER HAD DISPOSED OF HAYDEN AND HE STARTED TO CLOSE ON JORGE.
AS THE COMMENTATORS SAID, "IF YOU ARE CLOSING LORENZO DOWN THEN YOU MUST BE ON THE RAGGED EDGE!" AND SURE ENOUGH, CASEY CRASHED OUT. HE IS A RISK TAKER AND HE COULD PROBABLY SEE THAT ROSSI APPEARED TO BE INCREASING HIS LEAD OVER JORGE AND DID NOT WISH TO LET HIM GET TOO FAR AHEAD.
IN THE EVENT, HE SHOULD HAVE PLAYED THE WAITING GAME BECAUSE, SOON AFTERWARDS, JORGE SHOWED THAT HE WAS THE ONE TO BEAT. HE WENT AFTER ROSSI, WENT STRAIGHT PAST AND CONTINUED TO GO AWAY, EVENTUALLY WINNING BY A BIG MARGIN. ROSSI SAID IN THE POST-RACE INTERVIEW THAT HE TRIED TO STAY WITH LORENZO BUT GAVE UP. GIVING UP IS NOT WHAT ROSSI IS FAMOUS FOR!
JUST TO SHOW THAT IT WAS NOT ALL ABOUT THE LEAD, ANDREA DOVIZIOSO AND MARCO SIMONCELLI HAD AN ALMOST RACE-LONG BATTLE WITH ANDREA WINNING OUT BY THE SMALLEST OF MARGINS IN THE SPRINT FOR THE LINE AND THIRD PLACE WHILST MARCO MUST SURELY NOT HAVE BEEN TOO DISAPPOINTED WITH HIS 4TH PLACE - HIS BEST EVER IN THIS HIS ROOKIE YEAR.
STARTING GRID
| | | | | |
| 1.
|
Jorge Lorenzo
|
| 2.
|
Nicky Hayden
|
| 3.
|
Valentino Rossi
|
| 4.
|
Casey Stoner
|
| 5.
|
Ben Spies
|
| 6.
|
Marco Melandri
|
| 7.
|
Andrea Dovizioso
|
| 8.
|
Randy de Puniet
|
| 9.
|
Colin Edwards
|
| 10.
|
Marco Simoncelli
|
| 11.
|
Aleix Espargaro
|
| 12.
|
Dani Pedrosa
|
| 13.
|
Loris Capirossi
|
| 14.
|
Alvaro Bautista
|
| 15.
|
Hector Barbera
|
| 16.
|
Hiroshi Aoyama
|
| 17.
|
Carlos Checa
|
RESULT
| |
| 1.
|
Jorge Lorenzo
|
| 2.
|
Valentino Rossi
|
| 3.
|
Andrea Dovizioso
|
| 4.
|
Marco Simoncelli
|
| 5.
|
Nicky Hayden
|
| 6.
|
Randy de Puniet
|
| 7.
|
Colin Edwards
|
| 8.
|
Dani Pedrosa
|
| 9.
|
Marco Melandri
|
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Riders :
| |
| Jorge Lorenzo
|
358
|
| Dani Pedrosa
|
236
|
| Valentino Rossi
|
217
|
| Casey Stoner
|
205
|
| Andrea Dovizioso
|
195
|
| Ben Spies
|
163
|
| =Nicky Hayden
|
163
|
| Marco Simoncelli
|
115
|
| Randy de Puniet
|
110
|
Constructors :
|
| Yamaha
|
379
|
| Honda
|
331
|
| Ducati
|
266
|
| Suzuki
|
101
|
Race Results posted by
David Little
1st November 2010
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