Qatar 2010
THIS FIRST RACE OF THE NEW SEASON PROMISED TO BE A THRILLER. VALENTINO ROSSI WAS DETERMINED TO MAKE A QUICK GETAWAY TO BE ABLE TO MATCH HIS CLOSEST RIVAL, CASEY STONER, BUT QUALIFYING APPEARED TO FAVOUR STONER. HE TOOK POLE POSITION EASILY ON SATURDAY.
WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT, ROSSI MADE A BLISTERING START WHILST STONER GOT BOGGED DOWN IN 4TH OR 5TH POSITION AND BEHIND HIS RESURGENT TEAM-MATE, NICKY HAYDEN. DESPITE ROSSI'S START, DANI PEDROSA TOOK THE LEAD AT THE FIRST TURN AND HE AND ROSSI SWOPPED THE POSITION IN A GOOD FIGHT WHILST STONER SOON OVERCAME THE MINOR SETBACK AND WITHIN 2 OR 3 LAPS HE WAS IN THE LEAD.
HE THEN STARTED TO PULL AWAY AND ON LAP 4 HE BROKE THE LAP RECORD AND INCREASED HIS LEAD FROM THE PREVIOUS LAP FROM 0.6 SECONDS TO 2.04 SECONDS. THIS WAS ALMOST TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE AND I AM SURE MANY STONER SUPPORTERS WERE WILLING HIM TO BACK OFF SLIGHTLY - THERE WERE STILL ANOTHER 16 LAPS TO GO.
UNSEEN BY THE CAMERAS, CASEY THEN REPLICATED HIS LAST RACE AT THE END OF 2009 BY THROWING THE BIKE INTO THE GRAVEL. THEN IT WAS ON THE WARM-UP LAP SO HE HAD GONE FURTHER THIS TIME BUT THE CONSEQUENCES WERE THE SAME - NO POINTS.
THIS LEFT ROSSI IN THE LEAD BUT HE WAS NEVER COMFORTABLE AND FOR MOST OF THE REST OF THE RACE HE WAS CLOSELY CHASED BY ANDREA DOVIZIOSO AND NICKY HAYDEN WITH JORGE LORENZO, DAMAGED HAND AND ALL, IN 4TH AND DANI PEDROSA SLIPPING BACK THROUGH THE FIELD.
VALENTINO EVENTUALLY HELD OFF ANY CHALLENGERS, NICKY HAYDEN GOT PAST DOVIZIOSO A COUPLE OF TIMES BUT ANDREA'S HONDA HAD BETTER TOP SPEED THAN THE DUCATI AND, WITH THE VERY LONG PIT STRAIGHT, HE WAS ALWAYS ABLE TO SWEEP PAST HAYDEN BEFORE THE FIRST TURN. JORGE MADE A LATE CHALLENGE, HAVING SAVED HIS TYRES, AND VERY QUICKLY MADE IT PAST DOVIZIOSO AND HAYDEN INTO 2ND PLACE TO MAKE IT A 1-2 FOR YAMAHA.
CASEY ONLY HAS HIMSELF TO BLAME - HE HAS DONE THIS TOO OFTEN IN THE PAST - AND THE SIZE OF HIS CHALLENGE NOW CAN BE PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE WHEN YOU THINK THAT HE HAS TO BEAT ROSSI 5 TIMES INTO SECOND PLACE TO MAKE UP THE 25 POINTS LOST HERE. NO WONDER VALENTINO SAID HIS WIN, WITH STONER NOT SCORING, WAS LIKE 'GOLD'.
STARTING GRID
| | | | | |
| 1.
|
Casey Stoner
|
| 2.
|
Valentino Rossi
|
| 3.
|
Jorge Lorenzo
|
| 4.
|
Randy de Puniet
|
| 5.
|
Loris Capirossi
|
| 6.
|
Andrea Dovizioso
|
| 7.
|
Dani Pedrosa
|
| 8.
|
Colin Edwards
|
| 9.
|
Nicky Hayden
|
| 10.
|
Hiroshi Aoyama
|
| 11.
|
Ben Spies
|
| 12.
|
Mika Kallio
|
| 13.
|
Alvaro Bautista
|
| 14.
|
Aleix Espargaro
|
| 15.
|
Marco Simoncelli
|
| 16.
|
Hector Barbera
|
| 17.
|
Marco Melandri
|
RESULT
| |
| 1.
|
Valentino Rossi
|
| 2.
|
Jorge Lorenzo
|
| 3.
|
Andrea Dovizioso
|
| 4.
|
Nicky Hayden
|
| 5.
|
Ben Spies
|
| 6.
|
Randy de Puniet
|
| 7.
|
Dani Pedrosa
|
| 8.
|
Colin Edwards
|
| 9.
|
Loris Capirossi
|
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Riders :
| |
| Valentino Rossi
|
25
|
| Jorge Lorenzo
|
20
|
| Andrea Dovizioso
|
16
|
| Nicky Hayden
|
13
|
| Ben Spies
|
11
|
| Randy de Puniet
|
10
|
| Dani Pedrosa
|
9
|
| Colin Edwards
|
8
|
| Loris Capirossi
|
7
|
Constructors :
|
| Yamaha
|
25
|
| Honda
|
16
|
| Ducati
|
13
|
| Suzuki
|
7
|
Race Results posted by
David Little
12th April 2010
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