Another Epic in Germany! Part 1 of 2

Those were the words of one of the commentators at the end of the German Grand Prix (MotoGP) and I was compelled to agree with him. Starting from pole, Valentino Rossi got a good start and aimed for turn 1.The other 16 riders on the grid had a similar plan and they all bundled into turn 1.A couple of corners into lap 1, it was Rossi in front, closely followed by Pedrosa, De Puniet and Casey Stoner. Riding on cold tyres, De Puniet crashed out of the race in spectacular fashion (almost collecting Casey Stoner), on the fastest corner of the circuit. All the riders on the grid have the same goal in mind – to win the race and for that reason, the fire burns intensely at the start of the race. With the adrenalin flowing like a high powered Walbro fuel pump, the riders usually jostle for positions in the first 1- 2 laps, but by lap 3 they settle into a rhythm and the riders who are on top of their game on the day, come to the fore and then the  jostling resumes. This script played out to the letter in Germany.

Casey Stoner

The Australian Casey Stoner, lacks neither ability nor ambition. What he has not had a lot of this season is luck and a clean bill of health. He has been plagued by mysterious stomach issues for several rounds and in Germany it was no different. Stoner, riding a beautiful race, moved to 2nd on lap 4 and with 23 laps to go Stoner passed Rossi with a brilliant move to take the lead. Stoner’s riding showed no signs of an illness. Possibly motivated by the fact that he won the race last year, Stoner rode the wheels of the Ducati in a bid to remain in front.

Stoner was in for a turbulent time, because lined up behind him were Rossi, Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo. Four factory riders were at the front (Ducati, Yamaha and Honda) with mere milliseconds separating them. It would be a scrap to the finish. The 96,000 fans present at the 3,671m, tight and demanding Sachsenring Circuit were in for a treat. The race was truly poised to be an epic one.

Fight they did, Stoner did his best but, at times your best is not good enough and when his tyres started ‘to go off ’ and the bike started moving around the 3 ‘vultures’ devoured him (Rossi, Pedrosa and Lorenzo). Lorenzo, in my mind, must be the most resolute rider on the grid and if he glimpses Rossi before him, he will ride his heart out to get next to him. With 22 laps to go, Lorenzo made light of Pedrosa and moved to third behind Rossi. It was very tight at the front and the pressure to perform was mounting. Rossi acted quickly. With 13 laps remaining, on tyres that were quickly becoming ragged (worn),Rossi passed Stoner and moved to the top of the leader board. Stoner did not have a breather, as Lorenzo stuck to Rossi’s rear wheel and rode by Stoner as well. The Yamaha riders were glued together !

Cecil Munroe Jr. Gleaner On-line Writer.