MotoGP: Pedrosa steals a win from Lorenzo

Casey Stoner’s successful title defense is now a figment of someone’s imagination. His teammate, Dani Pedrosa had a terrible race last week. A result which triggered a nose-dive in his championship aspirations. So, 2012 for Repsol Honda, was not following the script, but, I am certain that, the fact that they would be in Dani Pedrosa’s homeland, the team was confident that a reversal of fortunes (from the last outing) was on the cards. They would not have lost sight, however, of the fact that, Spain was also MotoGP points leader and Pedrosa’s main rival, Jorge Lorenzo’s home as well. The plot thickens.

It did not take a stretch of the imagination to expect the two Spanish bulls to lock horns in Aragon. Qualifying saw Lorenzo grabbing an early advantage. He sped to pole but Pedrosa clung to his leathers and tucked in at 2nd with Cal Crutchlow bagging 3rd.

What was expected to be a tempestuous battle began with fading red lights. Lorenzo exited corner one in P1 and did his very best to shake Pedrosa. But Pedrosa was a parasite on the bull’s hide and despite Lorenzo’s best efforts, Pedrosa was inches away. With 17 laps to go, Pedrosa charged past Lorenzo. We did not know it then, but it was the killshot.

Ducati

Ducati will want to forget Aragon in a hurry. In the early stages of the race, after passing Rossi and trying to settle into a rhythm, Nicky Hayden left the track in flying fashion. His Ducati slammed front first in one of the barriers afterwhich Hayden catapulted over the barrier. Teammate Rossi was on the way forward, but a mistake forced him off track. He was relegated to 21st and so had to start all over.

The roaring rampage of blows expected between Lorenzo and Pedrosa did not materialize. Pedrosa drop-kicked Lorenzo with one move from which he (Lorenzo) did not recover.

Andrea Dovizioso and teammate Cal Crutchlow filled the vacuum left by the championship leaders. Their battle was fierce but conducted with decorum. When the dust settled, Dovizioso slid into 3rd by the narrowest of margins.

Pedrosa

Aragon was Pedrosa’s playground. He replaced the despair (from last week’s GP) with furious joy by incinerating his rival, Lorenzo, on-track. Lorenzo on the other hand, realized he had nothing for Pedrosa, so he rode a smart race and kept his eye on the championship. Pedrosa reclaimed lost points but Lorenzo still maintains a significant lead (click below).

MotoGP – Aragon 2012

With the possibility of Casey Stoner returning for the Japan GP, the drama will definitely intensify from this point onwards.

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer