MotoGP: Lorenzo stole the spotlight in Italy!

Call me a ‘wagonist’ but I am still a Valentino Rossi fan. I have not yet decided if what he is experiencing now is Karma biting his a..! Rossi was on top of the world a few years ago aboard his almost invincible Yamaha machine. He was King of the Hill and the only person who could rain on his parade, occasionally, was his teammate and main rival, Jorge Lorenzo. For reasons only known to Rossi, he decided to part ways with his championship winning team and he went riding with Ducati.

The Ducati experience did not produce the bountiful harvest expected and after trial and failure, like the prodigal son, with pride buried in his leathers, he returned to Yamaha. In Rossi’s absence, Jorge Lorenzo honed his skills and like a Samurai sword, he slashed through the competition and grabbed the MotoGP championship in 2012 (he won his first in 2010 thanks to an injured Rossi).

Rossi

So, for the 2013 season, Rossi was back home and his fans were thinking that victory for the ‘Doctor’ would be raining like poverty in the ghetto. Unfortunately, their crystal ball has hidden inaccuracies which create a propensity to miscalculate future events. Rossi has won once thus far and the fact that he was racing at home over the past weekend, one would have hoped that he would have been extremely motivated to produce one of those magical ‘Doctor’ rides of the past and run away with P1.

Apparently the victory Fairy visited the other Yamaha rider – Lorenzo! Yamaha benefited from    mechanical improvements – a new gearbox- which ensured quicker, seamless transitions into the powerband. Whether it worked or not may be argued. Honda still secured pole thanks to the ‘ragged-edge’ riding abilities of Marquez.

Lorenzo

Race-craft is a fine art which few have mastered. Lorenzo, on a good day, is a master tactician. When the GP began in Misano, he totally ignored the pole-sitter and rode first into corner 1. The contest ended there. Lorenzo went on to ride a lonely race. He set an early blistering pace and while the chasing pack tried to recover from his ferocious blast of speed, he settled into a victory rhythm and managed the race with an iron fist!

The Honda boys, Marquez and Pedrosa, fought an internal battle. Pedrosa led at first, but when Marquez regained his confidence, he blitzed Pedrosa’s defence and trampled into the end zone – Marquez – P2. And Rossi? In the early laps it appeared as if he was positioning himself for a podium run, but he will best be able to tell you how he faded into a humbling P4.

Marquez cannot win them all and when he slips, Lorenzo will ensure he slides! Lorenzo stole the spotlight in Italy on Sunday, but Marquez still leads the championship by 34 points – ahead of Lorenzo and Pedrosa, who are tied on points! In 10 days, the 3 mile-track in Aragon will stir the drama pot!

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer