MotoGP : Lorenzo leads championship

Is there a competitor who does not want to put their skills on display in their hometown, in front of familiar, friendly faces? If a survey was conducted among racers, I am willing to bet that 100% of the sample would respond in the affirmative, to the question -Would you like to race at your home track? If we are on the same page, you may now begin to grasp how the Spaniard Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) possibly felt, as he sat on his MotoGP machine on pole, for his home Grand Prix, the Gran Premio bwin de Espana at Jerez last Sunday.
Volcanic emissions slowed the MotoGP machines and forced a rescheduling of the Grand Prix of Japan but, natural disruptive phenomena took a breather and as such, the new Round 2 rode in without a hitch.
At home with 122,000 raucous witnesses voicing their prejudiced support, when Round 2 began, Pedrosa led the field into turn 1 at Jerez and led lap 1.Rossi, the technician, appeared to be comfortable in second, while Lorenzo lost ground in the early stages. The American, Nicky Hayden (Marlboro Ducati) despite a huge crash the day before, was doing well and gave Lorenzo hell, in the battle for third place.

Lorenzo
At round 1, Lorenzo was concerned about an injury but, for round 2, it was Rossi’s turn. His shoulder injury possibly removed a bit of his killer’s instinct and Lorenzo usually does not need an invitation to strike a wounded Rossi. With visions of leading the championship, Lorenzo recovered lost ground. He outfoxed Hayden, took third place and went in search of Rossi. As the legend, Giacomo Agostini looked on, Lorenzo drew next to Rossi, but was forced to pull his best trick and he eventually eased by Rossi on lap 21.
With 3 laps remaining, Lorenzo was on fire. The Spaniard, who is revered in his homeland, coaxed fastest lap out of his Fiat Yamaha machine and with 2 laps to go, the gap between the Spaniards (Pedrosa and Lorenzo) was less than 0.5 seconds!

A grand stand finish was on the cards and the fearless, determined, Spaniards didn’t disappoint. The duel to the finish began. It was a dogfight, a bloodbath even, fairings kissing and love thrown out the window! Pedrosa rode brilliantly, he was at his absolute best but, on some days, your best registers at the level of good, or fair, on your opponent’s chart.

After surviving several bomb raids, Pedrosa stumbled and ran wide at what is known as the Dry Sack corner. Lorenzo approached the corner in second, but rode out in first! The 122,000 fans created a rock concert moment, screaming their heads off as Lorenzo took the checkered flag, followed by Pedrosa, Rossi, Hayden and Stoner.

At Jerez, Lorenzo gave the dominantly Spanish crowd a memorable race and with the win he sits at the top of the championship! Next round the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France at Le Mans (23rd of May)!

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer