Jerez, Spain: MotoGP Post-Race Report
Valentino Rossi has taken the Jerez crowd by storm and won the Spanish Grand Prix after Lorenzo and Marquez failed to keep up with his race pace. Rossi was fast all weekend and proved that his Yamaha set up was perfect from start to finish. Lorenzo was not able to attack his teammate after issues with the rear tyre forced him to use only 80% throttle on the main straights, which meant his chances of first place disappeared. If his rear tyre did not have the issues of spinning and lack of grip, the Spanish World Champion would have pushed Rossi to the limit and forced his hand like professionals do in a game of poker. If anything, Jorge feels like a victory was lost and as a result is looking for Michelin’s answers on what went wrong. Lorenzo is a very meticulous athlete and wants to know why his rear tyre failed and how Rossi was able to push on with ease.
On the other hand, Marquez tried to keep with the speed of the Yamaha bikes but after a few attempts almost crashed three times and decided to bag the Championship points. His front tyre was the issue that prevented him from battling and Marc is very aware of the risks involved and wants to keep his title bid in control. Rossi’s win at Jerez is his 113th career victory and a reminder of the skills he possesses still at 37 years of age. Marquez gave credit to Rossi and stated that he was on another level just like he was in Austin. The higher track temperatures of at least 11º C really shook up the grid from the front row to the last row. It is a real gamble when the conditions change and riders have to make last minute decisions on tyre combinations and set up. Anything can happen as we have seen today.
Unfortunately, bad luck reappeared for Andrea Dovizioso as he retired again with no points and barely a smile on his face. His Ducati machine experienced a terminal issue that was concerning for the rider and as a consequence forced him to park the bike in the garage. Dovi needs to get rid of the bad luck and refocus his energy to achieve a more positive finish. Someone who is completely aware of that is Eugene Laverty who has turned his career around on board the Aspar Ducati MotoGP bike. The Irish rider had a sensational race once again battling with Andrea Iannone and Pol Espargaro. His confidence has sky rocketed and this is impacting him in the best ways possible. The mindset is strong. Pol, Eugene and Iannone put in the hard work and came home with results that represent their eagerness to perform at an optimum level. The next event on the calendar is Le Mans where Lorenzo will be aiming to take further chunks out of Marquez lead and where Rossi will continue to bite at their heels. The three-way battle is only just heating up!
In the Moto2 and Moto3 classes we had a very eventful race with plenty of highs and lows. Britsh rider Sam Lowes won his first Moto2 Grand Prix after crashing multiple times throughout the weekend. Sam had Johann Zarco and Alex Rins chomping at his tyres on the first few laps before Lowes and Folger opened up a gap to take off from the rest of the grid. It was a solid ride of confidence from the British rider considering Folger mounted an attack right down to the last lap. It was a ride of courage that paid off! Now we turn to Moto3, which is definitely the race of the weekend where South African rider Brad Binder started in last place and won the race. He went from last to first in a calculated, aggressive and determined way. His victory was long over due after multiple podiums and bad luck. Brad rode like a Champion and is certainly on his way as a Moto3 world title favourite. The Moto3 race at Jerez is one everyone should re-watch as the last few laps showcased pure adrenaline filled manoeuvres that only the gutsy can master.
