Dani Pedrosa had a perfect race weekend right from FP1 to race, taking the maximum points at front. Pedrosa wins it in the way Lorenzo does, by leading the whole race from the start to finish. Marc Marquez decided to play it safe, and finished at P2. Jorge Lorenzo finally had the required pace on his Ducati, to finish on the last step of the podium.
As the lights went off at Circuito de Jerez, it was Dani Pedrosa who got a perfect start from pole leading into the first corner. The other two Honda's of Marquez and Crutchlow was just behind Dani looking to overtake. Behind them was a team of Yamaha's, courtesy Maverick Viñales, Valentino Rossi and Johann Zarco battling out to catch the front group.
Johann Zarco continued to impress, as he made aggressive moves against Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales, even making a contact with the former. Moments after, Zarco passed the factory Yamahas it was time to attack Crutchlow and Marquez, which he eventually did. Meanwhile a fierce action sequence happened at the back as Jack Miller and Alvaro Bautista collided and crashed, resulting in a little quarrel between the two. Moments after, Cal Crutchlow had a low side crash and was momentarily joined by Pol Espargaro few seconds after. Andrea Iannone tried to make an impression as he passed Viñales, only to end up in the gravel later.
While Pedrosa was pulling out a gap at the front, there was a surprise visit by Jorge Lorenzo at P3 to prove his potential on the Ducati. Though Zarco tried his best in catching Lorenzo, all his efforts went in vain as the factory Ducati rider made serious improvements. Meanwhile the factory Yamaha riders were suffering a lot due to their tyre issues. Andrea Dovizioso passed both Rossi and Viñales to settle for an impressive fifth.
Rossi on the other hand was the worst affected, as a group of riders including Danilo Petrucci, Jonas Folger and Aleix Espargaro overtook him with ease. With around 2 laps remaining, there wasn't much drama as everyone were settled at the same spot. Dani Pedrosa wheelied his way through the chequered flag to win his first race of the 2017 World Championship, making him the only rider to win at least a single race in every season for 16 long years. He was followed by the defending World Champion Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo.
Johann Zarco ended the race as the top satellite rider in P4 followed by Andrea Dovizioso at P5. Maverick Viñales crossed the line at P6, a whopping 24.5 seconds behind the leader. Danilo Petrucci, Jonas Folger, Aleix Espargaro and Valentino Rossi completed the top 10 of the grid. This was one of Rossi's toughest races, as he finished 38 seconds behind the race winner.
Completing the top 15 of the points table were Scott Redding, Hector Barbera, Loris Baz, Bradley Smith and Karel Abraham. Though Rossi finished at P10, he still holds the top spot in the World Championship standings with 62 points, 2 clear of Viñales and 4 clear of Marquez. The grid now moves to Le Mans, France which is scheduled on May 21, 2017. Stay tuned to Bikes Media for instant updates on the 2017 MotoGP World Championship.
By: Aravind Rb
As the lights went off at Circuito de Jerez, it was Dani Pedrosa who got a perfect start from pole leading into the first corner. The other two Honda's of Marquez and Crutchlow was just behind Dani looking to overtake. Behind them was a team of Yamaha's, courtesy Maverick Viñales, Valentino Rossi and Johann Zarco battling out to catch the front group. Johann Zarco continued to impress, as he made aggressive moves against Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales, even making a contact with the former. Moments after, Zarco passed the factory Yamahas it was time to attack Crutchlow and Marquez, which he eventually did. Meanwhile a fierce action sequence happened at the back as Jack Miller and Alvaro Bautista collided and crashed, resulting in a little quarrel between the two. Moments after, Cal Crutchlow had a low side crash and was momentarily joined by Pol Espargaro few seconds after. Andrea Iannone tried to make an impression as he passed Viñales, only to end up in the gravel later.
*** Displeased Jack Miller showing his frustration to Bautista
While Pedrosa was pulling out a gap at the front, there was a surprise visit by Jorge Lorenzo at P3 to prove his potential on the Ducati. Though Zarco tried his best in catching Lorenzo, all his efforts went in vain as the factory Ducati rider made serious improvements. Meanwhile the factory Yamaha riders were suffering a lot due to their tyre issues. Andrea Dovizioso passed both Rossi and Viñales to settle for an impressive fifth.
Rossi on the other hand was the worst affected, as a group of riders including Danilo Petrucci, Jonas Folger and Aleix Espargaro overtook him with ease. With around 2 laps remaining, there wasn't much drama as everyone were settled at the same spot. Dani Pedrosa wheelied his way through the chequered flag to win his first race of the 2017 World Championship, making him the only rider to win at least a single race in every season for 16 long years. He was followed by the defending World Champion Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo.
Johann Zarco ended the race as the top satellite rider in P4 followed by Andrea Dovizioso at P5. Maverick Viñales crossed the line at P6, a whopping 24.5 seconds behind the leader. Danilo Petrucci, Jonas Folger, Aleix Espargaro and Valentino Rossi completed the top 10 of the grid. This was one of Rossi's toughest races, as he finished 38 seconds behind the race winner.
Completing the top 15 of the points table were Scott Redding, Hector Barbera, Loris Baz, Bradley Smith and Karel Abraham. Though Rossi finished at P10, he still holds the top spot in the World Championship standings with 62 points, 2 clear of Viñales and 4 clear of Marquez. The grid now moves to Le Mans, France which is scheduled on May 21, 2017. Stay tuned to Bikes Media for instant updates on the 2017 MotoGP World Championship.
By: Aravind Rb