Lorenzo triumphs in San Marino GP

Jorge Lorenzo

Jorge Lorenzo has won his second consecutive Grand Prix, winning the GP Aperol di San Marino e Riviera di Rimini at Misano on Sunday afternoon. The World Champion, who took the lead at the start, controlled the pace as championship leader Marc Marquez beat Dani Pedrosa to second position.

Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli has delivered another glorious result for Lorenzo, who has now flourished at the Adriatic venue for three years in a row. The win, which is the 49th of his career and 28th in the premier class, also confirms that the Mallorcan has won both Italian races on the calendar for a trio of successive seasons.

Lorenzo grabs the lead at the start

From second on the grid, Lorenzo shot into the lead as pole-sitter Marquez dropped to third on the opening lap. The latter would put on a spurt in the second half of the race, but by this point had fallen to fourth place due to an unforced error; Marquez recovered from his Turn 8 mistake to catch and pass both Lorenzo’s teammate Valentino Rossi and his Repsol Honda Team colleague Pedrosa. However, as the two Honda riders engaged in a battle, Lorenzo’s already comfortable lead only grew.

Marquez’s championship lead is now 34 points with five races remaining, while Lorenzo has drawn level with Pedrosa for second overall. Rossi and Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow are the only other two riders who can mathematically still clinch the title; the Italian ended Sunday’s race fourth, while the Englishman fell to sixth on the final lap behind LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl. Alvaro Bautista was seventh for GO&FUN Honda Gresini, having claimed his maiden MotoGP™ podium at Misano in 2012, while Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso beat teammate Nicky Hayden and Ignite Pramac Racing’s Michele Pirro to eighth spot.

11th was Tech3’s Bradley Smith, while Colin Edwards (NGM Mobile Forward Racing) was the leading CRT rider in 12th; the American finishing one position ahead of Aleix Espargaro (Power Electronics Aspar) who, from an impressive sixth on the grid, ran fourth on Lap 1 but was handed a ride-through penalty for jumping the start. Six riders failed to make the finish, including Energy T.I. Pramac Racing’s Andrea Iannone who was one of six Italians racing in front of a passionate crowd.

The MotoGP World Championship continues with Round 14, the Gran Premio Iveco de Aragon, at MotorLand Aragon in north-eastern Spain on 29th September.

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