DANI Pedrosa today made it three different winners in as many races of the 2013 MotoGP world championship. The Respsol Honda rider made one of his characteristic lightening starts but was quickly repassed by reigning champion Lorenzo. The factory Yamaha rider couldn’t hold on to his lead, however, and Pedrosa made it back past on lap six, and held the position to the flag.
Lorenzo looked set to take second place, but MotoGP’s rising star Marc Marquez had other ideas, bumping Lorenzo out of the way in the final corner on the last lap. It was a move reminiscent of Rossi’s infamous collision with Sete Gibernau in 2005, and a moment of controversy in an otherwise routine MotoGP race.
Rossi himself had to settle for a lonely fourth place despite starting strongly, and Britain’s Cal Crutchlow had yet another good ride to fifth.
Marquez now leads the overall championship standings by three points from team-mate Pedrosa, who is just a single point ahead of Lorenzo in third.
MotoGP Race Results from Jerez, Spain
1: Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 45m 17.632s
2: Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 45m 20.119s
3: Jorge Lorenzo ESP Yamaha Factory Racing (YZR-M1) 45m 22.721s
4: Valentino Rossi ITA Yamaha Factory Racing (YZR-M1) 45m 26.546s
5: Cal Crutchlow GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 45m 30.295s
6: Alvaro Bautista ESP Go&Fun Honda Gresini (RC213V) 45m 32.726s
7: Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Team (GP13) 45m 43.264s
8: Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (GP13) 45m 59.513s
9: Aleix Espargaro ESP Power Electronics Aspar (ART CRT) 46m 1.444s
10: Bradley Smith GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 46m 2.093s
11: Michele Pirro ITA Ducati Test Team (GP13) 46m 3.606s
12: Hector Barbera ESP Avintia Blusens (FTR-Kawasaki CRT) 46m 17.491s
13: Michael Laverty GBR Paul Bird Motorsport (PBM CRT) 46m 27.375s
14: Danilo Petrucci ITA Came IodaRacing Project (Suter-BMW CRT) 46m 35.445s
15: Colin Edwards USA NGM Forward Racing (FTR-Kawasaki CRT) 46m 35.809s
16: Bryan Staring AUS Go&Fun Honda Gresini (FTR-Honda CRT) 46m 36.560s
17: Claudio Corti ITA NGM Forward Racing (FTR-Kawasaki CRT) 46m 36.939s
18: Hiroshi Aoyama JPN Avintia Blusens (FTR-Kawasaki CRT) 46m 37.089s
DNF:
Stefan Bradl GER LCR Honda MotoGP (RC213V)
Andrea Iannone ITA Energy T.I. Pramac Racing (GP13)
Lukas Pesek CZE Came IodaRacing Project (Suter-BMW CRT)
Randy De Puniet FRA Power Electronics Aspar (ART CRT)
Yonny Hernandez COL Paul Bird Motorsport (ART CRT)
