JORGE Lorenzo took his 36th MotoGP victory at Mugello today reducing Valentino Rossi’s Championship lead to just 6-points.
Temperatures hit 50 degrees at the Autodromo del Mugello whilst Lorenzo disappeared off into the distance to leave Factory Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone to begin the fight for second.
Repsl Honda’s Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa joined the battle for second, as did Valentino Rossi just before the end of the race.
Marquez made a good start moving from 13th on the grid up into sixth at the very first corner whilst Rossi made a disastrous start on the opening lap dropping him down to tenth.
Rossi charged through the field to join in the podium fight with only eight laps to go.
Drama began as Dovizioso was forced to retire due tot a damaged rear sprocket and Marquez crashed out of the race with 6 laps remaining to leave Italian’s Iannone and Rossi to take second and third respectively.
Lorenzo scored his third victory in a row and has now closed the gap to Rossi at the top of the Championship standings to just six points.
Iannone claimed his second podium of the season as he rode through the pain after discovering he had a fractured humerus after a test crash in Mugello before the French Grand Prix.
Pedrosa claimed fourth as the only Honda inside the top ten, just over three seconds behind Rossi. Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Bradley Smith finished as the top Satellite rider in fifth as Cal Crutchlow crashed out of the race with just three laps remaining. Crutchlow was taken to the Medical Centre for X-rays, but luckily there were no broken bones, just a dislocation of his ankle and will therefore need a medical inspection to be declared fit to race in Catalunya.
Smith’s team-mate Pol Espargaro finished in sixth whilst Maverick Vinales and wild card Michele Pirro finished in seventh and eighth respectively. Danilo Petrucci finished in ninth with his team-mate Yonny Hernandez completing the top ten.
Scott Redding continues to struggle on the Factory-spec Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda after running wide meant he had to fight back from 19th to eventually finish 11th.
Race results:
1. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 41:39.173
2. Andrea Iannone ITA Ducati Team 41:44.736 (+5.563)
3. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 41:45.834 (+6.661)
4. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team 41:49.151 (+9.978)
5. Bradley Smith GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 41:54.457 (+15.284)
6. Pol Espargaro ESP Monster Yamaha Tech 3 41:54.838 (+15.665)
7. Maverick Viñales ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar 42:2.978 (+23.805)
8. Michele Pirro ITA Ducati Team 42:8.325 (+29.152)
9. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Racing 42:11.181 (+32.008)
10. Yonny Hernandez COL Octo Pramac Racing 42:13.744 (+34.571)
11. Scott Redding GBR Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS 42:17.726 (+38.553)
12. Loris Baz FRA Athina Forward Racing 42:21.331 (+42.158)
13. Hector Barbera ESP Avintia Racing 42:23.974 (+44.801)
14. Alvaro Bautista ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini 42:29.608 (+50.435)
15. Eugene Laverty IRL Aspar MotoGP Team 42:32.233 (+53.060)
16. Mike Di Meglio FRA Avintia Racing 42:54.438 (+1:15.265)
17. Karel Abraham CZE Cardion AB Motoracing 42:54.554 (+1:15.381)
18. Marco Melandri ITA Factory Aprilia Gresini 43:21.013 (+1:41.840)
DNF. Cal Crutchlow GBR CWM LCR Honda
DNF. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team
DNF. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team
DNF. Stefan Bradl GER Athina Forward Racing
DNF. Nicky Hayden USA Aspar MotoGP Team
DNF. Aleix Espargaro ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar
DNF. Jack Miller AUS CWM LCR Honda
DNF. Alex De Angelis RSM E-Motion IodaRacing
