2015 Spanish MotoGP: Lorenzo, the Master of Catalunya

Spain has always had a special affinity for motorsports. With the recent successes of local boys Fernando Alonso in Formula 1, and Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo, Aleix Espargaro, and Dani Pedrosa in MotoGP, the Circuit de Catalunya has been bringing in the numbers. 97,200 passed thru the turnstiles for the the 2015 Monster Energy GP of Catalunya. This fan support ensures that Spain is assured of retaining its slot in the grand prix calendar. The circuit has been hosting the MotoGP fraternity since 1996.

Saturday qualifying saw Aleix Espargaro grab pole position for Suzuki. This was the maiden pole for both Aleix and Suzuki in the premier class. Not to be outdone was fellow Suzuki rider Maverick Vinales, who starts on P2. Jorge Lorenzo on the Yamaha closed out the the first row by taking P3. On the second row of the grid it was Marc Marquez on board the Repsol Honda, Andrea Dovizioso for Ducati and Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa. The third row was headed by Valentino Rossi, Bradley Smith, and Cal Crutchlow.

Suzuki was believed to have better handling in the long corners of Catalunya, but lacked the outright power down the straight of the Ducatis. This was a concern echoed by the team and pundits alike all weekend.

As the lights went out to start the race, both Suzuki’s were gobbled up by the fast starting Yamaha of Lorenzo, the Ducati of Dovizioso and the Honda of Marquez. By turn 1 the Suzukis were already down in the mid-field. This was not the start that either rider wanted to make. Similarly, Valentino Rossi had to contend with the riders around him jostling for position and slowing him down. Valentino knew that if he wanted to retain his grip on the championship standings, he couldn’t allow the riders upfront to disappear. Rossi had no other option other than to ride flat out.

Poleman Aleix Espargaro had a run in with Carl Crutchlow on the opening lap. This led to Crutchlow sliding out onto the gravel traps and out of the race. Thankfully, the Suzuki didn’t suffer a similar fate and kept on racing.

Meanwhile up in front, Jorge Lorenzo extended his lead from defending champion Marc Marquez. The Yamaha was by far the more powerful of the two bikes. This made keeping the Honda at bay seem all too easy. Marquez, for his part, kept Jorge within his sights, hunting him down, constantly looking for a chance to pass. Marquez knows full well that if Lorenzo establishes a big lead early on, it would be nearly impossible to overtake the Yamaha in the later stages of the race.

Marc Marquez was determined to take the win from Lorenzo. He kept pressuring Jorge all throughout, but on lap 3, the unthinkable happened. Marquez nearly collected the race leader by overshooting his braking point. The Honda had no option but to leave the track and into the gravel trap to avoid running into the back of the Yamaha. Marc was out of the race for the third time this season and with that retirement, his chance at retaining his championship now seems like a lost cause.

Valentino Rossi on the other hand, was methodically passing one rider at a time. By lap 4, Rossi was up to P3 and was sniffing on the exhaust fumes of second place man Andrea Dovizioso. There were multiple occasions that Vale attempted a move on Andrea but the Ducati had just a little more power on the straights over the Yamaha. The Doctor just took his time and at turn 10, dove on the inside of Dovizioso and made the move stick. Rossi was now second.

Lorenzo was dominant, masterful even, extending and maintaining his lead to nearly 2 seconds over his teammate.

Rossi tried to squeeze every last bit of power from his Yamaha in the hope of catching up, but catching and passing Jorge was not an easy task. The Spaniard didn’t put a foot wrong all race long, and Lorenzo wasn’t to be denied.

Jorge Lorenzo crossed the line to take his fourth consecutive win in MotoGP. Only 0.8 seconds adrift was Valentino Rossi in the other Yamaha. Dani Pedrosa in the Repsol Honda took third. With this win, Lorenzo equalled Mick Hailwood’s record of 37 wins and topped Casey Stoner’s record of most laps led. (Lorenzo 103 – Stoner 83).

Valentino Rossi still leads the championship tables with 138 points, followed closely by Jorge Lorenzo with 137. Taking 3rd is Andrea Iannone with 94 points. Holding firm to 4th is Andrea Dovizioso, and defending champion Marc Marquez is down in 5th with 69 points. Marquez now needs to score in all the upcoming races to have a mathematical chance of retaining his championship. Another retirement or two could spell doom for the young phenom.

The Motul Assen TT GP is up next in a few weeks time. Could this be the circuit to get Marc out of his slump? Will Rossi cling on to his championship lead, or will the master of Catalunya continue his dominance in the Netherlands?