MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo beats Dani Pedrosa to Catalunya win

By Tom RostanceBBC Sport

Last updated on .From the section MotoGPcomments13

Jorge Lorenzo extended his lead at the top of the MotoGP standings after edging out Dani Pedrosa to win the Catalunya Grand Prix in Barcelona.

Lorenzo managed to fight past his fellow Spaniard with six laps to go to take his third win of the season.

Andrea Dovizioso was third, with Casey Stoner fourth and British rider Cal Crutchlow fifth.

Lorenzo now leads reigning world champion Stoner by 20 points in the standings.

Lorenzo told BBC Sport: "It was a very tough race.

"It was very hot and complicated. At the beginning it was very easy to touch Dani and end up on the ground, so I had to wait and be careful.

"Then Dani made one mistake which was enough for me to get through."

Pedrosa was only fifth on the grid but made a trademark start to lead into turn one as Stoner was bumped down to fifth from pole position.

Ben Spies was briefly into the lead on lap three but the American crashed out to leave Yamaha team-mate Lorenzo behind Pedrosa in second.

Spies rejoined and fought his way back through to finish 10th.

Lorenzo and Pedrosa swapped the lead twice before 2010 champion Lorenzo made the decisive move with six laps to go after Pedrosa wheelied.

Crutchlow was all over the back of Stoner in the closing laps but could not find a way past as Stoner finished a race off the podium for the first time in 20 races - a run stretching back to last April.

Crutchlow said: "It's only my second time here and I shouldn't have let the leaders go at the start.

"Then I ran wide and let Casey past and I just couldn't get past him. My team-mate [Dovizioso] was on the podium which shows what we can do but it will come around soon.

"It's Silverstone next and this sets us up for my home race."

In the earlier support races, Maverick Vinales comfortably won the Moto3 race ahead of Sandro Cortese, who now holds a seven-point lead over Vinales at the top of the standings, with Miguel Oliveira third.

Andrea Iannone held off Thomas Luthi to win the Moto2 race, with Marc Marquez crossing the line third after clashing with title rival Pol Espargaro - who crashed out.

Marquez was handed a 60-second penalty by the stewards, which relegated him to 23rd spot and promoted Espargaro's teammate Esteve Rabat into third, but he later won an appeal and was reinstated.

Catalunya MotoGP results:

1. Jorge Lorenzo (Spn) Yamaha 43:07.681

2. Dani Pedrosa (Spn) Repsol Honda 43:12.684

3. Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Tech 3 Yamaha 43:17.042

4. Casey Stoner (Aus) Repsol Honda 43:17.225

5. Cal Crutchlow (GB) Tech 3 Yamaha 43:20.187

6. Alvaro Bautista (Spn) Gresini Honda 43:21.629

7. Valentino Rossi (Ita) Ducati 43:25.236

8. Stefan Bradl (Ger) LCR Honda 43:31.159

9. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati 43:38.091

10. Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha 43:40.578

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13 comments

  • Comment posted by U14765807, at 05:33 4 Jun 2012

    How in the world did Marquez get his penalty overturned on appeal? It was a shocking piece of riding. Smacks of favouritism, to be honest.

    Superb ride from Lorenzo. He's in a class of his own at the moment. Got to say Dovisioso had a great day too, however much I want Crutchlow to beat him this season and secure a good ride for 2013...

  • Comment posted by democracythreat, at 18:09 3 Jun 2012

    I think everyone who follows motor sport is waiting to hear the real story about MotoGP, whatever it is.

    It must be a very good story. You don't get the world champion retiring near the start of a season, saying he doesn't enjoy it, in cryptic language, when there is not a very, very interesting story to be told.

    In what kind of sport does the world champ not enjoy it, and quit?

    Smells so wrong

  • Comment posted by bigarthurisgod, at 15:04 3 Jun 2012

    Fantastic ride from Jorge today, fresco como una lechuga. Not a bad result for Cal all things considered, I just hope that the impending pressure ahead of Silverstone doesn't get to him and he can stay cool, so come on Matt, leave the guy alone on the grid and let him focus. Go #35.

  • Comment posted by U15029443, at 14:59 3 Jun 2012

    I can say I'm surprised. Jorge has matured an awful lot in the last couple of years, Very precise, exceptionally smooth riding -and maintains a very quite (stealthy?) profile these days...I like the lad a great deal! Does anyone else think he looks like the son of "The Mummy"! ? (not an insult either!)

  • Comment posted by U14541943, at 20:54 4 Jun 2012

    I thought it was a great race .. how Pedrosa made up those places at the start was incredible .. the spectacle of Lorenzo hunting down Pedrosa in the last laps was amazing, so close to touching, different lines through corners .. the Tech 3 team are performing very well at every race .. even a sight of Rossi clawing his way toward the front. Most enjoyable.

  • Comment posted by iDominic, at 09:57 4 Jun 2012

    Great ride by Jorge - I think he terrified Dani into making a mistake, and great camera angles looking back from the Honda watching Jorge all over the back of him.

    As for Cal, shame about the start, hope he can work out what went wrong, and he can sort it for Silverstone.

    And, it has to be said - really, really sorry Cal - but please get your haircut sorted. It'll make you faster, honest!

    ;-)

  • Comment posted by daggersfan3, at 09:42 4 Jun 2012

    @9, had the Marquez incident been committed by a lesser rider (and I mean that with no offence to the rest of the Moto2 field) it would have been allowed to slide by Race Direction. The vitriol levelled at him is entirely justified; I dislike him a lot but because spec Moto2 engines are hard to hear I wonder if he might actually have truthfully meant he couldn't hear Pol coming.

  • Comment posted by daggersfan3, at 09:31 4 Jun 2012

    @8, easy there, everyone moans!! I listen to every interview and every press conference, they all do. Just Stoner is a bit more articulate with his better grasp of English. :)

  • Comment posted by OvidTheTortoise, at 19:20 3 Jun 2012

    @5 MotoGP is the 1000cc motorcycle grand prix series.
    @7 Stoner has said for many years that he would retire young. Great rider though he is, he is a renowned and constant moaner and I doubt that he has ever loved, or had any enthusiasm for, anything outside of his family.

  • Comment posted by U3934766, at 16:44 3 Jun 2012

    Brilliant ride from the new master Lorenzo,Good ride from Dovi,Disappointing rides from Stoner and Crutchlow, Crutchlow needs to get a few podiums or he will end up without a factory ride next season. Slight improvement from Rossi,i do feel he should give some though on packing it in at the end of the season and give some younger riders a chance. CRT bikes are the way to go.

  • Comment posted by SJC961, at 16:28 3 Jun 2012

    What is MotoGP?

  • Comment posted by daggersfan3, at 15:12 3 Jun 2012

    Poor Pedrosa!! Was so sure the hard tyres would come in for him! Agree with you both, superb from Jorge, and Cal, excellent effort still. Doesn't look like that brake upgrade made much of a difference; maybe if it had never been mentioned Cal would never have worried, I'm sure he had the same deficit to Dovi in Qatar and Jerez but beat him both times when he was unaware of the braking differenc.e.

  • Comment posted by s1m986, at 15:10 3 Jun 2012

    They should make moto gp more entertaining by having road rage weapons like on the mega drive.

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