Grand Prix of Spain - Lorenzo Delivers a Master Class in Wet Riding to Claim Victory in Spain

2011-04-03 09:51
Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo used his M1 to deliver a master class in wet riding today, delivering a flawless performance to take victory in front of his home crowd at Jerez. The second race of the 2011 MotoGP Championship was played out on treacherous track conditions that claimed a number of victims over the 27 laps. Slipping comfortably into second in the first lap Lorenzo stayed in contention in the top three for several laps, keeping calm and graduating to first position as rivals Stoner, Rossi and Simoncelli all crashed out of contention. A steady rhythm and inch perfect lines finally saw the reigning World Champion take the chequered flag, his first ever professional race career win in the wet.

Team mate Ben Spies was denied his first MotoGP podium as a factory rider with just three laps remaining of the race. Having initially dropped to sixth from the start grid Spies’ riding style was on a par with Lorenzo, laying down smooth consistent laps on a track that was wet in some places and drying in others. Having gained half a second a lap on second place man Pedrosa he caught and passed him, raising the possibility of a Yamaha one two on the podium. Disaster then struck on turn five as slippery conditions and worn race tyres brought the Texan’s race to a premature end, losing the front and sliding off the track.

Lorenzo’s victory propels him to the top of the MotoGP Championship standings with a tally of 45 points, nine points clear of Pedrosa in second. Spies heads to the next round in Estoril in four weeks time having dropped to 12th in the standings with ten points and looking to make up for today’s disappointment.





Jorge Lorenzo
Position : 1st Time: 50'49.046



"It has been one of my most patience races. It’s a great victory, which we needed and I feel so good. This is also the first time I have won in wet conditions, the first time ever! Now we are working to improve our bike, taking as much points as possible on the way. The King of Spain said to me that he would bring me good luck after our meeting last February in Madrid, he was right! With the competition so high this year I never imagined I would be leader after two races. I am so happy to have won this weekend, especially as my friends from Yamaha Indonesia came all the way here to support us; ‘Semakin di Depan’ means ‘One Step Ahead’ which was true today!"




Ben Spies
Position : DNF Time:



“I don’t think of it as a race today, it was more attrition. Once we moved into fourth behind Nicky I knew I could get past so just waited for the right moment. Dani was only a few seconds ahead of me and I thought for sure we could get on the podium. I slowly started to catch him, Jorge was obviously going to win but we could go one two. I put it all out there and caught Dani. As soon as I passed him I knew that we had second place under control, he wouldn’t be able to get back by but I needed to not make any mistakes. Every corner after I passed him I slowed down, taking it easy then all of a sudden I was on the floor. Obviously it was my mistake, but looking at the data I was going slower than I had all race. It was one of those things; I think the tyres were the limiting factor today. I think it was a great show for the crowd though!”




Wilco Zeelenberg
Team Manager


“A fantastic result and a fantastic race, it was very, very hard for the rider but he brought it home safely and under control; the best scenario that we could have imagined. I feel sorry for Ben, a one and two finish would have been really nice but unfortunately he went off, let’s see for the next race. For Jorge leading the Championship after two rounds as we did last year and with the competition we have at the moment is a dream. We’re looking forward to the next round at Estoril which is a favourite track for him too."




Massimo Meregalli
Team Director


“It could have been a perfect weekend, unfortunately for a little crash it wasn’t. Jorge gave an impressive race, he showed his maturity; he thought through his tactics and deserved the race win. Ben was also clever, waiting and taking his time to get to second. Unfortunately in the wet like this a little mistake can compromise a race. I’m sorry for him with just two laps to go he deserved the podium. The team has worked very hard this weekend on both sides of the garage to deliver very competitive set ups for both riders, a great performance by the crews. For sure we go to Estoril with a good motivation, it’s a good circuit for Yamaha, and a good circuit for Jorge so we go with good prospects.”





Results


1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Yamaha Factory Racing 50'49.046
2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team + 19.339
3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Team + 29.085
4. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) San Carlo Honda Gresini + 29.551
5. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Ducati Team + 1'02.227
6. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team + 1'08.440
7. Karel Abraham (CZE) Cardion AB Motoracing + 1'14.120
8. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 + 1'19.110
9. Toni Elias (SPA) LCR Honda MotoGP + 1'42.906
10. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki + 1'48.395
11. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Pramac Racing Team + 1'51.876
12. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team After 1 laps
13. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Not classified (1 laps)
14. Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha Factory Racing Not classified (3 laps)
15. Randy De Puniet (FRA) Pramac Racing Team Not classified (11 laps)
16. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini Not classified (16 laps)
17. Casey Stoner (AUS) Repsol Honda Team Not classified (20 laps)



Championship Standings


1 Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Yamaha Factory Racing 45
2 Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 36
3 Casey Stoner (AUS) Repsol Honda Team 25
4 Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Team 23
5 Valentino Rossi (ITA) Ducati Team 20
6 Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) San Carlo Honda Gresini 19
7 Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 14
8 Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 13
9 Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 13
10 Karel Abraham (CZE) Cardion AB Motoracing 12
11 Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 11
12 Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha Factory Racing 10
13 Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 8
14 Toni Elias (SPA) LCR Honda MotoGP 7
15 Loris Capirossi (ITA) Pramac Racing Team 5

Source: Yamaha MotoGP

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