MotoGP News
Date: 15/July/2012
The 2012 MotoGP title swung further back in Jorge Lorenzo’s direction after a daunting performance in Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix at Mugello.
The Factory Yamaha rider put Saturday’s qualifying glitch behind him by overtaking pole sitter and title rival Dani Pedrosa at turn one, then delivering a pace that no other rider could match.
Lorenzo insisted it was harder than it looked: “I knew it was going to be a difficult because Dani also had a very good pace. So I tried to overtake him in the first corner to open a gap, because usually [the others] struggle a bit more than me with new tyres.
“But it wasn’t like that today. I couldn’t open the gap for the first ten laps. But then pushing, pushing and pushing - going into the 1m 47s lap times - I could open a little gap.
“I kept pushing and fighting the bike and the gap grew more and after that it was easier and I could ride more smoothly to the finish.”
Pedrosa clung on until the halfway stage, but feared for his tyres should he continue to try and match Lorenzo’s pace. The Repsol Honda rider subsequently backed off and was over five-seconds behind at the chequered flag.
Pedrosa said: “Once I got into the 1m 47s lap time I immediately started to spin a lot in the rear and have a lot of chatter. So I was worried for the rear tyre and decided to slow down a bit, because to catch Jorge I would have had to stay in the 1m 47s. He was riding so strong. But second is a good result for us.”
Home rider Andrea Dovizioso completed the podium in third place, marking his forth podium of the season for the Yamaha Tech 3 team. Dovizioso said: “For our team it is amazing. A dream. And I’m so happy to be on the podium in front of all the Italian fans.”
Lorenzo previously lost a 25-point title lead to Casey Stoner, following an Assen accident, but in the two races since Lorenzo has built his advantage back up to 19 points over new nearest rival Pedrosa.
Stoner, who fell in the previous German round, struggled throughout the Mugello weekend and finished only eighth in the race after running off-track.
Stoner said: “I had a shake from the bike and when I got to the next corner I had no brakes. I went into the gravel and it was ‘game over’ in terms of a good result. It was already a tough weekend, but I think we had the pace to be on the podium. We blew it.”
The reigning champion is now 37 points behind Lorenzo with half of the 18 rounds remaining. The MotoGP riders will remain at Mugello for a test session on Monday.
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