MotoGP News
Date:
14/July/2013
Rookie Marc Marquez shot to the top of the MotoGP standings
after exploiting the absence of title favourites Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo
to the maximum in Germany.
Marquez, 20, won his second race of the season at the
Sachsenring to move from third to first in the World Championship.
Reigning title holder Lorenzo was ruled out on Friday when
he fell and bent the plate holding his broken collarbone in place, with Pedrosa
then suffering a big crash on Saturday and withdrawing due to dizziness on race
day morning.
Marquez still had to work for his victory, dropping from
pole to fourth on the opening lap before riding around Aleix Espargaro,
Valentino Rossi and finally home star Stefan Bradl to take the lead on lap six
of 30.
Meanwhile Cal Crutchlow was also working his way up the
order and put Marquez under pressure in the closing stages, finishing just 1.5s
behind at the chequered flag.
Marquez said: “If I’m honest I didn’t expect to lead the
championship after eight races. It is my second victory in MotoGP, but it feels
different to Austin because Dani and Jorge are not here. We hope they recover
soon.
“It was a very different race for me, because this time I
was leading for a long time and trying to manage the gap to Rossi and then Cal.
It was a great experience but I prefer races where I follow other riders and
need to push the whole race.
“Now the top five riders are all covered by 37 points in the
championship. It will be interesting and great for the show for the fans.”
With the US Grand Prix just seven days away, the big
question now is whether Pedrosa or Lorenzo will be fit to return.
Pedrosa, just two points behind Marquez, is most likely to
be back - although the fact that it was dizziness rather than the cracked collarbone
that prevented him racing remains a concern.
Pedrosa explained: "This morning my shoulder was
painful but otherwise I felt fine. The doctors declared me fit to take part in
warm up. Then shortly before the session I began to feel dizzy again and my
blood pressure dropped.
“I returned to my motorhome to rest and still felt dizzy and
sick. The doctors arrived at my motorhome and informed me that they did not
consider I was okay to race and would therefore declare me unfit."
While Pedrosa will surely at least make the journey to the
USA, then see how he feels, Lorenzo faces a tougher decision. After two
operations in two weeks, his frail collarbone can’t take another hit - yet
team-mate Rossi still thinks Lorenzo will try to ride.
“This is just my idea, but Jorge will race at Laguna,” Rossi
declared. “I don’t know anything. This is just my feeling.
“He has one week to recover and the surgery went okay. At
the beginning for sure Jorge must have felt scared and frustrated. But I know
what happens in your mind, after some days you feel not so bad and you say ‘why
not?’
“But maybe I am wrong!”
After the operation Lorenzo stated on Twitter that he will
wait until Indianapolis in mid-August to return. However after Sunday’s race
Yamaha stated that no decision has yet been made and that Lorenzo’s mechanics
will travel to Laguna Seca as planned…
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