Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi; in the same second, in the same league. Picking a winner from the trio for the Grand Prix of Spain and the fourth round of MotoGP would have been like finding a route around the Jerez circuit through the heavy fog that smothered the historic venue Sunday morning. Thankfully the mist parted and the outcome of the race was crystal-clear from the formative stages as ’46’ walked the top of the box for the first time since Silverstone last year. Movistar Yamaha’s Rossi’s superiority was born from a consistency that left Lorenzo and Repsol Honda’s Marquez reeling and unable to even contemplate the spoiled air from the M1’s aerodynamic wing profile; The Doctor using the new apparatus for the first time in Andalucía.
Rossi and his podium companions were the only riders to dip into the 1min38 bracket during qualification on Saturday and establish a level of speed and performance across slippery Spanish asphalt and upon which a slew of their rivals were left perplexed and frustrated by Michelin rear tyre rubber. The wheelspin produced some dramatic scenes of smoking tyre abuse but also clipped the possibilities of many as the sun arched and the temperatures climbed to a weekend high (mid-high twenties). Lorenzo was one of the affected and had to ease-off his assault on Rossi’s 2.5 second margin at mid-race distance, Marquez too reached a point where he began to think of consolidation and leaving Jerez with his championship lead intact. Rossi though, twenty years after he first ruled under the distinctive Tio Pepe tower was uncatchable, undeniable and firmly back in the championship picture after his mistake and crash two weeks beforehand in Austin.
“At home before coming here I had in my mind that I can be very strong at Jerez; it was a hope rather than a prediction!” he said. “My mechanic said to me on the grid “first to the corner and first to the last” and thought ‘OK; why not?’. I felt really good with the Michelins [here]. Lorenzo is very strong in Jerez so to arrive in front of him is important…and it came at the right moment.”
“My last victory was at Silverstone last year and then after that Marquez won, Lorenzo won and [Dani] Pedrosa won; today it was my turn,” he added, now just nine victories from Giacomo Agostini’s record tally of 122. “What I lost in 2015 was the number of laps at the front. I won four races but normally on the last laps…so these 27 [mostly unchallenged] were important. Races have a different story week-by-week. My experience teaches me to be happy and enjoy the taste of victory now. Maybe in ten days everything is different. It was important to be strong at the beginning of [the races in] Europe if you want to fight for the championship and I knew that if I was fast in Jerez then I could be fast for most of the tracks in Europe.”
Lorenzo lifted his third trophy of the season, second in a row and the 100th of his career in MotoGP (from nine years in the class). “With the tyres on front and rear I was not as fast as Rossi and I was starting to spin on the straight,” the Mallorcan recounted. “Anyway I was catching him when this thing with the spin happened more and I had to slow, be easy on the throttle in every gear on the straights and I couldn’t go for the win. A pity; Marc had more difficulties than us but we could not take profit of that. We recovered points so the result is good for the championship but I am frustrated about the rear tyre. I’m happy also about my 100th podium in MotoGP and I’m proud with many first and second places which means I am consistent in this category and only three riders in history have done it before.”
Amid the tribulations of the pack in Spain Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Pol Espargaro found a middle ground to place fifth and be the first satellite rider past the chequered flag. British duo Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith logged eleventh and twelfth respectively but there was better news for fans from the UK in the Moto2 class where Sam Lowes converted his form during practice and qualification (taking Pole Position) to earn his second career win and first of 2016. The twenty-five year old is also fronting the competitive and extremely tricky formula that saw many crashes – thirteen in total – in Spain.
“It was a long race but I feel good and came here off [the back of] two second places and two strong rides in Argentina and Austin,” he said on a lights-to-flag triumph that was punctuated with some sumptuous bike control and rear end slides. “I feel a lot more relaxed this year and that I can take my time a bit; I’m not too edgy at the start which is a big positive because I don’t get tired on the bike and over the race distance. I came here to win and did that. I’m leading the championship but wanted a win and now hope to kick-on in Le Mans.” Lowes powered his way ahead of Jonas Folger and Alex Rins; the Catalan part of the breakway group and now with two podiums on the bounce.
Moto3 saw a stunning performance and spectacle from KTM’s Brad Binder. He was the first South African to win in Grand Prix since 1983 and did so from last place in the grid after his factory team were found to have infringed technical rules. Binder worked his way through the pack to displace an entertaining tussle between Nicolo Bulega, Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Navarro and earn a victory that will be talked about for many years. Teenager Bulega pulled a move on the final corner that delivered the Italian his maiden GP podium in just his fifth appearance (“I just let go of the brake and, well, I made it here!”) and Bagnaia gave the Mahindra team cause to pop the champagne with his second rostrum tread this season.
So no Spanish winner for the Jerez hoards of public but three more opportunities – Catalunya, Aragon and Valencia – remain for this hotbed of motorcycle racing. Another immersion of fandom lies in store for MotoGP in two weeks with the French congregating around the hallowed curves of Le Mans for the Monster Energy Grand Prix and the fifth fixture of 2016.
Credit: MONSTER