Jorge Lorenzo managed to claw his way back into MotoGP Championship contention thanks to a dominant win at Sunday’s hectic Australian GP. His main rival and Championship leader Marc Marquez left the race with no points, meaning the leading two riders will arrive at next weekend’s Japanese GP with just 18 points separating them.
The fast flowing layout and new
‘sand paper’ surface of Philip Island meant pit-stops were introduced to reduce
the risk of tyre failure. But despite the challenge of mandatory mid-race bike
changes, two-time world champion Lorenzo was able to fight off an early charge
from the Repsol Hondas of Marquez and Danny Pedrosa. Pushing his Yamaha M1 to
the limits, Lorenzo pitted on lap 10, with the young Spaniard of Marquez coming
in one lap later.
Rejoining the track as Lorenzo
and Pedrosa approached turn one at 215mph, Marquez clipped Lorenzo as the
Yamaha rider slid back into the lead of the race. But pressure was soon to ease for Lorenzo as Marquez received a black-flag with just five laps
remaining; the stewards announcing that his 11th lap stop was outside
of the agreed pit window and therefore worthy of exclusion.
As a result Lorenzo was able to
comfortably take the win ahead of Pedrosa, whilst MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi
fought off Britain’s Cal Crutchlow for the final step of the podium.
With 50
points up for grabs, the MotoGP title showdown is still very much intact
as the circus heads to the penultimate round at Japan’s Montegi.
Top 5 Championship Standings
after 16 rounds:
1. Marquez – 298 points
2. Lorenzo – 280
3. Pedrosa – 264
4. Rossi – 214
5. Crutchlow – 179
1. Marquez – 298 points
2. Lorenzo – 280
3. Pedrosa – 264
4. Rossi – 214
5. Crutchlow – 179
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