Today’s MotoGP race at the Twin Ring Motegi, was pretty monotonous if we compare it to the Moto3 and Moto2 races (race reports to follow), but it was important for the MotoGP championship standings as Dani Pedrosa took another splendid and important win, his fifth victory in the last eight races, his fourth consecutive and cut Jorge Lorenzo’s lead to 28 points.
Lorenzo got the holeshot defending himself from Pedrosa at the first corner and the two were followed by Ben Spies, Cal Crutchlow, Casey Stoner, Alvaro Bautista, Andrea Dovizioso and Stefan Bradl as the two Spaniards immediately tried to break away with Spies trying to keep up with them.
On the first lap Avintia Blusens returning Ivan Silva ran off track, Aspar’s Randy de Puniet crashed out but was able to rejoin, but he would be later forced to retire, and Yonny Hernandez also crashed and was seen holding his right shoulder.
Ben Spies race lasted exactly two laps as the Yamaha rider missed his braking mark at turn one and ran off track and headed directly towards the barrier and crash – but fortunately much less violently than Nicky Hayden at Aragon.
With Spies out of action, a big gap opened up between the front runners.
For the first 10 laps Pedrosa would continue to shadow Lorenzo, and on the 11th made an easy pass on the brakes at turn five and began to break away.
Lorenzo calmly accepted the pass and would then follow his rival over the finish line more than four seconds adrift, while Alvaro Bautista celebrated his new contract renewal with Gresini with third place – his second podium of the season and making it an all Spanish podium.
With Spies out of action Cal Crutchlow inherited third place, but Bautista caught the British rider with just five laps to go and the two even touched briefly as the Spaniard got ahead of him.
Crutchlow began shadowing and waiting for the right place to place his attack, but in the final lap, disaster struck the Yamaha rider as he suddenly slowed with a technical issue or he simply ran out of fuel, while everyone again inherited another spot on the grid.
Andrea Dovizioso would take fourth after a very cautious start.
The Italian first grabbed 6th from Stefan Bradl during the 10th lap and then began to hunt down a struggling, but heroic Casey Stoner who couldn’t resist him and then began to fade.
Stefan Bradl was 6th and officially become the 2012 Rookie of the Year while Valentino Rossi would finish 7th ahead of his struggling team mate Nicky Hayden who barely beat Yamaha wild card rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga across the finish line.
Closing out the top ten was Hector Barbera while Karel Abraham the last prototype rider was 11th.
Aleix Espargaro was the best CRT rider in 12th.
MotoGP Motegi Race Results:01- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – 24 laps in 42’31.
569 02- Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 4.
275 03- Alvaro Bautista – San Carlo Honda Gresini – Honda RC213V – + 6.
752 04- Andrea Dovizioso – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 16.
397 05- Casey Stoner – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 20.
566 06- Stefan Bradl – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC213V – + 24.
567 07- Valentino Rossi – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP12 – + 26.
072 08- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP12 – + 36.
724 09- Katsuyuki Nakasuga – Yamaha YSP Racing Team – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 36.
794 10- Hector Barbera – Pramac Racing Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP12 – + 1’10.
729 11- Karel Abraham – Cardion AB Motoracing – Ducati Desmosedici GP12 – + 1’15.
658 12- Aleix Espargaro – Power Electronics Aspar – ART GP12 – + 1’22.
769 13- Colin Edwards – NGM Mobile Forward Racing – Suter BMW – + 1’24.
968 14- James Ellison – Paul Bird Motorsport – ART GP12 – + 1’29.
388 15- Michele Pirro – San Carlo Honda Gresini – FTR Honda MGP12 – + 1’34.
612 16- Roberto Rolfo – Speed Master Team – ART GP12 – + 1’50.
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