Jorge Lorenzo was expecting lap times in the low 1.
42s for the sixth round of the season, instead the gruelling temperatures and sliding tires on the boiling hot asphalt pushed lap times, after the first three or four laps, up into the 1,43s.
The Yamaha rider was picture perfect, with a revised set-up, as he hammered out his usual constant rhythm forgetting all about his Saturday’s tribulations and Dani Pedrosa’s record breaking qualifying lap and breaking away from the Repsol Honda duo with five laps remaining in the race.
Lorenzo’s special edition helmet designed by Anna Vives, who was invited by the Catalunya winner to share the podium with him, will be auctioned off.
“A perfect day, to be honest I didn’t expect to win, I knew I had some chance but not like in Mugello where I was more convinced we could get the victory.
It was really difficult physically as it was the hottest race of the year.
I kept pushing 100% all race because any mistake would have been a disaster.
I was surprised at the start as I expected to just pass Cal but I passed Dani also.
I took profit from it and tried to open the gap but it was not enough to go away, Dani was there and we played some games, I was 0.
5 ahead then 0.
2; I was going then he was recovering me.
Finally because I was tough mentally and never gave up I could open in the last five laps a little gap that was enough to win.
The girl who designed my helmet, Anna Vives, is famous in Spain; she is a symbol that people with Down syndrome are capable of a lot more than some people think.
I think it was very original and colourful so I was very proud and happy to have her on the podium to share the win with me.
” said and estatic Lorenzo.
Valentino Rossi finished fourth today, thanks to Cal Crutchlow crashing, but as usual the Italian’s pace towards the half way point of the race matches the front runners but he is always so far away that he can’t fight for a podium finish.
The Italian was not at all impressed by Alvaro Bautista (Lin Jarvis face watching the quasi-incident explained it all).
The Gresini rider crashed out after attempting go up the inside of Rossi on the first lap and nearly wiped him out, just two weeks their ‘racing incident’ crash on lap one at Mugello.
In a post race interview with Sportmediaset, Rossi said, “Bautista doesn’t understand and at the start he isn’t very lucid especially when he sees me and Lorenzo and other top riders he always goes crazy and wants to overdue it.
He was very lucky that he didn’t make me crash today or he would have had a lot of problems.
Doing it twice in row is not very intelligent, fortunately for me and him, he missed me.
” “We wanted to try and arrive on the podium, but anyway it was quite a good race.
Race by race, apart form the unlucky times, especially like Mugello, we grow up and I am able to ride the bike in a better way.
We still have some challenges, especially in the first part of the race where I still don’t have the right setting to push to the maximum.
After some laps my pace was not so bad and we were not so far from the top guys.
We did a good job and we will now go for two days of testing where we will try to improve further.
We don’t give up, we will make another step and we will not be so far from the front.
” Foto © Getty Images – Tutti i diritti riservati