Rossi Storms to Second in Dramatic Catalunya Clash

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi put in a stunning ride this afternoon to secure second on the podium in the GP Monster Energy de Catalunya.

Teammate Jorge Lorenzo threatened briefly in the early race laps before settling into fourth position, which he held to the line.

The Doctor started his Catalunya attack well, shooting from fifth to third into turn one from the start and then almost immediately into second behind his teammate Lorenzo. With 22 laps to go he made a decisive move for the lead and began a run at the front that was only broken towards the end of the race.

With seven laps remaining he was passed by both Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa in turns one and two, the two riders then almost immediately sitting up and raising hands for a yellow flag. Rossi took advantage of this and passed the two for the lead, holding it for a lap before Marquez passed again on turn two. With four laps remaining Pedrosa also made the move, dropping Rossi to third until the final lap. As the last corners came, Pedrosa made contact with Marquez, running wide and allowing Rossi back through to claim second on the podium, just 0.5 seconds behind Marquez.

Teammate Lorenzo made a strong start from second on the grid, delivering a trademark ‘Por Fuera’ pass round the outside of Pedrosa on turn one for the race lead. With his teammate closing fast behind, it wasn't long before Rossi was passed, then Marquez followed on turn ten of the same lap. With 19 laps to go Pedrosa also squeezed through, leaving Lorenzo to hold fourth on the tail of the fighting three to the line.

Rossi’s podium scores 20 points. He remains in second place, now on 117 points, 58 behind Marquez.

Lorenzo’s fourth place delivers 13 points, keeping him in fourth position on 78, 34 behind Pedrosa in third.

Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Pol Espargaro fought hard for 7th place in his home race. The young Spaniard started from 10th on the grid, but managed to jumped up three places before the end of the first lap. Espargaro continued to ride a steady race, maintaining this 7th position until lap 16 when he and Factory Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso got involved in a spectacular fight. Espargaro managed to hold off his opponent, thereby marking a 6th successive top ten finish during his rookie season. Espagaro remains the leading satellite bike, as his championship points increased to 58, leaving him 6th in the standings.

Pol Espargaro's teammate Bradley Smith was disappointed finishing in 10th position. Smith had a good start from 8th on the grid, but lost four positions before completing the first lap. The British rider was determined to fight and steadily clawed his way back to 10th by lap 15, but unfortunately the gap to the other riders in front of him had become too large for him to bridge. Despite the disappointing end to a GP that saw Smith top the FP2 practice session on Friday, Smith collects six vital championship points, leaving him 10th in the championship standings and confident that he will be scoring a better result at the next GP.

NGM Forward Racing rider Aleix Espargaro scored his best result of the season in front of his home fans. The Spaniard lost some positions on the long straight, falling back to 12th, but was soon able to climb back up the order to 6th place. Espargaro held this position until the end of the race, making him the first open bike to cross the finish line. With today’s result, the local rider gained seven important points, leaving him 7th in the championship standings.

It was a complicated race for teammate Colin Edwards, who finished 18th after being held back during the race due to wheelspin.

All Yamaha riders and other MotoGP Riders will be back on track tomorrow for a day of testing. The next GP will be held at the iconic Assen TT circuit in the Netherlands on the 28th June.

Valentino Rossi

2nd, +0.512
“I’m so happy because it was a great race, I enjoyed it so much. I started fast and I was able to stay in front for a long part of the race. I’m not satisfied 100% because I thought I could win but in the last laps they were faster than me. I tried the maximum but also Dani overtook me and I lost time. I did a good race; it is another podium so we have to continue like this.”

Jorge Lorenzo

4th, +4.540
"I’m a little bit disappointed, we knew that the others were very strong and also Vale had a very good pace. The pace was not so bad because the track was not very hot but unfortunately I couldn't open the gap I wanted in the first lap. When Vale passed me it was the same and I couldn't ride like when I am alone. The bike was working well in braking but in the last two corners where we were very strong last year, we weren’t this year. In acceleration I started losing grip and when I followed Dani it was impossible to stay with him, I just had to recover in some corners. It was a pity, if we had less problems in acceleration it was a great opportunity to win. We were strong on braking but unfortunately lost it in the last corners so I couldn't do more.”