Aragon: MotoGP breaks new ground

Round 13 of the 2010 MotoGP World Championship this weekend marks the first ever visit to the Motorland Aragon circuit in Spain, where the home crowd will be preparing to witness another duel between championship leader Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha) and his closest rival, Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda).

With six rounds of the season remaining, what had seemed to be a straight run for Lorenzo to his first premier class title now looks a little more complicated, thanks to the efforts of Pedrosa.

Lorenzo’s consistency has shone through, however, and he remains the only MotoGP rider to have scored points in every round so far, having placed inside the top three in each race in 2010. A top-two result at Aragon would guarantee a Spanish title winner, as only Pedrosa would then be capable of overhauling his rival’s advantage, which stands at 63 points heading into the weekend.

Pedrosa has found a rich vein of form and comes into this round off the back of his first consecutive premier class win, following his victory at Misano. Both he and Lorenzo have already run on the Aragon circuit in private day tests over the summer, and are both equal on 12 MotoGP career victories to date.

The contest for third place in the overall standings is a close affair, with Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) on 139 points and Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) and Casey Stoner (Ducati Team) both on 130. Of the trio Rossi has the strongest record on Spanish soil, having won 19 GPs across all classes in the country, but he is also on his longest winless streak – seven races – since his first premier class victory at Donington, UK, in 2000.

Dovizioso is aiming for a return to the podium, having gone seven races without a top-three finish, whilst Stoner remains in search of a first win of the campaign, in what promises to be a great scrap between the three as the season enters its later stages.

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Ben Spies remains the highest placed satellite rider, in sixth and just 10 points off Rossi and Stoner, with compatriot Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) searching for his first podium of the season. Randy de Puniet’s (LCR Honda) impressive recovery from injury continues, while Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) complete the top 10 as it currently stands. Edwards will be making his 100th MotoGP start on Yamaha machinery this weekend.

Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) is still recovering from surgery to the little finger on his right hand, after he injured it during a first-lap crash at Misano, and will not ride.

Aragón will also see the return of a three-practice format, with two sessions on Friday and a third and final one on Saturday morning ahead of qualifying, in a trial system which will be reviewed following the round.

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