Lorenzo masters Mugello – again

Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo has won the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello for the third successive year, leading home championship leader Dani Pedrosa and Britain’s Cal Crutchlow. There were crashes for both local hero Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez, ending the Spanish rookie’s run of consecutive podium finishes.

“The conditions and the circumstances were good for us and I didn't make a mistake, I made my best performance even if the conditions were much hotter than this morning. We are still struggling so much when the conditions get hotter,” said Lorenzo. “Anyway the key of the race was in the middle where I improved my riding, I was able to brake later with less fuel in the tank so I was able to improve the lap time by two tenths, from this moment Dani gave up a little pace and I could get away and win the race, more or less like last year.

“It’s very special; I won the last three years here so this track is magic for me and very positive for Yamaha. It also reminds us to keep working on the bike as at the tracks which are not so flowing like Mugello we will struggle. I’m very happy to give this win to Yamaha Motor Racing President Shigeto Kitagawa because this was his last race here in Grand Prix, as he will retire.”

On Saturday, Pedrosa – winner of the last two grands prix in Spain and France – had claimed his first pole position of the campaign, heading up the front row from Lorenzo and Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso. Sunday afternoon would prove to be completely dry as the race was held in bright conditions, marking the fifth round of 18 in 2013.

A strong getaway for Pedrosa allowed the Honda man to retain his lead, but he immediately ran wide and was tagged by Lorenzo as the world champion dived inside to take the lead on the exit of turn one. Pedrosa would remain with his compatriot until just past half distance, when small errors for two laps in a row allowed Marquez to attack his teammate while Lorenzo pulled out a healthy buffer.

Pedrosa’s afternoon was a mixed one. He had lost the lead at the start and kept Marquez at bay until the 20-year-old pulled off a courageous move on the inside of Savelli curve on the 19th tour. Marquez’s hard work was quickly undone in exactly the same place just two laps later, as an unforced error resulted in a fourth crash in three days and the end of his bid to become the first rookie in MotoGP history to claim five rostrum finishes at the start of his premier class career.

Marquez’s demise allowed Pedrosa to retake second place as Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Crutchlow made the podium for the second time in two weeks, becoming the first British rider since 1987 to take back-to-back podium finishes. Stefan Bradl delivered a mature ride to fourth place to equal his career-best result for LCR Honda, which had coincidently been achieved at the same race last year. Ducati filled positions five to seven, with Dovizioso eventually winning a battle with teammate Nicky Hayden while Michele Pirro raced the GP13 Lap bike for a second time.

Aleix Espargaro carried his Power Electronics Aspar CRT bike to its best result yet in eighth spot, with Tech 3’s Bradley Smith achieving ninth despite being in immense pain with an injured wrist and finger. Hector Barbera completed the top 10 for Avintia Blusens, while Australia’s Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini) was 18th.

But the biggest drama of the day for the Italian crowd was Valentino Rossi’s retirement only three corners into the race; the seven-time Mugello winner was involved in a collision with GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista, with both men heading into the barriers at Poggio Secco. After the event, Race Direction declared the coming together a ‘racing incident’.

Lorenzo’s second victory of the year sees him jump up to second place in the championship, 12pts behind Pedrosa, as Marquez falls to third and 26pts behind the championship leader. The action continues in Catalunya from June 14-16.

For full results and standings in all three classes, visit www.motogp.com/en/Results+Statistics.