Jorge Lorenzo returned to the top of the pile at MotoGP visit to Jerez and Marquez inspired with his ride to second with that injured finger

MotoGP

Movistar Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo reveals his delight at getting his season back on track with the win in Jerez.

Lorenzo had a great launch from pole position, taking the holeshot into turn one. Completely in the zone he immediately put the hammer down and rode away from the pack, with only rival Marc Marquez able to follow him. Lorenzo was quick to respond by upping his pace and rode a Circuit Record of 1‘38.735 on just his second lap. He pulled away and soon created a gap of over a second to Marquez, who was unable to keep up with his blistering pace. Consistently posting laps under the 1‘40 mark, Lorenzo remained unchallenged for the rest of the race and completed his perfect performance of the weekend when he took the flag with a 5.576 second lead, securing his fifth victory at the Andalusian circuit. Lorenzo now has his 55th career win, 34 of which are with Yamaha.

“I am absolutely proud of myself and of the team that we finally delivered some extraordinary work, because we had some problems that have been beyond our control. Due to the lining of the helmet in Doha, my illness in Austin and the tyres in Argentina we couldn‘t demonstrate our true potential. This time I could do it during the whole weekend and especially on braking. Sometimes it happens that on Sunday I feel a bit worse on braking than during the rest of the weekend, but today that didn‘t happen. I was able to brake really late, enter well into the corners, and carry good corner speed and acceleration, so everything was fine. When this happens you have to make profit of it and win the race. I was thinking about jumping into the lake, but I am 28 years old…! It‘s not the same as when you are 23, so in the last second I decided to stop and go back to the bike. Today it‘s mother‘s day so it‘s very special, because my mum saw the race and saw me winning and tomorrow I turn 28. It‘s important that we recover some points to Vale because he‘s been very strong at the beginning of this season and always on the podium. It‘s also important we have recovered the feeling and ability to go fast and now we have to enjoy these hours, this night and this victory!”

Jorge Lorenzo

Moto2

An excellent start to the Gran Premio bwin de España saw Rabat with a substantial lead before the grip dropped.

On the grid of the Moto2™ race Tito Rabat, Alex Rins and Simone Corsi all opted for the medium rear tyre going against the grain. The track temperature at the start of the race was quite low, which suited the medium compound better. Tito Rabat was able to break away in the early stages, but struggled significantly as his grip levels dropped with rising track temperatures and more worn tyres.

The tenth lap had Jonas Folger take the advantage after steadily closing in on Rabat. From here it was a steady and mature ride from the Qatar race winner, putting in a stream of mid 1’43s to increase his lead. This is just Folger’s second win in the Moto2™ championship and sees him move into second in the standings. Despite winning at Qatar, Austin and Argentina were difficult races for the German and this result puts his championship challenge back on course. “It was a really hard race for me. The first laps I used the new tyre a lot, when they started to drop it was hard to adapt my riding style,” he said after the race.

“It was a good race, because I did not start very well and the first few corners were difficult. My pace was good and I was able to overtake riders from then until the end. I got up to the front group and wanted to stick with them, because I knew that until the last corner anything was possible. Rins made a mistake -we were all on the limit- and I had good speed coming out of the turn, so I kept second place and it feels great. Starting from ninth and finishing with 20 points is great for the championship, as we head to Le Mans as leaders.”

Johann Zarco

Moto3

Leopard Racing’s Danny Kent won his third Moto3™ race in a row, in an epic last lap scrap with Fabio Quartararo and Miguel Oliveira.

Kent became the first British rider to win three GP’s in a row since Barry Sheene in 1977, after emerging victorious in a dramatic Moto3™ race in Jerez to take a 31 point lead in the Moto3™ World Championship.

Unlike in Austin and Argentina, Kent could not break away from the field despite numerous attempts, and found himself involved in a fight for the lead with Fabio Quartararo, Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder. Coming into the final corner, it looked like 16-year-old Quartararo might take the victory, but he out-braked himself and had to stand up his Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda. He made contact with Kent and ran wide, leaving the Brit with just a short run to the line to claim his third win of the season.

KTM Red Bull Ajo’s Oliveira was right in the mix for the race win, actually leading for most of the final lap, but had to settle for second as he finished just 0.097s behind Kent in the drag to the line. Oliveira’s teammate Brad Binder (+0.296s) was the man to benefit from Quartararo’s last corner mistake, as he had let the front three fight amongst themselves throughout most of the race, while patiently waiting in fourth. The South African rider claiming the last step on the podium when Quartararo (+0.882s) ran wide, with the 16 year old Frenchman crossing the line in 4th.