Let's get part 2 underway, shall we...?
It's clear from this point in that instead of it being how much disaster prevention Marquez can do, to how high can he finish as by now he's still in touch with Lorenzo, with Pedrosa snapping at his heels!
With eight laps to go now urgency is stepped up somewhat as Marquez tries to stuff his bike down the inside in a hasty manoeuvre that fortunately results in neither rider crashing out, but it was a definitely pause-and-hold-your-breath moment...
Crutchlow unfortunately by this time seemed to have been feeling the toll of all the crashes he'd had since free practice on Friday, as languishing in 7th seems to be where he'd be likely to finish now.
Heading through one particular section of track, the race leaders had gapped the rest of the field that much that they were nowhere in sight when it came to the flip-flop section known as Maggotts and Becketts. They'd effortlessly travelled through there and still no sign of Bautista... now that is a gap!
Further back in the field, and catching up on Bradley Smith's fortunes having mentioned him earlier, I was glad to see him battling hard with Andrea Dovizioso & Nicky Hayden in yet another moment reminiscent of Indianapolis!
How many more! :D
Dovey, as he's affectionately known, overtook Smith for an 8th placed position, before Hayden took him and eventually Espargaro, who made it impressively into a top ten finish.
On the final bend now, with business starting to get serious Valentino Rossi made a move stick on Bautista and would go on to finish in 4th position, with the latter coming in a rather disappointed seventh, as both Crutchlow and Bradl got the better of him (proving my earlier assessment of a 7th placed finish as false!).
The penultimate lap was where the next set of fireworks took to light, as Marquez stood up Lorenzo just before the lap end but he was soon counter-mugged by Lorenzo after running wide a couple of corners later.
This allowed Marquez to slip into the clutches of third placed man, and team-mate, Dani Pedrosa and I wondered if he'd be on the receiving end of a last minute overtake just like at Brno when Pedrosa took Lorenzo right near the end.
Right before closing then, Dovizioso went down, explaining his slip down the order having looked in reasonably impressive form.
Even though we know who finished furthest up the order out of Bautista and Rossi, they still spent the closing laps interchanging their positions as they fought tooth-and-nail for a higher finishing position and, of course, more points!
At Brooklands is where Marquez initiated a block pass, but was undone by carrying too much corner speed and thus lost out in the end to World Champion, Jorge Lorenzo.
This result meant that, with a triple Spanish podium once again, Pedrosa lost out to Lorenzo by around six points, with Marquez's lead being cut to 30, instead of 39.
RIDER OF THE DAY
So, this is the biggie, who's going to get the award? Which rider is going to have their progress rewarded for all the tenacity, the dedication they showed?
It's easy this one, and it may surprise you: -
Jorge Lorenzo
I could have taken the easy option and rewarded the bro' who dislocated his shoulder, and some reviewers/fans'll think I should have, but I'm not here to do what you think I should do, I'm here to give my opinion and for me, Lorenzo edges it for this one!
Why?
Simples, because of his tenacity in bolting from the line straight to the front of the grid and then keeping Marquez at bay when all around were either screaming & hoping that Lorenzo'd get overtaken as Marquez continues to smash records, and eventually played him at his own game to come home with the maximum 25 points for a race win.
He was thoroughly deserving of my R.o.t.D. trophy and I for one cannot wait to see what happens next at Misano, San Marino!
Before that, let's do a quick recap on the fortunes of the riders so far across the season: -
Rider Name
|
R.o.t.D. Award
|
Marc Marquez
|
5
|
Jorge Lorenzo
|
3
|
Dani Pedrosa
|
2
|
Wow! Now that is an eye-opener!
Marquez, in the second third of the season has pulled two trophies clear, though quite how things'd look if I'd not sat on the fence for Indy in terms of trophy awards, is a mystery never to be solved!
So, with six rounds left now, can Lorenzo pull it back or will the Rookie go on to take a phenomenal double of 'Rookie -' and 'Rider of the Year'? Stay tuned to the Write Dimension to find out!
Peace out!
The Lanky Penguin
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