MotoGP Spain 2009: Rossi pips Lorenzo in Catalunya thriller

Italian Valentino Rossi won a monumental battle with Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo to triumph in the Catalan's home MotoGP race.

The riders are tied at the summit of the World Championship standings with third-placed Ducati rider Casey Stoner, all on 106 points.

Lorenzo, who had snatched a last-gasp pole from six-times champion Rossi, led for long stretches before the lead swapped several times on the final three laps.

There were several occasions where the two Yamahas almost touched as the fans - supporting FC Barcelona fan Lorenzo but also with a huge soft spot for Rossi - blared airhorns and bellowed them on.

Behind the leaders Stoner managed to open up a gap on Andrea Dovizioso, who matched his fourth-placed grid spot in the race, while Loris Capirossi took an impressive fifth after starting from 11th.

Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, who suffered injury in qualifying and started from eighth, was rampant in the early stages as he went past Repsol Honda team-mate Dovizioso, but was unable to make it stick and trailed Rizla Suzuki's Capirossi by the finish.

In seventh was Yamaha Tech 3's Colin Edwards - his British team-mate James Toseland came in 13th - with Honda's Randy De Puniet leading home Ducati Pramac's Mika Kallio and factory Ducati man Nicky Hayden for eighth.

Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) and Alex de Angelis (Honda Gresini) finished ahead of Toseland, with Marco Melandri (Kawasaki) and Sete Gibernau (Ducati Onde 2000) behind the Sheffield rider.

Hungarian 250cc star Gabor Talmacsi retired on his MotoGP debut, while Yuki Takahashi, Antonio Elias and Niccolo Canepa also failed to make it to the end.
Jonathan Symcox / Eurosport
Source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/14062009/58/rossi-pips-lorenzo-catalunya-thriller.html

MotoGP Cataluna Standing:

1. Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 43m 11.897
2. Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Team 43min 11.992 sec
3. Casey Stoner Ducati Marlboro Team 43min 20.781 sec
4. Andrea Dovizioso Repsol Honda Team 43min 20.833 sec
5. Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 43min 31.728 sec
6. Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 43min 34.079 sec
7. Colin Edwards Monster Yamaha Tech 3 43min 35.444 sec
8. Randy de Puniet LCR Honda MotoGP 43min 37.162 sec
9. Mika Kallio Pramac Racing 43min 43.694 sec
10. Nicky Hayden Ducati Marlboro Team 43min 45.490 sec
11. Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 43min 48.560 sec
12. Alex de Angelis San Carlo Honda Gresini 43min 48.771 sec
13. James Toseland Monster Yamaha Tech 3 43min 51.330 sec
14. Marco Melandri Hayate Racing Team 43min 56.685 sec
15. Sete Gibernau Grupo Francisco Hernando 43min 58.651 sec
16. Niccolo Canepa Pramac Racing 44min 7.770 sec
17. Gabor Talmacsi Scot Racing Team MotoGP 44min 39.537 sec

Not Finish
Yuki Takahashi Scot Racing Team MotoGP
Toni Elias San Carlo Honda Gresini

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