MotoGP Blog

Extraordinary heat and humidity turns this race into a feat of endurance as much as skill. Ice packs on rider’s necks are a common sight here, anything to keep body temperature down in advance of the start.

From the lights out, three riders got extraordinary starts. Elias at the back of the grid, Nakano (strangely unable to get anything out of the qualifiers yesterday) from 15th and Pedrosa from pole. Whatever Pedrosa has in terms of launch technique, it gives him 5 or 6 metres lead in the first 30. Nakano’s start brings him right into contention with the front group, while Elias is later penalised for a jump start.

A leading group formed from the front rows of the grid, following a trouble-free first couple of turns: Pedrosa, Dovizioso (who had a merely very good start from the second row!), Rossi, Hayden, Stoner, Nakano and Lorenzo. By the end of the first lap, Rossi is in second, having a close tussle with Dovizioso through the last turn and getting him down the finish straight. Pedrosa has taken advantage of the delay caused and has opened a gap. Hayden, Stoner and Nakano are nose-to-tail.

Over the next few laps, Rossi catches and holds station behind Pedrosa. It is not easy for Rossi however, he has to work hard to make up the time to Dani. As this happens, Dovi falls back into the clutches of the Hayden/Stoner/Nakano battle.

For a while, it is like days of old on the 500’s and 990’s for Rossi, playing his old game of cat and mouse, watching his prey, assessing strengths and weaknesses. Further back, Nakano is giving Stoner problems to solve - perhaps his injured wrist is causing the Aussie problems? Nakano takes Stoner, only to be immediately passed back by the Ducati power on the straights. This scrap in turn allows Lorenzo to close up.

The Hayden/Dovizioso race starts to heat up on lap 9. Hayden is clearly able to lap faster than Dovizioso but is struggling to find a way past Dovi. The Italian is riding smoothly, slightly defensively, and is using the track to his advantage. As Hayden tries a move at T1, he runs wide and Dovi calmly rides away from him.

Lap 10, and Rossi passes Pedrosa at T9, the last hairpin on the lap. He fends off Pedrosa down the two long straights, and starts to gap the Spaniard. Seconds later, the other side of the Fiat Yamaha team garage is in despair as Lorenzo loses the front and gently slides off the track. He would later retire.

Dovi and Hayden are still at each other’s throats, and Stoner has towed Nakano up to the back of their battle. Suddenly, Hayden needs to think about defending his position as well as attacking the Italian rookie in front of him. Just behind them, Capirossi and Edwards are also closing to make a pack of six riders from third to eighth position on the track. Such is the nature of the race that within another lap the pack of six has split into three packs of two, Nakano still worrying Stoner and Hayden showing Dovi a wheel every now and again.

On lap 15, race control shows the riders the white flags, indicating that rain is falling on T5 - T7, one of the more fast and flowing sections of the track. As Rossi completes his first lap under white flags, there is no significant change to his lap time. The flags may have induced some hesitation in Stoner’s mind, as Nakano finally finds his way past and immediately arrives at the back of the Hayden/Dovi battle. Capirossi also closes right onto Stoner and start to threaten a move on the Ducati.

On lap 17 the storm that has been brewing between Hayden and Dovizioso climaxes. Hayden, sideways in T1 passes under Dovi, but runs wide as Dovi holds his line. The outside of T1 becomes the inside of T2, and Hayden has managed to keep his momentum and passes Dovi again, running him right out to the outside of the kerb on T3. Dovi is not done yet though - he block-passes Hayden into T4 and takes a wide line into T5. Hayden sees an opportunity to go back inside him, but just does not have the legs to put his bike where he wants it to be. Around T8, Hayden runs wide and Dovi clears off into the distance.

Up at the front, Rossi has built a four second gap to Pedrosa and is seemingly cruising to victory. In the final couple of laps Hayden catches Dovi again and looks for a way past, but to no avail, the young Italian gets his first podium in the premier class.

Rossi has time to wheelie over the line as he takes the chequered flag, the victory and his 150th GP podium. Pedrosa gets a worthy second and to the great appreciation of his team, Dovizioso fights his way to the third step.

MotoGPBlog Man of the Weekend: Undoubtedly Andrea Dovizioso, for the Hayden battle on what should be an inferior bike, and for keeping his cool to take the podium in the extreme heat of Malaysia.