MotoGP News: 2010 United States Grand Prix Laguna Seca Race Result
The United States Grand Prix at Laguna Seca saw Jorge Lorenzo take a commanding victory over the pack after Dani Pedrosa crashed out of the lead in his 11th lap. With this win Lorenzo has managed to amass a 72 point lead over his fellow Spaniard Pedrosa and it’s the Yamaha rider’s sixth chequered flag of the season.
Pedrosa started off fourth from the grid and rocketed to first place taking the lead into the Andretti hairpin on the very first lap leaving Casey Stoner and Lorenzo trailing by little over a second in his wake. However, Turn Five of the 11th lap proved fatal for his victory as his Honda lost grip and slid off to the gravel trap and somersaulting into the tyre barrier, luckily Pedrosa walked away without any serious injury.
Lorenzo having overtaken Stoner in lap 5 was left in the lead. The Yamaha rider having 3 seconds on the Ducati was able to maintain his pace, taking the top podium spot ahead of Stoner who came in second.
Valentino Rossi, the seven-time world champion, in his second race back from injury took the final podium spot. With seven laps to go in the race Rossi’s Yamaha overtook Andrea Dovizioso's Honda at the final corner. He managed to sweep around Dovizioso's before the Andretti Hairpin after running neck to neck with his rival along the start/finish straight.
Nicky Hayden had to battle it out with Rossi, Dovizioso and Ben Spies for the better part of the first half of the race. Loosing to both Rossi and Dovizioso he managed to grab fifth place out of sheer luck, as the Tech 3 Yamaha Rider, Spies out-braked himself and handed the position over to Hayden with eight laps left to go. Gresini Honda riders Marco Simoncelli and Marco Melandri fought it out hard with Colin Edwards' Tech 3 Yamaha, but Simoncelli crashed out on Turn Five exactly where Pedrosa did, resulting in handing over the seventh and eighth positions to Edwards and Melandari respectively.
Turn Five managed to take down Aleix Espargaro, who had crashed out of ninth place causing Loris Capirossi's Suzuki and Mika Kallio's Pramac Ducati to compete in the top 10 with only a handful of laps left to go. The LCR Honda rider Roger Lee Hayden came in 12th place.
With the next race set for the Automotodrom Brno, Czech Republic, the championship is lead by both the Spaniards; Lorenzo at 210 points followed by Pedrosa at 138 and Dovizioso in third with 115 points. With the win at Laguna Seca, Lorenzo is well set to win the 2010 championship considering the lead he enjoys. Brno is a relatively easier track with numerous turns and hence opportunities; the track record favours the Doctor, Valentino Rossi, who has owned the track for the last two years. However the championship remain wide open for the second and third spot
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