MotoGP Sepang: Pedrosa wins, race interrupted and Lorenzo 2nd to the disappointment of Honda

The MotoGP race in Sepang was crazy, the scene of the "Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix", the sixteenth stage of the 2012 world championship. The race which began in the rain initially saw the escape of Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa, with the latter who, halfway through the race, took the lead in the race. Then when there were 7 laps to go and with Lorenzo having already played two "Jokers" (and being chased by Casey Stoner), the Majorcan began to raise his arm (the only one to do so) to stop the race.

At that point, a few corners later, the race direction decided to interrupt the race. This is to the disappointment of Honda who could have gained more points over Lorenzo from a world championship perspective. We then waited a long time to understand if it would be possible to restart for a 7-lap mini-race, but given that the conditions were not improving it was decided not to return and to finish the race with Lorenzo 2nd and Stoner third, returning to the podium, it hasn't happened since Laguna Seca.

For Pedrosa it is the sixth victory of the year (the first ever in the wet), the third in a row after those of Aragon and Motegi, the twenty-first in MotoGP and the forty-fourth in the world championship. Now his gap in the standings from Lorenzo is 23 points, with two races remaining in the season. The "zero" at Misano weighs like a stone on the Honda rider, where after being relegated from pole to last position due to a problem with the bike, he was then hit by Barbera.

Race report

Everything is ready for the "Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix", the sixteenth stage of the 2012 MotoGP class world championship, which will be held at the Sepang International Circuit. In pole position we find the Yamaha YZR-M1 of world championship leader Jorge Lorenzo. The Majorcan will be joined on the front row by Repsol Honda Team compatriot Dani Pedrosa and our own Andrea Dovizioso, on the Team Tech 3 Yamaha SAT. Further back, Valentino Rossi with the Ducati who will start from the eleventh fastest time. Also on track is Casey Stoner, who returned to Motegi after missing three races due to the ankle injury suffered in qualifying at Indianapolis and who will start fourth. also on the second row are the Yamahas of Cal Crutchlow and Ben Spies. Race declared wet, everyone lined up on rain tires, twenty laps to go. The traffic lights go out, the fastest at the start is poleman Jorge Lorenzo, followed in order by Pedrosa, Stoner, Bradl, by Valentino Rossi who made a great start, Bautista, Barbera and Andrea Dovizioso who "skated" so hard clutch release and lost many positions. Behind the Yamaha rider from Forlì we find Hayden, Cruthlow, Aleix Espargaro, Spies and Randy de Puniet.

The first lap ends, Lorenzo leads the race ahead of Pedrosa, Stoner, Rossi, Bradl, Dovizioso, Bautista, Hayden, Spies and Crutchlow. Our drivers with the CRTs are Michele Pirro 14th, Danilo Petrucci 19th and Roberto Rolfo 20th. Dovizioso goes strong, the Team Tech 3 rider attacks Rossi, moving into fourth position.

Meanwhile, world championship leader Jorge Lorenzo tries to escape in front, but Pedrosa isn't having it and closes in until he catches the Majorcan Yamaha rider. Meanwhile, Casey Stoner is threatened by Dovizioso and Rossi, who are catching up with him, with Stefan Bradl and Nicky Hayden trying to reduce the gap to the Ducati rider from Pesaro.

The first two are the only ones currently lapping under two minutes and 15, while behind Andrea Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi are now at loggerheads. The two Italian riders have now caught up with Casey Stoner, rider of the Repsol Honda Team and will compete with him for the third step of the podium. It doesn't rain with the same intensity throughout the track, more so on the pit straight.

The pace of world championship leader Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa is impressive, who already have an advantage of over seven seconds over the third, Casey Stoner who, like Dovizioso, manages to break the barrier of two minutes and 15. Spies falls! A year to forget for the next Team Pramac rider and current Yamaha Factory Racing rider.

Fall for Dovizioso! The race of the Yamaha rider from Forlì ends here, who also crashed this morning in the warm up. Luckily for him there were no physical consequences, but a wasted opportunity, especially from a global perspective. In fact, the possibility of fighting with Stoner for third position is receding.

Attack from Pedrosa, the Spaniard takes the lead under braking just as the halfway point of the race is reached. Beautiful break from the Repsol Honda Team rider who passes his Yamaha compatriot to take the lead of the race. We'll see if this time the Majorcan from Yamaha will be able to respond. Massive number of riders, Cal Crutchlow, Randy de Puniet and Stefan Bradl also crash.

Meanwhile, Hayden is going strong behind him, moving up to fourth place, while Rossi, who had lost two positions, is now in battle with Alvaro Bautista. Casey Stoner is also going strong, who now has Lorenzo in his sights, but just now the red flag is being waved. There was too much water on the track, at least for Jorge Lorenzo, who raised his hand several times to stop the race (he had risked falling twice), much to the disappointment of the Honda riders. Race interrupted therefore, we should start again for a mini-race, provided that the rain stops falling, also because it is also getting dark.

Race definitively interrupted, the success therefore goes to Pedrosa ahead of Lorenzo and Stoner, but controversies will certainly follow, in fact as written above it was only the Majorcan who raised his arm to interrupt the race. The Ducatis finished in fourth and fifth position with Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi.