Champagne for Pedrosa, Evian for Lorenzo at Montegi
Spaniards on top of podium after weekend marked by eccentric behavior due to radiation fears
Dani Pedrosa recorded his first MotoGP win at the Twin Ring circuit in Montegi, Japan, on Sunday, taking advantage of a series of incidents to delay Casey Stoner's crowning as world champion by at least one more race. The Australian 2007 MotoGP winner may not have been too bothered though - the next date on the calendar is Phillip Island near Melbourne.
Pedrosa crossed the line in a time of 42:47.48, seven seconds ahead of compatriot Jorge Lorenzo, who still maintains slim title hopes thanks to Stoner's third-placed finish. The Australian, who is 40 points clear of Lorenzo in the standing with three races to go, started the race on pole and tore away from the grid but suffered a front wheel and brake problem on lap four that forced him off the track. He recovered, though, to rejoin in seventh and swiftly moved up the field.
Lorenzo said his team had worked out a ranking to see who was least affected by radiation fears
Seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi crashed out of the race on turn two, nearly scything through Lorenzo as he did so. "I had one of the worst starts of my career and then Valentino almost took me off at the second corner," the 2010 world champion said. "I still thought I could win today but Dani was really inspired. When you look at all the positions though, second place is good."
"It was a bit weird in the beginning," said Pedrosa. "Casey made a mistake so I had a free path. Jorge was pushing hard but I'm happy to get my first win here in MotoGP, and for Honda."
It had been a weird weekend all round: the race had been delayed by five months due to the damage caused to the Fukushima nuclear plant by April's tsunami and three riders did not attend the race in the 125cc and Moto2 category over safety fears. The Fukushima plant is around 120 kilometers from the Twin Ring circuit.
Teams flew in their own food and water supplies as well as, in the case of Ducati, its own nuclear physicists. Some 30 engineers also opted out of the race.
Lorenzo, who had spent the weekend showering in Evian mineral water, said that his team had worked out a ranking to see who was least affected by radiation fears, which Ducati's physicists said was minimal. "Ricky [Cardús] won, because he ate biscuits on the plane, cleaned his teeth with tap water and ate Sushi on Thursday night," he said.
