Bridgestone: Lorenzo claims third victory in a row after Mugello masterclass
Jorge Lorenzo closed the points gap to teammate Valentino Rossi to just six points.
Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Racing
Yamaha MotoGP
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo scored his third consecutive MotoGP™ victory and closed the points gap to teammate Valentino Rossi to just six points after dominating the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello.
Lorenzo got a good start from second place on the grid and before the first lap was completed, snuck past Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso on the entry to Arrabiatta 1, after which point he was never headed. Setting a consistent pace at the front of the field, Lorenzo ultimately won by 5.563 seconds ahead of pole-sitter Andrea Iannone on the Ducati GP15 machine, while Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi held on to the championship lead by finishing in third place in Italy, just over one second behind Iannone. All three riders on the podium selected the combination of the medium compound front and rear slicks.
Today we had the biggest race day crowd at Mugello since 2008 and they were rewarded with seeing two Italian riders on the podium and a masterclass in riding by Jorge Lorenzo.
Hiroshi Yamada
Race day brought with it a rise in ambient and track temperatures, with the peak track temperature reading of 49°C during the race being eight degrees higher than the yesterday’s high. However, the rise wasn’t significant enough to influence the riders’ race tyre choice, with no factory Honda or Yamaha riders selecting the hard compound rear slick.
Rear tyre choice saw a fairly even split amongst the twenty-six rider field, with fourteen riders selecting the medium rear slick, and twelve riders selecting the soft compound rear. Front tyre choice showed a strong preference for the medium compound front slick, with twenty-two riders selecting this option, with the remaining four riders opting for the hard compound front.
Lorenzo’s hat-trick of MotoGP victories puts him on 112 championship points, while Rossi still leads the standings on 118 points after six rounds. Despite having to retire from his home race due to mechanical issues, Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso holds onto third place in the standings, 35 points off Rossi.
Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department: “Today we had the biggest race day crowd at Mugello since 2008 and they were rewarded with seeing two Italian riders on the podium and a masterclass in riding by Jorge Lorenzo. Congratulations to Jorge on yet another strong performance and also Yamaha, who have now won five out of the six races so far this year. We leave Mugello and head to another fantastic event in two weeks’ time at Montmélo and as this circuit has provided some amazing races in the past, I look forward to seeing which riders will step up to try and stop Yamaha’s impressive run of victories.”
Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department: “Compared to yesterday we had an increase in track temperatures today, but it wasn’t that significant a rise that it affected race tyre choice. Almost every rider used the tyre combination they decided upon after race simulations yesterday afternoon, and as we expected the medium compound front slick was by far the most popular choice for the race. Rear tyre choice was evenly split between the soft and medium compound options and I was pleased to see the riders were able to set a strong, consistent pace in hot conditions at a tough track for tyres.”
Jorge Lorenzo, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Race Winner: “Today my bike was working very well, even if the Ducati had a chance to challenge us for the win. I had a good start and in the first lap I overtook Dovizioso in a brave move to take the lead. Then as always I tried to find my rhythm, even if today the pace wasn’t so quick. A few times in MotoGP I have won three races in a row, but now the goal is to win four races in row which will be difficult but I will try my best.”
Bridgestone Motorsport
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