6.03.2008

Vale unbeatable in Mugello

Unfortunately, I didn't actually get a chance to watch the MotoGP race on Sunday. I had other things going on in my life, and actually knew the outcome prior to its airing on Speed thanks to the myriad motorcycle blogs that filter through my RSS reader. That being said, the first thing I did when I got home was hopped onto the series of tubes and downloaded a copy of the race from EuroSport. And boy am I glad I did!

For those of you who didn't get a chance to watch the race, it's important to note how amazing Valentino Rossi is at this track. Fully and totally unbeatable. And now that he's back to his old form (and starting from the pole position), I was pretty sure he was going to waltz away with the points. Not quite the case, as he fell behind and had to work his way back up from 3rd position, but after gaining the lead, he continued to build upon it right through to the finish (his 7th consecutive GP win at this circuit). The final gap between Rossi and 2nd place finisher Casey Stoner was a full 2.2 seconds. A further 2.6 seconds separated Stoner from Pedrosa, in 3rd. The Kentucky Kid, Nicky Hayden finished a disappointing (for him, not for me) 13th, 50.440 seconds (yes, almost a full minute) behind Rossi.

The race also happened to be filled with crashes and miscalculations, with Lorenzo & Hopkins both bowing out in the 17th lap, and De Puniet & Melandri leaving in the 18th lap.

Rossi now leads the World Championship standings by 12 points over Pedrosa, and 28 points over #3 Jorge Lorenzo. Next race is this weekend (June 8) in Spain.

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