World champion Jorge Lorenzo cemented his position as this year’s leading MotoGP rider with victory in the Portuguese GP at Estoril, the penultimate race of 2010.
The Spaniard beat seven-times world champion and Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi into second place, with Rossi’s fellow-Italian Andrea Doviziozo taking third.
The victory means 23-year-old Lorenzo has now won at Estoril for three years in succession.
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MotoGP: Rain Hands Jorge Lorenzo Estoril Pole
MotoGP: Portuguese Grand Prix - Race Line Up
Lorenzo started the race from pole position, after Saturday’s qualifying session was rained off and—following an early battle for supremecy with Rossi—he eventually took the lead on a permanent basis on the 17th lap of the 28-lap race to secure his eighth success of an impressive season. CNN International
Lorenzo said afterwards: “Valentino overtook me [after four laps] and got away from me for a while, but I stayed calm and began reeling him in bit by bit.”
Rossi said: “It’s a particular kind of race. On the dry surface I lacked some speed and I couldn’t keep up with Jorge.” BBC Sport
The Italian brought home his factory M1 in a lonely second position for his tenth podium at Estoril in 11 visits as he finished almost 18 seconds ahead of Dovizioso, who had engaged in a thrilling battle to the very finish with Marco Simoncelli for the final podium position. It was the Repsol Honda rider who edged it – by just 0.059s – to take his seventh podium of the season and leave the San Carlo Honda Gresini rider still looking for his first rostrum in the premier class. Simoncelli will not be disappointed with a season’s best finish of fourth however.
Ducati Team rider Nicky Hayden placed fifth after coming close to the podium, the American just 0.620s behind Simoncelli, whilst Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) and Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) completed the top seven, both within three seconds of Hayden.
On his return to racing after missing the past three Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) came in eighth, with Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Héctor Barberá (Páginas Amarillas Aspar) inside the top ten. Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki), Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP) and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) were the final three riders to finish the race. Motogp.com
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