Lorenzo storms to third straight win

Published Sun, Jul 04 10 08:18 PM

Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo was the runaway winner of the Catalan MotoGP on Sunday, a third consecutive victory extending his world championship lead.

The Yamaha rider finished almost five seconds ahead of compatriot and title rival Dani Pedrosa, who held off the persistent challenge of Australia's Casey Stoner to take second place by two-tenths of a second.

Lorenzo moved on to 165 points after seven races, 52 ahead of Pedrosa. Italian Andrea Dovizioso, who had been battling for first place before falling, finished 14th and is third with 91 points.

Champion Valentino Rossi, who is recovering from a broken leg, slipped to down seventh with 61 points.

"It was a very difficult race, very hot, and very tiring. The tyres were a real problem," Lorenzo told Spanish state television.

"Andrea (Dovizioso) was pushing hard and I thought it was going to be like that all the way but he fell which made it easier."

Pedrosa had been fastest in the morning warm-up and flew from fourth on the grid to first going into the opening bend, but a braking problem forced him to balloon wide and he dropped way down the order.

He quickly recovered ground and after five laps was back up to third, though some distance behind Honda team mate Dovizioso and Lorenzo, who were tussling for the lead.

SLID OFF

Dovizioso was right on Lorenzo's tail when he slid off into the gravel with 11 laps to go, leaving the focus on Pedrosa and Stoner's battle for second place.

The Ducati rider pressured Pedrosa over the last 12 laps but was unable to find a way through.

Frenchman Randy de Puniet came in a distant fourth ahead of Spaniard Alvaro Bautista and American Ben Spies.

The Moto2 event was marred by a mass pile-up on the first bend and won by Japan's Yuki Takahashi on a Tech 3, after race leader Andrea Iannone was forced to take a ride-through penalty for overtaking when the yellow flag was out. He finished 13th.

Swiss Thomas Luthi was second and Spaniard Julian Simon third. Spaniard Carmelo Morales needed medical treatment after a spectacular crash on the finishing line.

Spaniard Toni Elias, who finished fifth, leads Luthi by 17 points in the standings with Simon third.

In the 125cc category. Spaniard Marc Marquez, 17, became the youngest rider to register four consecutive Grand Prix wins, beating the record previously held by Valentino Rossi.

The Derbi rider came in ahead of Britain's Bradley Smith and Spaniard Pol Espargaro and climbed to the top of the world championship standings. Previous leader Nicolas Terol fell during the last lap of the race.

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