MotoGP: 2009 Indianapolis Results
Over the last three rounds of the 2009 MotoGP season leading up to Sunday’s race in Indianapolis, Valentino Rossi had punked teammate and archrival Jorge Lorenzo to the tune of 41 points, extending his lead in the championship standings to an almost insurmountable 50. During this period, Lorenzo’s veneer had started showing some stress cracks, as he recorded brutal DNFs at both Donington and Brno.
At the Motor Speedway, Rossi had the opportunity to put his rival and the 2009 season on ice. Instead, he crashed out on Lap 9 and watched from his garage as the Spaniard took the checkered flag and breathed new life into his slim title hopes. What was The Doctor thinking?
Rossi’s plan today appeared to be the same as it always is: win the race. But while a decisive win today might have given him major warm-and-fuzzies and Lorenzo a bleeding ulcer, the downside risk was considerable. His accelerating lowside in Turn 1 raised Lorenzo, phoenix-like, from the ashes and allowed the rest of us to maintain a modicum of interest in the remaining five rounds of the season. A big ol’ modicum, actually.
In Case You Missed The Race
One of the multitude of technical flaws with my race reports is my consistent assumption that readers have not only watched the race but have also read the more technical, coherent reports thereon, allowing me to dwell on the more obvious points and exercise my inclination to make fun of stuff I don’t fully understand. But if you were unable to watch Round 12 – perhaps you were being held prisoner at your wife’s baby shower, or trying to look up old girlfriends on Facebook – here’s some of what you missed:
Looking Ahead
And so the MotoGP medicine show opens next weekend at the Grand Prix Cinzano di San Marino e Della Riviera di Rimini with Rossi leading Lorenzo by a still-significant 25 points. And make no mistake about it, 2009 is a two-man race, as Stoner continues to sit at 150 points and Pedrosa remains stuck at 141. Barring injury, neither stands a chance of overtaking Rossi or Lorenzo. The rest of the field is fighting over table scraps and looking to secure or solidify rides for next year.
The schedule for the remainder of the season looks like this: After San Marino, the riders take their fall break (didn’t they just finish their summer break?), returning the first weekend in October for Round 14 at Estoril, hopefully with Casey Stoner in tow. Two weeks later they’re Down Under at Phillip Island. The last weekend in October and it’s on to Sepang in Malaysia for a little satay and kangkong belacan. The season finale takes place over the first weekend in November at Valencia. My hope for this season is the same as my hope for every MotoGP season – that the title remains up for grabs for as long as possible.
I believe Jorge Lorenzo shares this wish. I’m pretty sure Valentino Rossi does not.
| MotoGP Top Five standings (after 12 rounds) | |||
| Pos. | Rider | Team | Points |
| 1st | Valentino Rossi | Fiat Yamaha | 212 |
| 2nd | Jorge Lorenzo | Fiat Yamaha | 187 |
| 3rd | Casey Stoner | Ducati Marlboro | 150 |
| 4th | Dani Pedrosa | Repsol Honda | 141 |
| 5th | Colin Edwards | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | 123 |
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