Dani Pedrosa Victorious in Jerez
Takes the Lead in the Riders’ Standings
Mar 30, 2008 Jose Antonio A. Climaco
It was the outcome the Spanish fans in Jerez had hoped when Dani Pedrosa took the chequered flag for a famous home victory. The result vaulted the Repsol Honda rider to the top of the championship standings when the reigning champion Casey Stoner could only manage a disappointing 11th place finish.
Valentino Rossi will be pleased with his second place finish. After a struggling start in Qatar, Rossi and Fiat Yamaha will be delighted with their competitive form finishing in just under three seconds behind Pedrosa. Rossi had the best result both in qualifying and in the race among Bridgestone runners.
Rossi however almost lost second position when he slowed down on the start/finish straight on the penultimate lap erroneously thinking that it was the final lap of the race. Upon realizing that no chequered flag was being waved, Rossi got back to the throttle and scrambled to hold on to his position. By claiming 20 points, Rossi climbed to third in the championship standings; ten points behind Pedrosa.
Claiming the last podium spot was Rossi’s new teammate Jorge Lorenzo who continued to impress in his debut season in the premier class. In only his second premier class race, Lorenzo once again clinched pole position during qualifying and finished on the podium. That gives the rookie a 100% pole and podium finish record. Lorenzo remains second in the overall standings.
2006 world champion Nicky Hayden finished in fourth for Repsol Honda. The American kept the pressure on the top three riders for most of the race before fading in the last few laps.
Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi emerged ahead of a tense battle for fifth place by fending off Tech 3 Yamaha rider James Toseland, Kawasaki Racing team’s John Hopkins and JiR Team Scot rider Andrea Dovizioso who finished sixth, seventh, and eighth respectively.
Rounding up the top ten was Shinya Nakano riding for San Carlo Gresini Honda, Rizla Suzuki’s Cris Vermeulen.
For the first time in over a season, Casey Stoner finished outside of the top ten. The reigning champion had two off track excursions that prevented him from challenging anywhere near the front of the pack. It was obvious that Stoner and his team struggled to find a competitive set-up for his Bridgestone shod Ducati.
The next race in Estoril is a track that seems to favor Michelin tires. It will be interesting to see how Stoner and Ducati will cope with the challenge ahead. As it stands, Stoner dropped to fourth in the standings.
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