You could say that MotoGP reporters have had a fairly easy time of it in recent years with the likes of Stoner, Rossi, and Lorenzo doing a decent job of grinding out championship success with the odd flashes of chaos wrong in (Laguna Seca, Motegi, Catalunya). In fact any straightforward coverage sometimes mixed in derision towards the 800c formula for electronics-controlled processions. However in this final fling for the 800s a jumbling of the cast list with Rossi’s red shade reinvigorating interest (certainly in southern Europe), Stoner’s ‘Rossi-esque’ formidability with the Repsol Honda, Lorenzo now ‘the target’ and Pedrosa needing to re-assert status means an increased degree of keyboard bashing for the hacks.
The combination of a damp track, soft – and frankly useless – Bridgestone tyres (the post-race PR cited the ‘abrasive’ nature of the Jerez asphalt) threw the 45 minute MotoGP chase into a contest mirroring something the drama of a greek tragedy for several of the key players. Talk about a headache of where to start.
Rossi’s rookie-ish move to skittle Stoner, very public apology (have there been many more gripping MotoGP TV pictures? Aside from the moment when Mick Doohan approached Honda team-mate Alex Criville in the pits with a face like thunder during 1996 and one of their last-lap prangs) and the furore surrounding the Spanish marshal’s favouritism in assisting Rossi were just several of many talking points. Casey’s questioning of Rossi’s talent, caught on the mic as Rossi apologised by grabbing both of the Australian’s shoulders (while he with a forced smile asked how the Italian’s own oft-written about limb was holding-up), might be one of the fastest circulating quotes in MotoGP existence.
Added to this creation of a festering duel were crashes by Marco Simoncelli, Ben Spies and Cal Crutchlow when all were in the position of personal best results. Colin Edwards rode like a master before his Yamaha M1’s fuel pump halted leaving him with a DNF instead of a trophy. John Hopkins rode with maturity (and place his doubters, including yours truly, in the wrong) and Nicky Hayden went from nowhere to the rostrum. Dani Pedrosa bounced around the top three and should be under a surgeon’s knife as you read this to have a titanium plate removed that might improve his arm strength.
The aftermath of Jerez leaves us with four pertinent observations. 1) The heat between the ‘Aliens’ is starting to creep up and there must be some repercussions from that first corner 2) Lorenzo now has momentum to prevent a Stoner runaway and the Aussie’s DNF keeps the championship tighter for the first half of the season 3) Any more wet events on the schedule – and Estoril and Le Mans are only three and five weeks away respectively – should increase spectator numbers even more and 4) eating sandwiches, watching races for free and occasionally waving a flag or picking a bike up is now a politically hazardous occupation.
