Lorenzo ends 2016 on top in Yamaha farewell
Jorge Lorenzo has bid farewell to Yamaha in fitting style with an lights-to-flag victory in the final MotoGP race of 2016 at Valencia.
JORGE Lorenzo has bid farewell to Yamaha in fitting style with an lights-to-flag victory in the final MotoGP race of 2016 at Valencia.
Lorenzo backed up his storming pole with a flawless victory and new lap record to mark his last race for Yamaha after a nine-year association ahead of his switch to the factory Ducati team.
The three-time premier class champion led all the way at the Ricardo Tormo circuit as he closed out an emotional win from the hard-charging Marc Marquez on the Repsol Honda and the impressive Andrea Iannone, who finished third in his final race for Ducati before his move to Suzuki for 2017.
After Lorenzo bolted ahead from pole while Marquez balked off the line, a battle raged for second place with nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi moving to the front of the group after putting a move on Maverick Vinales, but Iannone refused to go away and the Italian and soon found a way past Rossi as Lorenzo continued to pull clear at the front.
However, Marquez was now on the move and the world champion picked off his rivals to take up the chase behind Lorenzo. The Honda rider produced a stirring performance in the closing stages of the race and reduced Lorenzo's deficit by more than three seconds, but ultimately Marquez had left himself with too much to do.
Iannone and Rossi engaged in a duel for the final place on the podium and it seemed the nine-time world champion had made the decisive move on the Yamaha, but Iannone fought back and snatched third with a hard move.
Vinales, having his last race on the Suzuki before he teams up with Rossi at Movistar Yamaha, finished fifth on the GSX-RR, with Pol Espargaro getting the verdict in sixth on the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha after flashing across the line with Andrea Dovizioso.
Aleix Espargaro was a close eighth on the Ecstar Suzuki ahead of Britain's Bradley Smith, who was another rider making his final appearance for his current team on the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha before joining KTM.
Cal Crutchlow was a faller on the LCR Honda but the English rider still ends the season as the top satellite rider. Dani Pedrosa's race also ended in the gravel when the Repsol Honda rider fell as he made his comeback from injury.
The top ten was completed by Spain's Alvaro Bautista on the Gresini Aprilia, with Avintia Ducati's Hector Barbera and Danilo Petrucci next, who has won his battle with Pramac team-mate Scott Redding for a GP17 ride next season.
Redding finished in 14th behind Stefan Bradl (Gresini Aprilia) with Jack Miller collecting the final point in 15th on the Marc VDS Honda ahead of Northern Ireland's Eugene Laverty (Aspar Ducati).
Mika Kallio failed to finish the race on the KTM Racing RC16 after developing technical problems with the bike in the manufacturer's MotoGP debut.
Full Valencia MotoGP race results:
1. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 45m 54.228s
2. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 45m 55.413s
3. Andrea Iannone ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP) 46m 0.831s
4. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 46m 1.896s
5. Maverick Viñales ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 46m 4.838s
6. Pol Espargaro ESP Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 46m 12.606s
7. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP) 46m 12.645s
8. Aleix Espargaro ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 46m 12.906s
9. Bradley Smith GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 46m 20.221s
10. Alvaro Bautista ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 46m 29.293s
11. Hector Barbera ESP Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP14.2) 46m 30.653s
12. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Yakhnich (Desmosedici GP15) 46m 36.643s
13. Stefan Bradl GER Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 46m 44.051s
14. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Yakhnich (Desmosedici GP15) 46m 46.263s
15. Jack Miller AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 46m 49.853s
16. Eugene Laverty IRL Aspar MotoGP Team (Desmosedici GP14.2) 46m 52.482s
17. Tito Rabat ESP Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V)* 46m 52.783s
18. Loris Baz FRA Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP14.2) 47m 0.392s
Mika Kallio FIN Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) DNF
Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) DNF
Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) DNF
Yonny Hernandez COL Aspar MotoGP Team (Desmosedici GP14.2) DNF
Final 2016 MotoGP Championship standings:
1. Marc Marquez SPA Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 298 points
2. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 249 points (-49)
3. Jorge Lorenzo SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 233 points (-65)
4. Maverick Viñales SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 202 points (-96)
5. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP) 171 points (-127)
6. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 155 points (-143)
7. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 141 points (-157)
8. Pol Espargaro SPA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 134 points (-164)
9. Andrea Iannone ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP) 112 points (-186)
10. Hector Barbera SPA Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP14.2) 102 points (-196)
11. Aleix Espargaro SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 93 points (-205)
12. Alvaro Bautista SPA Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 82 points (-216)
13. Eugene Laverty IRL Aspar MotoGP Team (Desmosedici GP14.2) 77 points (-221)
14. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Yakhnich (Desmosedici GP15) 75 points (-223)
15. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Yakhnich (Desmosedici GP15) 74 points (-224)
16. Stefan Bradl GER Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 63 points (-235)
17. Bradley Smith GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 62 points (-236)
18. Jack Miller AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 57 points (-241)
19. Michele Pirro ITA Ducati Test Rider (Desmosedici GP) 36 points (-262)
20. Loris Baz FRA Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP14.2) 35 points (-263)
21. Tito Rabat SPA Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V)* 29 points (-269)
22. Yonny Hernandez COL Aspar MotoGP Team (Desmosedici GP14.2) 20 points (-278)
23. Katsuyuki Nakasuga JPN Yamaha Test Rider (YZR-M1) 5 points (-293)
24. Alex Lowes GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 3 points (-295)
25. Hiroshi Aoyama JPN Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1 points (-297)
26. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1 points (-297)
27. Mike Jones AUS Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP14.2) 1 points (-297)
Blue Name = No Concessions.
7 engine changes for the season. Engines must be identical throughout season within same team (development freeze). 5 days of private testing.
Black Name = Concessions.
9 engine changes. No engine development freeze. Unlimited private testing.
* Rookie
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