MotoGP 2015: Valencia race results
The 2015 championship comes down to the wire in Spain
JORGE Lorenzo has been crowned the 2015 MotoGP world champion after winning the season finale in Valencia as teammate Valentino Rossi raced from 25th to fourth, but it wasn’t enough.
In one of the most dramatic races of the year, Lorenzo led from flag to flag to claim the 2015 MotoGP title.
Lorenzo’s teammate and title rival Valentino Rossi started from 25th on the grid. Due to a last minute technical issue, Cal Crutchlow also joined him at the back of the grid.
The Doctor rode one of the best races of his life to cross the line in fourth, but despite his best efforts, the Italian could do nothing to stop Lorenzo becoming champion in the end.
Lorenzo eventually took the race win by just 0.263 seconds from Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez. Dani Pedrosa finished in third after thrilling last few laps that could have resulted in a very different outcome for the title.
With eight laps to go Pedrosa, in third, started to close down Marquez and reduced the gap to under two seconds. Suddenly Pedrosa was the fastest rider on track while Marquez put Lorenzo under constant pressure at the front.
Rossi was 18 seconds behind the trio and just couldn’t catch those at the front. With two laps to go, Pedrosa made a move on Marquez into second, but Marquez fought back immediately. This swapping of places allowed Lorenzo to open up the tiniest of gaps at the front and as he crossed the line to start the last lap, he had a 0.347s lead over Marquez.
Lorenzo held on to take the race win by less than three-tenths of a second from Marquez. It was the 28-year-old Mallorcan’s seventh win of the season, 40th in MotoGP and 61st of his career.
Marquez and Pedrosa completed the podium, Rossi crossed the line 19 seconds behind Lorenzo in fourth.
Pol Espargaro was fifth as the leading satellite rider, 2.8 seconds ahead of his teammate Bradley Smith in sixth, with the British rider securing sixth in the championship standings and the 2015 top satellite rider.
Dovizioso finished in seventh as the leading Ducati, ahead of Aleix Espargaro in eighth. LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow pulled off a great race to ride form 26th through to 9th, with Petrucci completing the top 10.
The final race in Valencia was also Nicky Hayden’s last MotoGP appearance before he heads to World Superbikes, but it was also Bridgestone’s last MotoGP race as Michelin becomes the official tyre supplier for the 2016 season.
The riders and team return to the Valencia track on Tuesday and Wednesday for a the first of several tests ahead of next year.
Race results:
1. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 45:59.364
2. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team 45:59.627 (+0.263)
3. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team 46:00.018 (+0.654)
4. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 46:19.153 (+19.789)
5. Pol Espargaro ESP Monster Yamaha Tech 3 46:25.368 (+26.004)
6. Bradley Smith GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 46:28.199 (+28.835)
7. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team 46:28.250 (+28.886)
8. Aleix Espargaro ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar 46:33.586 (+34.222)
9. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda 46:35.288 (+35.924)
10. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Racing 46:38.943 (+39.579)
11. Maverick Viñales ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar 46:39.110 (+39.746)
12. Michele Pirro ITA Ducati Team 46:46.417 (+47.053)
13. Yonny Hernandez COL Octo Pramac Racing 46:53.445 (+54.081)
14. Alvaro Bautista ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini 46:56.010 (+56.646)
15. Scott Redding GBR Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS 46:56.642 (+57.278)
16. Hector Barbera ESP Avintia Racing 46:56.727 (+57.363)
17. Nicky Hayden USA Aspar MotoGP Team 46:58.106 (+58.742)
18. Stefan Bradl GER Factory Aprilia Gresini 46:58.450 (+59.086)
19. Loris Baz FRA Forward Racing 47:03.703 (+1:04.339)
20. Toni Elias SPA Forward Racing 47:03.777 (+1:04.413)
21. Jack Miller AUS LCR Honda 47:04.576 (+1:05.212)
22. Anthony West AUS AB Motoracing 47:26.645 (+1:27.281)
DNF. Mike Di Meglio FRA Avintia Racing
DNF. Eugene Laverty IRL Aspar MotoGP Team
DNF. Broc Parkes AUS E-Motion IodaRacing
DNF. Andrea Iannone ITA Ducati Team
