2012 MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo clinches season opener at Qatar

The opening race of the 2012 MotoGP season – the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar threw some welcome surprises with Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo displaying staggering pace and busting the existing myth in the MotoGP paddocks that it would be another dominant season by Casey Stoner, after the Australian showed immense promise during the pre-season tests. But as the lights went off and the race began, Lorenzo was right upto pace from the first lap itself battling the Repsol Honda pair of Casey Stoner and Dani Pesdrosa. Pedrosa started 7^th on the grid but a fantastic start by the young Spanish rider allowed him to get to the frontrunners going into turn one on the first lap itself. The trio of Lorenzo, Stoner and Pedrosa then gradually pulled ahead of the remaining pack while another battle for fourth place ensued between Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mates Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso.

As the 22-lap race progressed, Lorenzo, Stoner and Pedrosa stuck close together with Stoner consistently pressurizing race leader Lorenzo from early on in the race and eventually passing the Yamaha rider on the start-finish straight on the third lap to take the lead. There onwards Lorenzo stayed close on Stoner’s heels until the final three laps when the Spaniard made a brilliant overtaking move on the Australian to take his first MotoGP victory at the floodlit Losail circuit. Lorenzo and his Yamaha YZR-M1 crossed the finish line 0.852 seconds ahead of second place finisher Dani Pedrosa, while Stoner climbed the final spot on the podium after he was passed by his team-mate Pedrosa on the 20^th lap going into turn one.

It was a splendid start to the new 1,000cc era in MotoGP along with some strong performance by the new CRT outfits. The fight for fourth place was won by the Brit Cal Crutchlow, who stayed on his team-mate Dovizioso’s tail for most part of the race preserving his tyres and made a pass on the 17^th lap to take home his best ever result in MotoGP.  Dovizioso who was straddling a Yamaha for the first time in his racing career did a fantastic job but was eventually trumped by his team-mate and was forced to settle for fifth.

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Sixth place finisher Nicky Hayden was the highest finishing Ducati on the timesheets after winning an exciting duel with Alvaro Bautista of San Carlo Racing team with the Yankee beating the Spaniard by just 0.033 seconds forcing Bautista to finish seventh. MotoGP debutant Stefan Bradl riding for LCR Honda showed impressive pace in his first ever outing finishing in eighth position. Hector Barbera of Pramac Racing team riding the Ducati was fighting for sixth place for most part of the race but then ran wide in a corner during the final few laps settling for ninth place as the flag was drawn. Ducati-mounted Valentino Rossi continued his struggle with the machine and could only manage a tenth place finish as the 22-lap race concluded.

Lorenzo’s team-mate Ben Spies too had a rough weekend with a rather scary fall in the final practice session on Friday and then finishing out of the top ten with eleventh place in the race. The highest finishing CRT entry was the NGM-Suter machine piloted by Colin Edwards who warded off attacks from the trio of Randy de Puniet  of Power Electronics Aspar, Yonny Hernández of Avintia Racing MotoGP and Aleix Espargaró of Power Electronics Aspar, to take twelfth.