MotoGP USA: Pedrosa ends Honda dry run!

Round 8 of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship at the gutsy and technical Californian circuit at Laguna Seca threw up some interesting results, not only for the race but also for the manner in which this season seems to be shaping up. Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa led from the front and scored Honda's first race win in over a year of racing competitively. Valentino Rossi came excruciatingly close to scoring his 101st victory in world championship motorcycle racing, but had to settle with second place. Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo put up a spirited show on painkillers after his massive crash in qualifying to finish third.

Earlier on Saturday, Lorenzo's blazing lap had ensured the top place on the grid for him, but a huge highside in the final stages of the session saw him partially dislocate his right shoulder and hurt his foot in the process. The handiwork of Dr. Costa and MotoGP crash spin doctors at the Clinica Mobile saw the painkiller pumped Lorenzo start the race from first, joined on the front row by Rossi and Stoner - both having posted very competitive timings.

Off the line however, it was Dani Pedrosa who charged through the field from fourth place, assisted not only by his weight advantage but also by Laguna Seca's downhill start-finish stretch. Rossi and Stoner tried to toe his line, but the Spaniard's pace was too vicious and he had already opened up a 0.3 and 0.6 second gap over the two respectively by the end of Lap 1. Lorenzo had an under-average start and had to spend a large part of the opening lap making it to fifth place.

Pedrosa's teammate Andrea Dovizioso showed a promising opening and stuck with the lead group of four. He even came within sniffing distance of Rossi in the initial laps. The vicious American racetrack took its toll on the rider however, and he crashed out from fourth place on Lap 7.

Meanwhile, Stoner was trying to fight back, even went past Rossi down the front straight just as the second lap ended. His challenge was annulled at the corkscrew by Rossi, but Stoner got the pass again soon and stayed there for almost ten laps. Rossi was always in touch and it was clear this would be the fight to look out for. By this time, Pedrosa had stretched his lead to almost two seconds and was showing no slack in his pace. Clearly worried, Rossi made a smooth and relaxed move on the Ducati rider and set his eyes on Pedrosa.

Stoner's mysterious illness that has been leaving him in a pretty exhausted state had begun to return by this time, and his timings began to stagnate even as Pedrosa, Rossi and Lorenzo began to up the pace. Resultantly, he was passed on Lap 21 by Lorenzo, with 11 laps to go. Lorenzo had now made up for his lost time and was gunning for second place Rossi, who had failed to bridge the gap between himself and Pedrosa. At one point, the two were separated by only 0.3 of a second, but that was precisely the point at which Rossi decided to go after Pedrosa at the front. The final four laps had Pedrosa letting go of the throttle while Rossi stayed pinned, and the distance between the two decreased dramatically from over two seconds to 0.3 of a second as they crossed the line to finish the race.

Another noteworthy performance came from Ducati rider and two-time Laguna winner Nicky Hayden. He finished in fifth place, but at 21 seconds off the top riders' pace at his home track, he may as well have been riding in a different race. In fact, he had to fight hard to hold off Honda Gresini rider Toni Elias. The points will stand him and Ducati in good stead, but it is difficult to see this finish as something significant in the larger picture. In other highlights of the race, Colin Edwards saw setup problems have him underperform at his home grand prix in 7th place, and teammate James Toseland was disqualified from the race after he failed to pay heed to a jumpstart ride-through penalty.

By the end of the initial few races of the championship, it had become clear that Pedrosa had the pace but maybe lacked the edge to challenge seriously for the title. Midway through the championship, it is now almost certain that Honda rider may not make it to the top with the crown, but will definitely the party of three for the championship between Rossi, Stoner and Lorenzo. Off to the Honda stronghold at Sachsenring in Germany in two weeks time - let's see if Pedrosa can add more spice to this already crazy season!