2012 Brno MotoGP | Results

2012 Czech Republic Grand Prix Results

Spoiler Alert: 2012 MotoGP Championship results from Brno in the Czech Republic listed below

Following only a one-week break, the 2012 MotoGP Championship headed to Brno Sunday for the bwin Czech Republic Grand Prix.

The biggest pre-race news was the absence of two riders – Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner and Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden. Both riders were injured during qualifying for the previous round’s qualifying at Indy. Stoner broke his right ankle, forcing him back to Australia for surgery, and Hayden broke some bones in his hand, the Kentuckian also sustaining a concussion.

But the biggest story of the race was the intense battle between pole-sitter Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) and his fellow Spaniard, Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda). This fight came down to the last lap, when both racers were almost even on the final turn of the 3.357-mile Brno circuit containing 14 turns.

But it was Pedrosa who got the better drive, the RC213V rider holding off Lorenzo by 0.178 of a second. Taking the final podium position was Monster Tech 3 Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow, which was the Brit’s debut podium in the premier class.

This was Pedrosa’s first MotoGP win at Brno, where he had already triumphed in the former 125cc and 250cc classes. He now has eight consecutive races with podium finishes – 11 from the last 12 of 18 rounds. The Spaniard now holds 232 points in the standings, 13 behind Lorenzo and with 150 still up for grabs.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V MotoGP) says: “Today was one of my best races in MotoGP ever, to win with a big gap is always nice, but to have a battle like today with Jorge, it’s sometimes more rewarding. It was a difficult last lap because I knew that Jorge was very fast in the middle of the corner and I could hear the bike right on me and I knew that just the smallest gap would allow him to pass. In fact, in that left corner I opened the door just a little more than normal and ‘boom’ he was there, I could see his bike in my face! With just half a lap to go, I was a little more nervous than before but I knew I had some strong points coming to the end of the lap.

“I tried to get the best drive out of the hill and then in the last corner I was beside him, when I released the brakes we were side by side in the corner and I was able to take my line and win the race. It was amazing and I’m really happy with this victory, for all my team and also for my father because it is his birthday! For the Championship we must keep up this momentum as Jorge is riding very strong and consistently in the top two. Testing will be important to set us up for the final part of the season, so let’s see what we can do”.

Despite dark clouds looming, the track was dry, much to the delight of riders and fans, and it was Yamaha Factory Racing’s Lorenzo who got the holeshot off the line, holing off Pedrosa and Crutchlow. Yamaha’s Ben Spies looked to continue his bad luck as he dropped back drastically after a few corners with a slipping clutch. This left Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso and Ducati Team’s Valentino Rossi to chase down Crutchlow in third.

With 17 laps to go, LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl was involved in a tight battle with San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista, with the German taking the Spaniard for sixth after dicing for numerous turns. Meanwhile, Spies looked to have re-found his stride with the issue sorted, and was fighting his way back through the pack after dropping down to 13th. Three laps later, Bradl was dicing with Rossi for fifth place, getting the better of the Italian after a few attempts. On the same lap, Spies’ race came to an end after he crashed out of his charge.

Avintia Blusens’ Iván Silva suffered a technical issue with 12 laps remaining, while Lorenzo and Pedrosa were neck and neck at the front of the race, having pulled out a significant gap over Crutchlow. On the same lap Bautista overtook Rossi, whose Desmosedici looked to be slowing. A lap later Pedrosa sparked some life into the battle at the front, as he got past Lorenzo on the inside, though the Mallorcan continued to stick to his rear wheel.

On the last lap it was MotoGP racing at its best with Lorenzo forcing his way past Pedrosa with a tough move, with the Repsol Honda rider fighting back almost immediately, and the two almost neck-and-neck into the final turn. With Pedrosa on the better line coming into the final turn, he got the best drive to the line to take his third victory of the season.

Crutchlow recorded his own milestone by taking his first ever podium in the MotoGP class, and ending a 12-year premier-class podium drought for a British rider. It was a fitting way to celebrate his contract extension with the team this weekend. P

edrosa’s win has moved him to within 13 points of Lorenzo and blown the championship race wide open at the top. Fourth spot went to Dovizioso, in front of Bradl, Bautista, Rossi and Power Electronics Aspar’s Randy de Puniet who finished top CRT. Cardion AB Racing’s local rider Karel Abraham and De Puniet’s teammate Aleix Espargaró completed the top 10.

2012 Brno MotoGP Results: