San Marino MotoGP 2011: Lorenzo keeps the battle alive

OFF: Lorenzo speeds into the distance from the go in Misano

WORLD champion Jorge Lorenzo showed supreme quality to defeat the Repsol Honda's and win Sunday's round of the MotoGP season, at Misano.  Held under the title of San Marino, Lorenzo took the lead from the start and was never headed to lead home Dani Pedrosa and championship leader Casey Stoner in a fairly processional race.

     Stoner started on pole position for the eighth time this season and looked odds-on favourite for a fourth successive win, which surely would put any thoughts of back-to-back championships for Lorenzo out of any thought.  However, recent races seemed to take their toll on the Australian, who produced his weakest race since finishing a distant third in Portugal at the beginning of May.  The build-up to the weekend was dominated by the news that Colin Edwards is to leave the Tech 3 Yamaha team at the end of the season, whilst the likeable Loris Capirossi will stop racing altogether at the end of the season.

     At the start of the race, Lorenzo jumped straight into the lead, with Stoner backing off, clearly thinking of championship implications.  Pedrosa made an average start and only just held off a forceful Ben Spies on the opening lap.  Meanwhile, Marco Simoncelli began to recover from a poor start, as he produced a rude pass on 'The Doctor,' Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso to take fourth place.  At half-distance, Lorenzo started to pull away, with a series of blistering fast laps to pull away from Stoner.  

     By now, Stoner was struggling with his fitness levels and a dodgy tyre choice.  Pedrosa reeled him in and last year's Misano winner went through with six laps to go.  With the top three positions sewn up by the closing stages, the fans were thrilled to watch a three-way dice for fourth between Simoncelli, Dovizioso and Spies.  They were three abreast at one point on the final lap, with Simoncelli hanging onto fourth.  Seventh place was the best Rossi could achieve on one of his home circuits and Cal Crutchlow got another much-needed finish.  Crutchlow finished tenth, three places ahead of team-mate Edwards.

      With a 35 point lead and five races remaining, it is still Casey Stoner's championship to lose, but Jorge Lorenzo isn't giving up without a fight and Misano proved just why he is world champion.