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Jorge Lorenzo took the win at the season finale in Valencia on board his Yamaha. Marc Marquez finished second on the Honda, while Andrea Iannone took the final spot on the podium.
The MotoGP race started with Lorenzo getting the holeshot and leading from the first corner to the last. Marquez did put in a string of fast laps at the end to reel in the Mallorcan, but Lorenzo had enough of a buffer to hold him off to the finish line with a second in hand. The race for the win might have gotten over in the first corner itself, but the battle for the podium was intense. With Iannone leading the chasing pack, Vinales, Rossi, Marquez and Dovizioso trailing. Dovi would soon drop off the group as he struggled to maintain the pace at the front, and eventually got passed on the line by Pol Espargaro. Pedrosa and Crutchlow both crashed out in the first half of the race.
Rossi and Marquez got past Vinales without any unnecessary risks, but had a hard time doing the same on Iannone. Rossi finally lined up a move on the Ducati only to get passed on the straight, with none of the bikes managing to keep up with the power of the Italian manufacturer. Iannone riding with a cracked T4 vertebra was taking it easy on the braking, since he lacked the strength, and this allowed Rossi to get past him repeatedly on the brakes. Rossi would eventually lose the battle to Iannone, while Marquez dispatched the two and chased down Lorenzo. Vinales did a fine job of hanging onto the coattails of the podium fighters, but in the last third of the race he dropped off with the tyres going off. The race ended with three of the top factory movers and shakers, putting in a great result as a goodbye present to their teams. Jorge Lorenzo, Maverick Vinales and Andrea Iannone will be shifting to Ducati, Yamaha and Suzuki respectively for the 2017 season.
JORGE LORENZO:
VALENTINO ROSSI: Mika Kallio (Test Rider MotoGP):
Pit Beirer (KTM Motorsport Director):
The Moto2 race was won by 2016 champion Johann Zarco, who put in a wonderful display of riding, by first putting up a gladiatorial fight with Franco Morbidelli and then pulling off into the distance in the second half of the race. Tom Luthi finished second, while Morbidelli eventually finished on the podium in third place. Sam Lowes and Alex Rins rounded up the top 5 positions. Johann Zarco and Jonas Folger will be moving up to MotoGP with Tech3 Yamaha for the 2017 season, while Alex Rins will be in the Factory Suzuki squad and Sam Lowes will be racing with the Gresini Aprilia team in 2017.
The Moto3 race was as entertaining as we have come to expect this season and even otherwise. 2016 Champion Brad Binder rode a champion's race and showed why he is a cut above the rest. After starting off the race well, he dropped back to 22nd position as he had a technical problem, with the engine cutting off power. From there the World Champion worked his way to the front ultimately prevailing over the competition. Rookie Joan Mir took second place, while Enea Bastianini took the final spot on the podium. Mahindra's Francesco Bagnaia crashed out of a strong position, as the rider in front of him highsided leaving him no room for maneuvering.
The MotoGP race started with Lorenzo getting the holeshot and leading from the first corner to the last. Marquez did put in a string of fast laps at the end to reel in the Mallorcan, but Lorenzo had enough of a buffer to hold him off to the finish line with a second in hand. The race for the win might have gotten over in the first corner itself, but the battle for the podium was intense. With Iannone leading the chasing pack, Vinales, Rossi, Marquez and Dovizioso trailing. Dovi would soon drop off the group as he struggled to maintain the pace at the front, and eventually got passed on the line by Pol Espargaro. Pedrosa and Crutchlow both crashed out in the first half of the race.
Rossi and Marquez got past Vinales without any unnecessary risks, but had a hard time doing the same on Iannone. Rossi finally lined up a move on the Ducati only to get passed on the straight, with none of the bikes managing to keep up with the power of the Italian manufacturer. Iannone riding with a cracked T4 vertebra was taking it easy on the braking, since he lacked the strength, and this allowed Rossi to get past him repeatedly on the brakes. Rossi would eventually lose the battle to Iannone, while Marquez dispatched the two and chased down Lorenzo. Vinales did a fine job of hanging onto the coattails of the podium fighters, but in the last third of the race he dropped off with the tyres going off. The race ended with three of the top factory movers and shakers, putting in a great result as a goodbye present to their teams. Jorge Lorenzo, Maverick Vinales and Andrea Iannone will be shifting to Ducati, Yamaha and Suzuki respectively for the 2017 season.
- Photo: Yamaha MotoGP
- Photo: Yamaha MotoGP
- Photo: Yamaha MotoGP
JORGE LORENZO:
VALENTINO ROSSI: Mika Kallio (Test Rider MotoGP):
Pit Beirer (KTM Motorsport Director):
- Photographer: Romero S./ KTM
The Moto2 race was won by 2016 champion Johann Zarco, who put in a wonderful display of riding, by first putting up a gladiatorial fight with Franco Morbidelli and then pulling off into the distance in the second half of the race. Tom Luthi finished second, while Morbidelli eventually finished on the podium in third place. Sam Lowes and Alex Rins rounded up the top 5 positions. Johann Zarco and Jonas Folger will be moving up to MotoGP with Tech3 Yamaha for the 2017 season, while Alex Rins will be in the Factory Suzuki squad and Sam Lowes will be racing with the Gresini Aprilia team in 2017.
The Moto3 race was as entertaining as we have come to expect this season and even otherwise. 2016 Champion Brad Binder rode a champion's race and showed why he is a cut above the rest. After starting off the race well, he dropped back to 22nd position as he had a technical problem, with the engine cutting off power. From there the World Champion worked his way to the front ultimately prevailing over the competition. Rookie Joan Mir took second place, while Enea Bastianini took the final spot on the podium. Mahindra's Francesco Bagnaia crashed out of a strong position, as the rider in front of him highsided leaving him no room for maneuvering.
- Photo: KTM
