What a difference a year and new bikes and everything else makes. Rossi was his old masterful self at the Spanish Grand Prix. What is surprising is how poorly Nicky Hayden is running. It’s not just that he is a little off the pace, he is struggling on the new bike. With Pedrosa riding so well, it does make you wonder what the problem really is. Speed has the details-
Valentino Rossi delivered a masterclass in racing and showmanship to win the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, his fifth victory at the track.
Rossi led every lap of the race to assert his authority and take the lead in the world championship points after two races. Young Australian Ducati rider Casey Stoner, who beat Rossi in the opening race in Qatar, finished fifth as Rossi dominated before a massive roll-out of 132,000 spectators.
Spanish hero and factory Honda rival Dani Pedrosa had no response to Rossi’s controlled performance and finished second with Rossi’s teammate Colin Edwards third.
After a rocketship start from 11th to fifth at the first corner, America’s world champion Nicky Hayden (Honda) faded to finish seventh. Fellow American John Hopkins (Suzuki), riding with a painful wrist injury, crashed out of fourth on lap 17 having just passed Hayden.
This was Rossi’s 46th victory of the four-stroke MotoGP era and he completed a classic celebration after running out front for all 27 laps.
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