Jerez MotoGP Final

I said that I would comment on the Jerez Race final. I guess I'd better do that now, as qualifying has already completed for the Portugese MotoGP in Estoril, two weeks later! I finally got around to watching the whole race a few days ago (while doing laundry, cooking dinner and surfing the web -- top that, non single parents!), so I'd better do this while I can stilll remember any of it. I've already said that my predictions were right on for Jerez, so I'd better qualify that:

We will not see a dominant performance by Casey Stoner: I was right. Casey had big problems during the race, running off the track twice! Not only is this not what we've come to expect from the new and improved reigning world champion (who eventually finished 11th), it may be indicative of some troubles in the Ducati camp this year. While the other teams could be expected to have caught up with a year of 800cc experience under their belts, Stoner has been complaining of a lack of feeling from the front end. The rider makes more of a difference than the bike in MotoGP, but only as long as they have confidence in the equipment! If he cannot feel what the front end is doing (good or bad), then he can't adjust and ride around it.

We will see the return of Valentino Rossi: Right again. Rossi put in a solid performance here, as expected. He managed to get around Jorge Lorenzo fairly early on and hold onto second. He almost lost it on the penultimate lap when he slowed to wave to the crowd -- apparently thinking that the race was over -- but gathered it up in time to hold on to second place.

Jorge Lorenzo has shown in only his first race in the premiere class that he fully deserves to be there.... Given the home crowd advantage, he will be on the podium: And when all was said and done, there he was, having started from pole. The early part of the race featured the Spanish rivalry of Lorenzo vs Pedrosa, until Rossi managed to sneak by.

Dani Pedroso: An often petulant and spoiled-acting racer... he has the drive and talent to also finish on the podium at Jerez: And so he did. Admittedly, in what could be considered the surprise of the race, Pedrosa just walked away from everyone else, and was never challenged for the lead, winning the race by more than 3 seconds, if I recall correctly. Mind you all of the dogfighting behind him just slowed everyone else up, but this was truly a commanding performance. And of course he managed to still show his petulant nature at the end, with King Juan Carlos forcing he and Lorenzo to shake hands.

Nicky Hayden, the 2006 MotoGP world champion, must be considered as somewhat of a dark horse here: Hayden the hardest working man in MotoGP, put in a solid performance to finish 4th, sticking right with the lead group until the very end. He lost the front end in the closing stages of the race while pushing hard to catch Lorenzo, a la Colin Edwards II in qualifying; but managed to save it, losing some ground in the process. A very credible performance, perhaps signalling the return of "The Kentucky Kid" as frontrunner.

That's it for the Jerez wrap up. I'll be back shortly with some prognostications for the Estoril final, which happens tomorrow.