It seems that those early season races with hand-to-hand fights until the last lap are getting harder to watch as the year progresses. But one feature of Misano's career that caught my attention was the way that a single race became a vivid summary of what this season is being like. Let's see.
The first two positions for the two official Yamaha, the bike that is clearly superior this year. And they did not arrive in any order: first Rossi followed by Lorenzo. Behind them and at a considerable distance, the two official Honda, with Pedrosa clearly faster than Dovizioso. And the Ducati? Well, out of the race for a circumstance that cannot be blamed on the bike (Hayden was knocked down). And in the first laps, Toni Elias showing his innate talent, but without specifying it as a good result on arrival. Doesn't this painting by Misano remind you of the summary of the season (or a good part of it) in a single race?
The best and the worst of the MotoGP race in Misano:
The best:
- Rossi's "Donkey". You already missed Rossi's ability to turn things around and his original celebrations. And the donkey in the helmet as an allusion to his fall in the previous race seemed great to me. Rossi in its purest form. Of course, nothing donkey was Valentino.
- The confirmation that Aleix Espargaró replaces Canepa. Canepa's arrival at MotoGP was rather rare. Where had it come from? During the season, its performance has been very poor, but since the Ducati is that very special machine, there was room for doubt. From the outset, the name of Aleix Espargaró to get on the Ducati was very surprising. But with a very solid and serious performance on the bike he has earned the respect of the team and the brand. For now, it seems that it will be on the Ducati until the end of the season.
- Finally, the renovation of Pedrosa arrived. The soap opera of this year's signings seems to have closed definitively with the renewal of Pedrosa by Honda. In other words, after the uncertainty, in the end they all stayed where they were for the 2010 season. But Pedrosa has managed to impose his condition to renew for a single year. And with this, all the relevant riders in MotoGP finish their contract in 2010. Will there be a saddle dance next year? At the very least, we are going to be well distracted on the subject.
- Lorenzo and Pedrosa, on the podium (and with the points in their pockets). In fact, I think it must have been a bit of a frustrating race for both of us: a podium without fighting for victory is usually not very exciting. But at least, it means taking the points. And the thing is that it was several races that not all the leading drivers arrived in front of the finish line.
Worst:
- The break of almost a month until the next race. There have barely been a couple of races after the summer and we have almost a month without races. A calendar without rhyme or reason. It has been known for many months that there would be this gap in dates, so something could have been thought in advance. At least, for next year the reserve race has already been established (by the way, in Spain, at the new Motorland Aragón circuit)..
- From lap 8, a race against the clock. The races against the clock are back. Each fighting against their own times. Some skirmishes in the first laps and when we find out, each one already riding on their own times until the end of the race, away from the previous driver and the next. It was the torture of MotoGP racing in 2008, and after a spectacular start to 2009 that made us forget them, it seems that the nose is poking out again.
- De Angelis takes down Hayden and Edwards. A pity that De Angelis took the two Americans ahead. And we can still give thanks that Lorenzo avoided the crash even though they got to touch his bike. Hayden was really looking forward to the podium in Indianapolis and here he was unable to confirm the progression on the Ducati. He got very angry.
- Once again, the poor performance of James Toseland. With the fall of Edwards, Toseland was left as the sole representative of the team. And he returned to play a poor role, entering the tenth position, just ahead of Aleix Espargaró.
