Victory at his home MotoGP race was handed to the reigning champion Jorge Lorenzo on a dramatically wet afternoon in Spain, during which former world champions Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner encountered crashes.
Riding for Yamaha, Lorenzo capitalized on the conditions to secure a comfortable win at Jerez after Rossi collided with Stoner following an ill-conceived overtaking attempt at the end of lap six.
Starting in 12th place, Ducati rider Rossi made an impressive charge through the field using his vast experience, but the incident ultimately ended Stoner’s race for Repsol Honda.
Next, Marco Simoncelli appeared poised to claim his first MotoGP victory as he took the lead, but he also fell victim to a crash, allowing Lorenzo to seize the win and take the overall lead in the standings.
Dani Pedrosa, Stoner’s teammate, ensured a Spanish one-two finish, while Nicky Hayden secured third position and Hiroshi Aoyama took fourth. Rossi finished in fifth, with Britain’s Cal Crutchlow following in eighth after a late crash.
The race began on a damp track under light rain, with all riders on full wet tyres; Rossi swiftly utilized his wet weather prowess, gaining four places during the first lap. In contrast, Pedrosa slipped to tenth while Rossi advanced to sixth by the end of lap two.
Quickly climbing to fourth place, the Italian recorded the fastest lap of the race as he raced through the pack, while Simoncelli mounted his own challenge, overtaking Lorenzo and Stoner to take the lead. Rossi moved ahead of Lorenzo into third as the rain began to diminish, and shortly thereafter, he dove inside Stoner at turn one to start lap seven.
Unfortunately, the nine-time champion lost the front end of his Ducati, bringing Stoner down with him into the gravel trap. While Rossi managed to remount and continue, Stoner’s race came to a premature end.
This incident left Simoncelli with a significant lead ahead of Lorenzo, with Rossi’s teammate Hayden moving into third place.
Simoncelli had a commanding advantage but crashed at the same corner where Rossi had fallen, as he high-sided his Gresini Honda and was forced to retire. This incident left Lorenzo in the clear in front of compatriot Pedrosa as the rain returned, causing numerous other riders to crash out.
