Catalunya MotoGP 2016 Race Report: Valentino Rossi Wins the Podium

It was the track of redemption after the events at Mugello for Valentino Rossi, as the Yamaha rider claimed his victory at the Catalunya GP, beating Honda riders Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa, who finished second and third respectively. The race also saw Jorge Lorenzo witnessing an unprecedented crash after Andrea Iannone of Ducati collided with the Spanish rider, effectively ending his run for a podium.

The race kicked off with Marquez and Lorenzo leading the pack with Rossi at the eighth position on the starting grid. Pedrosa settled into the third place quite effectively at the beginning of the race and managed to hold on to the position towards the end as well. With Lorenzo's exit, the last laps made for an aggressive battle between the arch rivals Marquez and Rossi. The latter did manage to lead the race briefly in the final laps, but an error on the Honda rider's part cost him the lead with 'The Doctor' surging forward for the remainder of the race, grabbing his second win of the year.

Dani Pedrosa finished third at the podium

While the fight between the top two was a close one, Pedrosa distant third position remain relatively unchallenged, with only Maverick Vinales (Suzuki Ecstar) posing a threat briefly, but could not match the experienced Honda rider's pace and rhythm for the remainder of the race, falling behind by a good 18 seconds at the fourth spot.

Despite a positive start at his home circuit, Lorenzo struggled to maintain momentum that pushed him to the fifth spot prior to the crash. The Spanish rider suffered major graining on his front tyre as he lost pace dramatically prior to his crash with Iannone. The latter only made matters worse as the Ducati rider made a lunge to the inside, miscalculated braking and hit the back of Lorenzo's R1, causing both bikes to tumble. Not only did the collision led to Lorenzo fuming, but also resulted in immediate punishment for the Italian rider who will now start the race at Assen from last.

The Catalun Grand Prix marks Rossi's 88th MotoGP win

Lorenzo's exit made way for Pol Espargaro of Tech 3 Yamaha who finished fifth, ahead of Cal Crutchlow of LCR Honda and Andrea Dovizioso who finished seventh. Aprilia's Alvaro Bautista got the best result for the Italian team finishing eighth.

Luis Salom

The Spanish GP also saw Rossi dedicate his victory to Moto2 rider Luis Salom, who lost his life in a free practice session on Friday. The unfortunate demise of the 24-year-old rider did bring the entire MotoGP community together over the weekend and even led to bitter rivals Marquez and Rossi shaking hands and sharing smiles. Moreover, the podium finishers sported the t-shirts that read 'Always in our hearts', while there was no champagne celebration either in memory of the deceased rider. The unusual turn of events did seem to uplift the mood of the crowd, especially since the Catalunya GP was one the verge of being cancelled, but continued after receiving approval from Salom's family.

Apart from Lorenzo and Iannone, the other non-finishers at the Spanish GP were Aleix Espargaro (Suzuki) and Bradley Smit (Tech 3), both of whom faced mechanical issues that forced them into pits.