Dani Pedrosa battled through the pain barrier to win the Portuguese MotoGP yesterday less than a month after shoulder surgery.
Honda’s Spanish star swept past world champion and pole-setter Jorge Lorenzo with three laps to go to claim his debut win in Estoril and his first of the season.
It was a remarkable performance considering his date with the surgeon’s knife in Barcelona on April 6 after finishing second in the Spanish Grand Prix.
Pedrosa required an operation after suffering multiple fractures to his left shoulder in a crash in testing for the Japanese Grand Prix last October.
“It was very difficult for me after the surgery — to be here is incredible,” he told the BBC after stunning Lorenzo, who was firm favorite to win for the fourth consecutive year in Estoril. “It was an amazing race. At the end I didn’t want to be second again, I tried and it happened. I’m very thankful for the doctors to get me ready — I’m in a lot of pain now.”
After the third leg of the season Lorenzo retained his lead in the world championship on 65 points, but Pedrosa is now only four points adrift on 61.
Lorenzo, who had led the race until Pedrosa overtook him as if he was standing still, paid tribute to the winner.
“I certainly didn’t let him pass,” Lorenzo smiled. “He was faster — I was pushing, it was tiring for me as he had to follow me — but he had a better race and deserved the win. At least we’ve picked up some points, that’s important for the championship.”
Pedrosa had started on the front row in third place and he tracked Lorenzo, before making his winning move.
After taking the lead he posted two fastest laps, before crossing the line more than three seconds clear of Lorenzo, with another Honda rider, Australian Casey Stoner, 7.658 seconds back in third.
There was then a 16-second gap back to Italy’s Andrea Dovizioso, who pipped multiple champion Valentino Rossi for fourth.
Marco Simoncelli, who had a verbal spat with Lorenzo over riding styles on Saturday, only made it as far as turn four on the opening lap. The Italian, sharing the front row with Lorenzo and Pedrosa, was thrown from his Yamaha, somersaulting through the air, before sliding off into the safety gravel.
Officials were quick to rush to the scene, but he walked back to the pits unaided.
Ducati’s Spanish rider Hector Barbera crashed at the next corner, with his Czech teammate Karel Abraham’s race ending on lap two.
Lorenzo’s fellow Yamaha rider Ben Spies, who crashed on the sighting lap in Estoril last year, came to grief on lap 14.
Earlier, Germany’s Stefan Bradl won the Moto2 race, the Kalex rider coming in clear of Spain’s Julian Simon, on a Suter, and Japan’s Yuki Takahashi, riding a Moriwaki.
MEDVEDEV AWAITS: The world No. 1 Spainiard said that he is ‘finding the right shots’ as he pushed his record so far this year to 16 victories and no losses Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday extended his unbeaten season and got revenge over Cameron Norrie to reach the semi-finals at Indian Wells for a fifth straight year. The world No. 1 from Spain emerged from a see-saw battle with 29th-ranked Norrie with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. In the semis tomorrow, he faces Russian Daniil Medvedev, who pushed his own ATP winning streak to eight matches with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over defending champion Jack Draper. World No. 2 Jannik Sinner powered past Learner Tien 6-1, 6-2 to line up a semi-final with fourth-ranked Alexander Zverev, a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Arthur Fils. Alcaraz, 22, became
West Ham United on Monday advanced to the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 5-3 penalty shoot-out win against Brentford, who paid the price for Dango Ouattara’s spot-kick blunder. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side twice blew the lead as Jarrod Bowen’s double was canceled out by an Igor Thiago brace to force extra-time in the 2-2 draw at the London Stadium, but in the shoot-out, Brentford winger Ouattara attempted a chipped Panenka penalty, but his woeful effort was straight at West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola. It was an awful mistake by the Burkina Faso international and West Ham took full advantage. Bowen, Valentin Castellanos, Callum
Thanks to Italy beating Mexico on Wednesday, the US get another chance in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). What looked like a potentially disastrous early exit for US manager Mark DeRosa and his team turned out to be nothing more than substantial worry and significant embarrassment for about 24 hours. It remains to be seen whether the US really want to win badly enough for the reprieve to matter, as if it is just a switch they can flick, but there is little reason for their fans to be optimistic. The team’s attitude and behavior have been all over the place when
Ollie Watkins’ second-half header on Thursday gave Aston Villa a 1-0 win over Lille OSC in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round-of-16 tie. Just past the hour mark, Ezri Konsa sent a deep pass that Emi Buendia headed to Watkins in the home team’s box. The England forward noticed goalkeeper Berke Ozer was off his line before sending a looping header over him and into the net. Minutes later, Watkins wasted a chance to double the advantage when he failed to score in a one-on-one with the ’keeper. Nottingham Forest were stunned 1-0 by Danish club Midtjylland, with substitute Cho
RSS