After the Misano Grand Prix which saw a certain upheaval, the Aragon Grand Prix podium, on 30 September, was more in line with the usual standings. In the lead, Pedrosa regained all his vigour and left Lorenzo reactionless while, behind, the Yamaha Tech3 riders put on a show. In the trials, Cal Crutchlow had dominated Andrea Dovizioso, securing a magnificent time that allowed him to leave from the front row for the sixth time. However he lost a few places at the start and, after Stephan Bradl's fall, there was then just Ben Spies on the road of the two riders to the podium. They swallowed him up so to say and then battled it out pitilessly in front of an awestruck public, Crutchlow trying to pass Dovizioso. The Italian finally finished on the podium for the sixth time of the season, just ahead of Crutchlow. At the arrival, Dovizioso was to say: 'Cal tried to pass me in the last two laps. He succeeded moreover on two occasions, but without managing to brake in the right places. It was a fine battle (…). Being back on the podium is very important.' For his part, Cal Crutchlow said, 'I'm happy with this 4th because this result shows the huge step from last season when I was struggling to be in the top ten.' Hervé Poncharal, team manager, was over the moon with his riders' performance: 'I congratulate them because they were very fast and really close to each other, with a lot of mutual respect. They remained very aggressive but without stepping over the limit. It was the best battle of the race to watch!'
The next meet is the fifteenth round, in Japan, at the Motegi circuit on 14 October.
Standings
01// Jorge Lorenzo - Yamaha - 290 pts
02// Dani Pedrosa - Honda - 257 pts
03// Casey Stoner - Honda - 186 pts
04// Andrea Dovizioso - Yamaha Tech3 - 179 pts - Motul
05// Cal Crutchlow - Yamaha Tech3 - 135 pts - Motul
Photo credits: Stan Perec
