Submitted by David Emmett on
Results of the rain-soaked MotoGP race at Sepang:
Casey Stoner put in a completely dominant display at Sepang to take a convincing victory. The Australian took half a lap to get past Dani Pedrosa and take the lead, and the Ducati rider never looked back. Stoner had a lead of 6 seconds by the end of lap 3, and went on to win by nearly 15 seconds, after backing off a little in the latter part of the race.
Dani Pedrosa took 2nd position, after coming under heavy pressure from team mate Andrea Dovizioso, but Dovi crashed out on lap 15. Finishng in 3rd place, Valentino Rossi sealed his 7th MotoGP title, and his 9th title overall, after an impressive display of riding through the field. The Italian got a terrible start from pole, crossing the line in 10th at the end of the first lap, 2 places behind his team mate Jorge Lorenzo who had been forced to start from the back of the grid, after problems with his bike meant Lorenzo had to start the warm up lap from the pit lane. Both Rossi and Lorenzo cut their way through the field, Rossi coming out on top to clinch the World Championship.
Rossi's celebration involved an old chicken. He pulled on a t-shirt bearing the slogan "Gallina Vecchia" and the number 9. Rossi later explained that it was because of an old Italian saying "Old hens make the best soup." Rossi has felt under siege from the three much younger members of the Fantastic Four, and especially from his 22-year-old team mate, and the reference to gallina vecchia or old hens is a reference to that.
Results:
| Pos. | No. | Rider | Manufacturer | Time | Diff |
| 1 | 27 | Casey STONER | DUCATI | 47'24.834 | |
| 2 | 3 | Dani PEDROSA | HONDA | 47'39.500 | 14.666 |
| 3 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | YAMAHA | 47'44.219 | 19.385 |
| 4 | 99 | Jorge LORENZO | YAMAHA | 47'50.684 | 25.850 |
| 5 | 69 | Nicky HAYDEN | DUCATI | 48'03.539 | 38.705 |
| 6 | 7 | Chris VERMEULEN | SUZUKI | 48'05.895 | 41.061 |
| 7 | 24 | Toni ELIAS | HONDA | 48'13.389 | 48.555 |
| 8 | 33 | Marco MELANDRI | KAWASAKI | 48'20.391 | 55.557 |
| 9 | 65 | Loris CAPIROSSI | SUZUKI | 48'25.137 | 1'00.303 |
| 10 | 36 | Mika KALLIO | DUCATI | 48'25.274 | 1'00.440 |
| 11 | 44 | Aleix ESPARGARO | DUCATI | 48'26.489 | 1'01.655 |
| 12 | 15 | Alex DE ANGELIS | HONDA | 48'26.681 | 1'01.847 |
| 13 | 5 | Colin EDWARDS | YAMAHA | 48'35.612 | 1'10.778 |
| 14 | 41 | Gabor TALMACSI | HONDA | 48'40.685 | 1'15.851 |
| 15 | 52 | James TOSELAND | YAMAHA | 49'15.506 | 1'50.672 |
| Not Classified | |||||
| 4 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | HONDA | 31'59.321 | 7 laps | |
| 14 | Randy DE PUNIET | HONDA | 2'28.718 | 20 laps | |
Comments
THe GOAT. Plain and simple.
GOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOAT
For me, that was one of Rossi's most impressive races. He overcooked turn one, ruining his chances of winning. Whether or not he would have won if he hadn't screwed up that first turn is immaterial, because he had the good sense to not go and risk crashing out and ruining his first chance at putting the title away--aside from that one ALMOST high-side... It was maturity defined. Casey put in a blazing performance, though. Heck of a ride. However, comma, the smart race--and the world--belong to the GOAT. AGAIN. HOORAY!!! We are blessed--and I do mean BLESSED--to be able to experience, to be able to share the joy of seeing the Greatest Of All Time. Period. Full stop.
GOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOATGOAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Casey is the dominate rider
Casey is the dominate rider at the moment.
Also, 11th place for alex is
Also, 11th place for alex is an awesome ride!
Don't forget about Hayden...
5th place? Another thing to be happy about! But Rossi is definitely the GOAT...maybe they should have had "capra vecchia."
...bit off topic but..
Is it possible Suzuki took the engine penalty on purpose?
Knowing their place in the constructor's championship wasn't moving, they could wick up the power somewhat to have a better chance at a rostrum (I know, a long shot) at a track they do quite well at? Had it been dry or mixed, that is. During FP1 and QP it seemed like Loris had a bit more grunt down the front and back straights.
Slightly anticlimactic race, though I was on my toes wondering if Jorge had a do-or-die moment in him. Excellent display by Casey, Hayden, and the Old Hen :) Bring on Valencia, where points don't really matter!
Definitely
Suzuki almost certainly took the engine penalty at Phillip Island for just this purpose, to have a fresh engine at Sepang. Not that they will ever admit it, but never mind.
Well done Valentino...
Not that i would expect anything less, but it has been a great season, i am very impressed on how the best of the best has dealt with pressure, that same pressure he has brought to others, this time around it came from somebody else, yes, even when the bike was all of his own work, the pressure sure was phenomenal, CONGRATULATIONS VALENTINO, a great pleassure to be a fan of the sport in this day and time, 30 years from now i will be able to say i saw the greatest racer ever, in person, and off course on tv, thank you.
FernandoARG