It looks like the surgery that Dani Pedrosa had earlier this month, to stop his left arm from becoming numb while racing, was a success. The Spaniard won at Estoril today in a decisive victory over defending champion Jorge Lorenzo, who won the pole position but had to settle for second and see his win streak at the Portuguese track come to an end. Lorenzo, who had never lost as a MotoGP rider at Estoril, held the lead for most of the race, but Pedrosa stuck with the factory Yamaha rider all the way and finally passed his fellow countryman with four laps left and then opened up a three-second margin by the time he reached checkered flag. Casey Stoner rode the race all alone in third and finished nearly 8 seconds adrift of his team-mate, and Repsol Honda rider number three, Andrea Dovizioso, snatched fourth place from Valentino Rossi at the finish line, edging out the Ducati rider by just .025 seconds.
Suzuki’s Alvaro Bautista, who made an astonishing return to action today just 44 days after snapping his left femur in half, rode an understandably conservative race and finished thirteenth.
A relieved Pedrosa confirmed after the race that he suffered no arm numbness. His first ever Portuguese MotoGP win today puts him just 4 points adrift of current championship leader Jorge Lorenzo. Stoner sits third, another 20 point back.
The next race will be at Lemans, France in two weeks time.
2011 Estoril MotoGP Race Results
1. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team 45m 51.483s
2. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Yamaha Factory Racing 45m 54.534s
3. Casey Stoner AUS Repsol Honda Team 45m 59.141s
4. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 46m 8.013s
5. Valentino Rossi ITA Ducati Marlboro Team 46m 8.038s
6. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 46m 24.058s
7. Hiroshi Aoyama JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini 46m 30.232s
8. Cal Crutchlow GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 46m 32.395s
9. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team 46m 46.370s
10. Randy de Puniet FRA Pramac Racing Team 46m 51.180s
11. Toni Elias ESP LCR Honda MotoGP 46m 51.857s
12. Loris Capirossi ITA Pramac Racing Team 46m 53.276s
13. Alvaro Bautista ESP Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 47m 15.853s
DNF:
Ben Spies USA Yamaha Factory Racing
Karel Abraham CZE Cardion AB Motoracing
Hector Barbera ESP Mapfre Aspar Team
Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini
2011 MotoGP Championship Standings
1 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha Factory Racing 65
2 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 61
3 Casey Stoner Repsol Honda Team 41
4 Valentino Rossi Ducati Marlboro Team 31
5 Andrea Dovizioso Repsol Honda Team 30
= Nicky Hayden Ducati Marlboro Team 30
7 Hiroshi Aoyama San Carlo Honda Gresini 28
8 Cal Crutchlow Monster Yamaha Tech 3 21
9 Colin Edwards Monster Yamaha Tech 3 18
10 Héctor Barberá Mapfre Aspar Team 14
11 Karel Abraham Cardion AB Motoracing 12
= Toni Elías LCR Honda MotoGP 12
13 Marco Simoncelli San Carlo Honda Gresini 11
14 Ben Spies Yamaha Factory Racing 10
15 Loris Capirossi Pramac Racing Team 9
16 Randy de Puniet Pramac Racing Team 6
= John Hopkins Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 6
18 Álvaro Bautista Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 3
