San Marino GP: Dani Pedrosa Becomes 8th Different MotoGP Winner In A Row

Dani Pedrosa secured his first win this season in Misano MotoGP ahead of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, while Marc Marquez finished fourth. This also makes Pedrosa the 8th different MotoGP winner in a row this season.

By Sameer Contractor

1 mins read

Published on September 12, 2016

Highlights

Dani Pedrosa won the race ahead of Rossi with a 2.837 second lead
8 different riders have won the title in a row this season
Marquez continues to lead the championship standings followed by Rossi

It's all about unpredictability in MotoGP making it so exciting and the Misano Grand Prix just iterated the fact further as Dani Pedrosa of team Repsol Honda secured the pole in San Marino, taking his first win of the season. The Honda rider clenched to the title ahead of the crowd's favourite Valentino Rossi of Movistar Yamaha, who was followed by teammate Jorge Lorenzo. Pedrosa overtook Rossi in the final stages with seven laps remaining and crossed the line 2.837 seconds ahead of the Italian. Dani Pedrosa is the 8th MotoGP rider in a row to win the title this season Pedrosa's gamble paid off as he opted for a soft-compound front tyre, allowing him to push throughout the race, having started 8th on the grid. This helped the Spaniard charge against Yamaha riders Rossi and Lorenzo who were leading the race from the grid with the latter starting at the pole. Rossi, supported by a crowd of yellow, was running on a medium front tyre, much like most riders led the race early on, passing Lorenzo on the second lap, and was expected to grab the victory much to the pleasure of the hoards of supporters present. However, the Honda rider's remarkable move allowed him to become the eighth different MotoGP rider in a row to win this season joining the likes of Rossi, Lorenzo, Marquez, Cal Crutchlow, Andrea Iannone, Jack Miller and Maverick Vinales. Much like Pedrosa, it was their first victory of the season for the last four riders. The Misano GP also marked Pedrosa's first victory, since the Malaysian GP last season. Dani Pedrosa stands fourth in championship standings Moving down, Vinales was given a position penalty for repeatedly exceeding track limits and temporarily lost his fifth place to Andrea Dovizioso of Ducati, only to regain it soon after. Michele Pirro finished 7th ahead of Cal Crutchlow, who finished ninth after being penalised 1.5 seconds for exceeding track limits, which led to Pol Espargaro grabbing the eighth place. In terms of championship standings, Mac Marquez continues to lead with 223 points, but Rossi's latest win has helped Rossi bridge the gap by 43 points and is currently in second place with 180 points. Current World Champion Jorge Lorenzo stands third with 162 points, while Pedrosa stands at fourth with 145 points.