Dani Pedrosa wins in Le Mans and leaps to the top of the Championship
Wow, where to start with the French GP? Perhaps a smug ‘I told you so’, reference Dani being the one to watch for winning this race.
It used to be that, if it was raining, wet, damp; then Dani would be a dead cert for mediocrity in the race. However over the last 18-months, we have seen him focus on this major weakness and turn it into a strength – Dani Pedrosa is now a great wet-weather rider. I never thought I’d say so.
He had two great days of Free Practice leading up to the race; setting fastest times and looking, overall, confident on track – however a fall in Q2 on Saturday morning left him starting from the back of the second row, in sixth place.
Ahead of the race, most eyes were on Marquez, Lorenzo and Rossi, while the two front runners for the most part – Dani and Dovi – were, foolishly, overlooked. While Dani’s great start and prowess in the rain did not surprise me at all (okay, it surprised me a little bit. Not that he was riding well in the wet, but that he was braving manoeuvre after manoeuvre to take and retake the lead. Brave stuff, displaying just how much of a complete rider he has become, fully fit).
But Dovi was the real surprise package on Sunday. Alongside Nicky, who spent most of the race up in fifth place, the Ducati’s stayed at the pointy end of the race, throughout, to finish 4th and 5th respectively, ahead of both Factory Yamahas who, contrastingly, were all at sea in the conditions.
Pursuit of Nattiness 