MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo won the Italian Grand Prix yesterday after a last-lap battle with fellow Spaniard Marc Marquez that remained on a knife-edge until the final metres.
The Yamaha rider powered past as the chequered flag beckoned to win by a mere 0.019 of a second after Honda’s Marquez had earlier seized the lead in a wheel-to-wheel duel between the two.
Italian great Valentino Rossi, Lorenzo’s team-mate, started from pole position for the first time since 2008 at the Mugello circuit but retired on lap eight with smoke billowing out of his bike.
The last time Rossi had started from pole in Mugello he won, having not returned to the top step of the podium since 2008.
Over 100,000 people lined the hillside stands to see if ‘The Doctor’ could win once more. But their hopes were dashed when Rossi had to abandon the race.
Italian Andrea Iannone finished third for Ducati, also setting a MotoGP speed record of 354.9kph.
Lorenzo, in his final season with Yamaha before replacing Iannone at Ducati, extended his World Championship lead over Marquez to 10 points.
Standings
1. Lorenzo (Yamaha) - 115
2. Marquez (Honda) - 105
3. Rossi (Yamaha) - 78
4. Pedrosa (Honda) - 66
5. Vinales (Suzuki) - 59
6. A. Espargaro (Suzuki) - 49
7. P. Espargaro (Yamaha) - 48
8. Barbera (Ducati) - 43
9. Iannone (Ducati) - 41
10. Laverty (Ducati) - 36