MOTOGP
FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 12 / OCTOBER 25, 2020
MOTORL AND ARAGON / TERUEL, SPAIN
P96
BACK IN IT
Franco Morbidelli gets himself right back into championship
contention with stellar win at MotorLand Aragon II
BY THE CN STAFF
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
F
ranco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT)
didn't put a foot wrong to claim his second
victory of 2020 at the Gran Premio Liqui
Moly de Teruel, his win earlier this year coming
at Misano. The win catapulted him right back
into championship contention with just three
rounds left to go in the 2020 championship.
The Italian found himself leading the field when
polesitter (and the top rider in free practice)
Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda) ran wide and lost
the front end while leading just moments after the
start of the race. It was a bitter disappointment
for the Japanese rider who qualified on the pole
for the first time of his career and the first time for
a Japanese rider in 16 years. Unfortunately, he
could not capitalize on it.
"I want to say sorry to all of my team because
this weekend all of the sessions we were really
competitive and were ready to get a great result
on Sunday," said Nakagami who was hoping to
be the ninth different rider to win a MotoGP this
season. "But unfortunately, I had a small mistake
on the first lap which was after the start and I'm
very disappointed to end up in the gravel."
This was Nakagami's first DNF of the
season and also the first time he finished
outside the top 10.
