VOL. 52 ISSUE 22 JUNE 2, 2015 P77
Valentino Rossi leaves Mugello still
in the championship driver's seat.
mate Dani Pedrosa. In all he
gained nine places in the first
lap, fourth behind the Ducatis.
By the end of the third lap he
had passed both of them as
well.
But that story was not over.
In their wake, Pedrosa had
recovered well from eighth on
lap one, and by the fourth had
just passed the on-form Bradley
Smith on the Monster Yamaha
for fifth, immediately starting to
close on the group ahead.
This left Smith engaged with
second-row starter—CWM LCR
Honda's Cal Crutchlow—rid-
ing with a painful and swollen
right thumb after a heavy fall in
morning warm-up; Smith's team-
mate Pol Espargaro hanging on
behind.
