MOTOGP
FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 7 / JUNE 5, 2016
CIRCUIT DE BARCELONA-CATALUNYA / CATALONIA, SPAIN
P70
in a minute of silence before the Moto3
race in memory of Salom. The heat
and an already slippery surface made
the MotoGP race something of a test
of tire endurance, with all but four rid-
ers choosing the harder rear—Monster
Yamaha teammates Bradley Smith and
Pol Espargaro, EG-VDS Honda's Tito
Rabat, and at the last moment on the
grid Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa.
Rossi overcame an average start from
row two to catch and pass early leader
Lorenzo on the seventh of 25 laps.
Pole starter Marc Marquez (Repsol
Honda) followed him past, and ran him
ragged until the closing stages, on a
Catalonian GP circuit modified to take in
two slow F1 sections, a safety response
to the Friday crash that claimed Salom's
life.
In a performance that belied not only
his age but also previous signs that the
tight new track sections would count
against the Yamaha, Rossi fought off
a determined last-laps attack from his
younger rival, leaving Marquez to cruise
home a beaten 2.65 seconds adrift.
"For me it was the perfect Sunday,"
said Rossi, who had started from row
two, but had been fastest in morning
warm-up. "The key was this morning,
when we modified the bike to make it
better in the slow section, and in the
morning I knew I could be fast."
Once in the lead, "I tried to pull
away," Rossi said. "This strategy worked
for all the other riders except Marc."
The Honda pushed ahead with two
laps to go, "but I understood it was dif-
ficult for him also with the tires."
He passed him again, and was able
to gain enough of a gap to make his last
lap safe.
The weekend had been difficult after
Andrea Dovizioso
(04) had a poor
ride he blamed on
a faulty rear tire.
