Surprising qualifying runs yield a surprising finish to the 2009 MotoGP race at Laguna Seca

July 5, 10:05 PMDC Motorcycle Travel ExaminerMark Poesch

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Clear track, sunny skies, and temperatures in the 70s set the stage for a great day of racing at the Mazda Raceway in Laguna Seca, just north of Monterey, CA.  Over the weekend, the track would host both MotoGP and AMA races held on July 3-5.

• Click here to see the 2009 Laguna Seca MotoGP awards ceremony slideshow.

On Saturday, Jorge Lorenzo, 99, posted a qualifying time that would secure his pole position, only to be thrown from his bike not once, but twice, before calling it quits for the day.  Valentino Rossi, 46, qualified third early, and was able to move to the second position by the end of his qualifying run.  And, Casey Stoner, 27, ousted from his second position by Rossi qualified for third and would end his run with a nasty crash in Turn 3.  Dani Pedrosa, 3, qualified fourth for his place on the second row behind Lorenzo.

Sunday’s warm-up saw both Lorenzo and Stoner back on the track, declared fit to race.  But, with Lorenzo initially rumored to have suffered a fractured collar bone and ankle, later described as “a partially dislocated right shoulder and a bruised right foot,” his performance in the race seemed uncertain.  Stoner posted the fastest warm-up lap time for the morning, but physically at less than 100%, it was unclear what he would make of the race.

With the grid set, Pedrosa rocketed from his position behind pole sitter, Jorge Lorenzo, and jumped to 1st by the hair-pin Turn 2.  Rossi found himself in third, but was able to work his way back into 2nd within the first half of the race.

Lorenzo, clearly undaunted by his injuries, pushed hard to pass Stoner, and almost found his way past Rossi in Turn 11 in the final laps.  Instead, loss of traction nearly caused a collision with his team-mate, and forced him to run wide in the turn.  Lorenzo salvaged the turn just in time, but allowed Rossi enough space to continue to focus his efforts on closing the gap with Pedrosa.

After his initial jump to the lead, Pedrosa ran lap after lap for all 32 laps, flawlessly, at some points ahead by as much as 3.0 seconds.  In the final laps, Rossi was narrowing the gap, and in the final lap was able to close the gap to just over 0.3 seconds.  But, it wasn’t enough.   Pedrosa held the lead for a first place finish at Laguna Seca, followed by Rossi and Lorenzo.

For further coverage, check out:
- Why travel to Laguna Seca for MotoGP -- a photo tour
- Up close with James Toseland
- Girls of Laguna Seca
- Rossi in the Laguna Seca Corkscrew
- And much more!