MotoGP 2016: Lorenzo dominates French GP to move into championship lead
Jorge Lorenzo looked determined to lead from start to finish of the FrenchGP and did exactly that. Starting from pole, a perfect launch meant he took a lead of 0.5s at the end of the very first lap. Consistent and quick lap times helped the Spaniard open up a huge lead over the rest of the pack. Following him was Ducati's Andrea Ianone, who fought hard for second position and passed his teammate Andrea Dovizoso but wasn't ahead for long as he low-sided and crashed out with 22 laps to go.
Jorge Lorenzo leads the way at Le Mans at the 2016 French MotoGP round
This helped Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez move up places to third and fourth, respectively. Rossi meanwhile looked quicker and eventually passed both Marquez and Dovizioso to move up into second place. He would later say that his Yamaha had more pace, allowing him to pass the Honda and the Ducati.
The Grand Prix de France got more interesting when both Dovizioso and Marquez crashed out on the same corner, one after the other, despite no contact between the riders. Marquez, however, managed to get back on the Honda and ultimately finished the race in last place. Other significant crashes were those of Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith.
Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo celebrate their second and first place finishes for Yamaha, while Maverick Vinales celebrates his first ever premier class podium in MotoGP
The top order crashes and smooth riding meant that Valentino Rossi gained 20 valuable championship points, finishing second. Maverick Vinales also benefited and claimed his first-ever premier class podium, also Suzuki's first podium in seven years and the first after their MotoGP comeback.
Jorge Lorenzo, the reigning world champion, now leads the 2016 MotoGP World Championship standings, followed by Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi. The championship is red hot again as MotoGP now moves to Mugello, Italy.
Starts Rs 1,02,700
149cc
5-Speed
12.40
13.60
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