Jorge Lorenzo moved ahead with the championship lead as he clinched a dominant victory during the 2012 Italian MotoGP race this afternoon in Mugello.
The Italian overtook pole-starter Dani Pedrosa on the first corner and managed to keep a 5-second lead throughout the race.
Pedrosa remained the only threat to Lorenzo’s lead, though the Spaniard had to overcome pressure from Tech 3 rider Andrea Dovizioso. The duo ended up 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Following a small error, Dovisiozo lost 3rd place to Stefan Bradl, but the Italian managed to reclaim the position, sending Bradl back to 4th, followed by the Ducatis of Valentino Rossi (5th) and Nicky Hayden (7th), and Tech 3 Yamaha rider Cal Crutchlow in 6th.
Casey Stoner struggled for pace as he was the only rider to use Bridgestone’s alternative rear tyre, the Australian fell back to 8th after starting from 5th.
Pramac Ducati rider Hector Barbera dropped back early in the race after qualifying on the front row for the first time in his MotoGP career; he finished a disappointing 9th place.
Pos Rider Team/Bike Time/Gap 1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 41m37.477s 2. Dani Pedrosa Honda + 5.223s 3. Andrea Dovizioso Tech 3 Yamaha + 10.665s 4. Stefan Bradl LCR Honda + 10.711s 5. Valentino Rossi Ducati + 11.695s 6. Cal Crutchlow Tech 3 Yamaha + 12.060s 7. Nicky Hayden Ducati + 12.235s 8. Casey Stoner Honda + 30.617s 9. Hector Barbera Pramac Ducati + 31.728s 10. Alvaro Bautista Gresini Honda + 34.589s 11. Ben Spies Yamaha + 57.862s 12. Randy de Puniet Aspar Aprilia + 59.963s 13. Aleix Espargaro Aspar Aprilia + 1m11.200s 14. James Ellison Paul Bird Aprilia + 1m11.458s 15. Mattia Pasini Speed Master Aprilia + 1m11.828s 16. Ivan Silva Avintia Inmotec-Kawasaki + 1 lap