MotoGP @ Mugello

Last time out, at Le Mans, Jorge Lorenzo smoked Valentino Rossi and took the race win by over 5 seconds. In the process, Lorenzo also shot to the top of the charts in the championship points standings.

This brings us to round 4 at Moo-Jello. With this being Rossi's home race, the Yellow shirts were out en masse to witness their golden boy avenge his Frenchtastic ass-kicking. So...how would the race unfold? What epic scenario would play out as Rossi snatches back a race win and the championship points lead? Take my handy-dandy prerace quiz. No notes and no cheating, please.

Q. At Mugello, Rossi will...?

A) Get the holeshot, clear off, and win by 12 seconds.

B) Endure a race-long battle with Lorenzo and punt him into the gravel on the final corner to take the win.

C) Take himself and Lorenzo in the first turn.

D) Highside in practice, break his leg, and miss the race altogether.

E) Cook his tires in the opening laps trying to keep up with Pedrosa and drift back to an eventual 6th place finish.

F) Skip the race to go test a Ferrari F1 car.

G) Get a ride-through penalty for a jumpstart, rejoin the race, and bag a respectable 4th.

And the answer is...

'D'...During practice, Rossi tossed himself over the bars and into space. When he returned to Earth, he broke his lower right leg (shin bone) on impact. The break was so severe that the bone tore through the skin, and Rossi was choppered to a local hospital for surgery. Mugello would be the first race Rossi has missed in his entire GP career, and it looks like he'll be out for the rest of the year. Hundreds of Rossi fans were found dead under the bleachers hanging by Yellow '46' t-shirts fashioned into nooses. Get well soon (Rossi, not the fans).

Enough about that. Repsol Honda's Dani Ponderosa starts from from pole, followed by Lorenzo and Stoner. Nicky Hayden heads up the second row in 4th followed by Colin Edwards in an oh-so-familiar 5th. Spies in 7th...not too shabby for his first time at this track.

On to the racing...The lights go out and Pedrosa leads into the first corner followed closely by Lorenzo. Spies got a good start up to 4th from 7th. Stoner and Hayden sat back in 5th and 6th. At the end of the first lap it's Pedro, Lorenzo, and Dovizioso. Lap 2 and Pedro sets the fastest lap, gaps the field, and scampers off for the win. Enough about him.

With Pedro making a B-line to the kiddie pool, the battle for the last two podium spots is on like Donkey Kong, with Lorenzo and Dovi beating the shit out of each other at every braking zone. While this was going on, Homeboy Hayden got bored with the race and decided to set sail on the U.S.S. Gravelboat....man overboard. What about former MotoGP champ Stoner? He's pooping around in 5th place...pretty much phoning it in until he jumps ship to Repsol Honda in 2011. Two naval references in one paragraph, thank you very much.

Lorenzo finally shakes off Dovi and sets sail (it never ends) for Pedro at the front. With Pedro's gap a bridge too far, Lorenzo will have to settle for second, and Dovi a comfortable third.

With the laps winding down, an epic battle for fourth continues between DePuniet, Melandri, Stoner, and Spies. All four are looking rather quick, but Stoner now remembers that he hasn't signed an actual contract with Honda for 2011 and decides it would be a good idea to win this battle just in case...don't quit your job before you've found a new one. Stoner made his way through this group and bagged a decent fourth. Spies hung on the back to grab seventh at his first time at Mugello.

Up front, Pedro cruises home for the win followed by Lorenzo and Dovizio. Even with Pedro's win, Lorenzo increased his lead in the championship points standings. The points look like this after 4 rounds...1)Lorenzo 2)Pedrosa 3)Rossi 4)Dovizioso 5)Hayden 6) DePuniet 7) Melandri 8) Simoncelli 9) Stoner 10) Spies.

Smooth Sailing:

1 Pedrosa/Repsol Honda

2 Lorenzo/Fiat Yamaha

3 Dovzioso/Repsol Honda

4 Stoner/Ducati Marlboro

5 Melandri/San Carlo Honda Gresini

6 De Puniet/LCR Honda

7 Spies Tech/3 Yamaha

8 Espargaro/Pramac Racing Ducati

9 Simoncelli/San Carlo Honda Gresini

10 Capirossi/Rizla Suzuki

11 Aoyama/Interwetten Honda MotoGP

12 Barbera/Paginas Amarillas Aspar Ducati

13 Edwards/II Tech 3 Yamaha

14 Bautista/Rizla Suzuki

Man Overboard:

Hayden/Ducati Marlboro

Kallio/Pramac Racing Ducati

Next time out it's Silverstone...who will be on Rossi's bike?

'A cowboy is to the prairie as a sailor is to the sea'

T...out