Dani starting from 3rd on the grid was able to pass Cal Crutchlow, in second position, before the first corner and closely tracked pole man Jorge for the first 11 laps, with the two Spanish riders trading record fastest race laps. Only hundredths of seconds separated the two and eventually on lap 12 Dani made a pass and held onto the lead until the final lap. With only a few corners remaining, Jorge passed Dani and both were involved in a dramatic final few turns which resulted in Dani squeezing out Jorge and taking the victory, a perfect gift to his father on his birthday!
This is Dani's 3rd win of 2012 and his 41st career victory, all on a Honda, equalling Mike Hailwood in most victories ever on a Honda, behind Mick Doohan (54) and Jim Redman (45).
Dani has now reduced the gap to Championship leader Jorge to 13 points with 6 rounds of the 2012 season remaining. Casey Stoner, ruled out of this race due to injury remains in 3rd position with 186 points.
The Repsol Honda Team will be back on track in Brno tomorrow for an Official Test day, which will see, as previously announced, Ten Kate Honda's Jonathan Rea step in for the injured Casey Stoner.
DANI PEDROSA - 1st - World Championship Standing: 2nd with 232 points "Today was one of my best races in MotoGP ever, to win with a big gap is always nice, but to have a battle like today with Jorge, it's sometimes more rewarding. It was a difficult last lap because I knew that Jorge was very fast in the middle of the corner and I could hear the bike right on me and I knew that just the smallest gap would allow him to pass. In fact, in that left corner I opened the door just a little more than normal and 'boom' he was there, I could see his bike in my face! With just half a lap to go, I was a little more nervous than before but I knew I had some strong points coming to the end of the lap. I tried to get the best drive out of the hill and then in the last corner I was beside him, when I released the brakes w e were side by side in the corner and I was able to take my line and win the race. It was amazing and I'm really happy with this victory, for all my team and also for my father because it is his birthday! For the Championship we must keep up this momentum as Jorge is riding very strong and consistently in the top two. Testing will be important to set us up for the final part of the season, so let's see what we can do".
Source: Courtesy of Repsol Honda
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