SPECTACULAR WIN FOR JORGE LORENZO AT THE SPANISH GP AS BARBERA
TAKES FIFTH
Jorge Lorenzo dominated the 250c Grand Prix of Spain throughout
to take his first-ever win the quarter-litre class. Lorenzo
made a good start at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit and,
having assumed the lead, set a scorching pace which saw him
pull away from the field and claim a solo victory. No-one
could stay with the Mallorcan and by the end he had a huge
lead and his victory proved he is going to be one of the leading
contenders for the 250 title. For his part, Hector Barbera
endured a difficult and painful race after his fall in the
second qualifying session. However, he was always in the fight
for a podium place and just missed out when on the last lap
he was passed by Dovizioso and Takahashi, in the end settling
for fifth.
JORGE LORENZO 1st
"It was a real honour to win and to be able to celebrate
it with the Spanish fans who are the best in the world. I
was dreaming about a race like this all weekend, getting away
from the field and lapping on my own at the front like my
hero Max Biaggi used to do and I achieved it. In the past
I have usually won races by fighting with my rivals right
until the final corner, but this was difficult also as I had
to maintain my concentration. To be able to pull clear and
demonstrate my superiority is a great feeling. This is the
happiest day of my life - it’s my first 250 win and
I hope it’s the first of many. We worked really hard
here and will keep doing so to try and maintain our standards
and even raise them. I want to dedicate the win to everyone
who has supported me.”
HECTOR BARBERÁ 5th
"I would have liked to have got on the podium, but in
the end I had to settle for fifth. I didn’t get away
to well, but managed to fight back and fight with Jorge for
a couple of laps. However, I could not live with his pace
as the fall I had really damaged my right hand making it hard
to open the gas as I wanted. I focused on blocking out the
pain and making a push on the final lap and nearly managed
to get on the podium. But when I tried to get past Dovizioso
we had a slight contact and then set me back a little making
it hard to get back. It was a shame , but this is only the
first race and we will keep working hard to do well in the
next ones.”
DANI AMATRIAIN (Team Manager)
"I am very happy, moral is now very high in the team
after what has been a great start to the season. Jorge’s
win has made us much stronger and Hector would have been higher
up if he had not been troubled by the injury to his hand -
he could have been fighting to win. I want to thank all the
team for the work they did in the winter which allowed us
these great results in the first race.”
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