The Brickyard might only have hosted MotoGP since 2008, but Indianapolis served up a cracker two years ago worthy of the series’ history.
The battle at the top in the 2009 season was between Yamaha team-mates and unfriendly rivals Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. Lorenzo had crashed out of the prevous two races, while Rossi had won the one in Brno and finished fifth in the race before at Silverstone (won superbly by Andrea Dovizioso, the Italian’s only victory to date) to take a 50-point lead to the US.
'The last races have been very bad results for us, when I crashed in both of them, but today it happens to the others' – Jorge Lorenzo
But Lorenzo’s luck was about to change. Dani Pedrosa made a trademark terrific start to take the lead from Lorenzo, while Rossi had also stolen a march on his Spanish team-mate. But after four laps, Dani skidded off (see below fan video), leaving the battle for victory on the Yamaha riders’ hands. But Rossi too, crashed out, leaving Lorenzo to cut his lead to just one race win, with Alex de Angelis taking a memorable second for Gresini Honda and home favourite Nicky Hayden, 2006 world champion but having a dreadful 2009 season up to then, taking third and commenting, “It’s not a win, but it feels like one.” Despite his early crash, Pedrosa recovered to a very creditable 10th.
What happened next?
Valentino Rossi bounced back from disappointment in Indy to take his seventh MotoGP world title in 2009, winning the next race at Misano and then recording podium results in three of the last four GPs – Jorge Lorenzo would have to wait until the next season for his maiden championship. Dani Pedrosa also recovered spectacularly in the closing races, taking three thirds and a second place before winning the final race from pole position in front of his home crowd in Valencia.
More video from the 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP
- Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP event page
- Dani Pedrosa's latest blog
- Check out the official MotoGP site
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