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When MotoGP riders get it wrong
After Jorge Lorenzo’s uncharacteristic error in Austin, RedBull.com looks at other epic mistakes.
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Jorge Lorenzo in pensive mood
© Photo courtesy of Yamaha
Mistakes from two-times MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo are rare, so the fact that the Yamaha man has made a crucial one in each of the opening two rounds of the 2014 season is all the more surprising.
Lorenzo's first-lap crash in Qatar and his jump start in Austin have contributed to a tense and dramatic start to the campaign. In light of his error at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas on Sunday RedBull.com has compiled a selection of some of the most bizarre and entertaining cock-ups that have been witnessed in MotoGP over the past few seasons.
Jorge Lorenzo jumps the start at Austin
© Getty Images
Jorge Lorenzo: Austin 2014
The sheer nature of Lorenzo's lapse in concentration at the Circuit of the Americas was almost beyond belief, given his usually fault-free riding.
Jump starts are normally a case of a rider going a split-second before the red lights go out. Sometimes it's even hard to see they've jumped on the grid, but Lorenzo went so early as he reacted to the red lights coming on.
By the time he'd realised his mistake it was far too late, and Lorenzo was resigned to the fact that a ride through penalty meant any hope he had of collecting big points was well and truly gone.
The photo above shows just how far Lorenzo had moved from the second row before the lights actually went out, and this video from front-row starter Stefan Bradl's bike gives another perspective on the mishap.
Julián Simón goes toe-to-toe with Andrea Iannone
© Studio Milagro / DPPI
Julián Simón: Catalunya 2009
We progress from one incredulous mistake to another! Julián Simón had battled Andrea Iannone for the lead of the 125cc encounter at his home Grand Prix, and the race was all set for a last-lap showdown between the two who'd been stuck to one another like glue – as the photo above suggests.
However, as they crossed the finish line for the start of the final lap, Simón thought he'd won the race and sat up. The Spaniard started gesticulating wildly and by the time his crew on pit wall had managed to make him realise there was still a race on, he'd well and truly lost the chance of victory.
To add insult to injury, his team-mate Sergio Gadea beat him to the third and final podium position by a photo finish, leaving Simón decidedly red faced. Fortunately for the likeable Simón it ultimately did not affect his title chances and he won the 2009 125cc World Championship later in the season.
Álvaro Bautista drops his wheelie spectacularly
© Getty Images
Álvaro Bautista: Brno 2009
This spectacular one came at Brno in the wake of the 250cc race. Bautista, who was fighting for the title, had just taken a third-placed finish at the Czech GP and decided to celebrate by pulling a wheelie for the crowd.
The Spanish rider looked for a very brief moment to have managed to get the bike to 12 O'Clock, but things very quickly turned sour when the bike flipped, spat Bautista off and sent him sliding along the tarmac on his backside.
Bautista took it in good spirit, laughed at his monumental goof up, and had to hitch a ride back to the pit lane from Frenchman Jules Cluzel, where team boss Jorge Martínez was waiting for an explanation over a needlessly destroyed bike! It also made for a funny and rather sheepish post-race interview quote...
I tried to do a wheelie and I lost my body, I continued to accelerate, and I did a backflip!
- Álvaro Bautista
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