INDIANAPOLIS — For the third time in eight MotoGP events, Spain’s Dani Pedrosa found himself in the winners’ circle Sunday.
But his victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway didn’t come easily.
Hot temperatures led to slick track conditions and a visibly spent victor following the race.
“The conditions were very hard because of the heat – the surface was very slippery,” Pedrosa said. “I kept my rhythm for the whole race. I didn’t start perfectly this time but I was able to get back in front and do a good race. I’m exhausted.”
Pedrosa started in the fifth position but quickly made his way to the front. He passed pole sitter Ben Spies on the seventh lap and never looked back, finishing 3.575 seconds faster than the American rookie.
“I led the race for a few laps and didn’t make too many mistakes but I just wasn’t fast enough,” Spies said.
Like Pedrosa, Spies said the weather presented an ongoing battle for riders Sunday.
“It seemed like every couple laps I would see new crash marks on the ground so I knew it was getting greasy,” he said. “It was definitely tricky conditions. It wasn’t just the heat it was the way the track was.”
Four of the 17 competitors – including American Colin Edwards – didn’t complete the race.
Series points leader Jorge Lorenzo didn’t lose much ground, finishing third, 6.812 seconds behind Pedrosa.
With seven events remaining on the schedule, Lorenzo holds a commanding 68 point lead over Pedrosa.
American Nicky Hayden started Sunday’s race in the third position but after six laps slipped to seventh place. He finished sixth.
There wasn’t much passing at the front of the pack as Pedrosa, Spies, and Lorenzo held their top three positions for the final 17 laps of the 28-lap feature event.
Spaniards also won the two opening races as Toni Elias won the Moto2 and Nicolas Terol took the 125cc event.
Tragedy struck the track earlier in the day as 13-year-old motorcycle racer Peter Lenz of Vancover Wash. died following an accident that occurred during the warm up lap of a U.S. Grand Prix Racers Union race. The race preceded the three MotoGP events.
The USGPRU series features 12-18 year-old racers wanting to eventually make the jump to pro racing.
“On behalf of the Lenz family, we would like to thank Peter’s friends and supporters for all their help throughout the years,” the Lenz family said in a statement. “We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss, but know that Peter is racing even faster in the sky.”
It was recently announced that the MotoGP will return to IMS in 2011 for the fourth consecutive year.
“We are thrilled to welcome back the stars and machines of MotoGP in 2001,” IMS CEO Jeff Belskus said. “This is a unique weekend that our fans enjoy, bringing the international flavor and great action of MotoGP to the Speedway.”
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