Just when you thought the the Aragon Grand Prix was going to be the site of Valentino Rossi’s->ke1462 coronation, Movistar Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo crashed the party, winning the race in spectacular fashion and blowing the championship picture wide open.
Rossi still leads Lorenzo by 14 points with just four rounds remaining, but the latter’s dominant performance over the weekend served notice to everyone in MotoGP->ke2192 that this year’s rider’s championship is far from finished.
Rossi still leads the standings with 263 points, but Lorenzo’s win at Aragon (his sixth of the season) moved him up to 249 points. The two Yamaha riders are the only ones left vying for the title. Defending champion Marc Marquez suffered his fifth did-not-finish (DNF) of the season, keeping his points total stuck at 184, 79 points behind Rossi.
So a new champion is expected to be crowned this season now that Marquez’s two-year dominance in the sport has come to an end. Rossi and Lorenzo are former champions themselves. The former is regarded as one of the greatest motorcycle riders in history with nine GP titles to his name. The latter doesn’t have that much, but he does have two under his own belt.
The season now moves on to the Twin Ring Motegi on October 12 in Japan. Lorenzo won last year’s race so if he can hold form on make-it-back, he can really put a real scare in Rossi’s quest for the other thumb.
Continue reading to learn more about the dramatic conclusion to the 2015 MotoGP season.
Why it matters
I would’ve honestly preferred it if Marc Marquez was still part of the title picture because he’s the defending champion and I’ve always prescribed to the maxim “to be the man, you have to beat the man.”
That said, it’s not Rossi’s or Lorenzo’s fault that Marquez has been effectively eliminated from the title chase, leaving the two Yamaha teammates to contest the title between themselves. It’s still a pretty exciting conclusion given the circumstances. Hopefully, Lorenzo puts up enough points to close the gap to Rossi heading into a championship-deciding race in Valencia, Spain on November 8, 2015.
A winner-take-all race between Rossi and Lorenzo would be the perfect climax for what has been a very eventful MotoGP season. It’s only fitting that these two are the only ones left in the title picture because they’ve clearly been the two best riders throughout the season. So let’s enjoy the last four rounds of the 2015 season and hope that we get one of the most exciting finishes of any season in recent history.
I'm not rooting for any of the two Yamaha riders, but make no mistake, they're both deserving to win the title this season. I just want to see an exciting finish with both riders duking it the way motor racing is supposed to be.