It’s difficult to believe that we didn’t see this year’s World Champions win today. Mir, Morbidelli and Marquez all stormed to the sort of victory only champions can achieve.
First, Joan Mir led a typically fraught Moto3 race, and went against all received wisdom to lead the last lap. Not just at the first corner, but of of the Bus-stop and onto the 0.6-mile straight where the man who leads usually ends up fourth. He did indulge in some leery weaving to throw a couple of Italians out of his tow but dismissed their slow-down-lap protestations with a regal wave of the hand that is also the prerogative of champs.
In Moto2 Frankie Morbidelli survived race-long combat with the old devil that is Mattia Pasini. More than that he made an totally impossible overtaking move at the Spanish Corkscrew on the last lap that made everyone’s eyes water. Except Pasini’s. He didn’t bat an eyelid even though he is the one usually dealing out that sort of treatment and congratulated his fellow-countryman fulsomely.
In MotoGP Marc Marquez as usual risked all to haul in Jorge Lorenzo who led the race for longer than he’s ever done on a Ducati – longer than in Austria – and only succumbed to Marc and a late-charging Dani Pedrosa in the closing stages. Usually, Valentino Rossi’s heroic fifth place would have been the story of the day. Not in Aragon; this really is the heartland of Marquez support, he is from a town like this one and feels this is his home race. There are grandstands full of flags as usual but they are red not yellow.
I will leave the subject of Rossi’s ride to 500 Grand Prix winner Simon Crafar. He opined out that every professional rider expects to ride injured; that’s what they do. But to be competitive in a MotoGP race while injured is completely different matter.
