Changing weather conditions mixed up the MotoGP race at Misano today, with the track going from dry to wet and back to dry again. Championship hopeful Jorge Lorenzo wiped out switching back to dry tires, sending him off track and severely hurting him in the points.
This crash meant that Lorenzo went unclassified for the race, dropping him down 23 points below Yamaha teammate and championship leader Valentino Rossi in series championship points.
Rossi now sits at 247 points, with Lorenzo trailing with 224. There are just 5 races left in the championship. It’s not over yet, but this certainly didn’t help.
Lorenzo initially was in the lead for this race before wet conditions forced everyone to pit for rain tires. Then a great battle broke out between Lorenzo and Honda rider Marc Márquez, with Rossi gaining fast on the battling duo.
Unfortunately for Yamaha, Rossi waited to pit until after Lorenzo came in, and Lorenzo waited just a bit too long to switch back to dry tires. Both riders lost time time on wet tires under drying conditions, handing Marquez the win.
On his first lap back out on cold, dry tires, Lorenzo had his race-ending wipeout. Ouch!
Marquez then gained a little bit of ground on the Yamaha duo in the championship points. He sits at 184 points for the season thus far. I doubt we’ll see another Marquez championship this year unless Rossi and Lorenzo both just disappear into thin air, but it’s worth noting.
Full race results can be found here and MotoGP championship standings can be found here.
GIF via race video.
Contact the author at stef.schrader@jalopnik.com.