Jorge Lorenzo has taken second place in the U.S. MotoGP race, maintaining a commanding lead in the overall standings.

In a very exciting moto at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Yamaha factory team member Jorge Lorenzo started out in the holeshot and maintained the lead until 11 laps before the end, when he had to yield to Casey Stoner. The same lap sealed the fate of his teammate Ben Spies, who took a bad fall due to mechanical trouble with his swingarm and lost his chance to finish in fourth.

Second-place Lorenzo, who rides a YZR-M1 equipped with an Akrapovič exhaust system, complimented his adversary after the race: “I tried my best at the beginning to open a gap and I managed it, but then in the corkscrew I almost crashed. For Casey maybe that was a motivation and he caught me in one lap. After that I couldn’t keep the pace I had in the beginning, maybe the soft tire was the best option for this race. Without a doubt Casey was riding in excellent form today and it wasn’t possible to beat him.” In the overall standings Lorenzo has a comfortable lead with a 23-point advantage over Dani Pedroso and 32 points over Casey Stoner. The unlucky Ben Spies is currently in tenth place.

Due to logistic (and financial) reasons only the MotoGP class races were held in the United States, and so the Moto2 and Moto3 teams are waiting for their next test in Europe, which will take place 26 August in Brno. Racers in the premium class have one more American race ahead of them, on 19 August in Indianapolis.

Photo: Yamaha Racing