What really makes a race epic? At Repsol Honda, things are clear: lots of overtaking, unexpected situations and a feeling of expectation that keeps you in suspense until you cross the finish line. Here are the team's seven best races in the premier category. (Translation of the Box Repsol article).
part 1
1995 Australian Grand Prix
The first race of the year and the debut of the Repsol Honda team was a triumph. There's no better way than to make your mark in the competition by securing victory, fastest lap and pole position. The author of such a feat was the five-time world champion Mick Doohan, who crossed the finish line 13,4 seconds ahead of the second, thus signing a relentless domination at home, in his native Australia.
1995 Australian Grand Prix
1996 Czech Republic Grand Prix
A race full of emotion at the end of which Álex Crivillé signed the victory by just two thousandths over Mick Doohan! The Repsol Honda teammates started second and third on the grid, and with 15 laps remaining the Australian had taken command, followed very closely by the Spaniard.
Then, it was a tense end of the race with overtaking by each of the drivers going wheel to wheel. The tension rose a notch in the last lap and both crossed the finish line at the same time. The winner was declared by photo finish and this victory remained one of the closest in history.
2012 Valencia Grand Prix
Dani Pedrosa has won the Valencia GP eight times but his 2012 victory was the most vibrant. Intense rain had soaked the track before the race but the asphalt was beginning to dry by the time of the start. In these circumstances, the Repsol Honda rider decided to come back and change his bike during the warm-up lap and started from the worst place possible, namely the pitlane, while he was in pole position. He moved up place after place until winning with a lead of 37,6 seconds over the second, Nakasuga. The podium was completed by another Repsol Honda rider, Casey Stoner, who ended his career at this race.
2012 Valencia Grand Prix
2012 Czech Republic Grand Prix
There is no doubt that the face-offs between Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo are already part of MotoGP legend. We're talking about two of the most technical and talented drivers on the grid, and watching them fight for victory has always been spectacular. Their closest battle took place at the Brno circuit in 2012.
Numbers 26 and 99 started from the first row, the Majorcan in the lead. From the first lap, the game of destabilization was established, each trying to put pressure on the other and overtaking him, until a few meters from the finish, Pedrosa managed to definitively overtake Lorenzo. With a lead of 178 thousandths, he emerged victorious from one of the most epic fights in MotoGP.
Discover the second part tomorrow…
