MotoGP 2012 : Dani Pedrosa, Second On Podium, Repsol Honda Team Qatar Grand Prix RaceMotoGP 2012 : Casey Stoner , Third On Podium, Repsol Honda Team Qatar Grand Prix Race

Stoner stole the pole from Lorenzo right from the third lap and it looked like he would finish the race first, well almost, when viewers were treated to the kind of excitement only two wheeled racing can provide, when Stoner was passed by Lorenzo with just four laps to the finish and then again by teammate Pedrosa, leaving Stoner to finish third. This is Stoner’s 16th consecutive podium.

MotoGP 2012 : Stoner making his move, Qatar Grand Prix Race Photo 03

Dani Pedrosa jumped from 7th to 2nd by the first corner but had to give up his position to Lorenzo later. Pedrosa stuck to Lorenzo’s tail for a major part of the race and did manage to overtake him for a bit towards the end but lost the gained position almost immediately.

MotoGP 2012 : Stoner leading the way, Qatar Grand Prix Race Photo 01

DANI PEDROSA 2nd

“I’m very happy with this result because we have been able to turn around all the problems we had during the weekend. After a good pre season we got here and everything went wrong: I had flu and a fever, I crashed on Friday, then the qualifying practice was a disaster… So, it’s very good to leave here with this podium, even if I feel little bit sad because I thought I could win this race, I had it in my hands for a while. The team did a fantastic job and we saw things very different after warm up; then I managed a perfect start which was a key moment in the race, and I was able to stay with Casey and Jorge. In the end, with 4 laps to go I tried to take the lead, but Lorenzo was cleverer than me this time and choose a better strategy. I passed him but he overtook me immediately and also Casey, then I was behind Casey for 1 lap and lost contact with Jorge. Anyway, it’s a good start to the season and we will try to do better in Jerez”.

MotoGP 2012 : Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda Team Qatar Grand Prix Race Photo 06

CASEY STONER 3rd

“It wasn’t really the way we wanted to finish the race weekend here, after FP3 and Qualifying it was always going to be a tough race for us but in the end it came in the wrong areas. The bike was working well for us, I definitely had the package and the pace to lead the field which was really positive. However, I suffered from really bad arm pump. After three or four laps I felt it but it gradually got worse, I tried to pull a little gap from Jorge and Dani and put in the minimal effort possible to retain the gap and try and win, but as the race continued it got worse and worse and eventually the muscles had nothing more to give. I couldn’t hold onto the handle bars properly and it made things really difficult so it was a disappointing race for this reason, but for many other technical reasons it was very promising”.

MotoGP 2012 : Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda Team at the Qatar Grand Prix Race, ahead of Jorge Lorenzo for most of the race

MotoGP 2012 : Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda Team at the Qatar Grand Prix Race Photo 04

MotoGP 2012 : Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda Team at the Qatar Grand Prix Race Photo 07