Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Marquez took their respective MotoGP and Moto2 titles one round early in Philip Island to cap a golden era for Spanish riders and also Öhlins supplied teams
The 2012 MotoGP season has been one of the most dramatic and exciting seasons, both on and off track in recent history. Following the shock announcement by Casey Stoner that he would be retiring at the end of the year, it was announced that the young Marquez will be stepping up into the premier class with the Repsol Honda team – having already secured the 125cc championship in 2010 and now dominating Moto2.
To the relief of his thousands of fans worldwide, Valentino Rossi announced that he would be returning to Yamaha – the factory he secured four of his world championships with. With ‘Vale’ partnering old team mate Lorenzo, Yamaha have secured a formidable team for the 2013 and 2014 championships.
Back on track the action was just as exciting. Following a crash at the American round at Indianapolis, Casey Stoner was forced to miss three rounds, ruling him out of the championship hunt and leaving Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa to battle it out. The two have traded wins all season and things came to a head at the Czech Republic round at the Brno circuit with a dramatic final few laps which saw Pedrosa take the win on the very last corner. Britain’s Cal Crutchlow crossed the line third in Brno to claim his first podium in MotoGP and be the first British rider to finish on the premier class podium since 2000, backing it up with a second podium at Phillip Island. Stoner also returned from injury to dominate Philip Island showing his home fans and GP watchers everywhere exactly what they will be missing next year.
The new Claiming Rules Team, or CRT bikes continues to split opinion but with some respectable finishes within the top ten, these machines with production engines and prototype chassis will remain for 2013 and could well be the future of MotoGP.
With over 90% of MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 grids running Öhlins, the Swedish equipment remains the top choice for the Premier League of Bikesport….