German MotoGP: Valentino Rossi jubilant with 101st win

Valentino Rossi was jubilant after he won the latest installment in his titanic fight with Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo at the Sachsenring yesterday.

Rossi produced a brilliant last two laps to win his third race in the last four to crush Lorenzo’s spirits again, just a month after he denied the Spaniard with a stunning last gasp win at the Catalunya GP.

The Italian’s 75th MotoGP victory also moved him level with Giacomo Agostini’s all-time record of 159 Grand Prix podiums. The 30-year-old, who now leads Lorenzo by 14-points going into this weekend’s British GP at Donington Park, led for the opening six laps before he was pushed back to second by factory Ducati rider Casey Stoner.

Rossi regained the lead with a brilliant overtake at Turn 12 on lap 17 and he was left in another enthralling scrap with Lorenzo. Desperate to avenge his Catalunya defeat, Lorenzo seized the lead at the first corner on lap 26, but the 22-year-old was unable to make a decisive break away from Rossi. And Rossi made his crucial attack at the start of the penultimate lap, the eight-times world champion diving under Lorenzo on the brakes at the first corner.

Lorenzo was powerless to mount a counter attack as Rossi held his nerve under intense pressure to win by just 0.099s. Rossi, who will try to win the British GP at Donington on Sunday for the first time since 2005, said:

“It was a fantastic race with all four top riders in the championship fighting for the victory. It was fun but also very tough. I stayed in front a lot and I pushed a lot after a great start and I knew on this track that it is always difficult to overtake. But Stoner was able to overtake me and I was scared because when he was in front he was a little bit faster than me.

“But after I got into my pace and at about halfway I did a great overtake at the bottom of the hill. I tried to push a lot to gain some advantage but I saw that Jorge passed Casey more or less at the same moment. I then had a big slide on that lap going down the hill so it was not possible to breakaway.

“I tried to keep my rhythm but I couldn’t go and Jorge came back to me. He passed me and when he was in front he was so fast. At the end it came down to another incredible battle with Lorenzo and I really had to be on top form, especially because he passed me when I wasn’t expecting it.

“I was able to pass Jorge another time in the hard braking for the first corner and after that I was very concentrated and didn’t make a mistake in the crucial points and I made a great last lap. It was another great battle and I am so happy because I took another five points in the championship.”

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