As Sunday morning dawned in Indianapolis, the organisers faced a tough call: to bring the MotoGP race forwards to avoid the onset of Hurricane Ike, or to stick to the proposed schedule of 125cc, MotoGP and 250cc, in that order. With the day shaping up with some rain but also some patchy sunshine, the decision was taken to stick to the schedule. It almost came off, but the warning signs were there when the 125cc race was red flagged. Of course, by this time it was too late to change anything, the MotoGP juggernaut would just roll on.
The initial laps were frantic, as you might expect in these conditions. Stoner grabbed the holeshot but was soon swamped by other riders, including Dovizioso who showed great control and feel on his Honda to take the lead. Not for long though, as through all the slips, near-highsides and losing of front ends (everyone had their moments but not even de Puniet fell off) Nicky Hayden rose to the top in style, hanging out the back end of the bike with what looked like minimal traction control, the Michelin taking all he could throw at it. I was cheering him on, I can only imagine what the American audience were doing.
Rossi, having dropped as far as fourth started to climb the order, swapping places with a battling Dovizioso who did not give up his place easily, having mastered what many others struggled with all day - getting off the racing line was treacherous due to both slippery tarmac and deeper water.
It was all Rossi could to to match the rampant Hayden. For now tyre issues were forgotten, this was suddenly a head-to-head between Hayden and Rossi, a battle for grip and forward motion beyond electronics and rubber composition, pneumatic valves and team politics. It was MotoGP in the raw, two riders at the top of their game, trying everything to obtain and exploit grip. In particular, Hayden was moving about on the bike like we have not seen all year, hanging right off on the right-hander into the back straight to keep the bike upright and get the power down. He was a man transformed. He was also the man with the fastest lap.
Around lap 10, Hayden had the upper hand and in drying conditions pulled a lead on Rossi. Further back, Jorge Lorenzo pushed past Dovi for third, while Stoner seemed content to stay on the bike in 5th. Ben Spies, repeating his wet performance in Donington, sat in a creditable 6th with Pedrosa just behind on his Bridgestones.
Then the weather had a say again. The rain came, and with it came speed for Rossi and Lorenzo. Rossi again battled with Hayden, but this time the Michelin wets which had taken such a beating from the American in the early laps could not maintain their performance in the wet and Hayden had to concede to the Italian. The rain became heavier, and suddenly the wind picked up. First small debris was visible getting blown across the track, then the Yamaha tent in the infield fell victim to gusts, and the riders would later report avoiding beer cans and plastic cups as they were blown across the tarmac. The only sensible decision was to red-flag the race, a decision Lorenzo may wish was made a lap later as he had just passed a now struggling Hayden. However, Hayden held second place on the last trip over the yard of bricks and so took second place.
Some doubt remained over whether the race would resume. TV pictures of destroyed tents and air fences being lifted by the wind to be worse than useless soon made the decision easy - there would be no resumption. Rossi was declared the winner and celebrations could begin for the Yamaha team. The podium was a unique affair for MotoGP - a hydraulic lift raising the podium-sitter’s bikes to take part in the celebrations.
The victory takes Rossi into such a lead in the championship that a fourth place in Motegi will get the job done. This is where Stoner sealed his victory last year. Just four races ago, the title fight looked like going to the wire - how quickly things change in MotoGP.
Finally, a word about Pedrosa. I previously billed this as a potential career-defining weekend for the Spaniard, but such were the conditions little could be gleaned from his performance - better than most but far from a podium. He gets some breathing room, but must perform well in Japan to retain his credibility.
MotoGPBlog has a special report in the works from Indianapolis - an eye-witness report of the event from Bridget Kirkland who was there, camera in hand through all the weather, and an epic journey home. Check back soon for Bridget’s take on the weekend.
MotoGPBlog man of the weekend: A tough call this week, with Ben Spies proving his talent and trouncing the other Suzuki riders, and Rossi again giving a masterclass in consistency. However, the winner is Nicky Hayden for his epic battle with Rossi and brilliant tail-out style from start to finish. Couple this with the announcement from Ducatii that he will be joining them next year, and it has to be his weekend.
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