Bautista, Pasini and Simoncelli delivered a spectacular race and rode brilliantly in the difficult conditions: They were so dominant that even when two of them went off the track (Bautista lost 11 seconds in the process), the retained their positions. Between them, the Italian-Spanish feud continued as the championship-leading Alvaro battled the two local riders, and the trio fought hard until the very last lap.
Eventually, the race was won by Pasini, whose last race victory came on his debut, at the 2008 Qatar race. Pasini spent the first half of the race riding behind Bautista and Simoncelli, who fought hard for the lead, biding his time and waiting to make good use of any mistakes. And soon, the came. On one particular corner, the duo managed to hit the same patch of standing water, creating a pretty display of synchronized fishtailing. Shortly after, however, the mistake arrived:
Bautista's charge may have managed to eradicate the Italian's early lead, but after taking the lead for himself, he failed to build a gap. Soon, Simonelli tried to take back the lead - with a brave dive down the inside of Bautista. He, however, was already in the turn, and the duo clashed, taking a wide trip into the gravel. By sheer luck, neither fell off, and Simoncelli even managed to get back on the track within a radius of mere metres from the point they went off. Pasini, who was stalking them a second behind, seized the opportunity and gained the lead.
With the front three - Pasini, followed by Simoncelli five seconds back and Bautista a further six seconds adrift - rode in a class of their own, and so they soon came up on backmarkers struggling in the pouring rain. Bautista, the enraged Spaniard determined to pass his aggressor, sliced through them without mercy, and was soon back on the tail of his rival: But a way past was hard to find. In his efforts to regain the position, he lost control of his rear and nearly highsided the bike, yet somehow managed to keep the bike pointing in the right direction. This appeared to have calmed him down, and reminded him that the championship is a more important than another victory, much to the relief of his team boss, Aspar, who spent the entire race attempting to calm his rider down.
Simoncelli, therefore, was left to chase the pink-liveried Aprillia of Pasini. Two laps from the end, they were nose-to-tail again, and over the start-finish straight, the Gilera's massive straight-line advantage gained Simoncelli the lead. For the next lap, the two local heroes fought with amazing skill and courage, as time and time again Simoncelli gained the lead, while Pasini snuck back in front as his rival ran wide on the entrances. Chasing each other, the lead changed at least four times, and on the penultimate corner, Pasini gained the lead and held it.
Stoner will have his hands full then
