MotoGP Aragon; A recap of the race

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The race today at Aragon was nothing less than exciting. While the battle for first place is a key spectacle of any race, often times the best action and most riveting battles are between those jostling for position on the podium, today at Aragon it was one of those days. While the battles changed throughout the most recent Spanish round, Rossi managed to be involved in all of the noteworthy clashes.

The current leader in the premier class, Marc Marquez took home another Grand Prix win, his first win on a Spanish race track since 2014, and his first dry track win since COTA in Texas. Finishing with a solid 3 second lead by the end of the race, it became increasingly clear that it was the young spainard's race to win or lose by halfway through. Starting from 3rd place on the first row of the grid,the number 93 Repsol rider was fighting for a podium position as soon as the lights went out. Early into the race, while attempting to overtake, he came into a turn far too hot and lost several places in a single mistake. This however did not prevent him from fighting his way back to ultimately win today's race.

Maverick Vinales performed well today and gained experience that will likely help him in future races. Starting on the first row of the grid, Vinales got the hole shot and locked down first place for almost half of the race until Rossi was eventually able to overtake him, capitalizing on a mistake that cost the number 25 Ecstar Suzuki rider several positions. He ultimately finished the race in fourth place, behind his future teammate, Vakentino Rossi, and in front of Cal Crutchlow who has been surprisingly competitive for someone competing on a non factory bike.

Jorge Lorenzo appeared to be back in full effect today. One would never guess he finished 9th in the practice round on Friday, or that his recent level of competitiveness has been on a downward trajectory before today, in contrast to the rest of his recent career. He battled with Valentino Rossi, his teammate and rival, until eventually Rossi attempted an inside overtake which resulted in him going significantly off track and losing three seconds. This ultimately sealed everyone's position.

All in all, today's races were fun to watch. The excitement moved around and for a long portion of the event, it could have been anyone's race to win. It's easy to overlook how truly talented the top 5-10 riders are, I would argue that it's not because some riders are on a decline, but more that the competition has gotten increasingly fierce. Almost any of the top 5 rider's times compared to those several years ago would have made any of them a world champion. Unless of course you're Rossi, in which case, it made you a champion.........nine times over.

For a complete list of finishing positions, highlights or additional info check out MotoGP.com, and for those of you who love racing more than you do paying for things, versions of today's full race can be found on YouTube. Until next week, ride safe everybody.