With only four races remaining in the championship, Jorge Lorenzo closed the gap on Valentino Rossi to only 14 points thanks to a stunning victory at Aragon this weekend.

After screaming away from the start line, Lorenzo grabbed an early lead ahead of pole-sitter and fellow countryman Marc Marquez who, while trying to regain his lead, crashed out on lap two. Unopposed, Lorenzo cruised to victory in his native Spain, leaving championship hopeful Valentino Rossi battling it out with Dani Pedrosa, another Spaniard, for second.

As Lorenzo carved his way through Aragon’s corners, Pedrosa and Rossi played out the spectacle of the day as both riders went toe-to-toe in a bid to claim second place. As Rossi overtook, Pedrosa immediately replied, forcing Rossi to slip back into third and consider his next move. In a battle that went down to very last lap, Pedrosa held on to claim his third podium finish this season.

With the home crowd revelling in Lorenzo’s victory and Pedrosa’s heroic second-place finish, the memories of Aragon won’t live long in the memory of championship favourite Rossi. As all eyes turn to Japan in just under two weeks’ time, Rossi will be hoping that a loyal Asian following can turn-out in force as ‘The Doctor’ looks to build up speed in his bid for a seventh world championship title.