2012 Galician regional election, Overview, Election date
The media pointed out that Feijóo could be considering an autumn election instead, in order to prevent further spending cuts from the national PP government under Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy from affecting his image, On 21 August 2012, Lehendakari Patxi López's announcement of a snap Basque election for 21 October left Feijóo little room for an autumn election, and one week later he called a snap election in Galicia to be held concurrently with the Basque poll.


2012 Galician regional election, Background
The election was held amid a climate of falling popularity for the Mariano Rajoy's government, with the electoral campaign being focused on the austerity measures and spending cuts approved by the national PP government. In July 2012, a €65 billion-worth spending cut and a VAT rise from 18% to 21% was introduced, with such measures being heavily criticised because they were a breach of key campaign promises made by the PP in the party's election manifesto.


2012 Galician regional election, Background
The PP vote share had plummeted in national opinion polls from 40% to 34% as a result, raising fears within Núñez Feijóo's regional government on the possibility of losing their overall majority in the Galician regional election; this had seen an attempt to reform the regional electoral law by decreasing the size of the Parliament of Galicia from 75 to 61, under a seat apportionment that was seen as benefitting the PP's rural strongholds. The reform did not come to pass as a result of the snap poll and a lack of consensus with opposition parties for its approval.


2012 Galician regional election, Background
The Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) had split following its 13th national assembly in January 2012 over dissatisfaction with the bloc's political line and the control exercised by the Galician People's Union (UPG). Among the splitting forces were Xosé Manuel Beiras's Encontro Irmandiño (EI), Nationalist Left (EN), Máis Galiza (+G), the Galician Nationalist Party–Galicianist Party (PNG–PG), the Galician Workers' Front (FOGA) and the Galician Socialist Space (ESG), whereas Inzar and the Socialist Collective chose to dissolve.


2012 Galician regional election, Background
The split parties would rally around a broad umbrella dubbed as the Novo Proxecto Común (English: "New Common Project"), which would provide the basis for the emergence of two new political forces: EI and the FOGA would join other political forces—such as the Galician People's Front (FPG) and Movemento pola Base (MpB)—into the new Renewal–Nationalist Brotherhood (Anova) party, while EN would merge with +G, ESG, PNG–PG, Terra Galega, Espazo Ecosocialista Galego and Acción Galega into the newly-established Commitment to Galicia (CxG).


2012 Galician regional election, Parliamentary composition
The Parliament of Galicia was officially dissolved on 28 August 2012, after the publication of the dissolution decree in the Official Journal of Galicia. The table below shows the composition of the parliamentary groups in the chamber at the time of dissolution.


2012 Galician regional election, Parties and candidates
The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, coalitions and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form a coalition ahead of an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of at least one percent of the electorate in the constituencies for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates.


2012 Galician regional election, Parties and candidates
Below is a list of the main parties and electoral alliances which contested the election:


2012 Galician regional election, Opinion polls
The table below lists voting intention estimates in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed with its background shaded in the leading party's colour. If a tie ensues, this is applied to the figures with the highest percentages. The "Lead" column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the parties with the highest percentages in a given poll. When available, seat projections are also displayed below the voting estimates in a smaller font. 38 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Galicia.


2012 Galician regional election, Opinion polls
Poll conducted after legal ban on opinion polls  Exit poll


2012 Gamba Osaka season
The 2012 Gamba Osaka season is Gamba Osaka's 20th season in the J. League Division 1 and 26th overall in the Japanese top flight. It also includes the 2012 J. League Cup, 2012 Emperor's Cup, and the 2012 AFC Champions League.


2012 Gambella bus attack
The 2012 Gambella bus attack was a shooting incident on 12 March 2012, 12 miles from the town of Gambella in Ethiopia which killed 19 people and wounded 8 others. The victims were Ethiopian residents who were travelling on a public bus, near the town of Obang.


2012 Gambian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in the Gambia on 29 March 2012. The ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) won 43 of the 48 elected seats.


2012 Gambian parliamentary election, Electoral system
48 of the 53 members of the unicameral National Assembly were directly elected, with an additional five members appointed by the President. Due to the over 50% illiteracy rate in the country, voters would drop glass marbles into coloured drums based on the candidate they chose. Upon the marble hitting the bottom of each drum, a bell would sound to prevent voter fraud through multiple voting.


2012 Gambian parliamentary election, Campaign
There were 86 candidates for 48 elected seats. 25 seats were won unopposed by the APRC.


2012 Gambian parliamentary election, Campaign
Six opposition parties (United Democratic Party (UDP), People's Progressive Party, People's Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism, National Democratic Action Movement, Gambia Moral Congress, Gambia Party for Democracy and Progress, National Convention Party and the National Alliance for Democracy and Development) boycotted the elections, saying they were rigged in favour of the APRC, and after a request to postpone the election was rejected. The UDP's Ousainou Darboe said that the ruling party was "using government resources. They operate from the offices of the regional governors and from the offices of the various local authorities to operate." The grouping also called for ECOWAS to intervene. The grouping said that APRC had "an abuse of incumbency [as] complete merger between party and state" allowed for the ruling party to use state resources such as the media for "political advantage."


2012 Gambian parliamentary election, Campaign
Hamat Bah's National Reconciliation Party (NRP) decided to participate in the elections. Bah made the decision on the premise that he could win back the seat lost after the founding of the National Alliance for Democracy and Development and was subsequently barred by a court ruling.


2012 Gambian parliamentary election, Conduct
Electoral observers were present from the African Union, Commonwealth of Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Conference. Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said it would not agree to monitor the election because, according to them, the election was not "free, fair and transparent." ECOWAS also criticised the AU for sending an observer mission.


2012 Gangwon FC season
The 2012 season was Gangwon FC's fourth season in the K-League in South Korea. Gangwon FC will be competing in K-League and Korean FA Cup.


2012 Gangwon FC season, Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Gangwon FC season, Current squad, Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football team
The 2012 Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football team represented Gardner–Webb University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Ron Dickerson, Jr. and played their home games at Ernest W. Spangler Stadium. They are a member of the Big South Conference. They finished the season 3–8, 2–4 in Big South play to finish in fifth place.


2012 Garmin–Sharp season
The 2012 season for the Garmin–Sharp cycling team began in January at the Tour Down Under. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.


2012 Garmin–Sharp season
Ahead of the season, the team again changed names – for the fifth time in as many years – from Garmin-Cervélo to Garmin-Barracuda, after Barracuda Networks joined the team as its co-sponsor. Despite giving up the team's second name, Cervélo remains with the team as its official bicycle supplier. Before the Tour de France, the team acquired Sharp as a secondary title sponsor, with the team's name becoming Garmin–Sharp for UCI designation, although retaining Barracuda for the team's own publications as Garmin–Sharp–Barracuda.


2012 Gastein Ladies
The 2012 Gastein Ladies was a professional women's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the sixth edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 WTA Tour. It took place in Bad Gastein, Austria between 9 and 17 June 2012. Alizé Cornet won the singles title.


2012 Gastein Ladies, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 Gastein Ladies, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2012 Gastein Ladies, Finals, Doubles
Jill Craybas /  Julia Görges defeated  Anna-Lena Grönefeld /  Petra Martić, 6–7(4–7), 6–4, [11–9]


2012 Gastein Ladies – Doubles
Eva Birnerová and Lucie Hradecká were the defending champions but Hradecká decided not to participate.


2012 Gastein Ladies – Doubles
Birnerová teamed up with Alizé Cornet, but had to withdraw due to the Czech's right thigh injury.


2012 Gastein Ladies – Doubles
Jill Craybas and Julia Görges won the title, defeating Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Petra Martić in the final with the score 6–7(4–7), 6–4, [11–9].


2012 Gastein Ladies – Singles
María José Martínez Sánchez was the defending champion but decided not to participate. Alizé Cornet won the title defeating Yanina Wickmayer in the final, 7–5, 7–6(7–1)


2012 Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council election
The 2012 Gateshead Council election took place on 3 May 2012 to elect members of Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council in Tyne & Wear, England. This was on the same day as other 2012 United Kingdom local elections.


2012 Gator Bowl
The 2012 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl, the 67th edition of the game, was a post-season American college football bowl game, held on January 2, 2012 at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida as part of the 2011–12 NCAA Bowl season. TaxSlayer.com was named the corporate title sponsor on September 1, 2011. The game, which was telecasted at 1:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2, featured the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference versus the Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference.


2012 Gator Bowl
The game was a rematch of the 2007 BCS National Championship Game, where Florida emerged victorious. Florida's head coach for the 2007 game, Urban Meyer, was named head coach at Ohio State in November 2011 and took over the Buckeye football program in the 2012 season. As such, this game is sometimes referred to as the Urban Meyer Bowl.


2012 Gator Bowl, Teams
The Buckeyes finished fourth in the Big Ten Leaders Division, while the Gators finished the season third in the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division. The two teams have played once before, in the 2007 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game. In that game, No. 2 Florida defeated No. 1 Ohio State 41–14 to claim the 2006 national title.


2012 Gator Bowl, Teams
Some referred to the game as the “Urban Bowl” or “Traitor Bowl” by Gators fans because Urban Meyer had been hired as the new Ohio State head coach less than a year after leaving Florida. Luke Fickell served as the interim head coach for Ohio State, while Brian White served as the interim offensive coordinator for Florida and called the plays, since offensive coordinator Charlie Weis had left to take the head coaching job at Kansas.


2012 Gator Bowl, Teams
Ohio State and Florida were tied 7–7 in the first half, but dominant special teams play - including a kickoff return and blocked punt return for a touchdown - led the Gators (7–6) to a 24–17 victory over the struggling Buckeyes (6–7). It is the first time since 1999 that Ohio State has had a non-winning record, and the first time since 1988 that Ohio State had a losing season. It was Florida's 32nd consecutive winning season dating back to 1979. The Buckeyes will not be eligible for a 2012 bowl game or the Big Ten title. The Gators will return in 2012 with a new Offensive Coordinator, Brent Pease, and a new starting quarterback.


2012 Gatorade Duels
The 2012 Gatorade Duels were a pair of stock car races held on February 23, 2012 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The 60-lap races, held before a crowd of 80,000, were the qualifying races for the 2012 Daytona 500, the premier event of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The first race was won by Tony Stewart for the Stewart-Haas Racing team. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second and Marcos Ambrose came in third. The second race was won by Matt Kenseth driving for the Roush Fenway Racing team; their first win in the history of the Gatorade Duels. Regan Smith followed in the second position and Jimmie Johnson was third.


2012 Gatorade Duels
Carl Edwards led the first race from the start. One lap later, he was overtaken by Stewart. Afterward, Earnhardt moved into the first position, holding it until a caution period on lap nine. Denny Hamlin assumed the lead at the lap 14 and maintained the position until his pit stop 30 laps later. Stewart reclaimed the lead and held it throughout the remaining 16 laps and two further caution periods to win the first Gatorade Duel. There were three cautions and eight lead changes among five different drivers during the course of the first race.


2012 Gatorade Duels
During the second race, Greg Biffle was the leader at the start. On the fourth lap, Kenseth passed Biffle to take over the lead. He lost the position when Joey Logano and Kyle Busch moved into the top two places. Biffle passed Kyle Busch by the 29th lap and held it during his pit stop 14 laps later. With three laps remaining in the race, Kenseth attempted a race-winning slingshot and passed Biffle when the final lap started and held it to win the second Gatorade Duel. There were five lead changes among five different drivers and no cautions were shown during the course of the second race.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Background
Daytona International Speedway is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races; the others are Michigan International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway. Its standard track is a four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.0 km) superspeedway. Daytona's turns are banked at 31 degrees and the front stretch (the location of the finish line) is banked at 18 degrees. The defending winners of the races were Kurt Busch and Jeff Burton.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Background
In the early years, qualifying for the Daytona 500 had varying formats: from one timed lap, to the average of two laps, to the better of two laps. The idea of having two individual races to establish the starting lineup of the Daytona 500 dates back to the first race in 1959. The first of the 100-mile (160 km) qualifying races consisted of Convertible division cars and the second of Grand National cars. Between 1960 and 1967, the races were 100 miles (160 km) and were increased to 125 miles (201 km) in 1969.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Background
Prior to 1971, the races yielded points to the Drivers' Championship. Large well-established teams approach the races as practice sessions for the Daytona 500 while a successful qualification into the event for smaller less-established teams would enable their entry into future NASCAR events during the season. An unsuccessful qualification meant the team would risk closing down until sponsorship was found. Corporate sponsors purchased naming rights to qualifying races; between 1981 and 1984, Uno cards was the title sponsor for the "Uno Twin 125’s" qualifying events.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Background
In 1985 they became known as "7-Eleven Twin 125's"; no sponsors funded the 1988, 1989 and 1990 qualifying events and the races were called "Daytona Twin Qualifiers". Gatorade sponsored the dual qualifying events from 1991 and the races were increased to 150 miles (240 km) as it became known as the "Gatorade Duels" in 2005. The races were rebranded as the "Budweiser Duels" in 2013 and became known as the "Can-Am Duels" in 2016.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Background
The top 35 drivers were assigned to Gatorade Duel races based upon their qualifying positions in the Daytona 500. Drivers who qualified in odd-number positions competed in the first Duel along with the winner of the 2012 Daytona 500 pole. Competitors who qualified in even-numbered places took part in the second Duel. The drivers' finishing positions in both Duels determined their starting positions in the Daytona 500. Positions 40 to 42 were filled with the quickest drivers who did not qualify in the top 35. 43rd place was occupied by an eligible past champion. In the event a past champion was not available, the 43rd position would be filled by the next-fastest driver. Two drivers outside the top 35 were eligible for two transfer spots in each Duel which allowed them to qualify for the Daytona 500.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Background
After some of the cars' engines overheated while driving in packs during the 2012 Budweiser Shootout, NASCAR increased the engines' pressure release values from 25 psi (1.7 bar) to 28 psi (1.9 bar) to help reduce overheating and alleviate the effects of driving at high temperatures.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Practice and qualification
Two 90-minute practice sessions were held on February 22. Matt Kenseth was quickest in the first practice session, with a time of 44.809 seconds. Trevor Bayne was second-quickest with a lap-time 0.009 seconds slower. Ricky Stenhouse Jr, with a time of 44.849 seconds, was third-fastest, ahead of Marcos Ambrose and Mark Martin. Clint Bowyer, Michael McDowell and Kevin Harvick. Paul Menard and Kasey Kahne completed the top ten. During the session, Brad Keselowski slowed to avoid Ryan Newman, causing Clint Bowyer to turn into Keselowski, whose car went spinning into the grass on the backstretch.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Practice and qualification
Keselowski's car sustained minor damage; his team could repair it, meaning he was not required to use a backup car. Aric Almirola led the second practice, in which 25 drivers competed, with a lap of 45.065 seconds—nearly one-tenth of a second faster than David Stremme. David Ragan was third, ahead of Robert Richardson, Jr. and Greg Biffle. Bobby Labonte, Joe Nemechek, Bill Elliott, Michael Waltrip and Kahne completed the top ten ahead of the races.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Practice and qualification
During the session, in where drivers ran in packs and drafted off each other, Juan Pablo Montoya made contact with Kahne and sent his car spinning into the grass on the front stretch, tearing off some of its nose. Kahne was required to use a backup car for the rest of Speedweeks. Because the qualifying grids were chosen by the order in which drivers qualified in Daytona 500 pole position qualifying, the pole was given to Carl Edwards in the first race and to Biffle in the second.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Practice and qualification
Edwards was joined on the grid's front row by Dale Earnhardt, Jr., with Ambrose in third. Stenhouse and Bayne started in fourth and fifth positions respectively. Biffle was joined by Mears on the front row for the second race, with Jeff Gordon in third. Martin Truex, Jr. started fourth, and was followed by Martin in fifth.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Races
The qualifying races for the 2012 Daytona 500 began at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and was televised live in the United States by Speed. The conditions on the grid before the first race were dry, the air temperature was 82 °F (28 °C) and a ten percent chance of rain was forecast. Dr. L. Ronald Durham of Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, Florida began the pre-race ceremonies with an invocation. Vocalist Catrina Mack from Orlando, Florida performed the national anthem.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Races, Race 1
Following the invocation and the performance of the National Anthem, three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ryan Lochte commanded the drivers to start their engines. Edwards maintained his pole position lead going into the first corner with Earnhardt, Jr. in second. On lap two, Tony Stewart passed Edwards around the outside to take the lead. Edwards, with assistance from Bayne, moved in front of Stewart going into turn three to reclaim the first position two laps later. On the fifth lap, Earnhardt moved into the lead and Ambrose moved into second place.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Races, Race 1
Edwards temporarily moved back into first before Earnhardt reclaimed the position. Bayne, who also battled for the lead, had moved down the field by lap seven. On lap nine, Michael McDowell made contact with David Gilliland's left-rear quarter panel between turns one and two; Gilliland went up the track towards the outside wall, and collected Menard and Montoya, triggering the first caution of the race and the appearance of the pace car. Keselowski was also caught up in the wreckage and his car sustained minor damage. Most of the drivers, including Earnhardt, made pit stops for fuel. Earnhardt was required to make an additional pit stop after one of his pit crew went over the wall too soon, dropping him down the field.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Races, Race 1
The race was restarted on lap 14, with Ambrose leading Denny Hamlin (both of whom opted not to pit) Almirola, Stewart and Jamie McMurray. Hamlin passed Ambrose to take the lead one lap later. Stewart, with aid from Burton, took over the lead from Hamlin one lap later. Hamlin reclaimed the lead on lap 17 and McDowell moved into second place. Hamlin continued to maintain his lead over the next four laps while McMurray battled with Stewart for second. McDowell had fallen to eighth by lap 21, while Stewart continued in second by lap 25.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Races, Race 1
On the 28th lap, McMurray tried an overtake around the outside of Hamlin for the lead at turn three but could not complete the maneuver, causing him to drop to eighth two laps later. On lap 32, the top five were Hamlin, Stewart, Harvick, Stenhouse and Ambrose. As the cars ran in single file, Edwards had dropped to 15th place one lap later. McDowell was told by his team to save fuel on lap 43.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Races, Race 1
Green flag pit stops began on lap 44 when Hamlin and Ambrose stopped for tyres and fuel, allowing Stewart to assume the lead with Kevin Harvick in second and Stenhouse in third. Eight laps later, after making a pit stop, Michael Waltrip lost control of his car on the backstraightaway after driving from the side of the track onto the race track, and crashed into the backstretch wall. The incident caused the second caution to be shown as every driver except Stewart, Harvick and Edwards stopped for fuel.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Races, Race 1
Stewart, Harvick and Edwards led at the lap 57 restart. Two laps later, Earnhardt and Edwards temporarily moved to the front of the field but Stewart retook the lead on the same lap. On the final lap, McMurray drove down from the top lane after exiting turn two, and went into Almirola in the middle lane, causing Almirola to make contact with Danica Patrick on the backstraightaway, sending her car spinning 180 degrees, and straight into the inside wall which she hit with her right-hand side, sustaining heavy damage to her car.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Races, Race 1
The crash caused the third and final caution of the race to be shown. Patrick was unhurt; she was able to walk to an ambulance that took her to the in-field medical center. The field was frozen in place, with the order of finish determined by where the drivers were when the caution began. This gave Stewart the victory; Earnhardt finished second, and Ambrose finished third. Burton and Edwards completed the top five finishers. McDowell and Robby Gordon earned transfers to qualify for the Daytona 500. The first race had a total of three cautions and eight lead changes among five different drivers. Hamlin's total of 27 laps led was the most of any competitor. Stewart led three times for a total of 21 laps.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Races, Race 2
Following the first Gatorade Duel, the Lead Category Manager at supermarket chain Harris Teeter, Steve Kravitz, commanded the drivers to start their engines. The weather conditions were similar to those encountered during the first Duel, albeit with a higher air temperature of 84 °F (29 °C). During the pace laps, Kahne had to move to the rear of the field because he had switched to his backup car. He was joined by Clint Bowyer—whose qualifying time was disallowed because his car twice failed the post-race inspection for height sticks, and Bill Elliott—who had switched his car's engine.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Races, Race 2
Biffle maintained his pole position advantage heading into the first turn, followed by Casey Mears. On lap three, Kenseth moved into the outside line to prepare for a race-lead overtake and was helped by Johnson. Kenseth took over the lead on the following lap with Johnson in second; Biffle was pushed down to third. By the twelfth lap, the top ten drivers were separated by one second as Joey Logano and Kyle Busch moved to the front two positions by lap 14. Elliott Sadler nearly lost control of his car between the first and second turns on lap 16 but was able to continue. Kenseth tried to pass Kyle Busch on the outside of turn four on lap 17, but Busch blocked Kenseth from passing him.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Races, Race 2
Kyle Busch moved into the lead on the 18th lap, while Logano moved down the field. After starting from 14th, Dave Blaney had moved up nine positions to fifth by lap 21; Logano had moved into third by the same lap. Biffle moved into the lead on lap 23. Kenseth, who was drafting off teammate Biffle, encountered overheating problems and fell to ninth position. Biffle and Kyle Busch started to contest the lead through the fourth turn on lap 26, and the pair traded the position over the following two laps. Biffle gained the lead position on the 29th lap.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Races, Race 2
By lap 33, Regan Smith and Sadler had moved into third and fourth positions respectively. Biffle had reported debris in turn two but officials could not locate it. Green flag pit stops began on lap 40; Kenseth, Logano and Kyle Busch made their pit stops on lap 42 while Biffle, Smith and Jimmie Johnson made pit stops on the following lap. After the pit stops had been completed, Biffle reclaimed the first position, while Smith moved into second and Johnson was in third. The top three drivers were followed by Sadler and Kenseth. Kyle Busch was drafting off Logano throughout lap 46 but suffered with engine problems, allowing Logano to pull away. By the 50th lap, the top five were Biffle, Smith, Johnson, Sadler and Kenseth.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Races, Race 2
Johnson went up the track on lap 52, but regained control of his car. Six laps later, after the leaders ran single file, Kenseth received help from Johnson while running on the outside line to prepare for a race winning slingshot. Kenseth slid underneath teammate Biffle as they started the final lap, as Biffle attempted to block Kenseth. Kenseth maintained the lead and crossed the finish line on lap 60 to win the race, with Smith in second and Johnson third. Sadler and Biffle rounded out the top five finishers.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Races, Race 2
Blaney and Nemechek earned the second pair of transfer spots to qualify for the Daytona 500. Bayne, Tony Raines and David Stremme secured qualification for the Daytona 500 based on their lap times in the qualifier, with Terry Labonte using a champion's provisional to qualify. The following six drivers failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 because they did not finish high enough in their respective Duels or turn a fast-enough qualifying lap: Waltrip, Richardson, Bill Elliott, Mike Wallace, Kenny Wallace and J.J. Yeley. The second race had a total of five lead changes among four different drivers and no cautions were shown. Biffle's total of 40 laps led was the highest of any competitor. Kenseth led two times for a total of ten laps.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Post-race comments
After the first race, Stewart drove to the victory lane; the win earned him $55,725. He said, "The fact that we've won 17 times here and not won on the right day is proof it's good momentum, but it's no guarantee obviously. It's nice to come here, especially for Steve and I, being our first race together, to be able to come out and have two really good strong and solid races back-to-back is an awesome start for us." Earnhardt felt that the race was "pretty good" and praised Stewart for his victory.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Post-race comments
He also said that he aimed to start the Daytona 500 without using a backup car. Ambrose was happy with his third-place finish, "We learned a lot for Sunday, we got a good result. We are smiling right now but it was very close to being the other way around." He also said he was hoping to carry on his good form into the Daytona 500.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Post-race comments
Waltrip, who failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 after crashing on lap 52, said he felt he had let everyone down but was thankful his team and his sponsor Aaron's had given him an opportunity to race in the Duels. Patrick, who was hit by Almirola on the final lap and crashed heavily into the wall, said, "It sucks [to hit the wall like that]. You just have to brace yourself. I guess in these situations, I just have to be glad that I'm a small driver and that I've got room.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Post-race comments
Kinda hug it in and let it rip." She also said the crash was "a blessing in a big disguise". Patrick, along with Gilliland, Montoya and Menard, were required to drive their backup cars for the Daytona 500. After the wreck on lap nine, Gilliland cut his thumb on his helmet; the thumb required one stitch but he was confident about driving his backup car. According to Menard, who was involved in the lap nine wreck, "Somebody turned (David) Gilliland; I saw him get sideways underneath me. I was three lanes up and I tried to clear him and didn’t quite make it.” It took 56 minutes and 34 seconds to complete the first race; because it ended under caution, no margin of victory was recorded.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Post-race comments
After winning the second race, Kenseth drove to the victory lane; earning $56,726 for the victory. Kenseth's victory gave his team Roush Fenway Racing its first win in the Gatorade Duels. Kenseth said, "Jimmie Johnson gave me a huge push there and really worked nice for me the whole race. Without that push it never would've got there. Greg lost his drafting partner. We were able to separate him and the #78 [Regan Smith] and we had such a big run that Greg was kind of a sitting duck."


2012 Gatorade Duels, Post-race comments
Second-place finisher Smith stated while he would have preferred to win the race, he did not have any complaints, "It’s good to know that we have a car capable of running up front." Johnson, who finished third, said, "It was an awesome race. We really had a shot to win that one. It was unfortunate there at the end that there were some lapped cars that were kind of mixed in with the leaders. It would have been nice if they would have let us race there; at least from the white flag on." It took 46 minutes and 23 seconds to complete the second race, and the margin of victory was 0.209 seconds.


2012 Gatorade Duels, Post-race comments
After the races, there was continued discussion about overheating engines in high temperatures. Harvick said the temperatures of around 80 °F (27 °C) had affected the racing,  the grills were "too tight" and competitors chose to remain in a single-file formation because of overheating. Smith said he believed there was no efficient method of tackling the problem. McMurray advocated the widening of the grille, saying, "it was a little hard to race because you got too hot". One day after the second race, NASCAR announced that no further changes would be made.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche
On 7 April 2012, an avalanche hit a Pakistan Army base in Gayari Sector, near the Siachen Glacier region, trapping 140 soldiers and civilian contractors under deep snow. The incident occurred at an altitude of about 4,000 meters and 300 km northeast of Skardu (capital of Baltistan). It was the worst avalanche that the Pakistani military has experienced in the area.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche
On 29 May 2012, Pakistan declared that the 129 soldiers and 11 civilians were killed.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Background
The Siachen Glacier region in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalaya mountains has been the site of intermittent conflict between India and Pakistan for several decades. In 1949, a ceasefire line was negotiated between the two countries in an effort to resolve the competing territorial claims of the violent Kashmir conflict. The agreement, however, did not clearly delineate Siachen as either Indian or Pakistani, and competing claims to the barren, unpopulated area began to escalate.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Background
Both sides issued numerous mountaineering permits for the area during the 1970s and 1980s, fearing that the other's expeditions indicated plans to formalise control over the glacier and its surroundings. Thus, both India and Pakistan began planning military operations to pre-empt the other's designs. On 13 April 1984, India launched Operation Meghdoot with the objective of taking control of the area, fearing it would fall into Pakistani hands.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Background
The operation was successful, and India extended its control over much of the triangle of mountainous, icy land, up to and including the passes of the Saltoro Ridge situated west of the Siachen Glacier, while Pakistan retained control over the western slopes and foothills of that ridge.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Background
Although the Pakistani military launched numerous attempts to wrest the region from Indian control until the 2003 ceasefire, the situation on the ground changed little, and the front stagnated along the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL), which trends northward from the northern end of the Line of Control between India and Pakistan in the Kashmir region. With troops deployed at elevations up to 6,700 metres (22,000 feet) above sea level, the glacier region has come to be known as "the world's highest battlefield". Thousands of troops from both sides remained stationed in at least 150 bases on the glacier and surrounding mountains and valleys. The simmering conflict over the glacier region costs both countries millions of dollars each year.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Background
Avalanches are known to occur frequently in the Siachen region, though casualties from them are generally low due to the fact that they normally strike remote, high-altitude "forward bases" with only a handful of troops. The most devastating one prior to this occurred in 2010, in which 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Background
The winter of 2011–2012 in Kashmir was unusually harsh, marked by numerous heavy snowfalls and sharp temperature drops.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Avalanche
Around 2:00 am Pakistan Standard Time (PKT) on 7 April 2012, a massive ice avalanche struck a Pakistani military headquarters at Gayari, 30 km west of the Siachen Glacier terminus, near the Siachen glacier region. Located in a deep valley at 3,775 metres (12,400 feet) above sea level, the Gayari base is one of the most important Pakistani bases in the area. It is a vital supply hub for troops and materiel passing through to more remote bases, and is not far from a military hospital.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Avalanche
At the time of the ice avalanche, the base was occupied by soldiers of the 6th Northern Light Infantry battalion, a unit "trained in mountain operations". Avalanches are uncommon in the area of Gayari; due to the low avalanche risk, Gayari was a bigger complex and housed many more soldiers than other bases in the Siachen region. The glacier avalanche broke off at an elevation of around 4560 meters above sea level in a distance of around 1300 m from the camp.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Avalanche
Initial reports indicated that at least 100 Pakistani soldiers, including a colonel and a commander, had been trapped under an estimated 21 metres (70 feet) of snow, covering an area of 1 square kilometre. The number of people missing was later stated to be at least 135: "at least 124 soldiers and 11 civilian contractors". No communication with any person from the base was reported after the avalanche. A list of 135 names of those missing was later released by the Inter-Services Public Relations of Pakistan Armed Forces.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Avalanche
The army declared all victims of the avalanche as 'Shuhada' (martyrs), as the nature and magnitude of the disaster indicated minimal chances of recovering any survivors.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Rescue operation
An avalanche rescue operation was quickly launched by the Pakistani military. Over 150 soldiers—using helicopters, rescue dogs, and heavy machinery airlifted from the main garrison in Rawalpindi—began searching the area for the missing soldiers and contractors, with "a team of doctors and paramedics" standing by. Local reports initially indicated that the operation had recovered at least 12 bodies by the end of the day, but official reports stated that no victims had been found, dead or alive.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Rescue operation
Due to the remoteness and extreme weather conditions, rescue operations were expected to take several days to complete. Nevertheless, official Pakistani military sources remained "hopeful", and an anticipated improvement in weather conditions was expected to quicken the operation after initial efforts on the night of 7–8 April were cut short due to bad weather and darkness.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Rescue operation
However, other sources expressed a much more grave view of the situation. An unnamed senior military officer said "All we can do now is pray. It is such a desperately tough place that it [would] need a miracle for someone to have survived." Pakistani Army Colonel Sher Khan, an expert in mountain warfare sent by the military to oversee the rescue operation, said that "there is no hope, there is no chance at all" for those buried under the snow, and noted that any survivors of the avalanche itself would have died within minutes from exposure to the elements.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Rescue operation
By 9 April, rescue crews working at the scene of the disaster had managed to clear an area of snow measuring approximately 12 metres (40 feet) in length, 9 metres (30 feet) in width, and 3 metres (10 feet) in depth, but despite initial hopes for clearer conditions, inclement weather continued to hamper the operation.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Rescue operation
A team of eight US military experts sent to Pakistan to assist the over 300 Pakistanis—286 soldiers and 60 civilians by this time—already working at the disaster area was unable to make it to the far northern site due to the weather, and official military statements still indicated that no bodies or survivors had been found by rescuers. The Pakistan Army had dispatched its chief of staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, to the Siachen region to lead the operation. Two additional groups of foreigners were also expected to arrive in Islamabad on the evening of 9 April the country to provide further aid: three Swiss "experts" and a six-member German "disaster management team" with additional equipment.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Rescue operation
By 10 April, the rescue crew had increased to 452 people, 69 of them civilians, with nine pieces of heavy machinery pressed into service for digging out the avalanche site, and had begun excavating five points on the disaster site in search of victims—two with heavy machinery, two without. The teams from Germany and Switzerland had arrived in Rawalpindi, joining the American team, which had still not yet reached the site due to weather.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Rescue operation
A seven-man specialist team was using life detection kits and thermal imaging cameras in an attempt to detect any residual body warmth from those buried under the snow and debris. The Pakistan Army released a revised list of those missing, the number climbing to 138. Snow was expected for the next two days, further frustrating rescue efforts as the possibility of finding survivors dwindled to next to none.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Rescue operation
On 18 April 2013, the army resumed the search operation for the remaining bodies of the victims of April 2012 avalanche in Gayari sector near the Siachen glacier after improvement of weather and melting of snow. The search operation was suspended on 27 November 2012 due to winter season. 121 bodies were recovered in 2012 whereas 19 bodies are yet to be found.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Rescue operation
As of 8 June 2013, search & rescue teams of the army had recovered 131 dead bodies while search for the remaining nine continued.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Rescue operation
On 2 October 2013, Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani said that 133 bodies had so far been recovered from Gayari sector while search for the remaining seven continued.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Speculation about causes
Experts advanced various theories as to the cause of the disaster. The president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, Manzoor Hussain, suggested that a piece of the main glacier had broken off and obliterated the camp. However, retired Pakistani Colonel Sher Khan said that the disaster was likely a landslide caused by heavy precipitation, not an avalanche: "In this case a huge flood of water is coming down from the sky and creates a lot of mud and loose earth on the mountain. Mostly boulders, mud and water ran down the mountain." He predicted that freezing temperatures would have hardened the mass of snow and debris, complicating digging efforts.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Speculation about causes
A Pakistani newspaper article using Pakistan Meteorological Department data accused India of carrying out extensive military activities that caused the avalanche. The article cited melting of ice at the terminus of the Siachen Glacier and suggested that large carbon deposits from Indian military activity led to increased solar radiation as one of the prime causes of the incident.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Speculation about causes
However, there are no Indian troops within 15 km of either the avalanche site or the avalanche source basin, and no part of the Siachen Glacier itself is within 30 km of the avalanche site, separated from the Siachen system by the 5000 to 7500 meter high Saltoro Ridge. A study by a non-governmental organisation revealed poor waste collection mechanisms by Indian forces, almost entirely located in the Siachen Glacier basin, who produce 1000 kilograms of waste a day that is packed in drums.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Speculation about causes
These drums of waste are thrown in crevasses, at the rate of about 4000 drums a year. However, the avalanche site is 15 km west of any part of the Siachen basin, near the Gayari (Ghyari) River just below the Bilafond La , neither of which flow from or connect with the Siachen Glacier system.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Speculation about causes
Another conspiracy theory involves the use of the Indian KALI project to melt the ice of the slope to cause the avalanche known by the codename Operation Whitewash, though no strong sources have been reported on the topic.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Speculation about causes
However on 14 July 2018 Parliament asked Indian current government, whether there is any proposal to induct KALI 5000 in the armed forces and the former Defence Minister of India Manohar Parrikar replied in written to the Lok Sabha that, "The desired information is sensitive in nature and its disclosure is not in the interest of national security" Government also refused to give any information of testing KALI laser weapon.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Reactions, Pakistani reactions
Then-Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani expressed his shock at the incident, and said it "would in no way undermine the high morale of soldiers and officers".


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Reactions, Pakistani reactions
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Shaukat Qadir, a retired Pakistani Brigadier and current political analyst, called the incident "the biggest casualty that has ever happened", and noted that more soldiers have died from the extreme elements than from combat during the entire Siachen conflict: "[T]he fact of matter is that 70 per cent of the people have died because of natural causes, and I think this is the time we ended this damn conflict, which has absolutely no explanation." He also expressed hope that the incident would help bring an end to the Siachen conflict, and that a meeting in India, between Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on 8 April could help "settle this issue for both sides" .


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Reactions, Pakistani reactions
Zardari was ostensibly visiting India for a day to make a personal religious pilgrimage to the Sufi shrine at Ajmer Sharif, but took the opportunity to meet informally with Singh to discuss matters of state. Zardari has presided over a considerable thaw in Indo-Pakistani relations, repudiating the official Pakistani "first nuclear strike" position, granting "most favoured nation" status to India, and declaring that both countries should "freeze the issue of Kashmir for a generation".


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Reactions, Pakistani reactions
Expressing great sorrow and extending condolences to the families of the victims, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) demanded that "conditions in which the soldiers were stationed at the glacier" be investigated to assess the adequacy of the safety measures in place to protect those troops stationed in Siachen. The HCRP also urged India and Pakistan to continue to pursue a resolution to the Siachen conflict.


2012 Gayari Sector avalanche, Reactions, Pakistani reactions
The army declared all the victims of Gayari sector as martyrs.


2012 Gaziantep bombing
The 2012 Gaziantep bombing was a terrorist bomb attack which occurred in the city of Gaziantep, Turkey on 20 August 2012, the second day of the three-day celebrations of "Şeker Bayramı" (Eid-ul-Fitr) that refers to the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.


2012 Gaziantep bombing, Attack
The bomb blast occurred at 19:45 in local time. Bombs were planted in a truck and remotely detonated near Karşıyaka police station in Şehitkamil district, one of the most crowded areas of the city. The police station was the target of the attack.


2012 Gaziantep bombing, Attack
As a result of the explosion, two public buses caught fire, increasing the casualties. Many other cars parked on the street and shops were also badly damaged by the blast.


2012 Gaziantep bombing, Casualties
The attack killed eight people. The next day, a 12-year-old girl died of her wounds. Four of the dead were children. The number of wounded people have been reported by Hürriyet to be 66, some of whom were policemen. Deputy Prime Minister Beşir Atalay later said the wounded numbered 69 people. 17 of the injured people were hospitalized, four of whom were in critical condition.


2012 Gaziantep bombing, Perpetrators
Although there was no claim of responsibility, the bombs were believed by Turkish officials to be planted by PKK. However, on 21 August 2012, Fırat News announced that PKK had denied responsibility for the attack and claimed that another Kurdish group, the TAK was responsible for the attack. On 21 August, four people were detained in Şanlıurfa and brought to Gaziantep for questioning.


2012 Gaziantep bombing, Perpetrators
Turkey also investigated whether any countries, such as Iran, were involved in the attack as well.


2012 Geelong Football Club season
The 2012 Geelong Football Club season was the club's 113th season of senior competition in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club also fielded its reserves team in the Victorian Football League (VFL) for the 13th season.


2012 Geelong Football Club season, Club personnel
Following the retirement of incumbent premiership captain Cameron Ling in the off-season, Joel Selwood was appointed the club's new captain in January 2012, with Jimmy Bartel assuming the role of vice-captain. Additionally, Joel Corey, Corey Enright, James Kelly and Harry Taylor remain in the player leadership group from the prior season, with Steve Johnson the sole promotion to the group. Selwood's older brother, Troy, captained the club's VFL team for the second successive season; however due to the departure of Matt Firman, his co-captain from the prior season, it was his first time as sole captain.


2012 Geelong Football Club season, Club personnel
The departure of assistant coach Brenton Sanderson to the vacant Adelaide senior coach position in September 2011 resulted in a number of coaching changes for the club, the first being the promotion of the club's VFL coach, Dale Amos, as Sanderson's replacement. Subsequently, Amos was replaced by former Essendon coach Matthew Knights, with former Geelong player Max Rooke also joining the coaching staff as a development coach, working with the younger club players. Assistant coach Matthew Egan also departed the club to take up the same position with Essendon.


2012 Geelong Football Club season, Club personnel
The remainder of the club's coaching panel remained unchanged from 2011, with Blake Caracella, Nigel Lappin and James Rahilly returning as assistant coaches and Paul Hood continuing his role as academy co-ordinator. Furthermore, Brad Ottens, a former Geelong player who retired in the off-season, also returned to the club in a new role as part-time ruck coach.


2012 Geelong Football Club season, Club personnel, Playing list
The introduction of Greater Western Sydney as the league's eighteenth club this season created the possibility that Geelong could again lose an uncontracted player to a new club, as had previously occurred when Gold Coast entered the league the prior season and signed Gary Ablett. Despite this not eventuating, Geelong still lost six players on its list due to retirement, including premiership players Cameron Ling (captain), Darren Milburn, Cameron Mooney, Brad Ottens and Mark Blake, as well as Marcus Drum, who did not play a senior game for the club. Additionally, Geelong delisted two rookie-listed players: Ben Johnson and Jack Weston.


2012 Geelong Football Club season, Club personnel, Playing list
Geelong's participation in the trade week was minimal, with no incoming or outgoing trades finalised. It did however secure Jed Bews, son of former player Andrew, under the Father-Son Rule. In addition to using its last pick (86) on Bews, a further five players were drafted by the club in the 2011 National Draft: Joel Hamling (pick 32), Shane Kersten (34), Jordan Murdoch (48), Lincoln McCarthy (66) and Orren Stephenson (78). With the club choosing not to promote any rookies, it subsequently drafted Cameron Eardley (pick 18) and Jackson Sheringham (36) in the 2012 Rookie Draft, as well as a steeplechase runner, Mark Blicavs (54). Geelong did not participate in the corresponding Pre-season Draft.


2012 Geelong Football Club season, Match Review Panel and Tribunal cases
In response to the charges on Chapman and Johnson, club football manager Neil Balme publicly criticised the Match Review Panel stating "we [the club] certainly aren't happy with it" and that despite the club's acceptance of the sanctions, they would have preferred to challenge Johnson's charge in terms of justice, but couldn't justify the risk. Balme claimed that Chapman's incident was "accidental at worst" and that Hannebery, due to a lack of awareness, had caused Johnson's offence himself.


2012 Geelong Football Club season, VFL season, Squad
The 2012 VFL squad was named on 13 March 2012 and consists of 21 players, nine of whom were retained from the prior season. Senior and rookie-listed players for Geelong's AFL team are also eligible for selection in VFL matches. Additionally, potential father-son draftee Jordon Bourke (son of Damian) was granted special permission by the AFL to play two games for Geelong's VFL team in rounds 18 and 19.


2012 Geelong mayoral election
Elections were held for the City of Greater Geelong council in Australia on 27 October 2012. In addition to electing a new 12 member council, Geelong also directly elected its first Mayor. Independent candidate Keith Fagg won the election convincingly, winning 43.28% of the primary vote. Then-mayor Labor aligned John Mitchell won 13.88% of the vote.


2012 Geelong mayoral election, Background
As part of an election pledge, the Victorian state government made good on their promise to give Geelong residents the ability to directly elect their next mayor, with the bill passing through the Victorian upper-house on 9 February 2012.


2012 Geelong mayoral election, Background
John Mitchell was Geelong's Mayor for the last four years prior to this election. He unsuccessfully ran for re-election.


2012 General Cup
The 2012 General Cup was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 11–14 September 2012 at the General Snooker Club in Hong Kong.


2012 General Cup
Stephen Lee was the defending champion, but did not participate this year.


2012 General Cup
Neil Robertson won the title by defeating Ricky Walden 7–6 in the final.


2012 Generali Ladies Linz
The 2012 Generali Ladies Linz was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 26th edition of the Generali Ladies Linz, and part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2012 WTA Tour. It was held at the TipsArena Linz in Linz, Austria, from October 8 through October 14, 2012.


2012 Generali Ladies Linz, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 Generali Ladies Linz, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2012 Generali Ladies Linz – Doubles
Marina Erakovic and Elena Vesnina were the defending champions but decided not to participate. Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Květa Peschke won the title, defeating Julia Görges and Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová in the final, 6–3, 6–4


2012 Generali Ladies Linz – Singles
Petra Kvitová was the defending champion, but could not participate as Victoria Azarenka participated.


2012 Generali Ladies Linz – Singles
Azarenka went on to win the title, defeating Julia Görges in the final 6–3, 6–4.


2012 Geneva Open Challenger
The 2012 Geneva Open Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the 25th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Geneva, Switzerland between October 29 and November 4 2012.


2012 Geneva Open Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 Geneva Open Challenger – Doubles
Igor Andreev and Evgeny Donskoy were the defending champions but Andreev decided not to participate. Donskoy played alongside Dmitry Tursunov. Johan Brunström and Raven Klaasen won the title, defeating Philipp Marx and Florin Mergea 7–6(7–2), 6–7(5–7), [10–5] in the final.


2012 Geneva Open Challenger – Singles
Malek Jaziri was the defending champion but was defeated in the second round by Henri Laaksonen. Marc Gicquel won the title, defeating Matthias Bachinger 3–6, 6–3, 6–4 in the final.


2012 Gent–Wevelgem
The 2012 Gent–Wevelgem was the 74th running of the Gent–Wevelgem single-day cycling race. It was held on 25 March 2012 over a distance of 234.6 kilometres (145.8 miles), and was the seventh race of the 2012 UCI World Tour season.


2012 Gent–Wevelgem
In a mass sprint finish, the race was won by Omega Pharma–Quick-Step rider Tom Boonen, who in the process, became the fifth different rider to win the race three times. Boonen finished ahead of Liquigas–Cannondale's Peter Sagan and Rabobank's Matti Breschel, who completed the podium.


2012 Gent–Wevelgem, Teams
As Gent–Wevelgem was a UCI World Tour event, all 18 UCI ProTeams were invited automatically and obligated to send a squad. Seven other squads were given wildcard places into the race, and as such, formed the event's 25-team peloton. Each team could enter up to eight riders, with the starting peloton being 195 riders.


2012 Gent–Wevelgem, Women's race
A women's race was held for the first time in 2012, on the same day as the men's race but over a shorter course of 114 km (70.8 mi). AA Drink–leontien.nl rider Lizzie Armitstead won after a solo breakaway of nearly 40 km (24.9 mi).


2012 Georgetown Hoyas football team
The 2012 Georgetown Hoyas football team represented Georgetown University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by seventh-year head coach Kevin Kelly and played their home games at Multi-Sport Field. They were a member of the Patriot League. They finished the season 5–6, 2–4 in Patriot League play to finish in a three-way tie for third place.


2012 Georgetown Hoyas men's soccer team
The 2012 Georgetown Hoyas men's soccer team represented Georgetown University during the 2012 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The team participated in the Big East Conference, and reached the 2012 NCAA Championship, losing to Indiana in the process.


2012 Georgia Bulldogs football team
The 2012 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs were led by 12th-year head coach Mark Richt and played their home games at Sanford Stadium. They were a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They finished the season 12–2 overall and 7–1 in SEC play, claiming the East Division championship. They represented the division in the SEC Championship Game, where they lost to Alabama. They were invited to the Capital One Bowl, where they defeated Nebraska. The season included a sweep of three of Georgia's biggest SEC rivals (Florida, Auburn, and Tennessee) for just the fourth time (1980, 1981 and 2011).


2012 Georgia Force season
The 2012 Georgia Force season was the ninth season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Dean Cokinos and played their home games at Arena at Gwinnett Center. The Force qualified for the playoffs after finishing the regular season with a 9–9 record, but lost in the conference semifinals to the Jacksonville Sharks. Jacksonville kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired to win the game 58–56. Following this season, it was announced that the Force had folded.


2012 Georgia Force season, Final roster
Rookies in italicsRoster updated July 26, 201227 Active, 11 Inactive


2012 Georgia Force season, Schedule, Regular season
The Force began the season at home against the Cleveland Gladiators on March 12. They visited the New Orleans VooDoo in their final regular season game on July 21.


2012 Georgia Southern Eagles football team
The 2012 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Jeff Monken and played their home games at Paulson Stadium. They were a member of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 10–4, 6–2 in SoCon play to claim a share of the conference championship with Appalachian State and Wofford.


2012 Georgia Southern Eagles football team
They received the SoCon's automatic bid into the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Central Arkansas in the second round and Old Dominion in the quarterfinals before falling to North Dakota State in the semifinals. That would turn out to be Georgia Southern's final FCS playoff game, as they announced they were moving to FBS and the Sun Belt Conference in 2014.


2012 Georgia State Panthers baseball team
The 2012 Georgia State Panthers baseball team represented Georgia State University in the 2012 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Panthers played their home games at the GSU Baseball Complex.


2012 Georgia State Panthers football team
The 2012 Georgia State Panthers football team represented Georgia State University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Panthers were led by third year head coach Bill Curry and played their home games at the Georgia Dome. Georgia State was a full member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), but announced on April 9, 2012 that it would return to the Sun Belt Conference, which it had left in 1981, in July 2013. In advance of this move, the Panthers began a transition to Division I FBS in 2012. As a result of these moves, the 2012 season was the first and only year that they competed in the CAA for football. Although not qualifying, they were ineligible for the FCS playoffs as a transitional FBS team. The Panthers finished the season 1–10, 1–7 in CAA play.


2012 Georgia State Panthers football team, Coaching staff
Defensive coordinator John Thompson was hired by Arkansas State in February 2012. He was replaced by Anthony Midget, the former special teams coach.


2012 Georgia State Panthers softball team
The 2012 Georgia State Panthers softball team represented Georgia State University in the 2012 NCAA Division I softball season. The Panthers competed in the Colonial Athletic Association and were led by second-year head coach Roger Kincaid. Georgia State played its home games at the Robert E. Heck Softball Complex in Panthersville, Georgia.


2012 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team
The 2012 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Yellow Jackets were led by fifth year head coach Paul Johnson and played their home games at Bobby Dodd Stadium. They were members of the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 7–7, 5–3 in ACC play to share the Coastal Division Championship with Miami and North Carolina. With Miami and North Carolina on post seasons bans, Georgia Tech represented the division in the ACC Championship Game where they were defeated by Florida State. They were invited to the Sun Bowl where they defeated USC.


2012 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Previous season
They finished the 2011 Season at 8–5, 5–3 in ACC play to finish in a tie for second place in the Coastal Division. They were invited to the Sun Bowl where they were defeated by Utah 30-27 in OT.


2012 Georgian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Georgia on 1 October 2012. The opposition Georgian Dream coalition of billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili won a majority of seats. President Mikheil Saakashvili conceded his party's loss.


2012 Georgian parliamentary election
The elections were held according to a reformed electoral system agreed upon by the government and several opposition parties in 2011. 77 of the 150 seats were allocated proportionally to party lists, the remaining 73 to the winners in single-member constituencies. The new parliament was relocated from the capital of Tbilisi to the country's second largest city of Kutaisi later in 2012. A new government was also formed following the scheduled 2013 presidential election as envisaged by the 2010 constitutional amendments. South Ossetia and Abkhazia did not vote.


2012 Georgian parliamentary election, Background, Protests
In 2009, opposition parties together held protests to demand the resignation of President Mikheil Saakashvili accusing him of concentrating power to himself, using riot police to crush opposition rallies in 2007. Again, in 2011 protests seeking the presidents resignation were suppressed.


2012 Georgian parliamentary election, Background, 2010 constitutional amendments
According to the amendments to the Constitution of Georgia passed on October 15, 2010, the Parliament elected in 2012 will have to form the new government after the new constitution enters into force upon the inauguration of the next president, who was scheduled to be elected in October 2013. The amendments envisage significant reduction of the powers of President in favor of Prime Minister of Georgia and the government. According to another amendment, passed on 1 July 2011, the parliament elected in 2012 will be permanently relocated from Tbilisi to the country's second largest city of Kutaisi.


2012 Georgian parliamentary election, Background, 2010–2011 electoral reform talks
In November 2010, the United National Movement and several opposition parties launched talks in order to develop a new electoral system. On 27 June 2011, the UNM succeeded in a gaining majority consensus for its proposed electoral system reform, effectively splintering the Group of Eight opposition coalition.


2012 Georgian parliamentary election, Background, 2010–2011 electoral reform talks
Two members of the coalition—the Christian-Democratic Movement (CDM), and the New Rights, as well as two other opposition parties – the National-Democratic Party, and On Our Own—signed a deal with the UNM over the reformed electoral system, envisaging, among other provisions, increase in the number of parliamentary seats up to 190 (83 majoritarian and 107 proportional seats). Six of the former coalition members—National Forum, Our Georgia – Free Democrats (OGFD), Conservative Party, Republican Party, Georgia's Way, and the People's Party—refused to join the deal and unveiled, on July 8, a new alliance, which collapsed on 6 October 2011.


2012 Georgian parliamentary election, Parties, Campaign
The radical opposition party, Democratic Movement – United Georgia, led by Nino Burjanadze, which had refused to join the talks, was behind the May 21–26, 2011 rally, which ended up with the clash with police, leaving four dead.


2012 Georgian parliamentary election, Parties, Campaign
On 7 October 2011, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the multi-billionaire businessman and philanthropist, who had formerly been on good terms with the authorities, stirred up the political scene of Georgia by unleashing criticism of the Saakashvili government and announcing his intention to establish a political party and to run in the 2012 parliamentary elections. He named the Republican Party, led by David Usupashvili, and Our Georgia – Free Democrats, led by Irakli Alasania, among his future partners. In a written statement, Ivanishvili revealed that, beyond dual Georgian and Russian citizenship, he also had a French passport.


2012 Georgian parliamentary election, Parties, Campaign
As a result, the Georgian civil registry agency ruled his Georgian citizenship had become invalid. According to the law, only Georgian citizens can set up or fund a political party. In May 2012, the parliament voted to allow the European Union citizens to become MPs. On 27 May 2012, Ivanishvili and his Georgian Dream alliance announced the start of the campaign, drawing tens of thousands of supporters in a large anti-government rally in downtown Tbilisi.


2012 Georgian parliamentary election, Parties, Campaign
Because Ivanishvili was unsatisfied with the format proposed for the country's public TV broadcaster's election debates on September 9 and September 18, his Georgian Dream coalition refused to take part in them - the country's first such events. Ivanishvili would not debate prime minister Vano Merabishvili and would meet only Mikheil Saakashvili, saying: "I respect Vano, but [debates with him] will not work”.


2012 Georgian parliamentary election, Parties, Demonstrations
After the screening of a video on Maestro TV and Ivanishvili's TV9 channel, showing torture in a Georgian prison, demonstrators called for Saakashvili's resignation. While the video was labeled as having been made by "political motivated persons," the national prosecutor's office announced the arrests of 10 people, including the head of the Prison No.8 in Tbilisi, two deputies and prison guards. The interior minister, Bacho Akhalaia resigned. As well as the Corrections and Legal Assistance Minister, Khatuna Kalmakhelidze, also resigned.


2012 Georgian parliamentary election, Parties, Demonstrations
Saakashvili said: "Tonight, I tell all the victims of these inhuman actions and the whole nation that the Georgia we have built and we are all building together shall not and will not tolerate such behaviour - in its prisons or anywhere else. Those who committed these crimes will spend long years in jail, as will those who bribed guards to stage these horrors and film them."


2012 Georgian parliamentary election, Parties, Demonstrations
At a televised meeting later with prime minister Merabishvili, justice minister Zurab Adeishvili, prosecutor-general Murtaz Zodelava and new prisons service chief Giorgi Lortkipanidze, he called for reforms, saying: "This system, the way it is now, should be entirely abolished." It was, he added, "an emergency" and he ordered that patrol police officers should perform prison duties until reforms were enacted.


2012 Georgian parliamentary election, Foreign support
The foreign ministers of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania arrived in Georgia on 17 September in support of the democratic process, political reforms in the country and Georgia's "Euro-Atlantic integration." They were due to meet with President Saakashvili, Speaker of Parliament David Bakradze, Secretary of the National Security Council Giga Bokeria, unnamed opposition figures and the EU's electoral Monitoring Mission. This followed a visit by the foreign ministers of Sweden and Poland the previous week in order to discuss preparations for the election with unnamed national leaders and opposition figures.


2012 Georgian parliamentary election, Electoral observers
The OSCE electoral observer team's Tonino Picula said on 23 August said his organization's monitors "had seen a growing political polarization in the country. They were particularly concerned by the practice of the State Audit Office of using broad discretionary authority to investigate the legality of individual or party spending and making questionable decisions and imposing harsh penalties without clear or transparent guidelines. The fines levied were disproportionate and apparently being applied in a selective manner mainly targeting one political subject". President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Riccardo Migliori added that "there was little part of Leninism in Georgian electoral campaign, rather than presenting programs, they were trying to destroy their enemies."


2012 Georgian parliamentary election, Reactions
One day after the elections, President Saakashvili conceded that his United National Movement had been defeated. He announced to transfer power to a new government formed by the successful Georgian Dream coalition. Georgian Dream leader Ivanishvili called on the president to resign to avoid a "sort of dual power situation," but took back this demand on the day after. The opposition coalition formed a three-person working group to consult with the outgoing executives over a smooth shift of power. On 4 October, the UNM formed a four-member team to negotiate with the new parliamentary majority.


2012 Georgian parliamentary election, Reactions
Georgian Dream activists gathered in front of some District Election Commissions in constituencies were UNM's candidates were leading, according to official preliminary results. The chairman of the Central Election Commission, Zurab Kharatishvili, complained that electoral commissioners had been intimidated. Prominent Georgian Dream politician Irakli Alasania claimed there had been manipulations in some precincts. Representatives of the joint opposition list challenged the official figures and asserted that Georgian Dream had won more seats than announced by the Electoral Commission. However, on 4 October Ivanishvili prompted his supporters to halt their protests in front of District Election Commissions.


2012 Georgian parliamentary election, Reactions, International
Russia - Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on the day after the elections that "information on results of the elections demonstrates the people of that country are looking for changes. If those results become a reality – Georgia’s political landscape will be more versatile. This is only positive, as, most likely, this means more constructive and responsible forces will appear in the parliament. United Russia, being the leading political force in Russia, is ready for a dialogue on future of the Russia-Georgia relations".


2012 Georgian parliamentary election, Reactions, International
Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said "I hope for constructive changes to let us normalise the relations. We will be judging not by statements, but by deeds”. At the same time, he warned Georgia’s new ruling power that Russia was not going to hold any negotiations on the law on "occupied territories", which Georgia adopted following the 2008 South Ossetia war. Lukashevich said that Russia would refer to the "Republic of Abkhazia" and "Republic of Ossetia" and not use the term "occupied territories".


2012 Georgian parliamentary election, Reactions, International
Chairman of the State Duma’s Committee on the CIS and compatriots Leonid Slutsky said "Georgia’s parliament will be managed by people, who oppose the present regime of Mikheil Saakashvili, and there is hope of a positive element in relations between Russia and Georgia."


2012 German Athletics Championships
The 2012 German Athletics Championships were held at the Lohrheidestadion in Bochum-Wattenscheid on 16–17 June 2012.


2012 German Darts Championship
The 2012 German Darts Championship was the second of five PDC European Tour events on the 2012 PDC Pro Tour. The tournament took place at the Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany, from 22–24 June 2012. It featured a field of 64 players and £82,100 in prize money, with £15,000 for the winner.


2012 German Darts Championship
Phil Taylor won the title, defeating Dave Chisnall 6–2 in the final. Colin Lloyd hit a nine-dart finish during his first round win over Alex Roy.


2012 German Darts Championship, Qualification
The top 32 players from the  automatically qualified for the event. The remaining 32 places went to players from three qualifying events - 20 from the UK Qualifier (held in Crawley on 25 May), eight from the European Qualifier (held in Cologne on 2 June), and four from the Host Nation Qualifier (held in Cologne on 1 June).


2012 German Darts Masters
The 2012 German Darts Masters was the fourth of five PDC European Tour events on the 2012 PDC Pro Tour. The tournament took place at the Glaspalast in Sindelfingen, Germany, from 7–9 September 2012. It featured a field of 64 players and £82,100 in prize money, with £15,000 going to the winner.


2012 German Darts Masters
Adrian Lewis claimed his first European Tour title with a 6–3 win over Ian White.


2012 German Darts Masters
There were two nine-dart finishes during the tournament. Mark Webster hit the first during his first-round game, which he lost to Andree Welge, and Ian White hit the second during his 6–5 last 16 victory against Andy Hamilton.


2012 German Darts Masters, Qualification
The top 32 players from the  automatically qualified for the event. The remaining 32 places went to players from three qualifying events - 20 from the UK Qualifier (held in Derby on August 3), eight from the European Qualifier (held in Berlin on August 4), and four from the Home Nation Qualifier (also held in Berlin on August 3).


2012 German Darts Masters, Qualification
Gary Anderson was banned from playing in this tournament, along with the Dutch Darts Masters and the European Championship. Also, Jelle Klaasen, Phil Taylor and Mark Hylton did not compete, with their opponents (Steve Beaton, Andy Jenkins and Jerry Hendriks respectively) receiving byes to the second round.


2012 German Figure Skating Championships
The 2012 German Figure Skating Championships (German: Deutsche Meisterschaften im Eiskunstlaufen 2012) took place on January 6–7, 2012 in at the Eissportzentrum Oberstdorf in Oberstdorf. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing on the senior, junior, and novice levels. The results of the national championships were among the criteria used to choose the German teams to the 2012 World Championships and 2012 European Championships.


2012 German Figure Skating Championships, Junior results
The 2011–12 competition for Junior, Jugend, and Nachwuchs levels was held from December 14–18, 2011 in Oberstdorf.


2012 German Football League
The 2012 German Football League season was the thirty fourth edition of the top-level American football competition in Germany and thirteenth since the renaming of the American football Bundesliga to German Football league.


2012 German Formula Three Championship
The 2012 ATS Formel 3 Cup was the tenth edition of the German F3 Cup and the inaugural edition with one-make Volkswagen Power Engines. The Cup class is open for cars built between 2008 and 2011 and equipped with the new Volkswagen engine, while cars built between 2002 and 2007 with conventional Formula Three engines will race in the Trophy class. The season began on 4 May at Circuit Park Zandvoort and ended on 30 September at Hockenheim after nine race weekends, totalling 27 races.


2012 German Formula Three Championship
Lotus driver Jimmy Eriksson became the first and only Swedish driver to win the championship. He clinched the title after taking points in the Hockenheim qualifying. He surpassed champion of the Rookie class Lucas Auer and Kimiya Sato by 110 and 127 respectively points. André Rudersdorf won the Trophy class, as his main rival Luca Stolz stepped up to the Cup class in the second half of the season.


2012 German Formula Three Championship, Race calendar and results
The 2012 calendar consists of nine meetings, of which five take place on German soil while neighbouring Netherlands, Belgium and Austria will host the remaining four rounds. The F3 Cup will be part of the ADAC Masters Weekend package seven times; GAMMA Race Day at Assen is once again part of the German F3 schedule with an International Superstars Series support round at Spa-Francorchamps. The series will adopt a format used in British Formula 3 and the Formula 3 Euro Series, with three races a weekend, two of which held on the Saturday and the final race on the Sunday.


2012 German Formula Three Championship, Race calendar and results
* The rounds at Spa and Assen will be invitation rounds.


2012 German Formula Three Championship, Championship standings, SONAX Rookie-Pokal
Rookie drivers are only eligible for the SONAX Rookie-Pokal title, if they have not previously competed in more than two events of national or international Formula 3 racing, and are 25 years old or younger in 2012.


2012 German Grand Prix
The 2012 German Grand Prix, formally the Formula 1 Grosser Preis Santander von Deutschland 2012, was a Formula One motor race that took place on 22 July 2012 as the tenth round of the 2012 season. After being held at the Nürburgring in 2011, the race returned to the Hockenheimring in Baden-Württemberg, making the 2012 race the thirty-third time the circuit hosted the German Grand Prix, and the eighth time the shortened circuit hosted the race since its 2002 redesign.


2012 German Grand Prix
Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso started the 67-lap race from pole position and won the race.


2012 German Grand Prix, Report, Background
As there was no race at Hockenheim in 2011, 2012 was the first year that the drag reduction system (DRS) and Pirelli tyres featured at the circuit. The DRS detection zone for the race was located at turn four, with the activation zone located 260 metres (850 ft) further down the road, so that it could be used on the approach to the hairpin.


2012 German Grand Prix, Report, Background
Tyre supplier Pirelli chose to run with the most commonly run tyre combination of the year to date, and brought its white-banded medium compound tyre as the harder "prime" tyre and the yellow-banded soft compound tyre as the softer "option" tyre  to the Hockenheim circuit.


2012 German Grand Prix, Report, Driver penalties
Romain Grosjean took a five-place grid penalty after his team discovered a terminal issue in his gearbox. Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber were also given five-place penalties for gearbox changes. Sergio Pérez was given a five-place grid penalty for impeding Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen in the second qualifying session.


2012 German Grand Prix, Report, Driver changes
Dani Clos took over Narain Karthikeyan's HRT during the first free practice session. Jules Bianchi replaced Paul di Resta at Force India, while Valtteri Bottas once again drove Bruno Senna's Williams for the same session.


2012 German Grand Prix, Report, Race
The conditions on the grid were dry and sunny before the race; the air temperature ranged between 20–21 °C (68–70 °F) and the track temperature was between 30–32 °C (86–90 °F). Fernando Alonso won the race to become the only driver to win three races at this point in the season, Jenson Button was 2nd after Sebastian Vettel was given a 20 second time penalty for passing the former by going off the track, the penalty dropped the German down to 5th.


2012 German Indoor Athletics Championships
The 2012 German Indoor Athletics Championships (German: Deutsche Leichtathletik-Hallenmeisterschaften 2012) was the 59th edition of the national championship in indoor track and field for Germany. It was held on 25–26 February at the Europahalle Karlsruhe in Karlsruhe. A total of 28 events, 14 for men and 14 for women, were contested plus three further events were held separately. It was to serve as preparation for the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships.


2012 German Indoor Athletics Championships
The combined events national championships were held on 28–29 January at the Helmut-Körnig-Halle in Dortmund. The 3 × 1000 m relays were held on 19 February alongside the  German Indoor Youth Athletics Championships in Sindelfingen.


2012 German Indoor Athletics Championships
For the first time, the 4 × 400 metres relay was no longer in the program. The men's 4 × 200 metres relay relay team from TV Wattenscheid 01 Athletics ran a German record. Championship records were set by Björn Otto in the pole vault and Carolin Walter over 800 metres. European-leading performances were set by Cathleen Tschirch in the 200 metres and David Storl in the shot put.


2012 German Masters
The 2012 PartyPoker.net German Masters was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 1–5 February 2012 at the Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany. This was the first time that PartyPoker.net sponsored the event.


2012 German Masters
Mike Dunn made the 79th official maximum break during his round 1 qualifying match against Kurt Maflin. This was Dunn's first 147 break. Stephen Hendry missed the final stage of a ranking event for the first time in 15 years after losing 1–5 to James Wattana in the final qualifying round.


2012 German Masters
Mark Williams was the defending champion, but he lost in the quarter-finals 3–5 against Stephen Lee.


2012 German Masters
Ronnie O'Sullivan won his 23rd ranking title by defeating Stephen Maguire 9–7 in the final.


2012 German Masters, Prize fund
The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:


2012 German Masters, Wildcard round
These matches were played in Berlin on 1 February 2012.


2012 German Masters, Qualifying
These matches were held between 21 and 25 November 2011 at the World Snooker Academy, Sheffield, England.


2012 German Masters, Gallery
Steve Davis playing a trick shot exhibition during the break of the final


2012 German Masters (curling)
The 2012 German Masters were held from January 27 to 29 at the Curling Club Hamburg in Hamburg, Germany as part of the 2011–12 World Curling Tour. The tournament was held in a round robin format. The purse for the tournament was €15,000.


2012 German Open Grand Prix Gold
The 2012 German Open Grand Prix Gold was the first grand prix gold and grand prix tournament of the 2012 BWF Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix. The tournament was held in RWE-Sporthalle, Mulheim an der Ruhr, Germany from February 28 until March 4, 2012 and had a total purse of $125,000.


2012 German Skeleton Championship
The 46th German Skeleton Championship in 2012 was held on 31 December 2011 in Winterberg.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix was the eighth round of the 2012 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 6–8 July 2012 at the Sachsenring in Chemnitz, Germany.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
This race was most notable for the battle between Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, Stoner's eventual retirement from the race and Pedrosa's victory.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
After seven rounds, the top spot is now tied between two riders: On one side Jorge Lorenzo and on the other Casey Stoner, both with 140 points. Lorenzo however, is at the top because he has won one more race than Stoner, namely four to three. In third sits Dani Pedrosa with a close 121 points.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On Saturday, it was Casey Stoner who took the pole - his fourth pole of the season - with a time of 1:31.796. Second is Ben Spies who is +0.193 seconds behind and third is Dani Pedrosa who is +0.285 seconds behind. The second row of the grid consists out of Cal Crutchlow, Jorge Lorenzo and home hero Stefan Bradl in fourth, fifth and sixth place. Álvaro Bautista has to start from the back of the grid after a collision he had with Lorenzo at the previous round in the Netherlands and Franco Battaini replaces the injured Karel Abraham.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
All the riders make their way through the warm-up lap, then line up on their respective grid slots. As the lights go out,it is Pedrosa who gets the holeshot from third to lead going into the Coca-Cola Kurve (Turn 1). Spies, who initially looked to have made a good start, does not gain or lose any places but gets relegated to third at Turn 2 when Stoner overtakes him from the outside. Lorenzo and Bradl both make up one position. Crutchlow loses out the most, dropping from fourth to seventh position.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
In the early stages, it is a Repsol Honda 1-2 that leads the way on the opening lap. Stoner is all over the back of Pedrosa and as they plunge down from Turn 12 to the Sachsen Kurve (Turn 13), he thinks of making a move but decides to stay behind for the time being. At the Queckenberg Kurve (Turn 14), Crutchlow goes up the inside of Nicky Hayden for sixth place.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap two, the top two start to open up a small gap to the Factory Yamaha duo of Spies and Lorenzo. At Turn 10, Stoner makes a pass for the lead by taking a shorter line than Pedrosa, switching the lead from one Repsol Honda to the other. Behind them, Crutchlow also passes Bradl for fifth. Héctor Barberá goes up the inside of Valentino Rossi at the Sachsen Kurve for ninth position. Rossi tries to replicate at the Queckenberg Kurve, but to no avail.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap three and Andrea Dovizioso has now opened up a gap to his teammate Crutchlow in sixth place. Stoner has opened up a gap to Pedrosa of +0.402 seconds in sector two. Rossi retakes ninth from Barberá. The gap Stoner has to Pedrosa has increased to +0.508 seconds in sector three. Exiting the Queckenberg Kurve, Hayden has a bit of a moment and does a small wheelie because of it.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
As Stoner crosses the line to start lap three, the gap shrinks again to +0.485 seconds. In sector one, the gap increases to +0.562 seconds. Michele Pirro has entered the pits to retire from the race due to mechanical problems, the San Carlo Gresini Honda rider stepping off and inspecting the rear of his bike. In sector two, the gap drops to +0.536 seconds. Stoner also sets the fastest lap of the race as his gap continues to decrease to +0.497


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap four, the gap of the top two continues to increase. Lorenzo has now passed a struggling Spies, who ran wide at Turn 11, who also has come under pressure from Dovizioso. At the Queckenberg Kurve, Crutchlow looks to pass his teammate Dovizioso, but slams on the brakes and decides to stay behind for the time being.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap five the gap Pedrosa has to Lorenzo is +2.260 seconds. Mattia Pasini has crashed out of the race, the rider walking away unhurt from the scene.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap six, the gap Pedrosa has to Lorenzo is +2.878 seconds. Bautista meanwhile has made up multiple positions and is now in eleventh place, overtaking Randy de Puniet at the Sachsen Kurve a lap earlier.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap seven and Cruchlow is now all over the back of his teammate Dovizioso. Bradl is also being harassed by Hayden, the American almost making a move at the Sachsen Kurve but staying behind for the time being.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap eight, Dovizioso outbreaks Spies and gets ahead at the Coca-Cola Kurve for fourth. At the Sachsen Kurve, Crutchlow dives down the inside of Spies and passes him for fifth place.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap nine and the midfield is very close to each other, starting from Dovizioso. At the front, Stoner is still ahead of Pedrosa but he is slowly closing the gap again.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap ten, Crutchlow is all over the back of Dovizioso, the Englishman looking for a way past.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap eleven and Crutchlow is still trying to find a way past Dovizioso. Exiting Turn 12, it looked like Crutchlow was ready to get alongside but once again decides to stay behind for the time being.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap twelve, the gap between the top two is still stable. No overtakes happen at the front.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap thirteen and Spies has closed the gap to Curtchlow, now making it a three-way battle for fourth again. The gap Pedrosa has to Lorenzo is +4.392 seconds and the gap Lorenzo has to Dovizioso is +3.750 seconds.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap fourteen, Pedrosa sets the fastest lap. No overtakes happen at the front.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap fifteen - the halfway point of the race - and Pedrosa is now slowly closing the gap. Exiting Turn 12, he is now all over the back of the Australian.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap sixteen, Pedrosa is still all over the rear of Stoner, shadowing his every move. No overtakes happened at the front.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap seventeen and Pedrosa still shadows Stoner from second place, not making any pass.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap eighteen however, Pedrosa finally makes his move. He moves out of the slipstream, goes alongside and outbreaks his teammate, taking over the lead. Exiting Turn 5, switching over from the right to the left side, Stoner has a huge moment, causing him to lose time and tow to Pedrosa.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap nineteen and Stoner's gap to Lorenzo is +6.497 seconds and Lorenzo's gap to Dovizioso is +5.350 seconds. Stoner slowly closes the gap to Pedrosa and is all over the back of him again exiting Turn 12.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap twenty, Stoner looks to make a pass going on the inside at the start/finish straight but stays behind for now. Further back, Rossi overtakes Barberá for ninth. Stoner is still all over the back of Pedrosa, not yet making a pass however.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap twenty-one and Stoner's gap to Lorenzo is +7.667 seconds. A bit further back, Dovizioso is still leading the group of three, consisting of Crutchlow and Spies. Spies has a look at the outside of the Coca-Cola Kurve, but stays behind for the time being.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap twenty-two, Stoner's gap back to Lorenzo is +8.104 seconds and Lorenzo's gap back to Dovizioso is +6.549 seconds. Stoner is still right behind Pedrosa, shadowing his every move.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap twenty-three and Crutchlow is still all over the back of Dovizioso as well, himself being followed closely by Spies. Entering the Sachsen Kurve, both Crutchlow and Spies look to be making a move but decide to stay behind for the time being.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap twenty-four, Stoner's gap to Lorenzo is +9.415 seconds and Lorenzo's gap to Dovizioso is +6.867 seconds. Pedrosa and Stoner are still very close together, as are Dovizioso and Crutchlow a bit further back. Exiting Turn 12, he is right behind the Italian but isn't able to make a move, opting to take a slightly different line entering the Sachsen Kurve and go side by side with Dovizioso on exit, but isn't able to take the position and has to slot behind him entering the Queckenberg Kurve.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap twenty-five and Crutchlow now outbrakes himself entering the Coca-Cola Kurve, going wide and entering the gravel trap at low speed. He turns the bike and pushes with his feet as to not lose any speed and manages to get back onto the circuit relatively quickly, though he loses multiple places and drops all the way down to eleventh place. Pedrosa and Stoner at the front now have to pass two backmarkers - rookie Danilo Petrucci and Iván Silva - at the short straight between the Sachsen and the Queckenberg Kurve. Both pass them without any problems.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap twenty-six, the gap Stoner has to Lorenzo is 10.690 seconds and the gap Lorenzo has to Dovizioso is 7.417 seconds. Stoner is still very close to the back of Pedrosa, still not making a move.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap twenty-seven and Stoner is really pushing, still staying behind Pedrosa but waiting for the right opportunity to strike. Backmarker Battaini almost gets in the way of the fight at the Queckenberg Kurve but moves out of the way just in time.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap twenty-eight, the penultimate lap of the race, the gap Stoner has to Lorenzo is +11.684 seconds and the gap Lorenzo has to Dovizioso is +6.978 seconds. Further back, Rossi overtakes Barberá for seventh at the entrance of the Coca-Cola Kurve. Stoner is still right behind Pedrosa but still has not made a move. Bautistá tries to retake seventh place from Rossi via a very late lunge at the Sachsen Kurve but runs his bike way too deep and loses two positions as a result. Crutchlow also tries to make a pass by going up his inside at the Queckenberg Kurve but fails to properly make the move and has to stay behind, himself being overtaken by Barberá at the start/finish straight as a result.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
The final lap - lap twenty-nine - has started and Pedrosa now sets the fastest lap. Stoner is all over the back of Pedrosa but has still not been able to get past the Spaniard. Drama unfolds at the Sachsen Kurve however as Stoner goes a bit too wide, loses the front and slides out of a strong second place and into the gravel, the Australian tumbling on for a bit before running to his bike to get it restarted. Pedrosa has no further issues and crosses the line to win his first race of the season.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Coincidentally, it starts to rain very lightly just as he crosses the line. After lapping Petrucci, Lorenzo comes home in second place, doing a wheelie in the process. Stoner has not been able to get the bike restarted and is forced to retire, him walking alongside the marshalls away from the scene. A photofinish-esque third place is reserved for Dovizioso, who pips Spies just as they both cross the line, the American missing out on a podium finish and having to settle for fourth position. Further back, Bradl holds off Rossi for fifth, the Italian finishing ahead of a charging Bautistá to come home sixth. Stoner is still walking away from the crash site, the marshalls recovering his bike off the circuit by now.


2012 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On the parade lap back to parc-fermé, Pedrosa gets greeted by all the marshalls who wave their flags. Pedrosa puts his arm in the air as the crowd celebrates his win. Rossi comes alongside Pedrosa and shakes his hand while still on the bike, congratulating him on his victory, Hayden doing likewise.