Reverend
July 14th, 2008, 22:57 PM
Casey Stoner rode flawlessly in the rain to blow the MotoGP championship wide open with victory in Germany.
Valentino Rossi came in second and took over the championship lead from Dani Pedrosa, who crashed out on lap four when his Honda slid under braking.
Pedrosa had built up a seven-and-a-half second lead at that point but paid for pushing the pace too much in the wet.
And Stoner took advantage to move within four points of Pedrosa, while Rossi has opened up a 16-point lead.
Reigning champion Stoner has now won the last three races and is making a rapid surge up the championship table.
The Australian showed superb poise and control on his Ducati to come home first, after taking the lead from Pedrosa when the Spaniard fell early on.
Pedrosa made a lightning start and was lapping two seconds quicker than his rivals when he lost his bike underneath him after touching the brakes on the 170mph straight.
That let in Stoner to ride home unchallenged, and Rossi picked his way through the field from seventh on the grid to pick up 20 points with a second-place finish.
Stoner's victory was even more impressive after he revealed he had been feeling unwell before the race.
"I have been feeling sick since Saturday morning and my concentration levels were low," he said.
"I was losing it in all different places. We were lucky to come out of this with the victory."
German MotoGP result:
1. C Stoner (Aus) Ducati
2. V Rossi (Ita) Yamaha
3. C Vermeulen (Aus) Suzuki
4. A de Angelis (SMr) Honda
5. A Dovizioso (Ita) Honda
6. S Guintoli (Fra) Ducati
7. L Capirossi (Ita) Suzuki
8. R de Puniet (France) Honda
Championship standings:
1. V Rossi (Ita) Yamaha 187 pts
2. D Pedrosa (Spn) Honda 171
3. C Stoner (Aus) Ducati 167
4. J Lorenzo (Spn) Yamaha 114
5. C Edwards (US) Yamaha 98
6. A Dovizioso (Ita) Honda 90
7. C Vermeulen (Aus) Suzuki 73
8. N Hayden (US) Honda 73
BBC Sport (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/motorbikes/7504134.stm)
Valentino Rossi came in second and took over the championship lead from Dani Pedrosa, who crashed out on lap four when his Honda slid under braking.
Pedrosa had built up a seven-and-a-half second lead at that point but paid for pushing the pace too much in the wet.
And Stoner took advantage to move within four points of Pedrosa, while Rossi has opened up a 16-point lead.
Reigning champion Stoner has now won the last three races and is making a rapid surge up the championship table.
The Australian showed superb poise and control on his Ducati to come home first, after taking the lead from Pedrosa when the Spaniard fell early on.
Pedrosa made a lightning start and was lapping two seconds quicker than his rivals when he lost his bike underneath him after touching the brakes on the 170mph straight.
That let in Stoner to ride home unchallenged, and Rossi picked his way through the field from seventh on the grid to pick up 20 points with a second-place finish.
Stoner's victory was even more impressive after he revealed he had been feeling unwell before the race.
"I have been feeling sick since Saturday morning and my concentration levels were low," he said.
"I was losing it in all different places. We were lucky to come out of this with the victory."
German MotoGP result:
1. C Stoner (Aus) Ducati
2. V Rossi (Ita) Yamaha
3. C Vermeulen (Aus) Suzuki
4. A de Angelis (SMr) Honda
5. A Dovizioso (Ita) Honda
6. S Guintoli (Fra) Ducati
7. L Capirossi (Ita) Suzuki
8. R de Puniet (France) Honda
Championship standings:
1. V Rossi (Ita) Yamaha 187 pts
2. D Pedrosa (Spn) Honda 171
3. C Stoner (Aus) Ducati 167
4. J Lorenzo (Spn) Yamaha 114
5. C Edwards (US) Yamaha 98
6. A Dovizioso (Ita) Honda 90
7. C Vermeulen (Aus) Suzuki 73
8. N Hayden (US) Honda 73
BBC Sport (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/motorbikes/7504134.stm)