Reverend
September 14th, 2008, 23:16 PM
Valentino Rossi won a rain-curtailed Indianpolis MotoGP to notch up his fourth win in a row
With four races left this year, Rossi leads defending champion Casey Stoner by 87 points, after beating Nicky Hayden at the Indianapolis Speedway.
Bad weather meant the first two-wheel championship race at the circuit in 99 years had to be cut eight laps short.
Stoner finished fourth, behind Rossi's Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.
Rossi passed Hayden on lap 14 and opened up a lead of 5.972 seconds before the riders were red-flagged into the pits.
Intially there was some confusion as it seemed there may be a chance the riders would be called out to complete the race, but eventually it was confirmed that the race was over and the result would stand.
The win was Rossi's seventh of the season, and also earned him the record of 69 top-class Grand Prix wins outright, having previously been level on 68 with Giacomo Agostini.
Rossi backed the decision to stop the race, saying conditions at Indianapolis were the worst he had experienced in his career.
"The wind was not constant and very strong," he said. "You never knew what was going to happen in the straight.
"Every lap I hoped for the red flag. It was too dangerous."
Hayden, who won the championship in 2006, was delighted to have secured his first podium finish of the season.
"I had nothing to lose," said the Honda rider.
"I just had to go for it. The bike felt pretty good in the wet. I pushed to the max and left nothing on the table."
Indianapolis MotoGP result:
1. V Rossi (Ita) Yamaha
2. N Hayden (US) Honda
3. J Lorenzo (Spn) Yamaha
4. C Stoner (Aus) Ducati
5. A Dovizioso (Ita) Honda
6. B Spies (US) Suzuki
7. S Guintoli (Fra) Ducati
8. D Pedrosa (Spn) Honda
Championship standings:
1. V Rossi (Ita) Yamaha 287 pts
2. C Stoner (Aus) Ducati 200
3. D Pedrosa (Spn) Honda 193
4. J Lorenzo (Spn) Yamaha 156
5. A Dovizioso (Ita) Honda 129
6. C Vermeulen (Aus) Suzuki 117
7. C Edwards (US) Yamaha 109
8. N Hayden (US) Honda 104
BBC Sport (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/motorbikes/7615808.stm)
With four races left this year, Rossi leads defending champion Casey Stoner by 87 points, after beating Nicky Hayden at the Indianapolis Speedway.
Bad weather meant the first two-wheel championship race at the circuit in 99 years had to be cut eight laps short.
Stoner finished fourth, behind Rossi's Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.
Rossi passed Hayden on lap 14 and opened up a lead of 5.972 seconds before the riders were red-flagged into the pits.
Intially there was some confusion as it seemed there may be a chance the riders would be called out to complete the race, but eventually it was confirmed that the race was over and the result would stand.
The win was Rossi's seventh of the season, and also earned him the record of 69 top-class Grand Prix wins outright, having previously been level on 68 with Giacomo Agostini.
Rossi backed the decision to stop the race, saying conditions at Indianapolis were the worst he had experienced in his career.
"The wind was not constant and very strong," he said. "You never knew what was going to happen in the straight.
"Every lap I hoped for the red flag. It was too dangerous."
Hayden, who won the championship in 2006, was delighted to have secured his first podium finish of the season.
"I had nothing to lose," said the Honda rider.
"I just had to go for it. The bike felt pretty good in the wet. I pushed to the max and left nothing on the table."
Indianapolis MotoGP result:
1. V Rossi (Ita) Yamaha
2. N Hayden (US) Honda
3. J Lorenzo (Spn) Yamaha
4. C Stoner (Aus) Ducati
5. A Dovizioso (Ita) Honda
6. B Spies (US) Suzuki
7. S Guintoli (Fra) Ducati
8. D Pedrosa (Spn) Honda
Championship standings:
1. V Rossi (Ita) Yamaha 287 pts
2. C Stoner (Aus) Ducati 200
3. D Pedrosa (Spn) Honda 193
4. J Lorenzo (Spn) Yamaha 156
5. A Dovizioso (Ita) Honda 129
6. C Vermeulen (Aus) Suzuki 117
7. C Edwards (US) Yamaha 109
8. N Hayden (US) Honda 104
BBC Sport (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/motorbikes/7615808.stm)