Press release:
Tough day for Britons in German round British riders did not have the best of days at the Alice Grand Prix of Germany, with just two of the hopefuls placing inside the top ten.
James Toseland –the sole Brit competing in the MotoGP class- was again unable to achieve the top six result that he has targeted for the remaining races of the 2009 campaign, finishing tenth at Sachsenring onboard the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 M1. He earned points but was once again behind teammate Colin Edwards in the standings.
Wild card Toby Markham’s latest 250cc saw the youngster finish seventeenth on race day, and he now has two World Championship points to his name.
Kent-based Danny Webb was eighth in the 125cc race and the only Brit to finish the morning showdown. Bradley Smith crashed out definitively on lap four after previously falling on the opening lap, whilst Scott Redding retired with a mechanical problem on his Blusens Aprilia.
V is for Valentino victory in Germany Valentino Rossi was never under any illusions that he would have it easy in his defence of the MotoGP world title, and once again the Italian was made to fight for glory at the Alice Grand Prix of Germany. The Fiat Yamaha rider took the win at Sachsenring by just the smallest of margins from persistent rival Jorge Lorenzo in a breathtaking race to extend his lead in the World Championship.
After starting from pole for the first time at the German track, Rossi took the lead of the race after thirteen laps. Both the Italian and teammate Lorenzo eked out an advantage to make it a two-way battle to the chequered flag, with a last lap battle reminiscent of the Barcelona round of the series one month ago. Rossi’s definitive pass had come at the end of the home straight with two laps to go, and he brushed off the young pretender’s overtures for his fourth win of the 2009 season.
Starting from eighth on the grid, Dani Pedrosa had established his credentials in the dry with the best lap in the morning warm up. He had another storming start at Sachsenring to move up to the lead group, and put up a bold fight both amongst and behind the Yamaha duo. The Repsol Honda rider completed the podium with a race time under three seconds down on the top two.
Early leader Casey Stoner’s condition lasted longer than he had expected in the dry race, and he was able to mount a serious challenge for the win. With five laps to go, however, he was passed by Pedrosa going into the first turn, and one lap later a sit-up meant that he lost touch of the Spaniard.
Race Results:1. Valentino ROSSI ITA YAMAHA 41'21.769
2. Jorge LORENZO SPA YAMAHA 41'21.868
3. Dani PEDROSA SPA HONDA 41'24.668
4. Casey STONER AUS DUCATI 41'31.995
5. Alex DE ANGELIS RSM HONDA 41'43.291
6. Toni ELIAS SPA HONDA 41'52.621
Championship Positions:1. ROSSI Valentino 176 points
2. LORENZO Jorge 162
3. STONER Casey 148
4. PEDROSA Dani 108
5. EDWARDS Colin 83
6. MELANDRI Marco 70
