Casey Stoner ‘s third successive grand prix victory came in dramatic circumstances in the pouring rain at the Alice Grand Prix of Germany at the Sachsenring this afternoon.
Championship leader Dani Pedrosa raced away at the start of the 30 lap race round the tight twisty 2.281 mile circuit to build up a seven second advantage in the spray and looked likely to repeat his success of last year.
However the pace he was setting in the spray on the Repsol Honda was too hot and down he went at turn one with the opposition well out of sight. Stoner, who started from pole for the fourth successive race on the Marlboro Ducati, needed no second chance and took full advantage at the circuit where he had never won previously.
Once again he commanded the race at the front to win comfortably from the Fiat Yamaha of Valentino Rossi and to change the whole complexion of the MotoGP World Championship. Rossi, who started from the third row of the grid, was an equally comfortable second and re-took the lead in the World Championship. The Italian former World Champion holds a 16 point advantage over Pedrosa with Stoner closing all the time in third place just a further four points adrift.
Australian rain expert Chris Vermeulen was a brilliant third on the Rizla Suzuki after riding through the field from the fifth row of the grid in a race in which Pedrosa was not the only faller. Jorge Lorenzo, Marco Melandri and Colin Edwards all fell without injury, while Anthony West crashed from the Kawasaki, remounted and finished tenth.
The 11th round of the Championship is in seven days time at Laguna Seca in America where surely there will be some long awaited sunshine.
Tough Day For Toseland
An excellent start from 11th position on the grid to fifth place into turn one signalled a change in fortunes for Britain’s James Toseland at Sachsenring but he was unable to hold off his rivals in a mid-pack battle due to incorrect tyre choice.
The 27-year-old had taken a gamble with a slightly harder rear tyre in the hope the heavy rain would clear mid-race to make way for a drying track. Unfortunately, by the time the rain began to ease off at half race distance, the Tech 3 Yamaha rider was already at a strong disadvantage on the time sheets.
With just nine laps to go, heavy rain fell once again and Toseland was forced to continue riding a safe race to pick up any points possible and further experience at MotoGP level.
The Tech 3 Yamaha rider passed the chequered flag in 11th place to slip down to ninth position overall in the championship standings.
“I’m obviously disappointed with today’s result. I was fourth fastest in warm-up this morning and thought that was a good sign of a better race day. I got a really good start from the grid but I had no confidence to push hard, which meant that I wasn’t able to hold off any challenges.
“I feel that I could have had a good race if I had the correct rear tyre but there’s little point in dwelling on it now. I must remain focussed and get my confidence back. I’m looking forward to the challenge of Laguna Seca and hope that we can continue to make improvements with the set-up of the Tech 3 Yamaha.”
Smith So Close To Podium Finish
In a damp rather than wet 27 lap 125cc race Bradley Smith finished just off the podium in fourth place after a tremendous battle to the line. There was also another superb performance by 15 year old Scott Redding to finish an impressive eighth on his Sachsenring debut on the slippery surface.
Smith took his turn at the front as drizzle fell at certain parts of the circuit but it was Championship leader Mike Di Meglio who was in command to win his third grand prix of the season and to open a 20 point lead in the Championship.
Seventeen year old German Stefan Bradl and World Champion Gabor Talmasci fought for second place with Smith joining for the last couple of laps. He passed Talmacsi going into the final corner was pipped by just over one hundredth of a second by Talmacsi on the line.
Redding rode such a calculated race while others fell by the wayside to claim a well deserved eighth on the Blusens Aprilia but Danny Webb ran off the track and failed to finish on his return after breaking his collarbone.
Ulsterman Eugene Laverty claimed a hard fought single World Championship point after finishing 15th in the 250cc race in a tremendous scrap with Aleix Espargaro and Hector Faubel.
Race Results:
1. Casey STONER AUS DUCATI 47'30.057
2. Valentino ROSSI ITA YAMAHA 47'33.765
3. Chris VERMEULEN AUS SUZUKI 47'44.059
4. Alex DE ANGELIS RSM HONDA 47'44.181
5. Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA HONDA 48'12.079
6. Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA DUCATI 48'16.705
7. Loris CAPIROSSI ITA SUZUKI 48'34.540
8. Randy DE PUNIET FRA HONDA 48'34.645
Championship Positions:
1. ROSSI Valentino 187
2. PEDROSA Dani 171
3. STONER Casey 167
4. LORENZO Jorge 114
5. EDWARDS Colin 98
6. DOVIZIOSO Andrea 90
7. VERMEULEN Chris 73
8. HAYDEN Nicky 73
