Casey Stoner had to deal with not one, but two sets of teammates in front of him on the starting grid of today's eighth round of
MotoGP at Donington. That didn't deter the Australian rider as he put the Ducati Marlboro past all challengers for his fifth win of the season.
Casey Stoner was not going to be denied as he rode smart and strong on the challenging Donington circuit to his fifth win of the season.
"I'm not looking at the championship yet, I'm just enjoying all these races whether I win or don't finish on the podium," he said humbly. "It's just nice to be out there, I've got the confidence in myself and in the bike to really get involved in the race and really enjoy it."
The biggest obstacle for Stoner came in the form of changing track conditions. With rain falling early on, riders utilized soft-compound rubbers for added grip, but as the race continued, the drying track offered improved grip at the cost of quickly deteriorating tires. The next formidable challenge was yesterday's pole winner, Colin Edwards, who finished second, tying his best-ever result in the premier class. The Texas Tornado was out front at the halfway point before Stoner ditched the Fiat Yamaha, eventually stretching a 12-second lead.
"Colin seemed to be nice and smooth, but I knew I could go quicker," Stoner said after the race. "Then I saw the track getting drier and drier. I was worried about destroying the rear tire, so I started going over all the wet patches. When we got to the last five laps the tire still had a pretty good feeling and it looked pretty good at the end of the race, considering it was our softest option.
Valentino Rossi just missed giving the Fiat Yamaha team a double podium as he finished behind the Rizla Suzuki of
Chris Vermeulen who snagged the final podium spot. The dismal results continue for the reigning champion as American Nicky Hayden was forced to pit after a crash that dropped him from fourth to 17th at the end of 30 laps. Fortunately for U.S. fans, Suzuki-mounted John Hopkins represented the Stars and Stripes in flying form with his fifth-place finish. The top-5 result also lands him in the same position in the championship standings.
Two other riders of note include Kenny Roberts Jr.'s replacement, Kurtis Roberts. The fill-in rider nailed down 13th to garner the best MotoGP result of his career. The other replacement rider to surprise the racing world at the Nickel and Dime Grand Prix was Kawasaki's Anthony West. The Japanese manufacturer must be pleased with West's initial outing after watching the 25-year-old pass top contenders like Hayden, Vermeulen and Rossi before crashing. The young gun is hungry too, which he showed by picking himself up and returning to action for an 11th-place finish.
MotoGP Donington Results:
1. Casey Stoner (Ducati)
2. Colin Edwards (Yamaha)
3. Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki)
4. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha)
5. John Hopkins (Suzuki)
6. Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki)
7. Alex Barros (Ducati)
8. Dani Pedrosa (Honda)
9. Alex Hofmann (Kawasaki)
10. Marco Melandri (Honda)
17. Nicky Hayden (Honda)
MotoGP Overall Standings:
1. Stoner, 169
2. Rossi, 139
3. Pedrosa, 106
4. Vermeulen, 88
5. Hopkins, 83
