Repsol Honda’s
Casey Stoner pulled off a spectacular pass in the final laps at Laguna Seca to claim his fifth win of the 2011
MotoGP Championship ahead of Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo. Perhaps the most well-earned victory for the Aussie so far this season, Stoner waited until the final six laps to outrun the Spaniard down the starting straight and cross the finish line more than five seconds ahead of Lorenzo.
“To be honest it was the most relaxed I’ve been before a race in a long time,” said Stoner. “This morning in warm-up we found something. At the start of the race I struggled but I was patient. Lap by lap as the fuel went down it got better and better. I saw Dani struggle a little bit so I passed him. Once I caught Jorge I wanted to stay behind him. I felt really good at the end of the race. It’s really good to come back and show everyone that we can still win.”
Stoner’s teammate, Dani Pedrosa, finished third another 3.83 seconds behind Lorenzo, the 25-year-old following his victory in the last round with another visit to the podium.
“I tried my best at the beginning but the pace was so high,” said Pedrosa. “I tried to stick with him [Stoner] but by the middle of the race I was really tired. And I couldn’t get enough strength to keep up the pace so I had to release a little bit. I’m still very happy with a podium because I’ve just come back from injury.”
Meanwhile, American Ben Spies finished the race in fourth after overtaking Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso with only two laps remaining. Crashers included Cal Cruthlow, Marco Simoncelli and Alvaro Bautista. Ben Bostrom also retired early after running in last place for much of the race. After winning the Laguna Seca USGP, Stoner now leads the standings by 15 points ahead of Lorenzo.
Laguna Seca MotoGP Results 2011:
1. Casey Stoner (Honda)
2. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha)
3. Dani Pedrosa (Honda)
4. Ben Spies (Yamaha)
5. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda)
6. Valentino Rossi (Ducati)
7. Nicky Hayden (Ducati)
8. Colin Edwards (Yamaha)
9. Hector Barbera (Ducati)
10. Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda)
11. Karel Abraham (Ducati)
12. Loris Capirossi (Ducati)
13. Toni Elias (Honda)
DNF Alvaro Bautista (Suzuki)
DNF Ben Bostrom (Honda)
DNF Marco Simoncelli (Honda)
DNF Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha)
2011 MotoGP Championship Points:
1. Casey Stoner, 193
2. Jorge Lorenzo, 173
3. Andrea Dovizioso, 143
4. Dani Pedrosa, 110
5. Valentino Rossi, 108
6. Ben Spies, 98
7. Nicky Hayden, 94
8. Colin Edwards, 67
9. Hiroshi Aoyama, 63
10. Marco Simoncelli, 60
