The AirAsia British Grand Prix was the setting for Casey Stoner’s 150th career GP which he honored by claiming his third consecutive win, fourth win of the season, and twenty-seventh win in the MotoGP class.
The 1-2 for Stoner and Dovizioso has been the perfect climax in a dramatic wet race, which not only demanded the best skills but also ultimate concentration to avoid mistakes. The Australian, focused and determined, found himself racing alone out in front and was able to maintain the high pace for 19 laps after he overtook his team mate on the second lap. Andrea fought hard and was victorious in his duels, first with Jorge Lorenzo, and then with Marco Simoncelli, who both crashed while they were behind the Italian.
Stoner ‘s superiority was so evident that two riders were lapped with four laps remaining, while Dovizioso, after a perfect start from fifth on the grid to lead the race in the first corner, took his second podium of the season and holds third position in the World Championship standings, 15 points behind Lorenzo.
The team now prepare for the Assen race in two weeks time and will hope to be back to full strength with Dani Pedrosa back on his RC212V.
Casey Stoner:
“At the beginning of the race we didn’t have a great start and I needed to wait for the tyres to get up to temperature. In the first few laps when I was behind the other riders, I got a lot of spray up inside the visor and it was hard for me to see, or for me to push. At this time I was being careful, trying to cover my lines to stop them coming inside, then after five laps my visibility got clearer and the water drained away from my visor and I was able to start doing the lap times we were looking for and started to open up a gap. I was just happy to stay up on the bike, it was incredibly cold and I was so nervous as in these conditions it’s so easy to crash! We had a great race today in very tough conditions where anything could have happened, but to come away with a win is fantastic.?
Andrea Dovizioso:
?I?m really happy with today?s podium. It?s a second place that feels like gold. The track conditions were very tricky, with much more water than in the warm up this morning. We made a modification on the set up to have more rear grip and that was a very good strategy. It helped us doing two laps before the race to bring the tyres up to temperature quicker. I had a very good start, then I focused to manage the second position with Casey. I was braking very hard to close the doors to Lorenzo and Simoncelli. I had a good rhythm, not too far from Casey?s pace, but he is very strong with these conditions, so I preferred to manage my race the best I could. I want to thank my team for the hard work and the support. We need to improve the performance in qualifying, but the important thing is that in the race, we are there. We never give up. With today?s second place we have consolidated the third position in the Championship. The season is still long, but I?m confident.?
Repsol Honda press release.
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Claudio Federici Tim Ferry Ashley Fiolek Ernesto Fonseca Lauris Freibergs
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