Casey Stoner’s victory (Nolan X-802)represented a positive response to anyone doubting his ability to win continuously after his recent oversight in Misano.
In a Grand Prix which he without doubt dominated from the second lap, after taking pole position on Saturday, he registered the fastest time all weekend over his fellow competitors. This enabled the Australian, who took his 8th win of the year, to move even further ahead in the championship with a 44 point advantage over Jorge Lorenzo (X-lite X-802). For Lorenzo, the Spanish rider was happy with his final position of 3rd and felt it was the best result he could achieve on the day with Stoner is such fantastic form.
The Moto Grand Prix still remains open but now, with 4 races to go, Stoner looks unbeatable.
CASEY STONER (Nolan X-802)
"Before the race everyone was a little cautious with the wind picking up after the morning warm up session and conditions being a lot different to those we have seen all weekend. This was on our mind and also warming the hard tyres to make sure everything was good for the beginning of the race. Our start was pretty average, I pulled to the left a little on the start and managed to avoid hitting Dani but Ben came around the outside and I ended up third or fourth going into turn one, but from there we were able to settle down and feel pretty comfortable with the bike. I wanted to get to the front as soon as possible as the bike has been working perfect all weekend and it was our race to lose, so I wanted to try and get out in front and pull a gap. I passed Dani as soon as I could and tried to pull that gap, Dani kept with me for the first few laps but slowly I was able to push and put in a gap and from there manage the race. I think everyone was struggling with tyres to some degree but the bike was fantastic and I don't mind the bike when it slides around a little! A big, big thank you to the whole team and to take this hundredth win for Repsol Honda is something special".
JORGE LORENZO (X-lite X-802)
We struggled a lot from the beginning of the race, losing positions and having to recover step by step. We couldn’t get more than a podium; that is the best result we could get today! I didn’t have confidence in the rear and it is impossible to catch Dani on this track. It's a pity, but at least I got the podium I couldn't get last year. We are still fighting for the Championship and that's the most important thing, we are going to Japan with hope still alive."
For the classification, Stoner is first with a 44 point advantage over Lorenzo. The next race is 2nd of October in Japan.
