With seven wins out of twelve races (the latest three in succession: Laguna, Brno and Indianapolis), Casey Stoner’s assault on the championship seems unstoppable and together with his Nolan X-802, he now looks in a strong position to take victory in the MotoGP World Championship.
After starting from pole position he gave way to his opponents until, after a few laps, he took the lead leaving the rest of the field with no hope of catching him! Stoner with this victory (the thirtieth in MotoGP) is the first Australian ever to climb the top step of the podium of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in its 102 year history.
CASEY STONER:
“We got an OK start and I should have been a little more aggressive in the first corner. As I entered turn two Dani hit the brakes quite hard and I just had nothing, my brakes weren't warmed up yet and I had trouble stopping, I was lucky to get through the first lap. The race was tough, conditions were very hot and the track surface a little more slippery than practice and qualifying which made things difficult to know how much to push. At one point I closed the front and dropped the bike on my knee, I was pretty much down but managed to pick it back up and not lose too much confidence. From there we started to make our way past Dani, put in a few good lap times and pull an advantage. Under challenging track conditions everything has worked really well this weekend, the crew did a fantastic job and gave me a great bike so a huge thanks to them all”.
It was a disappointing race unfortunately for Jorge Lorenzo (X-lite X-802) who, despite having started third on the grid, did not succeed in reaching the podium arriving fourth at the chequered flag.
JORGE LORENZO:
“It's a shame; I thought I could reduce my gap with Casey at Indy but since the first practice I have had many problems with the asphalt and the front tyre. I've tried everything with my team to fix it, but we couldn't. After four or five laps the front tyre was destroyed. I saw the other three front riders and their tyres were perfect. I don't know if it was because of the track and I’m not the only one complaining. Now the Championship is much more complicated, but hope is the last thing you can lose. Next weekend we ride again at Misano, I looking forward to forgetting this result".
With this result Casey Stoner, who leads the overall standings, takes 44 points to his advantage over reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo, who is second.
Next meeting follows this weekend at Misano.
