July 13, 2008

CASEY Stoner has won the German MotoGP to record the 100th victory in the top category by an Australian while giving his Ducati team their first win in the race.

The reigning MotoGP champion, winning his third successive race in the 2008 series, won from five-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi, on a Yamaha and Stoner's fellow Australian Chris Vermeulen on a Suzuki.

The result saw Rossi assume the lead in the riders standing from Dani Pedrosa, who crashed out of the race when holding a commanding advantage with 26 laps to race.

"I have been feeling sick since Saturday morning and my concentration levels were low," Stoner said after the race.

"I was losing it in all different places. We were lucky to come out of this with the victory."

Rossi, too, was delighted with the result as it saw him move 16 points ahead of Pedrosa - 187 to 171. Stoner has 167 points after his mid-season resurgence.

"I am very excited about the result as it has seen me take back the overall lead," the Italian said.

"I eventually got up to a great pace and very close to Casey. These 20 points are very important."

Vermeulen was equally ecstatic, especially as he had to hold off a stern challenge from Alex de Angelis for the final podium spot.

"The team did a great job and I am sick in the positive Aussie sense of the word," Vermeulen said.

Pedrosa got a great start in the wet conditions which saw Stoner fail to take advantage of his pole position and drop to third after the first lap as nearly 100,000 spectators literally soaked up the atmosphere.

The Spaniard - whose compatriot Jorge Lorenzo had become the first casualty of the race on the third lap - then built a lead of more than five seconds over Stoner, who had moved into second place, by the third lap.

Bur his storming start came to an abrupt end with 26 laps remaining, as he came off the bike and slid into a safety barrier leaving Stoner in front with Rossi hot on his tail while Vermeulen climbed into third.

Italian Marco Melandri - who had it confirmed prior to the race that his wish of having the second year of his contract cancelled by the Ducati team had been granted - was also a casualty with 21 laps to race as the conditions took their toll.

Colin Edwards, too, came a cropper when fifth with 10 laps remaining.

In the earlier races, Marco Simoncelli moved to the top of the 250cc standings after winning the German Grand Prix.

The 21-year-old Gilera rider from Italy posted his fifth career victory, winning from Spanish duo Hector Barbera and Alvaro Bautista, both riding Aprilias.

Simoncelli's victory lifted him to 154 points, 11 ahead of previous leader Mika Kallio from Finland, who could finish only fourth.

Mike di Meglio from France won the 125cc Grand Prix on a Derbi, ahead of Stefan Bradl from Germany and Gabor Talmacsi from Hungary, both riding an Aprilia.