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Back at the front for Casey Stoner in MotoGP

© Empics / PA Photos
By Dan Moakes June 27 2008
Recent races in the 2008 MotoGP World Championship were suggesting a title battle between Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi and Repsol Honda man Dani Pedrosa. These were the two most consistent contenders, but there had also been handy promise shown by rookie Jorge Lorenzo and reigning title holder Casey Stoner. The British Grand Prix was round eight.

Donington Park has hosted the UK race since 1987, and is a fast and flowing circuit with the extra challenge of a few tight and slow turns. It is also a circuit that has not had a home winner in the solo Grand Prix classes, although it has in Sidecars and in World Superbike competition. James Toseland, with the Tech 3 Yamaha team in his first GP season, is the man who has looked like he could put Britain back on the podium at least, and that was the hope for many this weekend.

Before he could do that, he had to get through a rain affected practice and qualifying day on Saturday. Unfortunately for James, he didn’t manage it without incident. A couple of times the wet surface caught him out, and these crashes meant he qualified only sixteenth. He was in good company, with Fiat Yamaha rider Lorenzo a place behind him. The Spaniard was back from injury after the Catalunya meeting, having had skin grafts on fingers of his right hand.

The wet weather caused a shuffled grid, but of course some riders are fast in both wet and dry conditions. Ducati rider Stoner could claim this, making it two pole positions in a row. In his 200th Grand Prix, Rossi was also on good form in second - although there were late race day setting changes for his Yamaha, to try and deal with Stoner’s dry weather pace. Casey had lately arrived at new settings for his red machine, and was now much happier with it.

Suzuki made the front row with their usual wet weather star, Chris Vermeulen, but the other usual Rizla rider was out. Loris Capirossi had a right hand injury and his deputy was a 23-year-old newcomer. Ben Spies has won two AMA Superbike titles in the United States, winning 17 races in the 2006-07 seasons with Yoshimura Suzuki. Like his predecessor Nicky Hayden, he has ambitions to race in GPs full time, and the suggestions are that he may do this with a Suzuki ride next year. He will certainly appear in both US-based GPs this year. He qualified eighth.

Hayden was fourth with his Repsol Honda, and was in fact using the pneumatic valve engine for the first time. Pedrosa was not, and he would start ninth after causing himself minor injuries on the Friday. Toseland’s team-mate Colin Edwards was fifth, in front of Andrea Dovizioso for JiR Scot Honda. Anthony West found the wet helped him as he took seventh, his best of the year, and his first time ahead of Kawasaki partner John Hopkins, in P11. Between Pedrosa and Hopkins was Shin’ya Nakano for Gresini Honda.

Customer bikes headed the second works Marlboro Ducati of Marco Melandri (fifteenth), with Sylvain Guintoli (Alice Ducati), Alex de Angelis (Gresini Honda) and Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) in front of the Italian. He was followed by Toseland - with white and red England flag leathers - Lorenzo and Toní Elías (Alice Ducati).

Race day was dry but windy, with conditions brightening up into the afternoon. Stoner got the start right to lead, with Rossi holding second as Vermeulen fell behind the Hondas of Hayden and Dovizioso. These two changed places after four corners, as Andrea overtook at the Old Hairpin, a right-hander at the bottom of the drop through Hollywood and the Craner Curves. Vermeulen would quickly lose out to Pedrosa, with Edwards, Nakano and West next.

Unfortunately for the home fans, Toseland had got it wrong braking for the first right-hander at Redgate, delaying Hopkins as he highsided off the Yamaha when rear grip got away from him. John had been five places ahead of James on the grid, and the Englishman had been keen to come through from the back row for his fans. He got up and put the Yamaha back into the race, but was a long way back from the field. The good news was that British rider Scott Redding had already won the 125cc race, and was in fact the youngest ever GP winner.

Meanwhile, the MotoGP race saw Stoner start to ease clear of Rossi, Dovizioso and the rest. Hayden, Pedrosa, Vermeulen, Edwards, Nakano and West were followed by Lorenzo, Guintoli, de Angelis, Spies, de Puniet, Melandri, Elías and Hopkins. Spies had lost places in his first GP start, and of course he was at the track for the first time. He did better than de Angelis, however, as the San Marino rider suffered a lowside fall at the right-hand Melbourne hairpin, and had to be push-started again.

Pedrosa, from his start in ninth, soon passed team-mate Hayden to go fourth, and would then catch up to the rear of Dovizioso. Dani’s pace was not hurt when he got into the slipstream of the Italian’s machine along the back Starkeys Straight, but on that occasion Andrea stayed in front into the next corner. However, Stoner was also going quickly, and would soon have a lead of almost a second over Rossi and the rest. Indeed, he continued to stretch out his advantage.

Pedrosa moved into third when he got a good run out of the right-handed Coppice Corner and onto Starkeys, so that he could out-brake Dovizioso on the inside for the left-right Fogarty Esses. The Spaniard then started to catch up to Rossi, bringing the gap down to around 0.5s and dropping Dovizioso and Hayden behind him. These two had by now got clear of Vermeulen, Edwards, Nakano and the rest, with that trio getting further spaced too.

Half-distance was looming, and Stoner was still in control and with a lead of almost three seconds. The race was between Rossi and Pedrosa for second, which would of course have a direct effect on the championship points lead. Dani got close to Valentino at the final left-looping Goddards turn, when there was a wobble for the Yamaha on the brakes. The Honda man went to the inside for Redgate to make the pass, but at the Old Hairpin the Italian was on the inside to reverse things again.

Pedrosa’s Honda acceleration allowed him to pass Rossi again on the inside for Redgate, but this time the Spaniard would go deep into the braking zone for the Esses, leaving room for ‘the Doctor’ to pass him on the inside at the right-hand apex. Their tussle allowed Stoner to keep on building his margin of advantage, but Valentino would do something to try and change this when he started to pull away from Dani.

Stoner was getting beyond five seconds in front though as Rossi started to get a few tenths clear of Pedrosa. The race behind had changed, as Hayden had taken fourth from Dovizioso, although not at the first attempt. However, Nicky then started to go backwards, at the expense of both Dovizioso and Edwards. As Colin closed in on Andrea, Hayden fell into battle with Vermeulen, with Nakano not far behind, and Lorenzo moving in after dealing with West much earlier.

With a few laps to go, Stoner had sewn up the race, and Rossi was also safe at nearly two seconds clear of Pedrosa. They duly finished in that order, and Stoner had the honour of taking Ducati’s 20th MotoGP race victory. Dani would say later that he’d had difficulties turning the bike in the late laps. Edwards took fourth, having overtaken Dovizioso into the Esses and then moved out of his range. The 22-year-old Italian had a clear fifth at the flag.

There had been a contest for sixth, with Vermeulen taking the position from Hayden, but not shaking him off. They changed places more than once, but Lorenzo was past Nakano and was catching them all the time. Nicky got ahead of Chris by firing out of the right-handed McLeans Corner and getting on the inside before the following Coppice. Lorenzo then passed Vermeulen into the Esses, and would soon get Hayden at Redgate. The Yamaha man then pulled away to claim P6.

Hayden stayed in front of Vermeulen to the end, and they were no longer together crossing the line. Nakano kept ninth, and then came West. Elías had moved past four of his rivals to finish eleventh, from de Puniet, Guintoli and Spies. Melandri lost out to the recovering de Angelis, and Toseland was last but a lap down. Hopkins had pulled off with a technical problem.

Casey Stoner’s circuit road racing career began in the UK in 2000, and he was second in a 125cc race at Donington Park at the end of the season. At the same venue, he kicked off the following year with a win, and it was also where he made his Grand Prix début. He knew the circuit well, but last year marked his first GP win at Donington, although his fifth of the year. This year it was only his second, but it seemed to show a comprehensive improvement of his prospects. The recent problems for Jorge Lorenzo meant that Casey moved up to third in the standings, and more races on this pace could bring him right back into a title-defending position.

Valentino Rossi’s more pressing concern, at this stage, is from Dani Pedrosa. Finishing in front of the Honda rider gave the Yamaha man an improved points lead of eleven. Meanwhile, Lorenzo made a steady return to the fray, and could yet find his early pace if he can put his accidents behind him. He remains the obvious contender for rookie of the year, but James Toseland will want to put his British disappointment behind him and get back on track to challenge Andrea Dovizioso for second in that race. His next opportunity is on another familiar track at Assen.

Standings after eight races: Rossi 162; Pedrosa 151; Stoner 117; Lorenzo 104; Edwards 82; Dovizioso 68; Hayden 57; Toseland 53; Capirossi 51; Nakano 49; Vermeulen 48; Hopkins 32.
Yamaha 180; Honda 151; Ducati 122; Suzuki 71; Kawasaki 41.


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