Monterey, July 22 2007. Australian Casey Stoner was absolutely dominant today in America’s most prestigious motorcycle race, the MotoGP at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Read previous story. Riding his 800cc factory Ducati Desmosedici GP7, the 21 year-old from Kurri-Kurri led all three practice sessions and was just shy of ten seconds ahead of fellow Australian Chris Vermeulen’s Suzuki at the finish, an eternity in the highly competitive series. This was Stoner’s sixth win in 11 races and the first time this year that a pole-winner had won a race.
Valentino Rossi showed a flash of his late race magic at the Laguna Seca MotoGP, when he made a textbook move to take 4th from Dani Pedrosa near the end. Credit: MotoGP.
|
Stoner lost the lead momentarily at the start to Spaniard Dani Pedrosa’s Honda, but was first at the end of the opening lap and was never again headed. Vermeulen pulled himself within a second of the leader, but then Stoner simply cracked the Ducati’s throttle and sped away.
Third and fourth were two walking wounded Italians. Suzuki-mounted Marco Melandri was riding with a pain killer-injected left ankle, injured in a qualifying crash. Seven-time World Champion, Valentino Rossi lost a fingernail on the small finger of his left hand in a Friday crash.
Nicki Hayden drags a knee during his disappointing ride during the U.S. MotoGP.
|
Americans were disappointed when Kentucky’s Nicky Hayden, 2006 World Champion and winner here the last two years, rattled fairings with California’s John Hopkins on the first lap, ruining either’s chance of finishing well. Hayden ultimately retired and Hopkins remounted a finished 15th. The first American home was Hadyen’s younger brother, Roger, on a Kawasaki, in 10th.
Marco Melandri powers out of turn 11 onto the main straight. He rode a good race to 3rd. After the event, it was announced that he would move to Ducati in 2008.
|
Afterward, the young Stoner, confident beyond his years, said, “I didn’t think there was going to be a big group at the front. I knew we had the setup and it was just a matter of everything going to plan for us with no bad luck and everything worked.”
Stoner’s World Championship total now stands at 221 points, 44 over Rossi. If Stoner and Ducati continue to win, there is the possibility that an Italian motorcycle could carry a rider to motorcycling’s top title for the first time since Phil Read rode an MV Augusta in 1974.
Chris Vermeulen got close to Casey Stoner, but couldn't hang on, and had to be satisfied with a second.
|
A post-race announcement named Marco Milandri as Stoner’s Ducati teammate for 2008. There is talk that Loris Capirossi, this year’s second Ducati rider who was a DNF today, may return if the factory decides to field a third bike next year. The next race on the schedule is the Czech GP at Brno on August 18.
