This MotoGP race re-established Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda
RC212V) as a race winner and World Championship contender
when he won more than convincingly from Loris Capirossi
(Ducati) with a resurgent reigning World Champion Nicky Hayden
(Repsol Honda RC212V) third.
Dani, who had qualified second fastest, powered into the lead
from Stoner at the start and simply outclassed all-comers here at
a sun-baked Sachsenring in front of 101,000 fans here on race
day. Equally encouraging was the strong showing from Marco
Melandri (Gresini Honda RC212V) who finished fifth after running
as high as second early on and then third for a large part of this
30-lap race.
In 33-degree heat the luckless Carlos Checa (LCR Honda
RC212V) crashed, fortunately without injury, as Dani began to get
into a faster rhythm at the front. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), who
set an early fastest lap of the race at 1m 23.529s, lay seventh on
lap four, then crashed out of the race on the next lap while trying
do dispose of sixth-placed Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki) who
retired on the final lap with a machine problem.
This set the stage for a dogged ride from Stoner to hold onto
second place from the attentions of Melandri, then Hayden and
latterly Colin Edwards (Yamaha) who took fourth place at the flag.
As Dani got into the groove of riding this twisty 3.671km track he
set a new lap record on lap six of 1m 23.082s as he worked a
0.344 second lead over Stoner.
The order by lap eight was Dani, Casey, Marco and then Loris
Capirossi. But by lap nine Dani had proved that no one could live
the sheer speed of the 21-year-old Spanish maestro here. His
lead that lap over Stoner was by now 1.743 seconds.
Nicky was on a charge from 14th on the grid and had really found
a new direction in his set-up and riding to the extent that he
picked off rider by rider throughout this race on his way to third
to suggest that although he may have lost the first half of his
season, he now has the means to recapture lost form again, if not
lost points. click on ozzy go to the full story on World Honda.com