With a spellbinding wet weather performance Australian rider
Chris Vermeulen won his maiden MotoGP race with his victory in
the French Grand Prix at Le Mans today. In a late-race downpour,
Vermeulen and his Suzuki were virtually unchallenged as he
raced to a 12-second victory over Honda rival Marco Melandri
on a Honda. And Vermeulen was joined on the podium by
countryman Casey Stoner who finished third on a Ducati to
extend his lead in the world championship. Stoner moved 21
points ahead of Valentino Rossi who was a distant sixth as his
Yamaha struggled with rear grip in cold and slippery conditions.
Stoner has 102 points to Rossi’s 81, with young Spaniard Dani
Pedrosa next on 62 points following his brave ride into fourth at
Le Mans. But it was Vermeulen who dominated once the rain
came, a light sprinkle in the beginning but a drenching downpour
over the final 11 laps. Vermeulen joined a select group of riders
who have won races in both the Superbike and MotoGP world
championships. And the win was Suzuki’s first in the four-stroke
MotoGP era which started with the 990cc bikes in 2002 before the
current switch to 800cc motors. “I’m absolutely over the moon!
I am really happy for myself, my crew and everyone involved in
the team,” said a mentally drained Vermeulen after the grind of
his 28 lap victory. click on ozzy go to the full story on speedtv