Casey Stoner moved 32 points clear in the MotoGP world championship
after closest rival Valentino Rossi crashed out of the German Grand Prix.
Australian Stoner, on the Ducati Marlboro machine, finished fifth at the
Sachsenring after Rossi crashed his Fiat Yamaha trying to close in on the
early race
leaders.
The race was only five laps old when Rossi tried to force his way inside
the Kawasaki of Frenchman Randy De Puniet but slid off the track and
was then unable to get his bike started after the engine had stalled.
Stoner went on to finish fifth to take a significant grip on the world
championship.
Spaniard Dani Pedrosa led for almost the whole race on the Repsol Honda
in front of 101,000 fans.
Stoner grabbed the lead on lap three but Pedrosa hit back and was able to
pull clear as Michelin won the battle of the tyre companies.
Three of the first four riders - Pedrosa, his team-mate Nicky Hayden who
finished third and fourth-placed Colin Edwards - were using Michelin tyres
and had Rossi not crashed he would have had an advantage over Stoner,
who was using Bridgestone tyres, in the closing stages of the race.
Stoner's team-mate Loris Capirossi finished second, with Hayden climbing
from 14th on the grid to finish third and Edwards taking fourth on the
Fiat Yamaha after starting from 13th.
Pedrosa's victory moved him on to 144 points, 20 adrift of second- placed
Rossi with Stoner moving further ahead on 196.PA Sport