MotoGP Round 9 - Sachsenring

In a day where the rain provided the biggest impact on the racing, Casey Stoner showed that the Ducati with him aboard is a formidable combination. Well, it is now that they have sorted out the handling problems that plagued the early part of the season. The start saw Dani Pedrosa leap away to a commanding lead and at one point he was over 7 seconds ahead of Stoner. That was the point at which the Honda lost grip and they parted company. This left Stoner in the lead which he did not relinquish and ran out to his 3rd consecutive win. Valentino Rossi didn't qualify well for the race and after the start he struggled initially to get past some of the riders that headed him on the grid. As usual though, he soon got to grips with the conditions and gradually overtook all but Stoner. Chris Vermeulen, an acknowledged master of the wet conditions, made his way through the field to gain the last spot on the podium.

This was a race where some of the big guns fell off; Pedrosa, Edwards and Lorenzo to name a few and this gave the championship lead back to Rossi. Stoner has made up a significant amount of ground to make the next few races very interesting. Despite the fall, you can never discount Pedrosa.