Defending MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner beat current championship leader Jorge Lorenzo to claim his 4th win of the season in a thrilling race at the Laguna Seca circuit.
In doing so, Stoner closed the gap with Lorenzo to only 30 points, and is now only 9 points behind his Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa. Stoner blazed his way to glory while opting for the softer compound tyres, whereas everyone opted for the hard ones. This would prove to be the Australian rider’s master stroke as he made his move on the championship leader with just 11 laps to go. Stoner and Lorenzo were followed by Dani Pedrosa who had to settle for the 3rd place.
The trio started the race at the front of the grid with Lorenzo on pole position and they quickly pulled away from the rest on the dusty Californian track. It was surely looking as a three-way horse race to the finish. British rider Cal Crutchlow finished fifth after failing to find a way past Andrea Dovizioso as the two riders battled it out for claiming the 4th position. Ultimately,Dovizioso proved to much for the Brit who came home 5th.
American Ben Spies, who has been in the news recently regarding his future with Yamaha had completed a torrid weekend on his home circuit by crashing out. Seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi failed to finish for the first time this season, sending his bike into the gravel with merely two laps remaining.
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