After Jorge Lorenzo, his main rival, crashed in the rain at Silverstone, Casey Stoner claimed his fourth race victory of the season and took the lead in the MotoGP World Championship.
From pole position, Stoner, riding for Respol Honda, executed an nearly flawless race, securing his third consecutive win and putting him 18 points ahead of defending champion Lorenzo in the standings.
Although Stoner was overtaken by Lorenzo at the first corner, the factory Yamaha rider soon found himself passed by both the Australian and his teammate Andrea Dovizioso during the first lap.
Lorenzo also momentarily lost his position to Marco Simoncelli, the San Carlo Gresini Honda rider, but reclaimed it when Simoncelli went wide, dropping to fourth.
As the Spaniard raced between Dovizioso and Simoncelli in their fight for second place, his race ended abruptly when he was thrown over the handlebars.
Stoner, meanwhile, was establishing a significant lead, allowing Dovizioso and Simoncelli to battle for second place. However, Simoncelli lost control of the front end of his Honda, which led to him also crashing out of the race.
Simoncelli’s exit allowed Colin Edwards to rise to third, just over a week after undergoing surgery for a broken collarbone, a similar injury to that of Edwards’ British teammate Cal Crutchlow, who crashed during Saturday’s qualifying session at Silverstone. Finishing in fourth place was Nicky Hayden with the factory Ducati, while Alvaro Bautista from Rizla Suzuki took fifth.
Valentino Rossi, the multiple world champion, benefited from the misfortunes of other riders, as he struggled to a disappointing 13th in qualifying. Utilizing the conditions effectively, Rossi made his way through the pack to finish sixth on the other factory Ducati.
