German MotoGP: Casey Stoner digs deep for fourth

Casey Stoner said he was happy to have put up such a strong fight in yesterday’s German MotoGP race, despite his physical problems returning in an exciting 30-lap clash.

With the cause of Stoner’s recent chronic fatigue problems remaining a mystery, all eyes were on the Aussie in Germany to see how he would perform having struggled to finish fourth in Laguna Seca earlier this month.

But while the outcome was the same at the Sachsenring with Stoner fourth again, he was much happier to have mounted his strongest attack in the last four races.

Third for the opening four laps, Stoner pounced on Dani Pedrosa’s early front tyre problems to take second on lap five, He then needed just another two laps to produce a daring overtake on reigning world champion Valentino Rossi at Turn 12.

The Aussie then led Rossi for the next ten laps before he went from first to third in a matter in two laps.

First Rossi dived under him at Turn 12 on lap 17 and Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo relegated him to third on lap 18. Stoner managed to hold his place in third until five laps from the end when a rejuvenated Pedrosa passed him, leaving Stoner to settle for fourth.

Now trailing Rossi by a massive 28-points, Stoner said: “I was really happy with the way I rode. It felt good to be fighting up there but I guess with seven or eight laps to go I started to struggle.

“But up until that point I was able to fight, even if I wasn’t as competitive as first fifteen laps.

“I wasn’t too confident at the start of the race because we were losing ground and my feeling with the bike wasn’t great but it quickly improved so we decided to hit the front as soon as possible – if nothing else just to hold everybody up and stay in there with a shout.

“I started to lose the front end a few times so I decided to back off a bit. That allowed Valentino, Jorge and Dani to come past but then, as the fuel load lightened, the front fell more secure and I was able to pick up the pace again.

“Dani came up with an unbelievable lap that was about half a second quicker than any of his others.

“After he passed me I tried to push and stay with him but I actually lost the rear at the bottom of the hill and had to let off the brakes, which almost forced me to run into the gravel.

“I think if it wasn’t for that problem with the rear I may have been able to dig deep and given Valentino Jorge and Dani something to think about at the end. So it was a big boost for me to at least be able to watch the fight without it being a mile in the distance.

“It was definitely better than the past races but definitely the same situation. Hopefully I’m one step better and I’m hoping it wasn’t just the weather and it wasn’t easier track for me.

“I got to about lap twenty feeling reasonable and then I started to struggle a bit more. This track has been kind to me this weekend. It’s long corners mean I can sit there and not change direction as much so it has been a little friendlier for me.

“The team have done all they can to make the bike a little easier to ride. The bike is working well and I feel I could have been in there for the fight at the end.”

Stoner had an early scare when French rider Randy de Puniet high-sided out right in front of him on the opening lap at Turn 11, one of the fastest corners on the calendar.

The 23-year-old said: “It was more scary than it looked on TV. His rear end came around and I thought that was it. It was probably half a metre in front of me. It happened quite Quickly.

“When I saw the replay I looked quite calm and didn’t make any sudden reaction but I didn’t have time, I pretty much froze. If I tried to go straight I would have been collected.”

 

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