Stoner stays hot with victory; Edwards charges to third, Hayden fourth in dramatic finish

INDIANAPOLIS, – Casey Stoner cruised to victory by 11.310 seconds over Dani Pedrosa in the Grand Prix of The Netherlands on June 28 at Assen, his second consecutive victory.

Sounds like an uneventful race by MotoGP’s exciting standards, right? Hardly.

While Stoner sailed to victory from the pole on his Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati/Bridgestone, various dramas unfolded behind him that shook the World Championship standings, planted the sport’s mega-star in a gravel trap, and created a heartbreaking finish for a former World Champion and a shot of redemption for an American rider.

Stoner’s third victory of the season helped him pull to within 29 points of the World Championship lead, but that top spot no longer is held by five-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi. Pedrosa leads with 171 points after his fourth consecutive podium finish on the Repsol Honda Team Honda/Michelin.

Rossi, meanwhile, limped to a season-worst finish of 11th after making a rare mistake in Turn 5 on the first lap and sliding into the gravel trap. He carried Randy De Puniet with him into the gravel, ending De Puniet’s race. But Rossi remounted his Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha/Bridgestone and rode to the finish despite a bent handlebar and a broken gear shifter.

That first-lap moment was the warm-up act for the drama that played out in the final corner of the race.

American Colin Edwards dropped to last place on his Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha/Michelin after stopping to avoid hitting the fallen Rossi on Lap 1. But Edwards sliced through the field for the next 24 laps and was fourth on the final lap, within sight of fellow American and 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden, who was running third.

But the new pneumatic-valve engine on Hayden’s Repsol Honda Team Honda/Michelin ran out of fuel at the final chicane before the finishing straightaway. Edwards cruised past Hayden to claim his second podium finish of the season. Hayden coasted to fourth.

It was a turn of fortune for Edwards, who had his first MotoGP victory in sight in 2006 at Assen before going off track in the same chicane on the final lap. Hayden passed Edwards that day for victory.

“I guess that’s karma corner after 2006,” Edwards said. Said Hayden, “I guess me and Colin are even now: He gave me one here a couple of years ago, and I gave him a podium today.”

American John Hopkins didn’t race after suffering a broken leg and ankle in a frightening crash June 27 during qualifying on his Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki/Bridgestone. His participation is doubtful for the next race, the Grand Prix of Germany on July 13.

The inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP is Sept. 14 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.