Dovizioso prevails for first win; American Edwards second to equal career best

INDIANAPOLIS, July 27, 2009: Andrea Dovizioso was the last leader standing at Donington Park, taking his inaugural MotoGP victory July 26 in a wet, wild British Grand Prix.

Dovizioso took the lead on his Repsol Honda machine when six-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi slid out on Lap 20 of the 30-lap race, and he held off a charging American Colin Edwards to win by 1.360 seconds. Edwards tied his career-best finish, as he rode his Yamaha Tech 3 machine past Randy De Puniet’s LCR Honda on the final lap to clinch second.

“When he fell, it was clear from his crash that the tires were very cold, and this was scary because now I had to set the pace,” Dovizioso said of Rossi’s crash. “It’s a fantastic feeling to win my first MotoGP race because this is the top series in the world with the best riders, and so to win is a fantastic emotion. I’m very pleased with my performance today as the conditions were so difficult. It was like three different races: Riding hard at the start when it was nearly dry, following Valentino as it got wetter and then judging the pace once I was in front.”

The race started in damp conditions, and Jorge Lorenzo passed the surprising Toni Elias for the lead on Lap 5. Reigning Red Bull Indianapolis GP Rossi dropped to fourth in the early laps before riding up to second behind teammate and championship rival Lorenzo.

Rossi inherited the lead when Lorenzo fell on Lap 9 during increasing rain. Rossi and Dovizioso then stayed glued to each other, nearly 10 seconds ahead of the rest of the field.

Then Rossi fell on Lap 20, giving Dovizioso a lead he would not surrender.

But winning didn’t come easily for Dovizioso. Edwards made a big charge through the field after a sluggish start from the sixth spot on the grid dropped him to 15th in the early laps. He only managed to climb to 13th after seven laps when his stirring climb began.

Edwards jumped to fifth by Lap 20 in mixed conditions, and he passed Dani Pedrosa for third on Lap 23. He completed his conquest by passing De Puniet – who was 10 seconds ahead of Edwards on Lap 15 – on the final lap.

“Once I got some momentum going and I started to understand how the front tire was feeling, I started pushing my way through,” Edwards said. “I’m really happy.”

Fellow American Nicky Hayden finished a disappointing 15th on his Ducati. Both Hayden and teammate Casey Stoner gambled by starting the race on wet tires, and rain never fell hard enough to give them an advantage over the rest of the field on slicks. Stoner finished 14th.

The next race is the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic on Sunday, Aug. 16 at Brno. The second annual Red Bull Indianapolis GP is Sunday, Aug. 30 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.