Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner stormed to one of the greatest wins of his career with a tactically brilliant race at the US Grand Prix on Sunday at Laguna Seca.
Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) was second with Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa third.
This was Stoner’s fifth MotoGP win of the season, and 28th overall, was an ominous sign for the competition. With the exception of 2009, when the race was won by Pedrosa, every winner at Laguna Seca has gone on to win the MotoGP World Championship, including Stoner in 2007.
The part-time Niangala resident now goes into the summer break with a 20 point lead over Lorenzo, 193 to 173. Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso, Sunday’s fifth place finisher, is third with 143 points, and Pedrosa moved up to fourth in the championship, despite missing three races.
In the race Lorenzo led from the start with Pedrosa and Stoner chasing, with Dovi just off the back in fourth.
Pedrosa and Stoner kept the Yamaha rider honest, not letting him break away for the first half. The first major change of the order came on the 18th of 32 laps when Stoner passed Pedrosa in the Corkscrew, the track’s signature corner. Then it was on to Lorenzo who was nearly a second in front.
There was nothing between Lorenzo and Stoner on the 23rd lap as they crossed the line separated by only 0.212 of a second.
Then came Stoner’s move, which was brilliant and unexpected. He went around Lorenzo on the outside on the gas over the turn one crested kink at about 265km/h on the 27th lap. The eventual margin of victory was 5.634s.
“All weekend we’ve been struggling a little so we weren’t too confident that we could run with Jorge and Dani in the race,” Stoner said after the race.
“We started a little slower to get the tyres warm gently, but also with a full tank of fuel, the bike didn’t feel that great, so I was patient and took my time, staying with Jorge and Dani to control the gap and make sure they didn’t get too far away.”
Casey Stoner the 2007 MotoGP World Champion and also 2008 Young Australian of the Year was raised in the Niangala area.
Born into a family of motorcycle enthusiasts in Queensland, Casey Stoner first competed as a four-year-old on a Gold Coast dirt track. By the age of fourteen he had claimed 41 national titles and 70 state titles. Stoner’s family relocated to Europe in 2000, as age restrictions prevented him from pursuing a road-racing career in Australia. The talented rider quickly attracted sponsorship and raced 125cc and 250cc motorcycles over the next four years. As a twenty-year-old Stoner achieved his ambition of joining the prestigious MotoGP competition, finishing eighth overall in his rookie year. He won his first MotoGP race at the 2007 season opener in Qatar.
Stoner subsequently dominated the season with six pole positions and 10 race wins, securing the world title in September. He was the second youngest motorcycle World Champion in history. During a triumphant homecoming, Stoner won the Australian Grand Prix in front of a record crowd at Phillip Island.
Stoner and his wife relaxed on his family’s property near Niangala before the opening round of the 2011 season began in March.
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