Casey Stoner won the Chinese Grand Prix yesterday to secure his second straight MotoGP victory and firm his hold on the championship lead.
The Australian started fourth on the grid, but his Ducati blew past pole-sitter Valentino Rossi at the start of the second lap, forcing the seven-time world champion into second place.
"It was a really difficult race today. I had a lot of pressure from Valentino in the rear," Stoner said after the race. "I think both of us were pushing quite hard."
PHOTO: EPA
Stoner's remarks downplayed his substantial speed advantage over Rossi's Yamaha on the long straights at the 5.3km Shanghai International Circuit.
Stoner's GP7 hit a maximum speed of 337.2kph in the warmup compared to 325.7kph for Rossi's bike.
"It was a good race for me because we always knew this weekend would be difficult because we miss some speed on the big straight," said Rossi, who nevertheless smashed the circuit's fastest-lap record in Saturday's qualifying.
Rossi's final bid to pass Stoner on a hairpin near the end of the 15th lap went badly, sending him well wide onto the grass. The Italian continued to push hard but never seriously challenged again, finishing 3.036 seconds behind Stoner, who took the win in 44 minutes, 12.891 seconds.
The win is the third in four races for Stoner, coming two weeks after his victory in Turkish Grand Prix. That leaves him atop the riders standings with 86 points, ahead of Rossi on 71 and Spanish Honda rider Dani Pedrosa with 49.
Rossi has one victory, at the season's second race in Spain, but has yet to win from any of his three pole positions this year.
John Hopkins of the US was third on a Suzuki at 6.663 seconds off the lead.
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