MotoGP News
Date: 8/July/2012
The pressure that had been building on Dani Pedrosa’s shoulders to join team-mate Casey Stoner in standing on the top step of the 2012 MotoGP podium was finally released at the Sachsenring on Sunday.
Pedrosa took his first victory of the 1000cc era after a nail-biting finale that saw triple 2012 winner and title leader Stoner crash-out while sizing up a pass on Pedrosa with just two corners to go.
A beaming Pedrosa said: “Victory is a great feeling. It’s what we work for and it’s been a long time. I’ve been quick this year, but every race someone has been faster than me.
“I knew the win would be decided on the last lap, but I was confident because my braking was strong. I was just concerned where Casey would try, because I had been in front for a long time and couldn’t see where he was strong.”
Stoner later revealed that in order to execute a planned final corner pass, he was pushing a little harder in the corner before it.
Stoner said: “I wanted get a good run going into the final turn, where I was confident I could pass. But as soon as I went to turn the bike in a little bit harder, the front just went away from me and it was game over.”
The Australian then crisiticsed the marshals for not helping him rejoin the race as he suffered his first non-finish since Jerez last year.
“The most disappointing thing was the marshals. I’ve seen them help loads get going. There was nothing wrong with my bike, but there was no way they were going to help me,” he claimed.
Stoner’s tumble gave second place to a surprised Jorge Lorenzo, who was 15-seconds behind the Honda riders.
Lorenzo, tied on points with Stoner heading into the race, is now 14 points ahead of Pedrosa and 20 clear of Stoner as the season reaches its halfway point at Mugello next weekend.
Lorenzo said: “We’ve been lucky today with the crash of Casey, but we were unlucky at Assen. This weekend we’ve been uncompetitive. We were not fast with the hard tyre, which Bridgestone told us we had to use for the race.”
Free practice for the Italian Grand Prix will be held on Friday.
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