Australian Ducati rider Casey Stoner won the Turkish MotoGP on Sunday. Stoner — who leads the standings by 10 points heading towards the China GP — won his second race of the season to beat home Spaniard Tony Elias on a Honda while another Ducati rider, Loris Capirossi of Italy, was third.
It turned out to be a nightmare race for Italian genius Valentino Rossi, however.
The winner of the last race, the Spanish GP, he started on pole for a race he has never won but ended up a disconsolate 10th on his Yamaha, got off his bike at the end of the race and looked at the rear tyre before going in for a meeting with his team.
The writing was on the wall early on when he dropped to fifth on the first lap after going off the racetrack.
Stoner, second last year and winner of the 250cc race in 2005 gave himself a perfect lift for the China race as he gained 19 points on Rossi. — Sapa-AFP