Ducati Scores First Home Win

Australian Casey Stoner has delivered Ducati its first ever win at home in Mugello with a frantic and hard fought wet race. With close battles for position throughout the race and throughout the field, and the added pressure of a mid race gamble onto slicks the Mugello Motogp was a cracker.Stoner bought the Ducati home ahead of Lorenzo, who finished a miraculous second after crashing on the sighting lap, and then muffing his start while Valentino Rossi finished third. For Rossi it was the first time in eight years the Italian had failed to win the race many consider to be his own.

After crashing on his sighting lap Lorenzo was lucky to make it back to resume his pole position on the grid, and luckier still not to crash at the start. Starting in a wet patch, the #99 Yamaha spun up wildly off the line, allowing most of the field past as the race got under way.

The horror start from those on the front row saw Randy De Puniet lead the field briefly into turn one, before being rounded up for first by Dani Pedrosa with Vermeulen, Stoner and Dovizioso following.

The frantic first lap held surprises, with Vermeulen jumping to fourth from 11th on the grid, and Melandri leaping to ninth from 15th.

Stoner claimed the lead into turn one as Rossi jumped to fourth. Stoner however was soon rounded up by a hard charging Dovioso.

On a drying track it was Britain’s Jame Toseland first to roll the dice, diving to the pits for dry tyres from 15th on lap five as Marco Melandri rounded up Jorge Lorenzo for fifth. Over the next few laps Rossi climbed to the lead, but it was Melandri who really stole the show, wrestling the under funded Hayate Kawasaki to the lead past Rossi on lap 10.

Meanwhile, Toseland had set the fastest lap of the race on dry tyres, and Andrea Dovizioso made a race making decision to pit for dry tyres of his own.

It wasn’t until a lap later that the front five made their stops, and as they rejoined it was Dovizioso on warmed and ready slicks who quickly rounded up the quartet of Rossi, Melandri, Lorenzo and Stoner in front.

James Toseland was still setting records as the front runners built temperature and awareness, all the while jostling for position. It was Stoner though who got to grips with the dry tyres first, Stoner catching dovi by 1 second a lap.

Dani Pedrosa’s run of bad luck continued, after badly injuring his hip in a nasty near-crash during practice Pedrosa crashed heavily, further damaging his hip and having to be stretchered away from the track.

On lap 15 Stoner set the fastest lap of the race so far with a 1m54.620 on his way to the lead past Dovi.

Stoner’s lead was short lived however, and Capirossi took the lead into turn one on the following lap as Rossi set a 1m52.641, two seconds fast than everyone else.

Stoner responded immediately, his 1m52.296 good enough to reset the gap back to a chasing Rossi in fifth and to retake the lead from former teammate Capirossi.

The dying phase of the lap was all about Fiat Yamaha as Lorenzo and Rossi cut their way onto the podium like a pair of sharks, valiantly but vainly trying to chase down Stoner, who held on for a close win.

It was Ducati’s first ever win on the Mugello circuit and gives Casey Stoner a four point Championship lead. Stoner is now equal with former Australian World Champion Wayne Gardner for all time MotoGP wins with 18.