Stoner wins Indy MotoGP race

Casey Stoner stormed to his seventh victory of the season at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon, taking the checkered flag almost five seconds ahead of Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa. America’s Ben Spies completed the podium, producing a spirited comeback after a disastrous opening lap.

As the lights went out at the American venue, it was Pedrosa who made the best of getaways once again. The Spaniard jumped in front of Stoner at the first corner, with the latter falling back to third behind Jorge Lorenzo just moments later. Front row starter Spies endured a terrible first sequence of corners, quickly finding himself back in ninth after a near-miss with works Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso.

Just as he achieved at Brno a fortnight ago, Stoner soon began to set the ultimate pace while running in third, applying pressure on chief title rival Lorenzo before making a move stick at Turn 1. The Australian went on to reel in Pedrosa and duly took control of the Grand Prix on Lap 6, leaving his team-mate to settle into a lonely second place.

Dovizioso, Hayden and a resurgent Spies were also involved in a close fight for fifth place further behind, with the trio trading places frequently as the race approached the halfway stage. Spies ultimately came out on top after a bold Dovizioso move on Hayden, with the Yamaha rider taking full advantage when his rivals almost collided.

Spies continued his charge through the field by passing team-mate Lorenzo at the first corner with 11 laps to go, leaving the latter with an uphill struggle in the championship battle. Stoner remained calm and completed a dominant victory, extending his lead over the Spaniard in the title race to a healthy 44 points with six rounds remaining.

Andrea Dovizioso took advantage of an ailing Marco Simoncelli to cross the line in fifth, finishing well clear of Suzuki’s Ã�lvaro Bautista and home favorite Colin Edwards. Randy de Puniet benefited from Héctor Barbera's final corner fall to claim eighth position, while Hiroshi Aoyama and Valentino Rossi rounded out the top ten.

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