Pedrosa crash lets in Stoner

Casey Stoner took full advantage of a slip from Dani Pedrosa to win a rain-soaked German Grand Prix as Valentino Rossi claimed top spot in the overall standings with a second place finish.

Having set the pace in the dry during Saturday's qualifying in Germany, Stoner proved he is just as adept in the wet, crossing the line 3.7 seconds ahead of Rossi.

Rossi now leads the championship by 16 points, while Pedrosa's failure to score in Germany sees him slip to second. Stoner's win propels him to within four points of the Spaniard.

In appalling conditions at the Sachsenring, Pedrosa's luck deserted him early on as he skidded off a slippery track and flew into the crash barriers after having led the race for the first five laps.

Stoner took full advantage - and the lead - and went on to hold his concentration for the remainder of the race to register his fourth win of the season and his third consecutive victory following successful weekends at Donnington and Assen.

Rizla Suzuki's Chris Vermeulen also put in a sterling performance, storming from a 14th place start on the grid to clinch third place - his first podium finish of the season.

But the Australian was pushed all the way by rookie Alex De Angelis, who came close to claiming his first podium at MotGP level with an impressive ride.

Briton James Toseland, on his Tech 3 Yamaha, could not better his starting position on the grid and came home in 11th place out of the 13 finishers, after Colin Edwards, Marco Melandri and Jorge Lorenzo all succumbed to the slippery track and joined Pedrosa back in the garages before the race was completed.

Source : uk.eurosport.yahoo.com