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PICTURES: Rossi's Assen crash |
This is the first lap Assen accident that has cost Valentino Rossi the MotoGP World Championship lead to Dani Pedrosa - and propelled Casey Stoner firmly back into title contention.
Rossi, starting from third on the Dutch TT grid behind Pedrosa and pole sitter Stoner, came into round nine of 18 holding an eleven point lead over Repsol Honda rider Pedrosa and a substantial 45 point advantage over Ducati Marlboro star Stoner.
But reigning world champion Stoner has been almost untouchable since a recent engine management breakthrough - winning with ease last Sunday at Donington Park - and both Pedrosa and Rossi knew they needed to try and stop the #1 breaking away early in the 26 lap race.
Pedrosa played his part by stealing the lead into turn one, but Rossi slipped backwards and in his haste to recover pushed a little too hard heading into the tight left hand hairpin early in the lap. The rear of Rossi's Fiat Yamaha came around, spinning the Italian off and hitting Randy de Puniet.
"After seven podiums in a row I made a mistake today - this is racing!" shrugged Rossi. "I am very disappointed because we made a change to the set-up of the front and it worked very well, and I could tell from the warm-up lap that my bike was very good today.
"Unfortunately I made a mistake at the first left; I arrived too fast when the tyres were still cold, I was too hard on the brakes and I lost the rear. I am sincerely sorry to Randy de Puniet and all of his team."
de Puniet sustained a leg injury and was out on the spot, but Rossi was able to rejoin - albeit a distant 14th and last, with a broken gear lever and bent handlebars.
Whilst Stoner passed Pedrosa and cruised to his third victory of the season by over eleven seconds, Rossi advanced to eleventh by the chequered flag and - despite his damaged bike - set the third fastest lap of the race, quicker than Pedrosa's best and slower than only Stoner and Colin Edwards (third).
"After the crash I had a bent handlebar and no gear shifter, but despite this I was able to do the third fastest lap time, 37.1. I know I could have been faster than Pedrosa today and, although it's easy to say now, I think I could have fought with Stoner for the win," Valentino claimed.
