Fellow American Colin Edwards rode with a special stars and stripes livery on his Tech 3 Yamaha for his home race, but it did him no favours as he sunk from seventh to 14th, ahead of an equally disappointed Loris Capirossi on the third GSV-R.

Stoner's team-mate Marco Melandri finished what might be his final Ducati race in 16th, after running off track on lap ten - a mistake that relegated the Italian from ninth to 17th and last, a position that eventually went to Kawasaki's Anthony West.

Only one rider failed to finish and that was Rossi's team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.

The MotoGP rookie, who has been trying to rebuild his confidence after some nasty accidents, lasted less than half a lap at his first US Grand Prix before a brutal highside - which equalled his Shanghai accident in terms of height - sent the Estoril winner bouncing through the gravel and nursing a foot injury.

While Lorenzo spends the summer break healing his latest wounds, Rossi will have three weeks to savour a truly memorable victory before the Czech Republic Grand Prix at Brno on August 17.


US Grand Prix:

1. Rossi
2. Stoner
3. Vermeulen
4. Dovizioso
5. Hayden
6. de Puniet
7. Elias
8. Spies
9. Toseland
10. Nakano
11. Hacking
12. Guintoli
13. de Angelis
14. Edwards
15. Capirossi
16. Melandri
17. West