Rossi's hopes of overturning Stoner's championship lead in the near future took a heavy blow when the Italian fell from his Fiat Yamaha on lap five of 30. The former five times
MotoGP world champion had suffered a poor start from sixth on the grid, dropping to ninth on lap one, but quickly gained two places before struggling to pass Kawasaki's
Randy de Puniet for sixth.
It was while attempting to squeeze inside the Frenchman that Rossi fell; the #46 losing the front of his M1 at low speed through a long right hander and sliding into the gravel. Rossi attempted to rejoin but was forced to admit defeat and walk from the gravel with his head bowed in disappointment.
Rossi came into the German Grand Prix 21 points behind Stoner and the Australian was immediately told, via his pit board, of The Doctor's demise. At the time, Stoner was holding a close second place behind Pedrosa, but soon began to fade back from the Repsol Honda rider - which initially seemed a sign that he was intentionally backing off.
By the halfway stage the Ducati Marlboro star sat 3.5secs behind Pedrosa, with fellow front row starter
Marco Melandri 2.3secs from the Australian's rear wheel. While Pedrosa then kept his relentless pace for lap after lap, Stoner was clearly in trouble as his lap times dropped over two seconds behind the rampant Spaniard and, with ten laps to go, Casey had Melandri and his own team-mate
Loris Capirossi queuing up to pass him.
Capirossi, in Stoner's shadow for much of this season, passed both Melandri and Stoner into turn one a lap later, with Melandri also soon ahead of the #27. That trio were all running Bridgestones, but as the race came to a conclusion it was clear that Michelin held the edge - Americans
Nicky Hayden and
Colin Edwards, who had started just 14th and 13th on the grid, scything past Stoner and Melandri in the closing stages.
