SACHSENRING (Germany): Dani Pedrosa continued his recovery from a broken collarbone by winning the German Grand Prix on Sunday ahead of compatriot Jorge Lorenzo and championship leader Casey Stoner.
Starting from third on the grid, Pedrosa came flying out of the blocks on his Honda, racing past pole-sitter Stoner and Lorenzo into the lead on the first bend.
Both Lorenzo and Stoner recovered to enjoy spells out in front, but Pedrosa has won four times, including twice in the sport’s top class, before and he used that experience to grab a decisive lead on lap 25.
The 25 year-old Spaniard held on to win in 41min 12.482sec, securing his first win since breaking his right collarbone at Le Mans two months ago.
“The pace was so high, it was a great race and a perfect result for me,” he told BBC Sport afterwards.
“I didn’t expect it at all. Just getting on the front row yesterday would have been good enough for me.
“I want to thank all my fans, my family and the doctors who have helped with my recovery. It is an unbelievable feeling and I hope I can continue like this.”
Having missed three races as a result of the injury, Pedrosa has no chance of winning the world title.
However, Yamaha rider Lorenzo remains in with a real chance of retaining his crown after edging Stoner (Honda) into second in a thrilling final lap, crossing the line less than a tenth of a second ahead of the Australian. Lorenzo is now just 16 points behind Stoner in the standings.
More points for Mahindra
The Indian-owned Mahindra team added to its growing tally of World Championship points in a difficult German GP, with both riders overcoming problems to get to the finish of the first race of the day at the challenging 3.671-km Sachsenring circuit.
The one to score was Danny Webb (20).
The English rider was forced to dig deep, with a shoulder pain giving him increasingly severe difficulties as the 27 laps wore on.
He finished 14th, gaining two points for his pains.
Team-mate Marcel Schrötter (18, from Germany) finished a frustrating 16th, one place out of the points. He had qualified 13th, but finished the first lap 27th after getting off the line badly.
Mahindra is the only machine on the 36-strong grid with both engine and chassis built by the team. (Agencies)
