Stoner wins in wet Britain to take MotoGP lead

Australian Casey Stoner splashed to victory for Honda in a wet British Grand Prix on Sunday to oust world champion Jorge Lorenzo from the top of the MotoGP standings.

Yamaha’s Lorenzo, who led into the first corner, was one of several big name fallers as riders battled through standing water and spray.

Italy’s Andrea Dovizioso was second for Honda, 15,159 seconds behind Stoner, with American veteran Colin Edwards taking an astonishing third place on the Tech3 Yamaha little more than a week after he shattered his right collarbone.

Stoner, on pole position for the fourth time this season in his 150th grand prix start in all categories, was the first Honda rider to win three races in succession since Italian Valentino Rossi in 2003.

The Australian was third after the first lap, with Lorenzo and then Dovizioso leading, but swiftly moved back into the lead on lap two and powered away.

With Yamaha’s Ben Spies crashing on lap eight, team mate Lorenzo flipped off his bike on lap nine and Honda’s Italian Marco Simoncelli falling a lap later, Stoner had a lonely ride to the chequered flag and his fourth win in six races.

The Australian now has 116 points to Lorenzo’s 98 and Dovizioso’s 83.

Rossi, who started on the back row of the grid for Ducati, clawed his way back to sixth and moved up to fourth overall with 68 points in the absence of Honda’s injured Spaniard Dani Pedrosa.