Dani Pedrosa took his maiden victory of the 2012 season at the Grand Prix of Germany in a dramatic race which saw teammate Casey Stoner crash out just two turns from the chequered flag whilst running in second position.
The Repsol Honda riders set an incredible pace from the beginning that no one else could match and they arrived at the final lap neck and neck, almost fifteen seconds ahead of Lorenzo in third position. Riding on the limit, Pedrosa and Stoner were matching times in a fantastic battle and on this occasion Pedrosa emerged victorious, celebrating his third victory in a row (fourth in MotoGP and fifth in all classes) at Sachsenring.
Dani Pedrosa
"I'm really very happy with this win. We finally made it happen and it's great not only for me, but also for my team that never gave up, for my family and fans that have been pushing and supporting me all this time when we were taking second and third places, but missing out on the victory. The podiums we had this season were very important, but I really wanted to give a victory to my team and it arrived today at a circuit that I always enjoy. It's been a really hard day though. Casey had a superb race also and put a lot of pressure on me at the end, but I knew that I had the pace and that we both would need to fight for the victory until the last turn. I tried to brake hard, close all the doors and to take the win."
Casey Stoner
"I'm pretty disappointed, I had planned to go for my 'win or bin' effort in the last corner, not that one! I was happy on the bike and felt we had a few tenths a lap over Dani and confident I could pull him back in. On the final lap I made a mistake going into the first turn and I had to push a little more than I wanted through some of the sections but I got on to Dani exactly where I wanted and planned to make my overtake in the last corner, if I didn't have an opportunity earlier in the lap. I felt confident but as soon as I tried to turn in a little more, the front went. I was already off the brakes and not in the hard braking area, as soon as I eased of the brakes I guess the weight came off the front and down I went. I'm frustrated I wasn't allowed to get up and try and score some points, the bike was perfect, but the marshals pushed me away. It's our first crash in a race, down to our own mistake, for the first time in a long time so I'm disappointed for sure, but we knew we had the pace. If we can continue this momentum for the rest of the season then we shouldn't be so worried for the Championship."
Repsol Honda Press
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