Ducati's Casey Stoner can now lock his sights on the world championship after winning his fifth race of the season at the British Grand Prix.
Stoner's bravado, Ducati's speed and the superiority of Bridgestone tires over Michelin now appear to be an unbeatable combination, especially for five-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi, who now trails behind the 21-year-old Australian by 26 points in the riders' standings.
Despite his strong lead, Stoner repeated after the race that he will only focus on the standings once the season passes the halfway mark, after next Sunday's Grand Prix in the Netherlands.
Stoner proved this on Sunday when he battled back from the seventh position, after a poor start, and never hesitated to take risks on the wet track on his way to victory.
Rain and tires were the key factors in Sunday's race, with the Bridgestone tires used by Ducati proving to be the better once the track began to dry, compared to the Michelin Rossi's Yamaha team used.
"It was a difficult race because we had to make hard decisions before the race because of the condition of the track. But we made the right choices for the set-up and tires which allowed me to be competitive," Stoner said after the race.
Looking at Rossi's fourth-place finish, Stoner said: "I really thought he'd do better. When I passed him he didn't resist at all".
"Maybe Valentino lacks the confidence he had two years ago, when he was unbeatable," Stoner added.
"At this point, the Ducati bike and Bridgestone tires are perfect. All I have to do is avoid making mistakes," Stoner observed.
Rossi accepted some of the blame for his fourth place, especially for almost going off the track when he had moved into third place, but put most of the blame on his tires.
"Michelin rain tires just don't make it once the track dries out, whereas the Bridgestone rain tires fly on a dry track," he explained.
The Yamaha rider admitted, however, that his teammate Colin Edwards had been better at preserving his tires in a way which allowed him to take second place.
"At the end his tires were in far better shape than mine were," the 27-year-old Italian rider said.
Rossi made no secret of his disappointment over his finish, observing how "in this sport you lose when you come in second. You can imagine how it feels to come in fourth and even miss the podium".
