Casey Stoner shares MotoGP title lead with Jorge Lorenzo

WORLD champion Casey Stoner won the Dutch MotoGP to move level on points with championship leader Jorge Lorenzo.

Casey Stoner

CASEY Stoner moved back on top of the championship standings after winning the Dutch MotoGP ahead of Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa at Assen.

The world champion started on pole but soon found himself behind Pedrosa before re-taking the lead with nine laps remaining and surging clear to win by almost five seconds.

Italy's Andrea Dovizioso finished third ahead of fellow Yamaha rider Ben Spies of the United States.

However the race was overshadowed by an early crash involving Alvaro Bautista and Jorge Lorenzo that denied Yamaha's world championship leader the chance of a fourth successive victory.

Lorenzo was furious after being taken out at turn one and the Spaniard was forced to watch as Stoner joined him at the top of the overall standings.

"I was behind Dovizioso and I tried to go on his side and I missed the break point,'' an apologetic Bautista said.

"At the end I arrived so fast into the corner and I tried to stop the bike to stop Lorenzo from dropping out. I'm so sorry for him."

Stoner, who also won at Assen in 2008, admitted to a strategy of tracking Pedrosa to conserve his battered body after crashing in practice the previous day.

"I didn't see the crash (involving Lorenzo), I was just focused on the front," Stoner said.

"I decided to follow Dani because I knew we were pulling away from the rest and I needed to save every ounce of energy."

Pedrosa, who is 19 points behind Lorenzo and Stoner in the overall standings, was gracious in defeat.

"I think I used a lot of energy in the beginning," said the Spaniard. "I tried to pull away from Casey but he was very close to me all the time.

"He improved his rhythm. Basically I think he saved some energy driving behind.

"At the end I had some problems changing direction. I was maybe a little bit tired. I think he saw that and took advantage of it."

Dovizioso said that finishing on the podium was an "unbelievable" feeling, while Spies could also be pleased with what was his best performance of the season so far.

Briton Cal Crutchlow, who broke and dislocated his left ankle at Silverstone two weeks ago, came in fifth on his Yamaha.

However, seven riders failed to finish the race despite conditions that were a far cry from the rain that twice interrupted Friday's qualifying session.

It was also a miserable day for Valentino Rossi, with the Italian eight-time world champion ending up at the back of the field after being forced into the pits to get a new rear tyre with ten laps remaining.