Valentino Rossi made a expensive mistake in Sunday's Spanish MotoGP at Jerez, which robbed the Italian of a possible first Ducati victory and knocked Casey Stoner out of the world championship lead.
Rossi, seventh on his Ducati debut in Qatar, was far more spirited in the wet Jerez conditions and quickly worked his way ahead from twelfth on the grid - after a crash in qualifying - to catch leaders Marco Simoncelli, Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo after 7 of the 27 laps.
The seven-time MotoGP champion exhausted no time in overtaking former Yamaha team-mate Lorenzo, putting him directly at the back new Repsol Honda rider Stoner, winner from pole in Qatar and on pole again at Jerez.
As the pair headed for turn one at the start of lap 8 Rossi abruptly pulled to the inside and made an unexpected move on Stoner from a long way back. Rossi later claimed he hadn't been trying to pass Stoner, but simply avoid him.
Either way, Rossi dived within Stoner and was half-a-bikelength ahead when his front Bridgestone cried enough and deserted him on the asphalt at the apex of the corner. Rossi and his sliding Desmosedici then wiped out the unfortunate Stoner.
Rossi and his bike came to rest with Stoner's RCV on top of them, but it was Rossi who was able to rejoin and in the end finish fifth in the crash-packed race, while Stoner was forced to retire.
The #46 apologised to Stoner straight after the race.
Later in the evening Rossi, who set the best lap of the race, explained the day's events from his point of view.
“Today in the wet we had a great possibility for me to make my first podium with Ducati, or even to get my first win,” Rossi admitted.
“I felt good, both with the bike and my shoulder, because I could brake where I required to rather than where I'm required to in the dry, since I still don't have the necessary strength.
“The bike is very fast in the wet. I was advancing really well, and I'm sorry to have made that error and thrown away such an opportunity.
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