Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa swept to victory in today's Indianapolis MotoGP race, crossing the line some seven seconds ahead of Jorge Lorenzo and pulled back five championship points on his Spanish compatriot despite nearly running off the track with 12 laps to go.
Pedrosa is now only 18 points behind the works Yamaha man who has increased his lead over Casey Stoner. The Australian, who cracked bones and tore ligaments in his ankle in a monster highside yesterday, was staring down the barrel of a podium until Andrea Dovizioso got the better of him with a handful of laps to go and you suspect that Stoner would have been in serious pain.
Lorenzo, who was one of only two prototype riders on the softer compound Bridestone, had no answer for Pedrosa's pace and wasn't helped when he got stuck behind Steve Rapp in the closing stages and he couldn't find a way past the CRT wildcard.
Even though Lorenzo was fours second a lap faster, the American was quick through enough corners to cost the Yamaha man three seconds and he was given a waved leg as Lorenzo forced his way through with two laps left.
Team-mate Ben Spies had a second machine failure in as many races when his YZR-M1 let go on the start/finish straight as the Texan sat in second place. It added insult to Laguna Seca injury after his rear suspension brokes at the bottom of the Corkscrew. Spies' engine was reasonably fresh and had only done three session before it blew in spectacular style, forcing following riders to go around the smoke cloud.
Dovzioso, meanwhile, bagged his fifth podium of the year and pulls away from team-mate Cal Crutchlow in the title stakes as the British rider crashed unhurt on the entrance to the final corner and couldn't continue. Stefan Bradl had to give best to Alvaro Bautista for fifth while Valentino Rossi came in seventh and 57 seconds behind the leader.
Yonny Hernandez won the CRT battle, finishing in ninth overall, with Aleix Espargaro and Ivan Silva behind him. Colin Edwards was 13th ahd James Ellison 14th.
