JEREZ (Spain): Australia's defending world champion Casey Stoner won the Spanish MotoGP here yesterday for his first win in the race and said it was the greatest race he had ever ridden.
The Honda rider beat home Spain's 2010 world champion Jorge Lorenzo on a Yamaha while another Spaniard Dani Pedrosa was third on a Honda in his 100th race.
English rider Cal Crutchlow just failed to edge out Pedrosa for third and recorded his second successive fourth place.
Lorenzo -- who was left frustrated in his bid to become the first rider since Valentino Rossi in 2001 to win the first two races -- retains his lead in the overall standings after winning the race opener in Qatar where Stoner finished third.
Stoner, though, was ecstatic at his victory on a track which he has said he hates and where he had only previously finished on the podium once.
"That is the greatest race I've ever done," said the 26-year-old, who extended his run of 17 successive podium finishes.
"I had a poor start and the conditions were dodgy at first but the bike was working fantastic.
"However, having taken the lead I felt my arm start to pump (he has been suffering from an arm injury) and I thought, oh no.
"Thankfully when I saw the two laps to go marker more blood seemed to flow through my arm and I felt a lot better and strong enough to hold on."
Spanish rider Pol Espargaro won a rain-shortened Moto2 race on a Kalex motorbike.
Espargaro -- recording his sixth win at world championship level but first in this category -- beat home two Suter riders, Marc Marquez of Spain and Swiss Thomas Luthi.
While Marquez was ahead when the race was called to a premature halt on the 18th lap of the 26 laps race, 20-year-old Espargaro was adjudged the winner because according to the rules the rider in the lead in the lap preceding the calling off is awarded victory.
Marquez retained the overall lead in the standings thanks to his win in the season opening Qatar race.
Italian Romano Fenati powered his FTR Honda to victory in the Moto3 category.
Fenati finished ahead of Spaniard Luis Salom (Kalex KTM) and Germany's Sandro Cortese (KTM) in third. AFP
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