World champion Jorge Lorenzo seals Spanish Moto GP win

World champion Jorge Lorenzo defied a wet track to win an incident-packed Spanish Moto GP in Jerez.

Lorenzo was 19 seconds ahead of second-placed Dani Pedrosa, with Nicky Hayden third and Briton Cal Crutchlow eighth.

Pole winner Casey Stoner, who took the season-opener in Qatar, was in second when he crashed out after being clipped by Valentino Rossi, who finished fifth.

Nicolas Terol won the 125cc race, while Andrea Iannone claimed the Moto2, Britain's Bradley Smith taking fourth.

There were spills aplenty on a showery day in southern Spain but the collision between Rossi and Stoner was the most significant, resulting in Lorenzo claiming the overall lead in the standings.

Rossi was making a determined charge in the difficult conditions, surging from 12th on the grid up to third.

But an ill-advised overtaking manoeuvre with 20 laps remaining put Stoner out of the race and the Australian told Rossi: "Your ambition outweighed your talent."

Stoner highlighted the role of the marshals, who helped Rossi remount his bike to join the action while Stoner was left to unsuccessfully attempt to restart his Honda on his own.

"With the accident, I heard Valentino arriving and I wasn't worried about anyone passing me at that point in the race so I gave him plenty of room," Stoner said.

"It was a racing incident and there's not much we can do. what is more frustrating is the reaction of the stewards and their assistance for Valentino and not for me, it was unbelievable."

Stoner later told autosport.com that the issue needed to be addressed even if he saw no point in going to the authorities himself.

"I'd like to see something done about it, not just for me but for other riders," he declared.

"I think it's completely unfair. There's not enough consistency in the marshalling all around the world. There's got to be consistency with everyone, not hampering someone's race just because of popularity."

"I don't go to the safety commission anymore," he added. "It's like knocking your head against a wall. Nothing happens."

The crash left Marco Simoncelli in a commanding lead and on course for a maiden MotoGP win but the Italian lost control on a bend, handing Lorenzo a lead he was not to relinquish.

With four laps to go, Ben Spies nipped ahead of Pedrosa into second only to spin off on a corner on the next lap as the hazardous track took its toll.

Lorenzo held on to take the chequered flag, the 22nd consecutive race in which he has finished in the top four.

"It was a hard race but I am happy with the win," the 23-year-old said. "We had some luck, without the fall of Stoner we would not have won."

from bbc sport