Stoner wins Italian MotoGp to move atop standings; Rossi finishes third

Stoner wins Italian MotoGP to move atop standings

MUGELLO, Italy — Casey Stoner won the Italian Moto Grand Prix on Sunday to move to the top of the championship standings and break Valentino Rossi’s seven-year stranglehold on the race.

The Australian judged the wet and dry conditions better than his opponents to finish in 45 minutes, 41.894 seconds. He was a second faster than Jorge Lorenzo, who led the overall standings ahead of the event.

Defending world champion Valentino Rossi finished third after winning the race the last seven years in a row. Rossi had a poor qualifying session Saturday and started fourth.

Stoner leads the standings with 90 points, four more than Lorenzo. Rossi is third with 81.