Ducati finally conquered its home race at Mugello today thanks to a stunning performance from Casey Stoner in one of the most difficult and eventful races of his career. Victory for the Australian in the second wet-to-dry flag-to-flag race in succession was his 18th for the Italian factory and it was enough to secure the World Championship lead after five rounds, with four points more than Lorenzo and nine more than Rossi, the two riders who joined him on the podium today.

The Ducati Marlboro Team rider, mindful of his Le Mans experience two weeks ago, perfectly negotiated a track that started out wet following a heavy rain shower before the race. He kept pace with the lead group even when his wet tyres were completely spent, before quickly rejoining the battle for the lead after changing to slick tyres and holding off the challenge of the men behind him.