MELBOURNE - Australian MotoGP star Casey Stoner has paid a heavy penalty for ignoring team advice in the British Grand Prix.
The former world champion admitted he and teammate Nicky Hayden had made the wrong decision when they decided to start the race on wet tyres under gloomy skies.
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their rivals went out on slicks but the Ducati pair gambled on rain, which never came.
Consequently, Stoner finished 14th - his worst result in 15 races - and Hayden 15th.
The race was won by Italian Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso, who beat home American Colin Edwards on a Yamaha with Frenchman Randy de Puniet third on a Honda.
Championship leader Valentino Rossi crashed while leading but still extended his points break by finishing fifth while Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo slid out.
Ducati team boss Livio Suppo said he told Stoner and Hayden they were making the wrong choice.
"We actually informed both riders that all the other guys were on slicks and that we thought it was the right choice but they were both adamant it was too dangerous and at the end of the day we have to trust their instinct in a tricky situation like that," Suppo said.
Stoner said while the track was damp, the expected downpour did not arrive.
"Everybody knows I've been struggling for the last few races in the dry so I was praying for the rain to come today," he said.
"Every single lap we were out there it threatened to pour down and we were very close to having the perfect situation.
"Unfortunately, even though it got heavier, it didn't come soon enough and our tyres were destroyed so it ended up being the wrong decision.
"For us, in our current situation, I still think it was a risk worth taking because it could have worked out fantastically but obviously we're disappointed it didn't.
"I'm sorry for the team because they've done a great job to give me a bike capable of winning races at every circuit we've been to lately, even though for one reason or another I haven't been able to get the best out of it.
"I'm looking forward to a break now and hopefully we come back a little bit stronger at Brno (in the Czech Republic)."
- AAP
