7:56 AM | 
Posted by
kareem |
Friday, September 23, 2011
Casey Stoner took a further step toward his second MotoGP world title with an impressive win in the Grand Prix of Aragon in Spain Sunday.
The Australian powered his Repsol Honda to a pole to finish line victory, his eighth of a dominant season with his teammate Dani Pedrosa of Spain in second place.
Reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo finished third at the Motorland circuit on his Yamaha and now trails Stoner by 44 points with just four races left of the season.
Stoner had slipped to third behind Lorenzo after starting from pole in the previous round in San Marino, but made no mistake this time after recovering from an indifferent start .
"I wanted to get to the front as soon as possible as the bike has been working perfect all weekend and it was our race to lose, so I tried to get in front and pull a gap," he told the official MotoGP website.
Lorenzo was content with his podium position which kept his slim title hopes still alive.
"We are still fighting for the championship and that's the most important thing, we are going to Japan (Motegi GP) with hope still alive," he said.
Marco Simoncelli took fourth with American Ben Spies, who briefly led, back in fifth.
Simoncelli's fellow Italian Andrea Dovizioso crashed out on the first lap while Valentino Rossi struggled to 10th of 13 finishers on his Ducati.
Stoner was with Ducati when he won his first world title in 2007.
Home pair Marc Marquez and Nicolas Terol won the supporting Moto2 and 125cc races.
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Schalke coach Ralf Rangnick has quit the German Bundesliga club after just six months in charge, citing fatigue syndrome as the reason for his decision.
The 53-year-old Rangnick took over from Felix Magath on March 17, and steered the club to the Champions League semifinals last season, before then winning the German Cup courtesy of a 5-0 thrashing of second division side Duisburg in the final.
Rangnick issued a statement on Schalke's official website, saying: After long and careful consideration I have come to the conclusion that I need a break.
"This has been an incredibly difficult decision for me to take but my current energy levels are not enough to be successful or drive forward the footballing development of the team and the club."
Davis Cup holders Serbia exited this year's competition as their world number one Novak Djokovic was forced to retire from his crucial rubber against Juan Martin Del Potro with a back injury.
Djokovic, who sat out the opening round of singles matches, was trailing a set and 3-0 when he called it a day in front of a partisan home crowd in the Belgrade Arena.
Del Potro's victory gave Argentina an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the tie, ending home hopes after Nenad Zimonjic and Viktor Troicki had pulled Serbia back into contention with their doubles victory Saturday.
They will play Spain in the final after Rafael Nadal gave them a winning 3-1 lead over France with a crushing straight sets win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on the clay in Cordoba.
Veteran coach Claudio Ranieri has been given the chance to restore Inter Milan's fortunes following the short, unsuccessful tenure of Gian Piero Gasperini at the Italian club.
Ranieri has previously been in charge of big European teams such as Juventus, Chelsea, Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Napoli, but has been out of work since leaving Inter's Serie A rivals Roma in February after a run of poor results.
He takes over a team in turmoil, with Gasperini sacked on Wednesday following a 3-1 defeat by newly-promoted Novara -- Inter's second in three league matches. Gasperini, 53, is the only coach in Inter's history to leave without winning a game.
The three-time European champions also lost to archrivals AC Milan in the Italian Super Cup and to Turkish outfit Trabzonspor in the Champions League group stage opener.
Scans have confirmed Afellay has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and he faces up to six months out of action.
It means Afellay will miss the majority of Barcelona's campaign as well as the remainder of Holland's Euro 2012 qualifiers.
The news is a major blow for Afellay as he looked to push for a regular place in Pep Guardiola's star-studded line-up.
Manchester City defender Kolo Toure has thanked Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger for standing by him after his failed drugs test - and insists the Frenchman will emerge stronger from his present crisis.
Toure returned to action for City in their Carling Cup win over Birmingham on Wednesday night, ending a six-month absence.
The centre-back was banned after taking a prohibited substance in an effort to control his weight last season.
Although the possibility of a two-year suspension hung over the 30-year-old until his disciplinary hearing was concluded in May, even six months out of the game was a nightmare to a player who had always conducted himself with dignity.
However, those closest to him remained loyal. Brother Yaya dedicated his goals in the FA Cup semi-final and final to Kolo, who was handed the captain's armband by manager Roberto Mancini on his re-appearance this week.
And Toure will never forget the actions of Wenger, his former manager, and ex-Arsenal director David Dein, who always made themselves available as a sounding board.
"I want to thank two people who have been really important to me - David Dein and Mr Wenger," he said.
"They have been supporting me and never let me down. I want to thank them very, very much."
Toure will never forget the debt of gratitude he owes to Wenger.
It was the Frenchman who brought him to England from the Ivory Coast as a 20-year-old.
"I would never say a bad word about Mr Wenger," said Toure. "He is somebody that makes players better. I came from nowhere. I was in Africa and nobody believed in me.
"I had been at a lot of clubs that didn't take me. This guy made me what I am now."
So, even though Toure's world has now turned full circle and he is ready to put his own demons to bed, he still sympathises with the plight Wenger currently finds himself in.
"This time is really hard for Mr Wenger but he is really strong and a very intelligent manager," he said.
"It makes me feel a little sad because at the moment they are really unlucky and still play good football.
"I wish him all the best and know he will come out of this strong because he is definitely a top manager."
The centre-back was banned after taking a prohibited substance in an effort to control his weight last season.
Although the possibility of a two-year suspension hung over the 30-year-old until his disciplinary hearing was concluded in May, even six months out of the game was a nightmare to a player who had always conducted himself with dignity.
However, those closest to him remained loyal. Brother Yaya dedicated his goals in the FA Cup semi-final and final to Kolo, who was handed the captain's armband by manager Roberto Mancini on his re-appearance this week.
And Toure will never forget the actions of Wenger, his former manager, and ex-Arsenal director David Dein, who always made themselves available as a sounding board.
"I want to thank two people who have been really important to me - David Dein and Mr Wenger," he said.
"They have been supporting me and never let me down. I want to thank them very, very much."
Toure will never forget the debt of gratitude he owes to Wenger.
It was the Frenchman who brought him to England from the Ivory Coast as a 20-year-old.
"I would never say a bad word about Mr Wenger," said Toure. "He is somebody that makes players better. I came from nowhere. I was in Africa and nobody believed in me.
"I had been at a lot of clubs that didn't take me. This guy made me what I am now."
So, even though Toure's world has now turned full circle and he is ready to put his own demons to bed, he still sympathises with the plight Wenger currently finds himself in.
"This time is really hard for Mr Wenger but he is really strong and a very intelligent manager," he said.
"It makes me feel a little sad because at the moment they are really unlucky and still play good football.
"I wish him all the best and know he will come out of this strong because he is definitely a top manager."