Spanish stars disagree over Sachsenring clash.

The simmering rivalry between Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo flared up on Sunday at the Sachsenring when the reigning 250cc world champion collided with the class rookie, sending the Fortuna Honda rider to the ground.

Lorenzo had led the first three laps of the race and but dropped to fourth on the following lap. He then tried to pass Pedrosa up the inside on a fast left hander at the bottom of the hill, but Dani appeared not to see his countryman and cut across the front of the #48.

Pedrosa's Movistar Honda suffered a bent exhaust (middle pic) in the impact - but he went on to take victory, while Lorenzo crashed out. Jorge, who has already cultivated something of a calm 'hard man' image, later made it clear who he felt was to blame.

"I tried to get past Pedrosa very quickly because I was very quick out of the corners, but he did everything to try and stop me," claimed Lorenzo. "In the end he hit me, on another day I could have hit him. It's one of those things. There's no need to make a big deal out of it, luck evens itself out and perhaps we didn't have any today."

For his part, Pedrosa later said that he simply hadn't seen Lorenzo.

"I started the race within the front group, relaxed and I suddenly noticed that somebody hit me from the back," said Dani. "The bike went up and I avoided a crash like a miracle. Once I could I looked back and saw that the exhaust pipe was hanging.

"I was a bit scared because I remembered that something similar happened to Stoner last year and he crashed. The pipe touched the track on the left-side corners and the bike lost power. But once I saw that I was able to push harder I focussed on setting my pace and reached the finish very well," he concluded.

However, Lorenzo's team manager couldn't accept that explanation.

"I am surprised by the comments of Dani Pedrosa who claimed he did not see Jorge," declared Lorenzo's team manager Dani Amatriain. "I think maybe he should change his helmet because obviously the one he has at the moment doesn't let him see very much.

"From what I saw, and have subsequently seen on television, I am very clear on who was the aggressor and who wasn't. It's Jorge's first season in 250 and I think he is doing well. The Fortuna Honda team is working hard and sooner or later the victories will come," he added.