Casey Stoner feels sorry for MotoGP title rival Jorge Lorenzo after he is taken out by Alvaro Bautista at Assen

Stoner led team-mate Dani Pedrosa in a Honda one-two at Assen, while Yamaha Lorenzo was forced out when Gresini Honda's Bautista slid into him.

The result means Stoner and Lorenzo are now equal at the top of the championship table, but reigning title-holder Stoner said it was not the manner in which he had wanted to regain ground.

"We don't want to take back points in the championship with another rider crashing," he said.

"Jorge and I have a lot of respect and we don't want to see this happening. It's very unfortunate for him."

Stoner's first win since Estoril in early May came despite a violent practice crash on Friday morning that left him sore for the rest of the weekend. He said the accident had left him 'off-form' and praised Honda for its support.

"Today I rode pretty well. We had a very, very tough weekend," said Stoner.

"The injuries have been pretty heavy, but I had some work done by Francesco. To at least be able to move in the morning was a big help. This morning things still weren't perfect but I took some painkillers before the race and it took the edge off it.

"I still didn't have any strength in my right leg, but my shoulders and everything else felt a lot better and were able to compensate for me.

"Big thanks to the team - they were working with a rider who wasn't really on form this weekend and they still put a bike underneath me when it counted."