Suzuki MotoGP rider Chris Vermeulen has cemented his place as one of the world’s great wet weather riders, coming from fourteenth to clinch a stunning third place finish in the German Grand Prix overnight.

After a weekend of low lights, the twenty six year old saved the highlights for a rain soaked Sachsenring circuit.

The Queenslander finishing behind Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi as he clinched his first podium of the year in MotoGP racing.

“We had a bad qualifying session yesterday and starting from the fifth row made it hard. There was a lot of spray from a lot of bikes. I stayed up right on the first few laps and we used a hard tyre and it was difficult to get heat in it. After I got heat in the tyre I got into my rhythm, I felt quite comfortable, but there was no way I was catching these two guys, they were too quick today.” Vermeulen said after the race .

Vermeulen made a mockery of the horrendous conditions, charging from well back to claim the podium finish.

“I’d like to thank the team they did a great job with the bike with the little set up time we had in the rain and I’m very happy to be on the podium again.”

A season of disappointments almost forgotten as the Rizla Suzuki rider surged to seventh in the battle for the World Championship.

Vermeulen commented, “We’ve had a very slow start to the year and we still have a deal of work to do, but that’s a great lift for us as a team. We now have to pack up and head to the other side of the world for the US Grand Prix and it will be much easier to get on that plane knowing we were on the podium this weekend.”

Laguna Seca in California will host the next round of the championship on Sunday. It’s a track Vermeulen has a great affinity with, finishing second there last year and claiming a brilliant double in 2004 during his World Superbike career.