Rossi romps to victory and all-time podium record, but Lorenzo crashesout at Brno

Valentino Rossi put in a faultless display to claim his fifth win of the season at Brno today, 13 years almost to the day after he took the first of his 102 Grand Prix wins. The Italian's 160th career podium also moves him ahead of Giacomo Agostini to top the all-time podium list. It was a devastating day for his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, as the Spaniard crashed out with just five laps to go when sparring with Rossi at the front.

A stunning day in the Czech Republic saw 130,000 fans make the trip to watch what was expected to be another thrilling duel between the Yamaha pair. Rossi got a great start from pole position but Lorenzo, starting alongside him, dropped a couple of positions and had to battle back to take third first time around. On lap four the Mallorcan moved past Dani Pedrosa to claim second and he and Rossi gradually began to clear a gap from Pedrosa and the chasing pack.

The middle part of the race was largely uneventful, with Rossi retaining a more or less consistent gap of about half a second from his team-mate, but just after the half way point Lorenzo improved his rhythm and suddenly started to look threatening. The two were by now pushing each other hard, lapping nearly two seconds faster than the other riders and on lap 17 Lorenzo made his move, passing Rossi early on to claim the lead and set the fastest lap of the race. The crowd was gearing up for a tense finale but on the next lap Lorenzo made a mistake in braking, ran wide and lost the front, sliding into the gravel to leave Rossi 14 seconds clear at the front. All the 30-year-old had to do then was bring his M1 safely home which he duly did, easing up to cross the line 11.766 seconds ahead of Pedrosa, with Toni Elias back in third.

Another 25 points for Rossi and zero for Lorenzo means he is now 50 points clear at the top of the championship, whilst Lorenzo stays second, 12 points ahead of the absent Stoner and 27 ahead of Pedrosa. The next stop for the team is the Indianapolis Grand Prix in two weeks time.

Valentino Rossi - Position: 1stTime: 43'08.991
"This is a very important victory for us! Jorge had shown all weekend that he was very strong and, when we still weren't feeling perfect after the warm-up, we decided to make one more small modification to improve the feeling with the front and the result was brilliant; my Yamaha really flew today. I got a good start and I was able to ride exactly how I wanted, using all of the track to get the best lines. At the end, when Jorge passed me, I thought that the fight was starting and I was really ready for it, but then he made a mistake and crashed. Of course I'm sorry; it's really bad for him but I have to say that it's great for us because now we have an advantage of 50 points with six races to go. However it would be very stupid to relax now because Jorge is very strong and for sure we expect another hard fight with him in Indianapolis. Today I arrived at the top of the all-time podium list and I'm very proud of this, especially here at Brno where I took my first victory 13 years ago! Thanks to Yamaha and my team for today, it was a great win."

Jorge Lorenzo - Position: DNF
"I got a bad start and had to get by some people, and then I just didn't have the same pace that I'd had all weekend. I was slower than in the practices and it really wasn't what I was expecting. Unfortunately for me Valentino was just as strong as he'd been all weekend and I had to push very, very hard to stay with him. Towards the end I began to close the gap and after I passed him I was doing everything to stay in front, but then I made a mistake and crashed. There's nothing more I can say except that I'm so sorry to the team and to Yamaha and I will do everything I can to make it up in America."

Davide Brivio - Team Manager
"We're very sorry for Jorge today, because we were all hoping for another exciting battle in the final laps and I am sure it would have been a great show for the public. Today Valentino rode like a magician and again the Yamaha has been shown to be the best bike on the track. A big thanks to all the team for their work because once again they were able to provide Valentino with a bike that he was very comfortable on and happy with. Now we have a 50-point advantage but we can never stop pushing because I am sure that at the next race Jorge will be out for revenge! We are looking forward to meeting our friends from Yamaha Motor US again this year and we want to continue with the same rhythm and performance in America. Tomorrow we have a day's testing and we will start on our development for 2010, giving Valentino the chance to try a new chassis and a new engine specification as potential solutions for next year's bike."

Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager
"Today was a great disappointment because after such good practice sessions we had high hopes for a great race. Of course Jorge's target today was to try to beat Valentino in order to close the gap in the standings and so he was doing everything he could. He got past him but Valentino was still very close behind, putting a lot of pressure on Jorge and unfortunately he made a mistake and crashed. It will be another important lesson for him and we are confident that he will learn from it continue to be just as fast and to keep improving. He's got many more races to show his potential so now we will get back to work with a day's testing tomorrow and make sure we're in the best shape possible for Indianapolis."

Repsol Hondas 2nd and 4th at Brno

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa took a clear second place in the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic today, and his team-mate Andrea Dovizioso fought hard to join him on the podium - eventually finishing in a close fourth position.

Pedrosa shot from his third place grid slot into the lead through the first two corners before slipping back to second behind Valentino Rossi. The 23-year-old Spaniard looked capable of taking the fight to Rossi in the initial laps and managed to keep Jorge Lorenzo behind him until lap four when his compatriot snuck past. From then on Pedrosa consolidated third place as the front pair escaped. When Lorenzo fell with five laps to go however, a grateful Pedrosa inherited second place and came home with a comfortable 10s gap to third. Pedrosa’s RC212V was also consistently fastest through the speed traps this weekend, recording a maximum speed of 302.6km/h (188mph).

The battle for that third place was intense and involved the Repsol Honda of Dovizioso and the Gresini Honda of Toni Elias. Dovizioso rode with passion and commitment, passing Elias several times in the closing laps as he sought to follow up his win at the last race at Donington Park with a podium at Brno. However, the Italian just lost out to his fellow Honda rider and brought his RC212V home in fourth - a result which saw three Hondas in the top four places. With Lorenzo gone, Valentino Rossi rode to a lonely victory today.

The strong result for Repsol Honda cements the team’s second place in the Team World Championship standings. Tomorrow the factory Honda squad will join the rest of the MotoGP field back at Brno for the final day’s testing of the 2009 season.

Dani Pedrosa – 2nd – World Championship position: 4th - 135 points: “At the start of the race I pushed really hard to stay with the leaders and for the first few laps I was with them. Then they kept getting faster on every lap and, though I was pushing to the maximum, I couldn’t maintain that sort of pace today. So for the rest of the race I just had to concentrate on not making a mistake because there was a big gap in front of me and also behind me. Second place is a good result for me and the team, though obviously we would have wanted to be closer to front-running pace. It’s great to finish a race on the podium and feel in good physical condition after the problems I had in the first part of the season - especially because it was very hot out there today and this is a demanding track. We have a test tomorrow and it is going to be really important for us to work on the areas we still have to improve so that we can challenge for wins again.”

Andrea Dovizioso – 4th – World Championship position: 6th - 107 points: “I was riding really hard out there and I had a tough battle for third place in the last few laps. From the start I tried to stay with Dani and the leaders but it wasn’t possible. The gap to Elias was always small and my pace was very similar to his which made it very difficult to overtake him. I tried really hard in the middle of the race without any success and then in the last few laps the front-end grip dropped off a little and to overtake Toni I had to take some risks. I really wanted that podium finish so I was pushing very hard, and also I had Capirossi behind who was putting a lot of pressure on too. Fourth is not a bad result but I can’t say that I’m satisfied with the result today. Still there is a day of testing tomorrow and this will give us a chance to make improvements to our machine package and prepare for the next races.”

Kazuhiko Yamano - REPSOL HONDA TEAM MANAGER: “Both riders fought hard today and second and fourth places for the team reflects a useful weekend at Brno. We have mixed feelings because it would have been nice to see two Repsol Honda riders on the podium, and for a while it looked like that might happen. In the end though, Andrea just missed out and of course he’s frustrated not to follow up his Donington win with another top-three finish. Tomorrow we will work flat out to close the gap to our rivals. This is the goal the whole team is focused on.”

Double top ten for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team in Brno

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team scored a double top ten finish in today's Czech Republic MotoGP race in front of nearly 140,000 sun drenched fans at the Brno circuit.

Starting from the second row of the grid, Edwards posed a persistent threat for the top six throughout a gruelling 22-lap race that saw temperatures that nudged 30 degrees. Chasing a group in front battling for fourth that included Toni Elias, Andrea Dovizioso and Loris Capirossi, Edwards lapped nearly a second faster on lap seven to get to within 0.7s of the intense battle.

Unable to remain in close contact with the battle ahead, Edwards was left to fend off the determin ed challenge of fellow American Nicky Hayden. Still less than 100 per cent fit after an illness earlier in the weekend, the 35-year-old produced a superb performance, holding Hayden at bay until lap 18. He tried to mount a late counter attack on Hayden to secure his fifth top six finish of the season, but he had to settle for seventh, losing out to Hayden by just 0.1s.

British rider James Toseland produced a typically determined ride, the 28-year-old making up two places on the first lap as he set about mounting a top ten challenge from 14th on the grid. Growing in confidence after some early front-end issues, Toseland settled into a consistent pace and he eventually finished in a respectable ninth place, just over 1.5s away from Alex de Angelis in eighth.

Colin Edwards - Position: 7th Time: +0'25.676
"That was a pretty tough race. Right from the start of the weekend I said I thought my engine felt a bit flat and today I couldn't do anything. I was getting passed easily and I couldn't stay in the slipstream at all. I could do the lap time but I couldn't race them. I couldn't get within ten bike lengths at the end of the straight but then I'd nearly be running into the back of them at the exit of the corner because I was trying to make up all the time on the brakes and on corner speed. I lost the group with Toni, Andrea and Loris for a bit early on but I only came back at them for a while because I was pushing the front so hard. I got the right side of the front tyre way too hot and after that I kept losing the front. I was nearly running into them in the middle of the corner but I couldn't get close enough to pass them on the brakes going in. At the end I was locked in a battle with Nicky but I think I could have been behind him all day and not be able to pass him. I got another load of points and I was close to the top six, but I've been beating those guys in front of me consistently all year and that's a pity because maybe I could have got another podium today. I'm back home again for Indianapolis next time out and I'll be looking for a much better weekend."

James Toseland - Position: 9th Time: +0'35.617
"It has been a tough weekend and I'll be the first to admit that I was a bit fortunate to get into the top ten. I rode as hard as I could every lap and never gave up but at the moment I'm struggling with a problem with the front for the first half of the race. I get a hopping sensation on the front and it really hurts my corner speed. We've been struggling with it for a while now but after half distance, how the feeling comes better is unbelievable. It's almost like somebody is tweaking my bike while I'm riding because it improves so much. On lap 20 I did a 58.4, which is only one tenth off my qualifying time, so it shows how good the bike eventually feels. But I lose so much in the first half of the race that it really costs me. My pace in the second half of the race should be getting me in the top six. If we can solve this front-end issue then I know I can be running much higher up the field, which is where the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team deserves to be."

Herve Poncharal - Team Manager
"You can't be disappointed when both Colin and James finish inside the top ten having given their maximum again in what was a demanding race. But it was a little bit disappointing, particularly for Colin who was doing very well all weekend. I don't think he was 100 per cent still after his illness but it was another strong result for him. James again was much better in the race than he was in practice and I'm pleased that he put in a lot of effort in the second half of the race. If he can sol ve some of the problems he's experiencing I'm convinced we will see him achieving much better results. Now we move to Indianapolis which is an important race for Colin, for Yamaha and for our sponsor Monster, so hopefully we can be fighting back closer to the top five. I'd like to congratulate Valentino because he again proved he is the master. Yamaha was unbelievably strong again today and it was just a shame Jorge crashed because everybody was looking forward to a strong fight for the world championship to the end."

Unlucky Fabrizio in his debut with Pramac Racing. Canepa 12th.

Unlucky race for the Pramac Racing debutant Michel Fabrizio who after Friday contusion at the right shoulder during free practice has today torn his right shoulder muscle. This didn't allow him to conclude the Czech Republic Grand Prix as he retired after five laps. His teammate, Niccolò Canepa, made it to conclude in twelfth place not the most exciting race. Niccolò has tried to remain with the other riders in the first part of the race, but in the second half due to the high temperatures the rear tyre didn't allow him to continue to maintain the same rhythm and he decided to end the race without taking too many risks. The Italian rider will have the chance to do better in two weeks time in the United States of America for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, twelfth round of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship.

Marco Rigamonti - Niccolò Canepa Track Engineer: "On Friday and Saturday things seems to go in the right direction, but during today's race we have obtained the worst results of the weekend. It's a pity because Niccolò was doing a great job. In the second half of the race, due to the high temperatures, Niccolò has lost a bit of feeling with the rear and this has limited his performances. We are really sorry about this as we were doing a good race. We hope that his physical condition are not so bad and that he will be able to continue his championship without complications."

Niccolò Canepa - Pramac Racing rider - 12th in the race - 16th in the Championship: "I was ready to have a good race but today nothing went in the right direction for us. After Friday and Saturday's sessions I was trustful and concentrated to have a good race but in the second part of the race I lost some grip with the rear. It was a bit warmer compare to yesterday and this has caused us some problems. We believe to be able to do much better in Indianapolis in fourteen days on a track that I really like."

Michel Fabrizio - Pramac Racing rider - DNF: "There isn't much to say today. After some laps I felt more and more pain on the right shoulder injured on Friday and I couldn't almost use the brake anymore. I had to stop otherwise I would have risk to fall. I torn the right shoulder muscle and it seem to have a golf ball under the skin. I am sorry for the Pramac Racing that gave me this opportunity."

Race Results: