LONDON -- Spain's Dani Pedrosa ran away
with the British Grand Prix on Sunday to pile pressure on MotoGP
championship leader Nicky Hayden.
American Hayden, Pedrosa's Honda teammate and winner of a
dramatic Dutch TT last weekend, saw his lead slashed to 26
points from 42 after finishing a disappointing seventh at
Donington Park.
Pedrosa took the checkered flag 3.864 seconds ahead of world
champion Valentino Rossi, a brilliant performance by the Italian
who started from 12th place and raced with the pain of a
fractured hand.
Italian Marco Melandri, back in the thick of the action only
two weeks after he was flown to a hospital following a spectacular
multiple rider pile-up at the first corner in Barcelona,
completed the podium.
Hayden has 153 points with Pedrosa's second victory in the
top category lifting the 20-year-old MotoGP rookie to 127.
Yamaha's Rossi, winner at Donington for the past two years, is
third with 118.
"It was overall a fantastic weekend," said Pedrosa, who
dominated practice, started from pole position after the fastest
lap ever at the Midlands circuit and then claimed a race lap
record as well. "It is a perfect result".
Rossi was pleased as well after fighting through the
pack to the delight of a crowd chanting his name.
"It was a great race. For the people, and also for me, it is
like a victory," he said.
"It was a difficult weekend for us. After Assen I made a 100
percent effort to come here in a good shape, I did a lot of
training and treatment for the wrist.
"In fact, the wrist was not so bad ... I don't have the
maximum power but the pain is better. We just struggled too much
with the bike during practice," said the Italian, who broke his
hand in practice for the Dutch race.
Melandri seized the lead at the start and held on for the
first third of the race, repeatedly closing the door on Pedrosa.
The Spaniard was lucky not to fall on the fifth of the 30
scheduled laps, wobbling and running wide under braking into the
Melbourne Loop as Suzuki's John Hopkins powered through to
second place.
Pedrosa soon forced his way back to second, retook the lead
and then vanished into the distance to cross the line in
splendid isolation.
As he disappeared, Rossi reeled in the rest with a masterful
display at a circuit that the London resident has come to
consider a home away from home.
The 27-year-old showman diced with Melandri, who fell but
miraculously recovered position, over the closing laps with the
two trading second place before the champion made his move stick
at the final hairpin.
"It's been so hard for every single point," said Melandri,
who lives just down the road from the Donington circuit. "After
some laps I was really tired but I said to myself I have to keep
going to the end.
"I'm very happy about the result but not so happy about the
first part," he added.
Australian Casey Stoner finished fourth ahead of American
Kenny Roberts, on a bike built by his father and namesake, with
Yamaha's Texan Colin Edwards sixth.
Spain was also celebrating a victory In the 250cc category
with Aprilia's 19-year-old Mallorcan Jorge Lorenzo taking his
fifth win in nine races to narrow Italian Andrea Dovizioso's
championship lead to one point.