Rossi romped to his fifth win of the season

Valentino Rossi romped to his fifth win of the season in Brno to move a step closer to a sixth FIM MotoGP Championship.

The Fiat Yamaha star started the Czech Republic race on pole position ahead of team-mate and nearest challenger Jorge Lorenzo and the duo fought out a race-long duel before the young Spaniard crashed out with five laps remaining to all but end his title hopes.

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa inherited second after Lorenzo's error with Toni Elias, Andrea Dovizioso and Loris Capirossi rounding out the top five.

With Casey Stoner beginning his three-race break to recover from a mystery illness, Mika Kallio stepped into the factory Marlboro Ducati team for his debut and was lying in a creditable ninth before crashing on the penultimate lap, while British rider James Toseland was ninth on his Tech 3 Yamaha.

Pedrosa led at turn one ahead of Rossi after a trademark quick start but the masterful Italian took just three corners to slide past to leave Lorenzo in third.

Lorenzo soon passed Pedrosa on lap three to chase down Rossi and the pair then exchanged a series of new lap records before Lorenzo made a fine move with seven laps remaining to take the lead.

Rossi then made a move at the same corner with five laps to go and Lorenzo buckled under the pressure to crash out and leave Rossi to streak away to a 102nd career win, some 11.766 seconds ahead of Pedrosa.

Lorenzo - who also crashed out at Donington last time out - is now 50 points behind Rossi with the absent Stoner back in third in the standings.

Rossi said: "For us it was a great race - nearly perfect.

"I got in front of Dani and then pushed very hard but Jorge was just as fast. When he went past me I thought, ok, now the battle begins again but unfortunately he crashed.

"But that was good for me because 50 points is a big lead. Now we must try to keep it up and look to win again."

For Elias the unexpected podium meant a great end to a bad week in which he was told he would not be retained by the Gresini Honda team for 2010.

He said: "I am really happy because for the last four races we have been close to the front and this was a great result.

"I needed a podium and it was a present for me because of Jorge's crash.

"At this moment I don't have a bike or a team for next year but after this I hope to sort something out."

Rossi hoping for another good result at Brno

Fresh from a two-week summer break, Fiat Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo head to Brno in the Czech Republic this weekend riding high at the top of the championship. Despite a disappointing last round in the UK the pair remain first and second in the standings with seven rounds remaining, setting up a thrilling final seven-race run to the end of the season.

Brno is a special track for Rossi as the Italian took the first of his 101 career victories there, in the 125cc class in 1996. Since then he has added a 250cc win and four MotoGP victories to his tally, including a commanding one last year on the way to his eighth World Championship title, and three second places. The 30-year-old slid out of the lead in Donington last time out but remounted to finish fifth, meaning he managed to extend his lead at the top of the championship to 25 points from his team-mate.

22-year-old Lorenzo also has an impressive record at Brno, having won there in 125cc and twice in 250cc, both times from pole position. He finished tenth at the Czech track last year, a creditable performance considering that he was nursing broken bones in his foot sustained at the previous round in America. This year he arrives more or less in full fitness, having had a chance to fully recover from another foot injury, lying second in the championship and determined to put in a good performance to try to close some of the 25-point deficit to Rossi.

This year marks the 40th time a Grand Prix has been held at Brno since the 14km road circuit was first used in 1965. Today the modern track retains much of the character of the original road circuit, with its winding chicanes and dramatic elevation changes. The well-balanced nature of the circuit make it an ideal testing venue and the team will remain there after the race for a key mid-season test. Brno sees an important new rule come into existence, with all riders now restricted to just five engines for the final seven races of the season with a 10-point deduction for any rider who goes over his quota.

Valentino Rossi - “Rested and relaxed”
“The summer ‘holiday’ wasn’t as long as usual but anyway I’ve had the chance to recharge the batteries in the break and I’m feeling rested and relaxed. Last time out wasn’t ideal but in the end it was a positive day for us and we now have a one-race buffer at the top of the championship. Despite this breathing space we can’t afford to relax for a minute because our rivals are very strong and I expect everyone to be at their best in Brno. It’s a great track for me and I took my first ever win there; I’m hoping for another good result this time.”

Jorge Lorenzo - “Aiming to get back on the podium”
“I’m really excited about this race after what feels like a long time without one. It was good to have a bit of a break and I used the time to work on my fitness and to completely recover from the injuries I had after Laguna, in the gym and with my physiotherapist. The result is that I feel much better than I did in Germany and England and I’m excited to be getting back on the bike. I like Brno and I have had good results in the past there, including three wins. This time my aim is to fight hard and get back on the podium.”

Davide Brivio - “A good circuit for Valentino and Yamaha”
“After a short break, Brno is the start of three close races before the real season finale of the remaining four events. Brno is a good circuit both for Valentino and for Yamaha in general and we have to take advantage of this to manage and hopefully extend the 25-point advantage we currently have in the championship. Valentino has always been at the top there and it’s a track that’s full of important memories for him and for us, including in 2008 when it marked the start of us ‘completing’ the job of recapturing the title. At the moment we’re working very well and we are looking forward to maintaining the same high standard as much as possible. The competition amongst the top riders is very exciting and we hope we can offer everyone another great show.”

Daniele Romagnoli - “Great motivation”
“A little break to recharge the batteries has been useful for us all before the last seven races. This has given Jorge the chance to improve his fitness after his Laguna Seca injuries and he will be in good shape for Brno. All the team and Jorge want to forget the ‘zero point’ of Donington and we have a great motivation to catch Valentino at the top of the championship! From this Grand Prix the new engine rule will be applied but Yamaha has worked hard on engine durability and maintaining performance so we’re confident that it won’t be an issue.”

Rossi claimed pole position for the British GP

Defending world champion Valentino Rossi claimed pole position for the British Grand Prix here on Saturday.

The Yamaha rider finished just ahead of Spaniards Dani Pedrosa (Honda) and his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo with only one second covering the first seven on the grid.

Rossi ensured pole for Sunday's race with the top qualifying time of 1min 28.116sec which gave the eight-time world champion's fourth pole of the season.

Pedrosa was fastest in practice in the rain on Friday and again in Saturday's early session only for Rossi to turn on the power when it mattered most to edge out the Spaniard by .095sec.

Former world champion Casey Stoner, Andrea Dovizioso and Colin Edwards will start on the second row.

"I'm surprised," was Rossi's initial reaction after bagging his 55th career pole but his first at Donington since 2005.

He suggested rain, a definite possibility on raceday, could well play a major part on Sunday.

"We're not at the maximum with the hard tyre, so if tomorrow is dry, we'll have to reconsider and modify out settings as I don't have much grip," he added.

Pedrosa was satisfied with his afternoon's work.

"Front row is good, as we've not been there in the last few races so that's important," said the Honda rider.

The flamboyant Italian is targeting his 102nd grand prix win at Donington, which is staging its last MotoGP ahead of next year's move to Silverstone.

In 250cc qualifying, Spain's Hector Barbera snatched pole from Italian champion Marco Simoncelli by .092sec with championship leader Hiroshi Aoyama of Japan and another Spaniard Alex Debon completing the front row of the grid.

Briton Bradley Smith gave the home crowd something to shout about after taking pole in the 125cc division.