Dani Pedrosa...winning in style at his home Grand Prix
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DANI PEDROSA kept his championship hopes alive by winning today's Catalan Grand Prix in blistering fashion.
The Repsol Honda rider took the lead from pole-sitter Casey Stoner at the first corner and remained unchallenged for the rest of the 25-lap race. Pedrosa crossed the finishing line over four seconds ahead of nearest rival, Valentino Rossi, with reigning World Champion Casey Stoner clinching the final spot on the podium, less than a second behind the Italian. The pair were involved in a ding-dong battle for much of the race but it was Rossi who won the battle at the finishing line.
Andrea Dovizioso, riding a Honda, secured an impressive fourth place after a hard battle with the mid-pack competition.
The result means Pedrosa closes down Rossi's lead in the championship to seven points.
Britain's James Toseland finished the race in seventh position. The Yorkshireman is also running in seventh place in the championship standings with 53 points.
Catalan MotoGP Grand Prix Results
1 Daniel Pedrosa Honda HRC 43:02.175
2 Valentino Rossi Yamaha Factory 43:04.981
3 Casey Stoner Ducati MotoGP 43:05.518
4 Andrea Dovizioso Honda Scot 43:13.068
5 Colin Edwards Yamaha Tech3 43:18.601
6 James Toseland Yamaha Tech3 43:23.657
7 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki MotoGP 43:23.723
8 Nicky Hayden Honda HRC 43:24.455
9 Shinya Nakano Honda Gresini 43:24.550
10 John Hopkins Kawasaki Racing 43:49.100
11 Marco Melandri Ducati MotoGP 44:00.166
12 Anthony West Kawasaki Racing 44:01.343
13 Sylvain Guintoli Ducati d Antin 44:02.954
MotoGP World Championship Standings
1. Valentino Rossi - 142 pts
2. Dani Pedrosa - 135
3. Jorge Lorenzo - 94
4. Casey Stoner - 92
5. Colin Edwards - 69
6. Anrea Dovizioso - 57
7. James Toseland - 53
8. Loris Capirossi - 51
