MotoGP Jerez - Race Results!

Dani Pedrosa won the Spanish GP for the first tome today in the way does best: hitting the front from the start and never being headed. It's the way he's won four-times before; Valencia and Germany last year, and China and Donington in '06. This time he slammed down thirteen laps in the 1min 40sec bracket followed by twelve in the 1min 41s. He eased off the last lap and even essayed a little wheelie over the line. He then went to the rostrum where he received his trophy from the King of Spain, Juan Carlos I. His Majesty gave all three winners their trophies and received a rapturous welcome from the crowd—he didn't stay in the VIP suites, he watched from the service road inside the track. It probably helps that he is a very keen motorcyclist.

His Majesty also did his best to resolve the entertaining Lorenzo-Pedrosa feud, the flames of which the Spanish press has been so gleefully fanning. Before they went out on the podium - Lorenzo finished third - Juan Carlos took his two subjects by the arm and brought their hands together. It was a nice gesture but it hasn't had any noticeable effect, especially on Dani.

His Majesty spent more time speaking with the man in second rather than his countrymen; he's obviously a Valentino Rossi fan as well. Rossi and his entourage reacted to his first rostrum on Bridgestone tyres as if they'd won the race. This is a track where Bridgestone didn't even get a rider on the rostrum last year, so there are reasons for the competition to be very afraid of what could happen soon. Certainly Rossi had no problems keeping Lorenzo behind him.

Nicky Hayden looked like he had a chance of third until he had the same near-crash and miracle save that Colin Edwards experienced at turn one on Saturday. After that, he settled for fourth. The fight for fifth provided the best entertainment, with Loris Capirossi getting it after a frantic last corner barging match with Toseland and Dovizioso.

World Champ Stoner's weekend went from bad to disastrous with two off-track excursions leaving him eleventh when fifth place was a distinct possibility. The first was a simple run on under hard braking which left Casey puzzled as that is usually a strong area for the Desmosedici, The second came as he went to outbrake Nakano and Vermeulen and had to take avoiding action when Nakano let his brakes off and put his bike across the Aussie's nose. Casey was not amused by that one.

No-one expects the Ducatis to have the same sort of problem anywhere else, this was the worst weekend Casey has had since he joined Ducati and he'll be back up the sharp end in Portugal and China. The questions now are can Pedrosa carry this momentum forward and can Rossi and his crew continue their remarkably steep learning curve? The most significant facts to emerge from this weekend may well be that Rossi was the top Yamaha and the fastest man in qualifying and the race on Bridgestone tyres.