Rossi Moves Closer to MotoGP Title

Valentino Rossi romped to his fifth victory of 2009 MotoGP season in Czech MotoGP race to move a step closer to a sixth FIM MotoGP World Championship. Rossi increased his championship lead to 50 points in Brno.

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




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

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Valentino Rossi Takes Pole Position on Czech MotoGP

MotoGP News: Valentino Rossi survived a late crash during qualifying at the Cardion ab Czech Republic Grand Prix to take his fifth pole position of the 2009 season, in clear and sunny conditions at the undulating Brno track. At one of his favorite venues on the calendar Rossi took his Yamaha M1 bike round the circuit in 1'56.145 on the 21st of his 23 laps after a battle for supremacy with his team-mate and closest World Championship rival Jorge Lorenzo - who trails him by 25 points in the standings and was 0.05s behind Rossi this session.

Lorenzo looked good throughout the weekend and will be confident of pushing Rossi hard in Sunday's MotoGP race. Perhaps the Spaniard will take heart from Rossi's late crash as he seeks to keep the pressure on from the other side of the Fiat Yamaha pit-box.

In the absence of Ducati's Casey Stoner, who is on sick leave for three rounds, Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa could be the biggest threat to Rossi and Lorenzo, with the talented rider having qualified in third place, just under four tenths down on Rossi.

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