"Rossi brings home in Mugello"

Valentino Rossi escaped from the pack to claim his magnificent seventh consecutive home victory at Mugello in dominant style on Sunday, Italian Grand Prix.

Rossi, riding under brilliant sunshine and in front of almost 100000 fans on shore, was a bad start from pole position and was only fourth through the first sequence of corners, behind Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Loris Capirossi.

However, Dr. clinically worked his way forward from Capirossi and Suzuki in the opening round of the immediate closure of the slight difference to their title rivals.

Stoner's powerful Ducati Pedrosa won the best along the straight on lap 2 of 23, with Rossi passing The Repsol Honda rider again later in the third lap.

The Fiat Yamaha star then took the race lead from Stoner with a clever inside pass through a spin down and face painted at the top of Rossi Mugello special helmet never looked back.

At a track famous for its close slipstreaming battles, Rossi broke the head by two second half and seven times world champion went on to take his third victory in six 2008 starts the same margin away after making a copy the final stages.

Rossi celebrates his 91st Grand Prix victory of his fist pumping across the finish line before enduring one of its toughest tests in the afternoon, when he had to weave his way through the invasion of fans to the slowdown lap .

Perhaps surprisingly, there was no special celebration - although one could argue that none is needed in such emotionally charged environment, with all the Mugello finish line packed with fans for the moment the podium ceremony took place.

While travelling in the distance Rossi, Stoner and Pedrosa has disputed second during much of the race - before Pedrosa once again lost the rhythm away in the final stages. Ducati may have been denied a home victory in Mugello Rossi, once again, but a struggle against the second was for Stoner welcome reward after several rounds difficult.

Of the four winners of the 2008 race, and title contenders, the novice Jorge Lorenzo suffered most in Mugello. Rossi's Michelin-Shodan Fiat Yamaha team mate had a career-worst seventh on the grid, but it was up to sixth and the tail of the main group in a few turns of the Grand Prix. However, all counted for nothing when the Spanish lost the front and ran track on lap 7, so in his first DNF as a MotoGP rider.

In the absence of Lawrence, Sunday novice is a surprising leader Alex de Angelis, who produced a brilliant ride by the tenth to fourth. The Bridgestone-Shodan Honda Gresini rider had hinted at what was to come in the morning by the main heating and still applies pressure to Pedrosa in the final stages, San MARINES crossing the line just 1.5secs from the # 2 post implementation of a breakthrough.

Colin Edwards recovered from some slow opening laps to claim the fifth position, just ahead of Tech 3 Yamaha team-mate James Toseland. The double World Superbike champion fell in the eleventh at the end of a round, but quickly returned to his best as he carved his way through the impressive field to equal his career-best sixth in Qatar.

First row qualifier Capirossi always faced a tough challenge to hang with his head in his home debut and Suzuki - despite a strong early showing - never anti-Italian-faded from third to seventh, just ahead of Andrea Dovizioso clothes.

Joining Lawrence DNF on the list were Randy de Puniet, Marco Melandri and John Hopkins - Puniet was reduced from 13 to bad luck on lap 6, forcing a unluckier Melandri was in the process, while Hopkins made his first career error as a Kawasaki rider moments later.

Nicky Hayden was the struggle of Rossi in the fourth round of openness, but never fell backwards and, finally, after finishing a demoralizing 13 - one place ahead of nature card team-mate tady Okada, who took the pneumatic valve Honda to-14 in his career debut. Anthony West claimed the final point to finish 15 th and last Kawasaki.

In the world championship positions, Rossi will have an increase of 12 point lead over Dani Pedrosa at the home of Catalan Grand Prix next weekend, with countryman Lorenzo now 28 points at the top and Stoner in a further 18 points quarter turn.

Stoner podiums for Ducati.

"This makes for herself and is an opportunity for me to say 'thank you' for Ducati and all Ducatisti for their support" - Casey Stoner.

If there is one part of Casey Stoner's incredible 2007 season after he regretted not finishing on the podium for Ducati's home Italian Grand Prix.

But the young Australian made amends for 2008 to Sunday, when a trusted arrebató second - just behind Valentino Rossi, unbeaten in Mugello for seven seasons.

Although he could not stick with Rossi, Stoner pulled comfortably clear of Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda during the final stages of "an impressive career."

"I was disappointed not to be on the podium in my first race here for Ducati last season so this represents for him and is an opportunity for me to say 'thank you' for Ducati and all Ducatisti for their support," Casey said.

"We had some problems during the early races this season, but at Le Mans and here we have found a more comfortable set-up and a bicycle that is truly competitive. Today is an impressive career. He took me from the start but I did not want Pressing too hard because the front tire had a few laps to bed in.

"Valentino came past in a section of the circuit where I was losing a little too long - I was trying to do until the rest of the track, but pushes too in turn one, ran wide and lost touch with Valentino .

"We knew the establishment of the bicycle would be more appropriate for the final few laps and expected to be strong but, unfortunately, I dropped a little too far behind. Even so, second place is a great result and that gives us a real boost going to Catalonia, "he concluded.

"Congratulations to Casey for a fantastic race today and for his first podium in Mugello. It is an important result for him and for us," said Filippo Preziosi, director general of Ducati Corse. "We are really happy to see you again smiling and happy that he's rediscovered his feeling with the front, which has been lacking at times."

Stoner Mugello the podium was his third season and, while he remains fourth in the ranking, is now a reduction of 18 out of Jorge Lorenzo and Pedrosa 34.

However, Rossi third victory of the season means that the Italian has already thrown 46 points heading # 1 in round seven the next Sunday.