Rossi wins

But he had to work for it as the other title contenders wanted their say in the result too. Loris Capirossi in particular kept the reigning World Champion very honest and fought him for the win until the very last corner.

The final five laps contained a change of the lead between the two Italians on almost every turn. But as they entered the final bend on the last lap both ran wide with Rossi recovering quicker to take the full 25 points.

Also on the podium was the injured Dani Pedrosa. Following his high speed crash in Friday's second practice, where he suffered a huge gash to his knee, many people thought the rookie wouldn't race let alone secure more points for his Championship challenge.

The result means that the championship is now even closer, with the top three of Hayden, Pedrosa and Rossi separated by only 26 points with only 4 races to go.