Bridgestone motorsport wrap for 5th May
Rossi rides to victory on Bridgestone in China
Valentino Rossi is back on the winner's list with a faultless victory in the China MotoGP in Shanghai.
The Italian had a great battle with Dani Pedrosa on a damp track, with Rossi eventually outpacing the Spaniard over the last few laps to take the win.
It was the Yamaha rider's first victory in eight races and lifted him to third in the title race. The 62nd race win of his career was also his first on Bridgestone tyres
"I'm very, very happy. It's been a long time without victory," said Rossi, who last won in Portugal last season.
"I felt confident with my bike from the first lap. The start was not so bad and after I went in front I kept my rhythm. It was a great battle with Dani."
Pedrosa's second place earned him the outright lead in the championship with Australia's Casey Stoner finishing third.
Perhaps the best story of the day belonged to the man who finished fourth. Jorge Lorenzo - teammate of Rossi - had a huge crash in Friday's practice session, leaving him with a chipped left ankle bone. Despite this, he managed to hold on for fourth place and second in the title standings.
While the race was a success for Bridgestone, there were also encouraging signs in qualifying. For the first time in 2008, there were two Bridgestone-shod bikes on the front row of the grid and three Bridgestone teams inside the top six.
"We brought new rear construction qualifying tyres for this race, based on encouraging performances in recent post-race tests, and we were able to see some good improvements compared to qualifying in the first three races of the season," said Tohru Ubukata, Bridgestone Motorsport's Manager of Motorcycle Race Tyre Development.
"Although we were not able to get pole, we have reduced the gap and have three riders in the top six, which is encouraging."
The teams now return to Europe for round five of the 18-race championship at Le Mans in France on May 18.
MotoGP championship standings
1. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 81
2. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha 74
3. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha 72
4. Casey Stoner (Australia) Ducati 56
5. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Suzuki 33
6. James Toseland (Britain) Yamaha 33