[Cakes206]

Valentino Rossi inched closer to another new MotoGP crown as he scored an impressive victory in this afternoon’s Gauloises Ceske Republiky Grand Prix. Having now boosted his points tally to 261 points, he can hope to clinch the title in the next round at Motegi.

The Italian had a tough race against arch-rival Sete Gibernau. The Movistar Honda rider, who started from pole position, took the lead after an intense fight against the World Champion in the opening laps of the race. Rossi regained the lead by mid-race, but the Spaniard counter-attacked with five laps to go although it always appeared that the final result would be decided in the last couple of laps. Rossi made his move on the penultimate lap and quickly escaped, while Gibernau suffered a mechanical breakdown halfway through the last lap.

As a result, Loris Capirossi inherited the second position; the Ducati rider made a strong comeback after a mediocre start from the front row. A gritty performance from Max Biaggi saw the Roman Emperor clinch third position, a result which allows him to move up to second overall, 132 points adrift of Rossi.

Brazilian veteran Alex Barros took fourth ahead of Nicky Hayden and Marco Melandri. Rossi’s Gauloises Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards took the chequered flag in seventh, followed by Carlos Checa and Troy Bayliss, while Makoto Tamada completed the top 10.