MotoGP Race Reports

As well as MotoGP, there was an equally intense head-to-head in the 250cc Catalan Grand Prix and, unfortunately for the home crowd, fortune also swayed away from their local favourite.

Valentino Rossi has won an incident packed Italian Grand Prix; The Doctor emerging victorious from a six lap dash to the flag after the original thriller had been red flagged due to rain.

Sebasti?n Porto took his first win of the season and the second of his career in today's 250cc Italian Grand Prix, completing a near perfect weekend that saw him also claim pole position and the fastest lap of the race.

Roberto Locatelli took an emotional home victory in the 125cc Italian Grand Prix standing atop of the podium for the first time since his championship winning performance at Motegi in 2000.

Marco Simoncelli clinched his maiden Grand Prix victory in today's wet 125cc Spanish Grand Prix, a race that had been dominated by KTM's Casey Stoner.

It was the most anticipated race in modern motorcycling history and it didn't disappoint: Today at Welkom, Valentino Rossi won a fantastic season-opening Africa's Grand Prix after battling Max Biaggi from start to finish to end Honda's ten race win streak on his Yamaha debut.

Dani Pedrosa became the youngest ever winner of a 250cc race in his debut quarter-litre appearance this afternoon in South Africa, the youngster winning a thrilling tussle with Randy De Puniet that was decided only at the final turn.

Valentino Rossi finished the 2003 season exactly as it began it - with victory.

Valentino Rossi has won today's Australian Grand Prix despite being given a 10secs penalty early in the race, the Italian being made aware of his punishment and charging hard to beat Loris Capirossi by 15secs at the finish - in a race full of passing, accidents, incidents, weather fears and tyre-

Toni Elias dominated today's 250cc Japanese Grand Prix, leading by the end of lap one and then controlling the race at will to take his fourth win of the 2003 season.

Pablo Nieto, son of superstitious '12+1' former world champion Angel Nieto, finally won his first ever 125cc Grand Prix today in thrilling style at a restarted Portuguese Grand Prix.

Valentino Rossi rode arguable the race of his life in Brno today, taking revenge on Sete Gibernau by overtaking the Catalan on the final lap - after 22-laps of non-stop MotoGP heaven - and clinging on by just 0.04secs as the pair raced side-by-side to the chequered flag.

Sete Gibernau started today's rain delayed Dutch TT as he would go on - launching from his second row start and diving underneath both Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi to take the lead through the fast kink that is turn one.

Loris Capirossi took Ducati's first ever MotoGP victory today in a nail biting Catalan Grand Prix, which came to life when the tyres of then leaders Rossi, Capirossi, Biaggi and Gibernau began to slide in the scorching heat.

It was the race the capacity Mugello crowd came from all over Italy to see - their heroes Valentino Rossi, Loris Capirossi and Max Biaggi battling relentlessly for 23 laps around the stunning 5.2km circuit for the honour of a home victory.

Valentino Rossi took a dominating victory in today's Spanish Grand Prix, surviving some early race mayhem to carve through the field from as low as eighth to eventually ease away from nearest rival Max Biaggi, while WSBK star Troy Bayliss took his first ever GP podium.

Sete Gibernau rode a faultless race at South Africa today, passing early leader Troy Bayliss and holding off Valentino Rossi in a fabulous final five lap showdown, that resulted in the Spaniard taking his second ever premier class victory, and a perfect tribute to his late team-mate Daijiro Kato.

Marco Melandri finally wrapped up the 250cc World Championship today at Phillip Island to become the youngest ever quarter litre champion, but it was far from easy for the Italian who clinched the crown by just 0.007secs after 23 hard laps.

Alex Barros produced a stunning ride on his RCV debut to defeat World Champion Valentino Rossi by 1.6secs in a straight all-out fight, on equal machinery, that went right to the flag in today's Pacific Grand Prix.

Valentino Rossi claimed victory in today's incident packed Rio Grand Prix - and with it the 2002 MotoGP World Championship, after nearest rival Tohru Ukawa crashed out on a day when Carlos Checa looked to have completed a fantastic last to first recovery - only for disaster to strike as soon as h

Sebastian Porto had what could only be described as a perfect Rio Grand Prix - dominating from start to finish on his underpowered Yamaha despite tricky wet-dry conditions to take his debut Grand Prix victory after 104 starts.

Long time race leader Sete Gibernau came agonisingly close to claiming his - and Suzuki's - first MotoGP victory today in atrocious conditions at Estoril.

Valentino Rossi will go down in history as the last rider to win a 500cc GP after a thrilling two part Rio Grand Prix, which saw the race stopped due to rain after four laps, before the remaining 20 were run.

Valentino Rossi has completed his trilogy of world titles by clinching the 500cc crown in fantastic fashion at Phillip Island today, when he took victory by just 0.013secs over Max Biaggi in the Australian Grand Prix.