Pedrosa takes win and World Championship with textbook performance

Dani Pedrosa scored his first win and podium since the GP of the Czech Republic this morning to become the second youngest World Champion the sport has seen.

The Spaniard finally lifted the 125cc crown after a season-long campaign of consistency that saw him only finish outside of the top six on two occasions (and one DNF). His fifth victory of 2003 was achieved in dominant fashion as he grabbed the lead going into the first corner and broke away from the pack by the end of the first lap with a three second advantage by the next few circulations.

The teenager, riding the factory Honda, was a solitary figure at the front and knew he only had to keep the machine upright upon receiving the signal after three laps that his only serious title rival Stefano Perugini had been forced to retire with mechanical problems.

The 125cc ‘rider train' behind the Champion-elect provided the excitement with pole position holder Jorge Lorenzo, Thomas Luthi, Mika Kallio and Masao Azuma swapping positions with regularity. Kallio finally gave the KTM its first ever podium result and mounted the second step next to the new number one. Lorenzo gained his second top three result of the season in third and rounded off a rostrum of three different manufacturers. Luthi headed Azuma in fourth with Alex De Angelis, Mirko Giansanti, Motegi winner Hector Barbera, Pablo Nieto and Roberto Locatelli completing the top ten.

Casey Stoner was one of the fastest riders in the race but two mistakes proved costly. The first error saw him drop from second to sixth after out-braking himself. The Australian fought back to third setting two quickest laptimes in the process but then his next miscalculation was more final as he highsided out of the GP with six laps remaining. His team-mate Lucio Cecchinello was another faller.

Pedrosa is now uncatchable with a 64 point lead and only two races remaining.