Capirossi's Brno bonanza

Capirossi enjoyed a rocket-charged start, firing his Ducati into the first corner well ahead of Rossi and Nicky Hayden, and building a lead of over two seconds within four laps. He continued to press on for a crushing victory.

Rossi and Pedrosa represent the present and the future of MotoGP racing and indulged in a breathtaking duel for second place, exchanging positions lap after lap before the Italian eventually pulled away.

The Spaniard reflected on a tough race, saying: "The battle was really hard. I think these guys have a lot of fight. I tried a lot of times to get past Hayden and Rossi and I think they closed the door too hard, I couldn't do anything. But that's racing and third is still good."

A six-way scrap for fourth went the way of Kenny Roberts Jr, while championship leader Hayden plummeted to a miserable ninth place.

The American's championship lead was trimmed to 25 points ahead of Pedrosa, with Rossi a further 13 points back and Capirossi lurking fifth in the standings.

Capirossi's win completed a remarkable turnout from the disappointment of Friday morning, when the Italian deemed his bike virtually unrideable due to terrible chatter.

However, the Ducati Marlboro team hit upon a magic formula, allowing Capirossi to produce a performance of absolute perfection. He knocked six tenths of a second off the lap record, recording a brilliant 1:58.157.

The race was also a major victory for Bridgestone, who reaped the rewards of extensive testing as they looked to hit back in their competition with Michelin, whose riders filled positions two to six.