BARCELONA (Reuters) - Local favourite Dani Pedrosa streaked away to win the Catalan Moto GP on Sunday for his second victory of the season.

The 22-year-old Honda rider got off to a flying start as he passed pole-position holder and world champion Casey Stoner before the first bend. He set a circuit record on the second lap and never looked back.

"It has been a difficult weekend but I started very quickly and was delighted with the race," Pedrosa told Spanish state television.

"I have won here at 125 and 250cc categories, and now I have won at MotoGP so am particularly pleased."

Yamaha's Valentino Rossi fought back from ninth on the grid to hold an entertaining duel with Ducati's Stoner for second place.

The Australian, who won at the Circuit de Catalunya last year, had the edge until Rossi passed him with two laps to go.

Italian Andrea Dovizioso, American Colin Edwards and Britain's James Toseland came in fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

Rossi, with 142 points from seven races, continues to lead the standings but saw his lead cut to seven points by Pedrosa.

Spain's Jorge Lorenzo remains third with 94 despite not competing after a crash in practice on Friday. Stoner is two points further back in fourth.

BAUTISTA MISTAKE

Earlier, a mistake from Spaniard Alvaro Bautista on the final lap of the 250cc race allowed Italian Marco Simoncelli, who was tight on his rear wheel, to nip through and claim his second consecutive victory this season.

Spaniards Hector Barbera and Alex Debon were a distant third and fourth.

Gilera's Simoncelli moved up to second in the standings, just three points short of championship leader Finn Mika Kallio who had to drop out with mechanical problems near the end of the race.

Italy's Mattia Pasini dropped down to third, eight points behind Kallio, after finishing sixth.

Frenchman Mike De Meglio won the 125cc category on a Derbi, just ahead of Spanish teenager Pol Espargaro and Hungarian world champion Gabor Talmacsi.

De Meglio moved 14 points clear of Simone Corsi at the top of the championship with his second victory of the season as two of his closest rivals, Nicolas Terol and Joan Olive, fell in the closing stages. Italy's Corsi finished fifth.

MONTREAL (Reuters) - Poland's Robert Kubica took his and BMW Sauber's first grand prix victory in Canada on Sunday to wrest the Formula One championship lead from McLaren's Lewis Hamilton on a miserable afternoon for the Briton.

Hamilton, who enjoyed his breakthrough win on the same course last year, inexplicably drove into the back of Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari in a pit-lane collision that put the top two drivers out of the race.

In their absence, Kubica seized his chance.

He took the lead on lap 43 when Toyota's Timo Glock pitted and took the chequered flag ahead of German team mate Nick Heidfeld in a momentous one-two finish for the Swiss-based team.

"Fantastic race, fantastic for the team, for me and for my country and for the fans who I thank for cheering for me here in Canada," said Kubica after the Polish anthem had been played for the first time at a Formula One race.

The win capped an amazing turnaround for the 23-year-old Kubica, the first Pole to race in Formula One, after surviving a horrific crash in last year's race on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Scot David Coulthard, the oldest driver in the race at 37, rolled back the years to finish third for Red Bull ahead of Glock with Ferrari's Felipe Massa fifth.

"I would never have expected a podium this weekend - I've had a horrible start to the year," commented Coulthard after scoring his first points of the season.

Kubica has 42 points with Hamilton and Massa both on 38 after seven races.

HAMILTON APOLOGY

While Kubica enjoyed the champagne moment, the race will be remembered as much for the pit lane pile-up which left Hamilton apologising to his closest rival.

With the safety car deployed, Raikkonen had stopped at the red light at the end of the pit lane on lap 20 with Kubica also waiting alongside. Hamilton then rammed into the back of the Finn's car.

Williams' Nico Rosberg shunted the rear of Hamilton's McLaren but the German was able to continue the race after stopping for a new front wing.

"It's not exactly a racing incident as such but I think it's really unfortunate. It was one of those things I guess," said Hamilton, who had gone into the race with a three point lead over Raikkonen.

After claiming pole position on Saturday, the Briton was hot favourite to repeat last year's victory and was leading comfortably before the safety car came out on the 18th lap.

"It's a lot different if you crash into the wall and you are angry with yourself. It's not like that. I apologise to Kimi if I've ruined his race but that sort of thing happens," said Hamilton.

"I would just rather that neither of us was out," he added. "We were so quick, I was breezing it. But next time."

Heidfeld led before a list of drivers, including Honda's Rubens Barrichello, Coulthard and Toyota's Jarno Trulli, to lead before their pit stops.

Trulli finished sixth, with Brazilian Rubens Barrichello seventh for Honda and Germany's Sebastian Vettel taking the final point for Toro Rosso.

Eurosport - Sun, 25 May 16:44:00 2008

Britain's Lewis Hamilton battled to a masterful Monaco Grand Prix victory despite hitting the barriers on an afternoon of mayhem in the rain.
Hamilton reignited the scrap for this year's drivers' world championship with a memorable drive for McLaren in a race of treacherous wet and dry conditions.

For the 23-year-old Englishman his first win on the famous Mediterranean street circuit was a dream result in his favourite race.

Hamilton came home three seconds clear of his friend Pole Robert Kubica in a BMW Sauber with Brazilian Felipe Massa third for Ferrari after starting from pole position.

This was the Briton's second win of the season and the sixth of his career.

Australian Mark Webber in a Red Bull was fourth.

Ferrari's defending drivers world champion Kimi Raikkonen of Finland endured a wild race of accidents and incidents and finished ninth, failing to score a point.

This all left Hamilton on top of the title race again for the first time since the season opening race in Australia.

He has 38 points now with Raikkonen on 35 second and Massa third on 34.

Hamilton made a dazzling start and found a way past Raikkonen going into the first corner Ste Devote on the inside to take second behind Massa.

As rain began to fall steadily, and with Hamilton's teammate Heikki Kovalainen starting from the back of the grid following a pre-race stall, the contest turned into a circus of chaos.

There were incidents and accidents with double world champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso involved twice in collisions and Hamilton himself smashing into the barriers on lap six at Tabac.

His rear right tyre was left hanging as he returned to the pits.

David Coulthard had climbed from 15th to the top ten by now but the rain played havoc with the race for several minutes as Alonso, followed by Coulthard and Sebastian Bourdais crashed off into the barriers at Massenet.

Then Raikkonen was given a 'drive-through' penalty because Ferrari had failed to fit his car's tyres properly more than three minutes before the start of the race.

After he had performed his punishment, the running order at the top was Massa followed by Kubica and then Hamilton who had pitted and recovered.

On lap 16, as the field grappled with the wet slippery conditions, Massa spun off and recovered his car at Ste Devote, gifting Kubica the lead in his BMW-Sauber.

The Pole stayed there until he had to pit and that put Massa back in front until he pitted after 32 laps.

Hamilton then took over and opened up a commanding advantage.

He was 16.2 seconds ahead after 38 laps and 25 seconds ahead of the Brazilian by lap 44.

As the track dried out the field settled down with Hamilton inspired by leading. He was 36.7 seconds clear of Massa by lap 52 with the Ferrari driver in turn just half a second ahead of Kubica in third.

Amazingly, the German driver Adrian Sutil, who revels in the special conditions of Monaco, was fourth for Force India at this stage.

It was clear Hamilton was in command providing the weather did not intervene again and his lead was so luxurious he could pit after 53 laps and stay out in front when Massa followed suit three laps later.

Massa's second stop also cost him a position as he was passed 'in the pits' by Kubica.

With 17 laps remaining, Nico Rosberg caused the second Safety Car intervention when he lost control in the swimming pool complex and wrecked his car in a massive accident.

By now, following their pit-stops, the leading drivers have switched from their wet weather tyres to dry tyres and the track had dried considerably - and the Safety Car break meant, also, that Hamilton's big lead was cut back.

When racing resumed, Hamilton raced clear but on lap 68 Raikkonen made a major mistake and lost control of his car as he came out of the tunnel and ran into the back of Sutil.

Both drivers had to pit for repairs, but it was costly for the German as he was forced to retire while the champion rejoined in ninth place.

German Sebastian Vettel picked up points in fifth for Toro Rosso and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello came in sixth for Honda.

Japanese Kazuki Nakajima was seventh for Williams and Kovalainen eighth in the second McLaren after starting from the pit lane.

Eurosport - Sun, 18 May 16:57:00 2008

Britain's Bradley Smith claimed a career-best second-placed finish in a rain-affected 125cc French GP at Le Mans as home rider Mike Di Meglio took the chequered flag.

Di Meglio now leads Spain's Nicolas Terol - who finished third - in the championship by eight points, while Smith jumps from 14th to eighth.
Polaris World Aprilia rider Smith endured a topsy-turvy race, which had to be halted after 15 of the 24 laps because of rain. That proved to be a blessing in disguise for the young prodigy after he became embroiled in an incident at the first corner and dropped from second on the grid to 19th.

Bancaja Aspar Aprilia man Sergio Gadea retained his position at the front of the pack at the start while Esteve Rabat moved from ninth to third behind Stefan Bradl and Nicolas Terol also made a jump, to fourth from seventh.

Reigning 125cc world champion and Gadea's team-mate Gabor Talmacsi wasted little time in working his way through the field from eighth on the first two laps, emerging into second. Smith also made up ground, surging to 16th while his compatriot Scott Redding took ninth.

Jack and Jones Aprilia rider Terol went past both Talmacsi and Gadea to lead the grand prix while Redding, overtaken by Tomoyoshi Koyama, collided with Marc Marquez, forcing both into the gravel and out of the race.

Terol fell back to third on the seventh lap as Smith improved to 10th, behind Joan Olive and Spaniard Pol Espargaro, the latter of whom began to set the fastest laps in the entire field to make life difficult for him.

Bradl continued the trend for changing leaders as the rain began to spit by passing each of the front three with relative ease, only for Terol to snatch the lead soon after.

Even that did not last, with Olive coming from nowhere to take the front - and on the next lap, nine from the end, the heavens opened and the red flag came out.

The race was restarted with teams reverting to their wet tyres and only needing to complete five laps. Smith capitalised from his position at the front of the third row - the order determined by that at the end of the previous lap - to go fourth while Rabat, who had been lurking behind the frontrunners, crashed his KTM.

Olive had a problem on the grid and had to work to get the bike going, dropping off the radar. Behind new leader Talmacsi was Terol as Smith went third briefly before Espargaro snatched it back.

With three laps left Smith made a move on those ahead of him before finding himself leading the grand prix as Hungarian Talmacsi skidded out. It did not last, Di Meglio shooting through from even further back to take it from him.

Smith moved aside as the Frenchman challenged, desperate not to crash out too, and was rewarded with the top finish of his fledgling career. Olive came in eighth.

Spain's Alex Debon coasted to victory in the 250s from Italian Marco Simoncelli, who led a late attack on compatriot Mattia Pasini to snatch second.

Finn Mika Kallio finished fifth behind Japanese Yuki Takahashi and still leads the overall championship, by 16 points from Pasini with Debon and Takahashi 18 points further back.

Sunday, 18 May 2008

In his 112th World Championship race, Alex Debon finally achieved his maiden victory in Le Mans.

A last-minute tyre gamble paid dividends for Alex Debon in Le Mans, as the Lotus Aprilia rider took his first World Championship victory in an inspired performance.

With the French track still wet from the deluge experienced during the 125cc race, poleman Debon elected to run a full slick on his factory Aprilia machine. As the sun dried out the race, the Spaniard racked up circuit record after circuit record to take a huge lead, one that he maintained until crossing the chequered flag.

After 112 races, the popular veteran could finally step onto the top step of the podium. The remaining rostrum places were more closely contested, with Metis Gilera´s Marco Simoncelli once again pulling an aggressive final lap move. He took second, with the recipient of the manoeuvre Mattia Pasini completing the rostrum onboard his Polaris World Aprilia.

Unlucky to finish outside the top three, after leading the charge to catch up with Debon, JiR Team Scot´s Yuki Takahashi took fourth place. Mika Kallio held onto his World Championship lead with fifth, despite nearest rival Pasini´s podium finish.

The top ten was completed by Manuel Poggiali, Hiroshi Aoyama, Julian Simon, Aleix Espargaro and Hector Faubel.

Eurosport - Sun, 18 May 16:16:00 2008

Valentino Rossi fought from fourth on the grid to win the French MotoGP at Le Mans by almost five seconds from Fiat Yamaha team-mate and rookie sensation Jorge Lorenzo, who began in fifth.

Briton James Toseland of Yamaha Tech 3 retired only two laps in while his team-mate Colin Edwards took third.

The finish means that Italian Rossi takes over at the top of the riders' standings with 97 points, while Spaniards Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa - who finished fourth after a battle with American Edwards - are level on 94.

Reigning world champion Casey Stoner was fifth after holding a podium position for several laps and is fourth overall, a massive 38 points further back.

Stoner led the grand prix after an electric start put him ahead of pole sitter Pedrosa, with Edwards ahead of Rossi and 2006 champion Nicky Hayden.

Toseland settled into sixth position after the first lap and he set his mind to taking on Hayden, whose woes were to continue with a final placing of ninth. However he collided with Andrea Dovizioso and took a trip into the gravel and out of the race.

Lorenzo, who can barely walk after his recent crashes in China and twice in practice this weekend, had dropped out of the top eight after a slow start. And Rossi immediately set out his intentions by shooting into second position.

Rossi went one better on lap five by taking on Stoner with success as Pedrosa too tried to move past the Australian, but was thwarted.

Lorenzo moved up to sixth by lap 10 as Pedrosa went past Stoner. Two laps further on Edwards, lurking with intent just ahead of Chris Vermeulen, briefly left the Ducati Marlboro man behind him only to lose his racing line coming out of the corner and drop back again.

Hayden ran wide and effectively nullified his potential challenge for major points while Lorenzo took fifth and rain began to spit after a sunny start.

The weather did not develop into a race-threatening situation and Rossi gradually built his lead. Lorenzo continued his ascent into the top three by lap 19.

Stoner followed John Hopkins, forced to retire from a points position when his chain flew off, out of the GP with a mechanical problem when only eight laps remained.

There was no stopping Lorenzo as he went second and built a gap of his own to take a comfortable runners-up spot while carving five seconds from Rossi's almost 10-second lead beforehand.

Repsol Honda man Pedrosa tried to win a podium spot from Edwards but did not have enough to go past him before the 28th and final lap.

Rossi's victory meant that he equalled the 90 in all classes of MotoGP legend Angel Nieto. He is a long way behind Giacomo Agostini's total of 122.

Eurosport - Sun, 04 May 07:24:00 2008

Finland's Mika Kallio extended his 250cc championship lead to 21 points with a commanding victory in difficult conditions in Shanghai.

The KTM man mastered a drying track to claim victory ahead of Hiroshi Aoyama and Mattia Pasini, his closest rival in the championship race.

Leader Alvaro Bautista slid off while leading before remounting to finish 13th, one place ahead of Northern Irish contender Eugene Laverty.

There was heartbreak for Japan's Yukio Takahashi, who looked set to claim a well-deserved podium finish before suffering a mechanical problem two corners from home and limping in seventh.

Marco Simoncelli guided his Gilera to fourth place ahead of Alex Debon and Hector Barbera, whose tyres faded badly after the Spaniard had contended for the lead early on.