Eurosport - Sun, 13 Apr 17:56:00 2008

Rookie Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo won the Portuguese GP at Estoril from Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa. It was a maiden victory for the 20-year-old whose team-mate Valentino Rossi was third.

Briton James Toseland finished down in seventh as Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden crashed out ahead of him.

Toseland's Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Colin Edwards took fourth spot from John Hopkins on the Kawasaki, while reigning world champion Casey Stoner fought back from early problems to finish sixth.

Lorenzo had taken three pole positions in the opening three races of the season, yet finished second and third in each respectively.

However the Spaniard, the youngest rider in the entire field, looked comfortable after exchanging the lead with Rossi in the opening laps.

Dovizioso looked determined to show what he could do by rising immediately to fourth, from seventh on the grid, while Rossi went to the head of the field.

Stoner had problems and dropped to 10th when Toseland passed him after six laps and soon after Randy de Puniet helped himself to another place at the Australian's expense.

With Edwards fifth behind Dozizioso, Pedrosa put a move on Lorenzo to go second - only for the rookie to reverse their position on the next lap.

He did not stop there, next taking on Rossi. He did not surrender the lead again for the remaining 16 laps.

Dozizioso went off with 13 laps left, followed two laps later by Hayden - which put Toseland sixth.

Stoner had worked his way through the field and passed the Sheffield native, who immediately stuck himself back on Stoner's wheel. He did not get a chance to pass him though and lost pace, allowing De Puniet to pass him too.

However then De Puniet leaned over too far and crashed, recovering to trail in 15th for a solitary championship point.

The gaps between the front three had widened steadily and Stoner had little chance of catching Hopkins either.

Lorenzo coasted home for a tremendous victory, signalling his championship credentials with Pedrosa and Rossi completing the podium.