Lorenzo racks up magnificent seventh win

Brno: Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo recorded his seventh MotoGp victory of the season on Sunday riding his Yamaha to glory in the Czech Grand Prix.

The 23-year-old, who in an unusual celebration got off his bike and walked on to a neighbouring golf course to take a putt which he needed two to hole, beat home compatriot and pole sitter Dani Pedrosa on a Honda while Australia`s former world champion Casey Stoner was third. "I couldn`t put the ball in the hole but at least I could win the race!" said Lorenzo, who equalled Australian legend Michael Doohan and Agostino`s record of finishing first or second in the first 10 races of the season. "It was a very difficult day as I had crashed in qualifying so my confidence was not so high. The wind made it difficult for the riders but for me its a fantastic win," beamed the Spaniard.Pedrosa confessed he had been unable to stick with Lorenzo as he consistently lapped faster times, but he saw a silver lining to the race result. "After crashing in the last race to be back on the podium is a happy moment for me," said the 24-year-old. Stoner, the 2007 world champion, said that he hadn`t fancied his chances of winning as the Ducati team had employed a new set-up for his bike on the morning of the race. "I had to wait a while to really get a proper rhythm in the race," said the 24-year-old. "I was maybe trying to push too hard but then everyone of the riders is riding so well at the moment it is a constant battle to compete at this level." Lorenzo took the lead from pole sitter Pedrosa on the first of the 22 laps as five riders battled for the top three in the opening exchanges including Stoner while nine-time champion Valentino Rossi was adrift in eighth.Italian Andrea Dovizioso was the first of the front five to crack as he came to grief in the middle of the track on the fourth lap and was extremely fortunate not to suffer a serious injury by being hit by one of the oncoming bikes. AFP