Valentino Rossi claimed his third win in as many races at the Italian MotoGP to extend his lead in the world championship standings.

Rossi beat Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa to secure his seventh consecutive victory at Mugello, to the delight of the home fans.

Championship rival Jorge Lorenzo had a day to forget, crashing out midway through the race but escaping injury.

James Toseland finished sixth on his debut at the Mugello circuit.

Yamaha rider Rossi started from pole but was soon passed by Pedrosa, only for Stoner to take the lead at the end of the first lap.

Rossi bided his time before pouncing on the third lap, with a beautiful overtake on the inside at the downhill Casanova corner.

Once Rossi was out in front, he was never threatened and the main question was who would finish second out of defending champion Stoner and Pedrosa.

“What a weekend,” said Rossi. “Here in Mugello it’s always a great emotion, especially on the podium with all the crowd.

“But it’s a difficult weekend, very long. The work is not just on the track.

“I’m lucky because I have a lot of fans and I always try to give more here. This track is good for my riding style and the Yamaha.

“The last 10 laps were very difficult. It was very hot. I wanted to slow down but Casey had different ideas.

“I have very strong rivals so it is important for me to be at the top.”

Toseland was also happy with his day’s work.

“I couldn’t have done any more,” he said.

“I was really close to Shinya Nakano in the first corner and that picked me up and I lost quite a few places.

“I kept my calm because I knew it was a long race and I didn’t want to make the same mistake I did at Le Mans, where I crashed.

“I just had to settle down and I didn’t do anything stupid.”

Rossi has won every Grand Prix of the MotoGP era at Mugello at the circuit, and with team-mate Lorenzo failing to finish, he is now 12 points clear of second-placed Pedrosa in the championship standings, as he aims for a sixth elite class world title.

Rossi’s victory completed an Italian hat-trick with Marco Simoncelli having won the 250cc race and Simone Corsi coming home first in the 125cc race.

Filed under: Moto GP