Valentino Rossi of Italy won the French Grand Prix on Sunday for his 90th victory in all classes, tying Angel Nieto for second place on the all-time list and moving into the Moto GP overall lead.
“To tie Nieto is like a dream,” said Rossi, who also won the Shanghai GP two weeks ago. “I didn’t expect to be so fast, but we made some modifications after the warm-up and the bike worked well.
Starting from the second row on the grid, Rossi exchanged daring passes with defending overall champion Casey Stoner of Australia on the sixth lap before taking the lead.
Rossi quickly escaped the pack, while Dani Pedrosa accelerated past Stoner on the 10th lap.
The Australian rider retired on the 20th lap because of a mechanical problem.
Jorge Lorenzo staged an impressive comeback, despite two injured ankles and crashes on Friday and Saturday, to overtake Edwards on the 19th lap and Pedrosa on the next lap to finish second.
Colin Edwards of the United States finished third.
Rossi leads with 97 points after five rounds. Pedrosa and Lorenzo are next with 94.
FRENCH GRAND PRIX RESULTS
LE MANS, France (AP) - Results Sunday from the French Grand Prix at the 4.185-kilometer (2.597-mile) Bugatti circuit (with rider, country, motorcycle and time):
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Moto GP
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1. Valentino Rossi, Italy, Yamaha, 44 minutes, 30.799 seconds.
2. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain, Yamaha, 44:35.796.
3. Colin Edwards, United States, Yamaha, 44:37.604.
4. Dani Pedrosa, Spain, Honda, 44:40.956.
5. Chris Vermeulen, Australia, Suzuki, 44:52.561.
6. Andre Dovizioso, Italy, Honda, 44:53.194.
7. Loris Capirossi, Italy, Suzuki, 44:58.605.
8. Nicky Hayden, United States, Honda, 44:58.794.
9. Randy De Puniet, France, Honda, 45:00.143.
10. Shinya Nakano, Japan, Honda, 45:01.621.
Overall Standings (after 5 of 15 races):
1. Valentino Rossi, Italy, 97 points.
2. Dani Pedrosa, Spain, 94.
2. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain, 94.
4. Casey Stoner, Australia, 56.
5. Colin Edwards, United States, 47.
6. Loris Capirossi, Italy, 42.
7. Nicky Hayden, United States, 37.
8. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy, 36.
9. James Toseland, Britain, 33.
10. Shinya Nakano, Japan, 28.
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250cc
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1. Alex Debon, Spain, Lotus Aprilia, 47 minutes, 27.406 seconds.
2. Marco Simoncelli, Italy, Gilera, 47:32.222.
3. Mattia Pasini, Italy, Aprilia, 47:32.404.
4. Yuki Takahashi, Japan, Honda, 47:33.176.
5. Mika Kallio, Finland, KTM, 47:33.603.
6. Manuel Poggiali, San Marino, Aprilia, 47:33.880.
7. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan, KTM, 47:42.315.
8. Julian Simon, Spain, Repsol KTM, 47:44.932.
9. Aleix Espargo, Spain, Aprilia, 48:00.331.
10. Hector Faubel, Spain, Aprilia, 48:04.125.
Overall Standings (after 5 of 14 races):
1. Mika Kallio, Finland, 93 points.
2. Mattia Pasini, Italy, 77.
3. Alex Debon, Spain, 59.
3. Yuki Takahashi, Japan, 59.
5. Hector Barbera, Spain, 53.
5. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan, 53.
5. Marco Simoncelli, Italy, 53.
8. Alvaro Bautista, Spain, 41.
9. Aleix Espargaro, Spain, 33.
10. Julian Simon, Spain, 31.
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125cc
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1. Mike De Meglio, France, Derbi, 8 minutes, 10.046 seconds.
2. Bradley Smith, Britain, Aprilia, 8:10.711.
3. Nicolas Terol, Spain, Aprilia, 8:11.449.
4. Pol Espargo, Spain, Derbi, 8:16.358.
5. Andrea Iannone, Italy, Aprilia, 8:19.064.
6. Stefan Bradl, Germany, Aprilia, 8:19.930.
7. Joan Olive, Spain, Derbi, 8:21.736.
8. Lorenzo Zanetti, Italy, KTM, 8:22.601.
9. Raffaele de Rosa, Italy, KTM, 8:25.485.
10. Sandro Cortese, Germany, Aprilia, 8:28.044.
Overall Standings (after 5 of 14 races)
1. Mike Di Meglio, France, 74 points.
2. Nicolas Terol, Spain, 66.
3. Simone Corsi, Italy, 61.
4. Joan Olive, Spain, 59.
5. Stefan Bradl, Germany, 58.
6. Andrea Iannone, Italy, 43.
7. Pol Espargaro, Spain, 39.
8. Bradley Smith, Britain, 36.
9. Sergio Gadea, Spain, 32.
10. Gabor Talmacsi, Hungary, 30.
