Reigning six time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi has taken his fir൲st win of the 2009 season - and the 98th of his career - with a come-from-behind victory in front of over 123,000 fans in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez.

The Italian, s♍econd at the first two rounds of the season, held his fourth on the grid during the opening corners - whilst home hero Dani Pedrosa stormed into an early lead ahead of Casey Stoner and pole sitter Jorge Lorenzo.

Rossi - who appear⭕ed deflated after qualifying 0.7sec off pole - snatched third place from Lorenzo on lap two, then made a second pass on Stoner stick to claim the runꦕner-up spot from the Ducati rider on lap seven of 27.

By that point Pedrosa's Repsol Honda was 1.4sec ahead of the #46 Fiat Yamaha, and Pedrosa - winner of last year's race - initially matched The Doctor lap-for-lap, before Rossi s🌄urged up to the Spaniard's rear wheel with elevenꩵ laps to go.

Rossi made his victory pass with a repeat of his Lorenzo move, diving inside at the Nieto corner that leads into the stadium section. The 30-year-old quickly put a safe amount of space between himself and Pedrosa on hi𒁃s way to a 2.7sec victo𝓀ry and the 2009 title lead by eleven points over Stoner.

Rossi celebrated by repeating his classic 'portaloo' celebrat♉ion from the 1999 Spanish 250GP, whilst the trackside fireworks began exploding.

Pedrosa was able to maintain second position and therefore continue his remarkable reco𝓡rd of never finishing lower than second at a Jerez MotoGP race, while Stoner faced a late race attack from Lorenzo.

The Spaniard, whose Motegi victory last weekend had given him the world championship lead, was strangely off pace for the first half of the race - and almo𒊎st seven seconds behind Pedrosa by the midway stage.

However the Spaniard, 22 𒆙years old on Monday, found form thereafter, closing to within less than one second of third place Stoner with four laps to go - when he lost the front of his M1 and dramatically lowsided into the gravel.

The #99 remounted but his battered machine had no right foot p🦋eg and he was forced to cruise back to the pit garage and a bitter DNF. Lorenzo is now equal third with Pedrosa in the world championship, 24 p꧟oints behind Rossi.

Lorenzo's exit left Stoner to claim his first ever Jerez podium, at his and Ducati's toughesꦓt track, while Randy de Puniet rode a faultless race to claim an excellent fourth for the satelitte LCR Honda team.

Also celebrating was Marco Melandri, who matched Kawasaki's best MotoGP finish 🍨of 🍸last season in only his third race on the unofficial Hayate-run ZX-RR.

The Italian, riding in his 100th MotoGP event, battled countryman ♛Loris Capirossi and American Colin Edwards for much of the race, getting the better of Capirossꦺi's Suzuki by one second with Edwards less than half a second further back for Monster Yamaha Tech 3.

Andrea Dovizioso too༺k eighth place despite running off track on lap eight and rejoining in 16th place, while Toni Elias (Gresini Honda) and Chris Veᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚrmeulen (Rizla Suzuki) completed the top ten.

Sete Gibernau's Jerez return netted eleventh for Francisco He💦rnando Ducati, while Yuki Takahashi helped erase his Motegi mistake by being the top rookie in twelfth position for Scot Honda.

James Toseland was a disappointing 13th for Tech 3, a fraction in front of Gresini's Alex de Angelis. Stoner's team-mate Nicky Hayden faired ꦗeven worse - finishing the race over one minute behin🥃d Rossi and ahead of only Pramac rookie Niccolo Canepa.

Canepa's team-🅘mate Mika Kallio retired with technical problems.

🐼The French Grand Prix at Le Mans takesജ place on May 17.

Spanish Grand Prix:

1. Rossi
2. Pedrosa
3. Stoner
4. de Puniet
5. Melandri
6. Capirossi
7. Edwards
8. Dovizioso
9. Elias
10. Vermeulen
11. Gibernau
12. Takahashi
13. Toseland
14. de Angelis
15. Hayden
16. Canepa