Spain's Dani Pedrosa ran away with the British GP yesterday to pile pressure on MotoGP championship leader Nicky Hayden.

American Hayden, Pedrosa's Honda team-mate and winner of a dramatic Dutch TT the week before, saw his lead slashed to 26 points from 42 after finishing a disappointing seventh at Donington Park.

Pedrosa took the chequered flag 3.864 seconds ahead of world champion Valentino Rossi, a brilliant performance by the Italian who started from 12th place and raced with the pain of a fractured hand.

Italian Marco Melandri, back in the thick of the action only two weeks after he was flown to hospital following a spectacular multiple rider pile-up at the first corner in Barcelona, completed the podium.

Hayden has 153 points with Pedrosa's second victory in the top category lifting the 20-year-old MotoGP rookie to 127. Yamaha's Rossi is third on 118.

Rossi was pretty pleased after fighting through the pack to the delight of a crowd chanting his name.

"It was a great race. For the people, and also for me, it is like a victory," he said.

"It was a difficult week for us. After Assen I made a great effort to come here in a good shape, I did a lot of training and treatment for the wrist.

"In fact, the wrist was not so bad. I don't have the maximum power but the injury is better."

Spain was also celebrating victories in the 250cc and 125cc categories.

Aprilia's 19-year-old Mallorcan Jorge Lorenzo took his fifth win in nine 250cc races.

Alvaro Bautista, also on Aprilia, completed the hat-trick by winning the 125cc class to extend his championship lead over Finland's Mika Kallio who finished second.