Final positions after 32 laps:

1 V Rossi (Ita) Fiat Yamaha

2 C Stoner (Aus) Ducati

3 C Vermeulen (Aus) Rizla Suzuki

4 A Dovizioso (Ita) Honda

5 N Hayden (US) Repsol Honda

6 R de Puniet (Fr) Honda LCR

7 T Elias (Sp) Ducati

8 B Spies (US) Suzuki

By Julian Shea

Lap 32: 1: Rossi 2: Stoner 3: Vermeulen.

Rossi will go into the summer break with a 25-point gap on second placed Casey Stoner. That's a whole race-worth of points. We've not seen a Rossi race celebration for a while, but he gets off his bike at the Corkscrew turn, kneels down and kisses the tarmac as he celebrates his first win at Laguna Seca.

Lap 31: What thoughts must be going through Casey Stoner's head at the moment? He must be fuming. Bad news for Toseland too, as having been in seventh for a long time, he has slipped back to 9th place.

Lap 27: Stoner's bad luck there has robbed us of a thrilling finale to the race. Ross is now 16 seconds clear at the front. All Rossi has to do is avoid any stupid mistakes and surely his first win at Laguna Seca is there for the taking.

Lap 24: NOOOO! Stoner goes off into the gravel and loses his balance - he got too close to Rossi, was forced to slow down and go into the gravel, his front wheel got stuck in a hole and it toppled over.

Remarkably, he managed to get the bike back upright and returned to the track still in second place, but with a huge 16 second gap between him and Rossi, and with dirt on his wheels.

Lap 23: Madness - how many overtakes happened there? Four in about 10 seconds I think, as Stoner finally pounces but fails to hold on to the lead, and after a brief struggle Rossi ends up back in front spot.

Lap 22: Toseland is holding on to seventh place, ahead of Shinya Nakano. Considering his recent results, his performance so far will be exactly the kind of thing the team were looking for.

Lap 21: Anthony West skids off into the gravel - Kawasaki are another team not having much luck this season. Dovizioso's persistence pays off as he gets past Hayden into fourth place.

Lap 20: Jorge Lorenzo is reported to have broken a bone his foot, having only just recovered from his assorted ankle injuries and his bang on the head. Still, at least he's got himself noticed this season.

Lap 19: Rossi and Stoner side by side on a corner as they go round at 170mph - this is eye-watering to watch. This is one of the few circuits Rossi has not won at before, so to bag his first win here going into the summer break would be a huge bonus.

Lap 16: Andrea Dovizioso in fifth place has almost got his teeth into Nicky Hayden's back tyre. Not only is this Hayden's home race, but Dovizioso is reported to be replacing him at Repsol Honda next season. So Hayden must really appreciate that.

Lap 14: Third placed Vermeuelen is 12 seconds behind Stoner, and three seconds ahead of fourth placed Hayden. Normal service is resumed by Stoner as he starts eating into Rossi's lead, it's now down to half a second - but there's a big difference between closing the gap and passing the leader.

Lap11: Wow, pause and frame that picture - a rare mistake by Stoner. He seizes an opportunity to pass the Yamaha rider but promptly goes way too wide at the next corner allowing Rossi to tear up the inside of him and open up a gap of nearly one second.

Lap 10: The onboard camera shows Stoner is within touching distance of Rossi but he just can't find a way past the Doctor. Masterful riding from the Italian, giving his rival absolutely nothing.

No word from Lorenzo yet on his injuries - presumably if there was anything to worry about, we would have heard by now, but it did look scary.

Lap 8: Marco Melandri's Ducati nightmare goes on, as he ends up in the gravel from ninth place. There was already talk this was going to be his last race for the team - surely that was the final indignity. Poor chap, who did he upset to deserve this luck?

Lap 7: I feel like a need a lie down already, there's action all over the field - Toseland is up into sixth, and Vermeulen is up into third place. But don't expect anything to stay as it is for too long in this race, other than Rossi and Stoner being clear of the field.

Lap 5: The front two may be involved in a battle of their own for top spot, but the race for third is absolutely frantic too - Hayden, Dovizioso and Vermeulen are swapping paint, they're so close.

Lap 4: Casey Stoner looks like he might have rear tyre problems - for everyone's sake let's hope not, or it could put the lid on what is shaping up to be a thrilling battle for the lead.

Lap 3: Rossi and Stoner are involved in an amazing fight up the front of the field, constantly swapping in the front two places. At last, this looks like the fight we have been waiting for all season.

Lap 1: A flyer of a start from Stoner, Nicky Hayden also gets a good start but goes wide at the first corner allowing Rossi into second. WOW! First casualty of the day, a horrendous highside for Jorge Lorenzo. Seemingly no damage done to the Spaniard, but what a fright that will have given his team after all he's been through this season.

At the end of a frantic first lap, Rossi is up into first place.

2150: A great start to the day for Jorge Lorenzo - his driver was stopped for speeding on the way to the circuit this morning!

2145: Eyes down for the last time before the summer break, and this week the action takes us to California.

We've just got MotoGP to enjoy this weekend - no 125cc or 250cc races, and perhaps more significantly no Dani Pedrosa.

The Repsol Honda rider is still paying the price for his crash last time out in Germany, after he suffered arm and leg injuries when crashing out from the lead of the German Grand Prix.

Not only did that mean he failed to register any points in that race, but it has also prevented him from riding this weekend.

Two consecutive weekends of failing to score points would suggest the Spaniard is now out of the title race, leaving it as a straight two-way fight between reigning world champion Casey Stoner, who is aiming for his fourth consecutive win, and current championship leader.

At Donington, the celebrity guest list included Jodie Marsh and Scott Carson. This is California, so they have Tom Cruise instead. He's brought a bit of Hollywood to the pit lane - so what drama and entertainment lies ahead of us? Over the next hour or so, we'll find out...