Dani Pedrosa won the Valencia MotoGP yesterday and his 25-point haul moved him ahead of Valentino Rossi in the championship chase to claim fourth overall.

The tiny Spaniard, who was again in the shadow of only slightly less tiny Marc Marquez, put a move on Johann Zarco to snatch the lead at turn one on the final lap and managed to hold off the Frenchman, crossing the line with a three-tenth advantage.

“Obviously I’m very very happy because a win is a win, and this was a very tough and hard-fought one. Today we had a chance because we got a good start and the setup was working well, so we took it. The track wasn’t easy as front grip wasn’t perfect, and in fact we saw a lot of crashes in the race. I was just behind Marc when he made that save and it was incredible. The smoke, the noise, the speed—wow, impressive,” said Pedrosa.

“I realized that the track had a limit, maybe because the rear had more grip, which pushed the front. Anyway, I tried to manage the front grip, but then in the last three laps I gave it everything to pass Johann. He was so good into the corners but finally I passed him on the last lap. I’m so happy to have won in front of my crowd, and I would like to dedicate this victory to my family, friends, fans, and the team. This was a fantastic day for all of us, as Marc clinched the Rider Title and we secured the Constructor and Team Titles. I also move up one place in the Championship, and that’s great as well.”