The present leader of the 250cc category has a total of 180 points thanks to his four victories and four second positions, with just one retirement - on a wet track in Jerez. Leaving to one side the controversy concerning his weight, the Telef�nica Movistar Honda rider has been very superior to his rivals and has given the sensation at every moment that he is in control of the situation. His two latest exhibitions, winning by a mile at the Sachsenring and Donington Park, will have left his rivals demoralised.

Pedrosa has a lead of 34 points over Randy de Puniet and 52 over Sebas Porto, the only riders that seem able to trouble him from now until the end of the year. The Frenchman, in fact, led the category for several weeks, but his performance weakened after the GP in Rio. Porto, the Repsol rider, has shown himself to be a very tough rival for the Catalunyan, but one who left France and Brazil empty handed, and this has affected his position in the general classification.

The other two leaders in the WSC are Andrea Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi. The Italian who dominates the smallest category with 163 points left Donington Park in a very strong position. There he won and he saw how his two main rivals, Locatelli and Barber�, fell. Now he has an advantage of 32 and 34 points over them respectively. The `Doctor', on the other hand, heads the tightest MotoGP category in the last few years with 164 points. He leads Biaggi and Gibernau by 22 points. At this point in other seasons he had already decided the title.