DONINGTON PARK, England -- Italian Valentino Rossi's seemingly unstoppable charge to a second-consecutive world title continued when he rode to a seventh win of the season at the MotoGP British Grand Prix.

The flamboyant 23 year old took the checkered flag then drove his Honda four-stroke back into the pit lane side-saddle to the delight of his many fans in the 60,000 crowd at the sun-drenched track.

	Valentino Rossi rides his Honda sideways as he crosses the finish line.

Not even a visit to hospital with a concussion after a bad crash on Friday could prevent Rossi from claiming his seventh win in eight races this season, his sixth in a row and a fourth-straight triumph at the British circuit -- the first coming in the 250cc class in 1999.

"The weekend started very badly because I had the crash, but I was able to ride very well today. I took some (painkillers) and I was able to ride at 100 percent," said Rossi, who now leads the championship by 87 points ahead of his teammate Tohru Ukawa, who was unable to race after his crash on Friday.

His compatriot and great rival Max Biaggi was second on the fast-improving Yamaha four-stroke, while Brazilian Alex Barros was a distant third on his two-stroke Honda.

"I'm pretty satisfied with my race," Biaggi said. "I tried to take Rossi but it was impossible."

Biaggi's Spanish teammate Carlos Checa stormed out of the gate from the start and took the lead from pole-sitting Rossi in the first corner, with Biaggi tucked into third place. The three four-stroke machines soon had a comfortable lead over the rest of the field and Rossi started putting Checa under great pressure.

It was the first opportunity for most British fans to see the big four-stroke bikes, which had been allowed for the first time this year in what was the 550cc class, and, unsurprisingly, Rossi set a new circuit lap record of one minute 32.247 and reached a top speed of 167 miles per hour .

"The pace was incredible," Rossi said. "Checa was very, very fast."

Checa survived a wobble on lap nine and finally crashed out on lap 18 when his front tire locked on him at the Goddards corner, where several riders -- including Rossi on Friday -- crashed over the weekend.

From then on, it was simply a case of Rossi riding to victory. He has now topped the podium 46 times in 100 grands prix, which his team commemorated by sticking a decal saying "46 percent" on his bike, and a phenomenal 20 times in 40 starts in the top class.

250cc
In the 250cc race, Italian Marco Melandri won his fourth-successive round of the championship with a victory snatched from fellow Aprilia rider Fonsi Nieto on a thrilling last lap.

A fourth Aprilia podium sweep of the season was assured when Toni Elias overtook Franco Battaini, also on the last lap, for third place.

"It was a wonderful race," said Melandri, who increased his lead at the top of the championship to 13 points over Spain's Nieto.

The pair had battled it out at the front of the race after early pace-setter Argentine Sebastien Porto retired with what looked like a mechanical problem on lap 12.

Nieto overtook his rival on the final chicane but Melandri roared back and retook the lead on the final hairpin to give him the inside line into the last corner.

125cc
Earlier, Frenchman Arnaud Vincent celebrated Bastille day by winning the 125cc race, his first victory since the opening round of the season at Suzuka.

A relative veteran alongside teenagers Daniel Pedrosa, who finished second, and world champion Manuel Poggiali, who was third, Aprilia rider Vincent started 16th on the grid and made his way up the field to take the lead five laps from the end.

San Marino's Gilera rider Poggiali, 19, still leads the championship with 147 points, 16 ahead of Pedrosa with 27-year-old Vincent in third just three points behind the 16-year-old Spaniard.