It was a hell of a battle for victory today for the Portuguese Grand Prix at the Estoril circuit. MotoGP World Championship leader Casey Stoner holeshot the field when the race went green and led everyone out onto the Portuguese track for the first seven laps before Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa powered by and into the lead. It wouldn’t’ last long, though, as on lap nine, Valentino Rossi and his Fiat Yamaha zapped Stoner for second, and a lap later, Pedrosa for the lead. Rossi would lead until lap number 17, but a relentless Pedrosa reclaimed the point and the Spaniard and Italian began to motor away from Stoner who was suffering from clutch ails. In fact Stoner fell back to fourth at one point, American Nicky Hayden moving into a podium position for a spell. However, Hayden also suffered mechanical problems, and eight laps from the finish, Stoner went back by and Hayden withered back to fourth, some 14 seconds behind the leading duo before all was said and done. Meanwhile, up in the rarified air at the front of the field, Pedrosa and Rossi continued their dust-up, and when the white flag was grabbed by an official and waved furiously, smelling blood, Rossi passed Pedrosa but overcooked the corner and Pedrosa was back through. Rossi, displaying why he’s one of the best riders the sport has ever seen, made another attempt, snaking Pedrosa in the Parabolic Interior left-hander. Rossi hung tight and held on to pocket his fourth win of the season, and in doing so, whittled down the gap between he and Stoner for the 2007 MotoGP title to 76 points. Pedrosa remains in third. Gresini Honda’s Marco Melandri placed fifth in Portugal, just ahead of Rizla Suzuki’s John Hopkins. Seventh fell to Toni Elias. Next stop: Japan. Can Stoner hang on and claim his first MotoGP World Championship? Stay tuned.