Dani Pedrosa continued his recovery from a broken collarbone by winning the German MotoGP on Sunday ahead of compatriot Jorge Lorenzo and championship leader Casey Stoner.
Starting from second on the grid, Pedrosa was past pole-sitter and Honda teammate Stoner on the first bend.
Both defending champion Lorenzo and Stoner recovered to enjoy spells out in front but Pedrosa grabbed a decisive lead on lap 25.
The 25-year-old Spaniard held on to win by one and a half seconds, his first victory since breaking his right collarbone at Le Mans two months ago.
'The pace was so high, it was a great race and a perfect result for me,' he told BBC Sport.
'I didn't expect it at all. Just getting on the front row yesterday would have been good enough for me.
'I want to thank all my fans, my family and the doctors who have helped with my recovery. It is an unbelievable feeling and I hope I can continue like this.'
Having missed three races as a result of the injury, Pedrosa has no chance of winning the world title.
However, Yamaha's Lorenzo remains with a real chance of retaining his crown after edging Stoner into second in a thrilling final lap, crossing the line less than a tenth of a second ahead of the Australian.
Lorenzo is now just 15 points behind Stoner in the standings.
'That was one of the best races so far this season,' he said.
'It was a fantastic race. I was tired early on, and was struggling to find the strength needed to keep pushing until the end.
'But then on the last corner I risked everything. I think it was a miracle that I managed to get second, I'm so proud.'
His reaction was in stark contrast to that of Stoner, who failed in his bid to claim a fifth win of the season despite recording the fastest time in Saturday's qualifying session.
'I'm disappointed. We had a tough fight at the end there (with Lorenzo) and we lost out, but there's always next week,' he said.
Andrea Dovizioso finished over ten seconds behind the leading trio in fourth, but his fellow Italian and seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi recovered some pride at the end of a difficult weekend.
He claimed ninth place despite starting from 16th spot on the grid.
The world championship now moves to the United States for the next race at Laguna Seca next weekend.
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