FIM MotoGP World Championship Phillip Island, Australia October 16 Race Results (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Casey STONER, Australia (HONDA), 27 laps, 42:02.425 2. Marco SIMONCELLI, Italy (HONDA), -2.210 seconds 3. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (HONDA), -2.454 4. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), -13.160 5. Colin EDWARDS, USA (YAMAHA), -30.886 6. Randy DE PUNIET, France (DUCATI), -48.800 7. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (DUCATI), -76.314 8. Toni ELIAS, Spain (HONDA), -1 lap 9. Loris CAPIROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), -1 lap 10. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), -2 laps 11. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (SUZUKI), -4 laps, DNF, crash 12. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (HONDA), -4 laps, DNF, crash 13. Cal CRUTCHLOW, Great Britain (YAMAHA), -4 laps, DNF, crash 14. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), -14 laps, DNF, crash 15. Damian CUDLIN, Australia (DUCATI), DNS 16. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), DNS 17. Ben SPIES, USA (YAMAHA), DNS World Championship Point Standings (after 16 of 18 races): 1. Stoner, 325 points (clinches World Championship) 2. Lorenzo, 260 3. Dovizioso, 212 4. Pedrosa, 208 5. Spies, 156 6. TIE, Simoncelli/Rossi, 139 8. Hayden, 132 9. Edwards, 109 10. Aoyama, 94 11. Hector Barbera, 77 12. Bautista, 67 13. Crutchlow, 57 14. Abraham, 56 15. Elias, 55 16. De Puniet, 49 17. Capirossi, 36 18. Kousuke Akiyoshi, 7 19. John Hopkins, 6 20. Shinichi Ito, 3 More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Stoner does it in style for his second title with Bridgestone Round 16: Australian GP Race Phillip Island, Sunday 16 October 2011 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium. Rear (asymmetric): Medium, Hard Casey Stoner was crowned the 2011 MotoGP World Champion in Australia today with a characteristically dominant victory at Phillip Island, on his birthday, and marking a number of milestones including his second world crown. His race victory means he now has five consecutive wins at his home circuit, making him the equal winningest rider here. This title is the first for Honda in the 800cc era, and he will go into the history books as both the first and last 800cc MotoGP World Champion after his first title in 2007, which was also the first on Bridgestone tyres. Whilst Stoner ran away at the front, the race wasn’t without drama as the rains threatened and a few riders fell victim to the changeable conditions. The white flag was shown on lap eight, signalling the pit lane was open for riders to change to the wet bikes as spots of rain started to fall, although the high winds soon moved these on so everyone remained on slicks. Just as the field looked settled though, the rain returned with four laps remaining. Stoner himself had a moment on the final corner but kept it upright whilst Hayden and Capirossi darted into the pits for their wet bikes on lap 24, and Abraham, Bautista, Crutchlow and Aoyama all crashed out although Abraham restarted. Hiroshi Yamada Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department “Congratulations Casey and Repsol Honda for a very well deserved World Championship! It was always going to be a special moment at his home race but Casey was the first World Championship on Bridgestone tyres and a big force in catapulting us to the front of MotoGP so we are especially happy to see him win in such fashion in front of 43,800 of his home fans. From all at Bridgestone Motorsport, we sincerely applaud the effort he and the team have put in all season and right from the start it was clear they would be a force to be reckoned with this year.” Hirohide Hamashima Assistant to Director, Motorsport Tyre Development Division “After a weekend of fine and dry weather, the race today saw the trickiest conditions for the riders and for our tyres as spots of rain started to fall in some places on the track but it was dry and sunny in other. This made it very difficult for the riders to judge the level of grip available, and unfortunately we saw five riders crash as a result. The temperature was cooler today and the wind much stronger which affected tyre performance. In the race six riders used the softer option rear slick we introduced in Australia this year, and I am very pleased that we selected softer rear compounds as they offered improved warm-up performance which was important as the weather got progressively cooler during the weekend.” Casey Stoner Repsol Honda Team Race Winner and 2011 World Champion “I don’t think I could fit more things in today! To win like this is really something special; words can’t describe it. It’s been pretty much a perfect season for us, and a big thank you to the team and to everyone. This weekend’s been great for us, but the race threw a few curve balls. They were very, very tricky conditions and there were a few heart-in-mouth moments! I wanted to win this one. Not too many people have so many things align in one day and it’s hard to get a hold of it. Maybe it was just meant to be, but it’s something unbelievable.” More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Bautista caught out by the weather at an unpredictable Phillip Island Rizla’s Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista crashed out of this afternoon’s Australian Grand Prix during a sudden rain-shower as he looked certain to claim his best dry finish of the season. Starting from third on the grid, due to Jorge Lorenzo’s withdrawal because of an injury he sustained in this morning’s warm-up, Bautista was immediately involved in the battle for a podium position. He got into a fight with Nicky Hayden that cost the pair some pace and by the time Bautista got past the American, Valentino Rossi had caught them to make it a three-way battle. Rossi tried to make a pass on Bautista, but crashed, causing the Suzuki star to take avoiding action. Bautista made a break from Hayden and looked to be heading for a season’s best dry result of fifth, but as the laps wore on the rain clouds gathered and a brisk, but heavy rain shower caught out the Spaniard and he crashed with only four laps remaining. He was uninjured, but bitterly disappointed to see the opportunity slip away. Almost 44,000 fans packed into a very windy and changeable Phillip Island circuit and the majority of them left happy as they witnessed local hero Casey Stoner secure the World Championship with a comprehensive victory. Rizla Suzuki now heads directly to Malaysia for the penultimate round of the season, where Bautista will be joined by wild-card rider John Hopkins to mount a two-man attack at the Sepang circuit. Álvaro Bautista: “It was a good, but in the end disappointing race for us today. We didn’t start so well, but I was with the front group and very close to the podium battle. After a few laps, when the tyres started to lose their grip, I started to fight with Nicky and we lost time to the others. After I got away from Nicky I tried to concentrate to get the most from the used tyre and do my best. I just had to finish the race to get a fifth place, which would have been a good result here. The conditions were difficult though because during the whole race it was raining in some parts of the track and each lap seemed different. In turn 10 I saw some drops of rain on the screen and before I could even think to react I crashed – the surface was very wet and I just couldn’t do anything about it! “I am sorry for the whole team because they did a fantastic job for the whole weekend and we started from the front row for the first time this year. We were in fifth in the race and looking good, so I’m really sorry for the crash those guys deserved something from this weekend. We now have to look forward to the next race and take all the positives from here to Malaysia and I’m sure we can go well there.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “There are so many positives to be taken from this weekend at Phillip Island, that it’s really unfortunate to be making another ‘if only’ comment! Álvaro had no idea that it was raining that hard and with no rider directly in-front of him it just looked like he was in the wrong place at the wrong time! It’s really unfortunate for all of us, but the promise shown by the GSV-R was huge and I think the race-pace potential could have been a lot better if we hadn’t have got hung up with Nicky for four or five laps, and allowed the Hondas to escape. “Malaysia’s next, it’s been a good track for Suzuki in the past, we’ve got John Hopkins joining the team and a chance to have another go at a decent result we’re looking forward to it!” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: ELIAS TAKES TOUGH 8th FINISH AT “THE ISLAND” GP Phillip Island, 16 October: In a tough 25-lap race LCR Honda MotoGP racer Toni Elias finished 8th in today’s Australian Grand Prix at cloudy and cold Phillip Island which was Stoner clinching the 2011 World Title ahead his national fans. The notorious unpredictable Island weather changed again during the premier class race with four riders crashing out in the last part when a rain shower hit the 4448km ocean track. The Spaniard riding the LCR RC212V went through a tough weekend trying to fix his rear traction problems but today’s lower track temperatures affected his performance. Elias suffered edge grip issues from the beginning but managed to finish the Grand Prix in the Top-10. Elias 8th: “This was a difficult race for us because the weather was pretty bad and in these conditions we always suffer very much. I can not warm up the rear tyre properly and since the beginning of the race I have suffered edge grip issues. We have been lucky because some riders crashed out in the last part of the race and we could finish in the top ten. Hopefully we can adjust the bike for next race in Sepang where the temperature is totally different”. More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Fantastic fifth for Edwards in windy Phillip Island Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Colin Edwards battled against the elements at Phillip Island this afternoon to storm to a fantastic fifth position in an Australian MotoGP round dominated by unpredictable weather. British team-mate Cal Crutchlow was also on course for a brilliant top ten finish when he suffered an unfortunate crash in the final stages when a quick rain shower fell while he was locked in an exciting battle with Hiroshi Aoyama for eighth position. The 27-lap race started in sunny but cool conditions but it was a fierce wind that made tackling the high-speed and technical 4.4km Phillip Island a tough challenge this afternoon. Edwards finished the first lap in eighth place as he tried to judge the unpredictable gusts of wind to maintain a fast and consistent pace as the race unfolded. He was seventh when late drama occurred as a heavy rain shower soaked the track in a small section from Lukey Heights to the fast approach to the final corner with three laps remaining. Edwards opted not to stay out on slicks rather than switch to his YZR-M1 set-up for the rain with only a small part of the track affected by the cloudburst. His decision paid off and he claimed his third top six finish of the season. Crutchlow was unfortunately caught out by the tricky conditions in the final stages while he was preparing for a late attack on Aoyama. The British rider had fought brilliantly to keep Karel Abraham and Randy de Puniet at bay when he hit a wet patch of tarmac at Lukey Heights on lap 24. Aoyama crashed in identical cir cumstances right in front of Crutchlow and the 25-year-old was unable to rejoin the race and collect a deserved top 10 finish. Colin Edwards 5th 109-points: “That was all about surviving because the conditions might have looked great on TV with the sun shining but the wind was horrendous. We know the wind plays a big part here normally but today it seemed particularly bad and it was impossible to judge when a gust was going to hit you from one lap to the next. I got into a pretty good rhythm and I was happy to be running a consistent pace in eighth when all the late chaos happened. It is never a good feeling when you see rain spots on the visor with slick tyres on but there was only rain in a small part of the track. I knew it was a flag-to-flag situation but I never thought about pulling in for the rain bike. I was just riding as hard as I could but a s safe as I could in the last couple of laps and fifth is a great result. I just want to say congratulations to Casey because he has been awesome all year and he’s a worthy World Champion. As a fellow rider you have to admire what he’s done.” Cal Crutchlow DNF 57-points: “I’m pretty disappointed because it has been a very difficult weekend, so to get a top 10 would have been a very positive way to sign off. I’d been having a really good battle with Abraham, Aoyama and de Puniet and I was confident I was going to finish at least eighth. But I came into Lukey Heights and couldn’t even see any rain and the next thing I was down. The weird thing is Aoyama went down right in front of me on the same wet patch, so it was like synchronised crashing. I had no idea why I’d crashed and someone in the crowd told me it had rained really quickly and then stopped. It is a pity because tha t cost me a decent result but I’ll be looking to get back in the fight for the top 10 in Sepang next week. I tested twice at that track in the winter and while it was tough, I’ve gained so much experience since then that there’s no reason why I can’t have a strong weekend.” Hervé Poncharal Team Manager: “I am very happy for Colin because he did a great job in very demanding conditions. Like in Jerez and Silverstone when we had difficult conditions, Colin is always there. The fifth position was well deserved and this result is a great boost for his chances of finishing the top non-factory rider in the World Championship standings. I am a little bit disappointed on the other side of the garage because Cal knew this track and I thought he would have been a lot stronger here. But he found it very difficult to find a fast pace all weekend. I have to give him credit though becau se he never gave up and it was a dramatic race. His engine stopped on the grid but that didn’t distract him and he had a very good fight with some experienced riders. I think sixth position would have been a possibility but he was caught out by the conditions and that was an easy thing to do. Other people made a mistake but we hope Cal can return stronger in Sepang, which is another track he has ridden on. Finally I’d like to say congratulations to Casey. He is shown this year what a phenomenal talent he is and he deserves to be World Champion. I’d also like to praise Jorge Lorenzo because he has shown that Yamaha is a very competiive package in MotoGP and he has produced some truly incredible performances to push Casey all the way.” More, from a press release issued by HRC: Honda takes 2011 Constructor’s Championship in Australia Honda Motor Company won a record-extending 60th Constructors Championship with the victory by Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC212V) in his home Grand Prix at Phillip Island. The points tally of 380 puts them out of reach from Yamaha in second place with two races remaining. The 2011 MotoGP Constructors Championship was Honda’s 18th in the premier class – five in MotoGP and thirteen in 500cc – to add to the six 350cc titles, nineteen in the 250cc class, fifteen in the 125cc class, and two in the 50cc category. With Stoner’s ninth victory of the season, Honda riders have won 646 races, a number that’s sure to continue growing. The march into the record books began 50 years ago with Australian Tom Phillis winning the 1961 125cc GP in Montjuich, Spain, the first of four wins that season that would take him and Honda to their first titles in truly epic fashion. Also winning his first title that year was a young Brit named Mike Hailwood, one of the many legendary riders who have successfully teamed with Honda. In 1966, forty-five years ago Honda won its first Constructor 500cc title and also took all five solo Constructors Championships (50cc, 125cc, 250cc, 350cc and 500cc), a feat which was never matched. Honda came close in 1994, winning all three Constructors Championships (125cc, 250cc and 500cc). In 1982, Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) was born. In the seventh race of the season the new NS 3 cylinder machine won its first race with Freddie Spencer at the Belgian GP of Spa Francorchamps. In 1983, Freddie Spencer brought home the 500cc Rider´s Championship along with the second Constructor´s Title of the Top Class to Honda. The roster of greats who rode Hondas to victory would take up pages. A partial list of the legends who contributed to both Constructor and Rider Championships for Honda includes Jim Redman, Phil Read, Mick Doohan, Max Biaggi, Eddie Lawson, Freddie Spencer, Alex Crivillé, Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden, Dani Pedrosa, Ralph Bryans, and Daijiro Katoh. Now Casey Stoner joins this list. Honda’s current roster of World Champions all contributed to the Constructors Championship which is calculated by the result of the highest placed motorcycle of a Constructor, according to the position in the race. Casey Stoner had Honda’s top result ten times. Despite missing four races due to injury, Dani Pedrosa was Honda’s top points-earner five times, and Andrea Dovizioso contributed one top finish. A Honda rider has finished first or second in every race so far this season. (Qatar Stoner 25, Spain Pedrosa 20, Portugal Pedrosa 25, France Stoner 25, Catalunya Stoner 25, Great Britain Stoner 25, Netherlands Stoner 20, Italy Dovizioso 20, Germany Pedrosa 25, USA Stoner 25, Czech Republic Stoner 25, Indianapolis Stoner 25, San Marino Pedrosa 20, Aragon Stoner 25, Motegi Pedrosa 25, Australia Stoner 25). Honda is the most successful company in the history of road racing due to a perfect blend of the top riders combined with the best engineers and technology. Honda is an engineering company, whose legendary and innovative machines have attracted the best in the world. Machines that are the creation of some of a brilliant engineering corps, which had the bikes over to the dedicated globe-trotting race technicians who are overseen by passionate team managers who demand, and receive, excellence. Men like Shuhei Nakamoto, the vice-president of Honda Racing Corporation, whose laser-like focus, brutal honesty, and selfless dedication were instrumental in bringing Honda the final Championship of the 800cc era. TETSUO SUZUKI – HRC PRESIDENT, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF HONDA R&D: “It is with great pride that I stand here on the day Honda takes its 60th Constructors Title. We have a very proud and long history since Mr. Soichiro Honda first declared to enter road racing in 1954, working hard to develop and produce the most innovative machines. It is a credit to our dedicated team who always strive to break boundaries and expand our engineering methods to create these wonderful bikes and to our talented riders with whom this feat would not have been possible. I would also like to thank all our sponsors and technical partners for their valuable support and input, it has been five years since we won our last Championship and I am honored to see that HRC is back and stronger than ever. Thank you to Casey, Dani and Andrea and all the team that work so hard, week in and week out, and also a very special thanks must go to all our fans across the globe, we appreciate every one of you”. More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing: SIXTH POSITION IN AUSTRALIA FOR DE PUNIET. CAPIROSSI NINTH COMING BACK FROM INJURY Day full of surprises at Phillip Island, where climatic conditions have affected the outcome of the race today. On the positive side for the Pramac Racing Team that has achieved the best result of the season finishing sixth and ninth respectively with Randy De Puniet and Loris Capirossi. The Frenchman had a good start and was in eighth position until some rain has made him go wide and come back on track in the rear of the classification. Randy fought in the group and in the last few laps when the rain again became more intense on the track, he managed to ride well with his bike and finish in sixth place. Capirossi made a good start at being on the first corner in third place, but then he had to give away to faster riders at that time. With four laps to the end, when a heavy shower hit the tracke, Loris has tried to change bike with wet set, but the track wasn’t wet enough and this denied him the opportunity to go beyond the ninth place. However, a good result looking ahead to the last two races of the season, in seven days in Malaysia and in Valencia in three weeks. Fabiano Sterlacchini Pramac Racing Technical Director “Today we achieved the best result of the season even we must not denied ourselves because it was very influenced by the race itself, between the rain and the absence of the injured riders. Let’s say that of all the times we were hit by bad luck and injuries, there is now good luck. We could collect more this year and we hope that this race could lead to a successful end of championship. Both Loris and Randy deserve it for all the effort they have put in.” Randy De Puniet Pramac Racing 6th in the race 16th in the championship “I am very happy with how it went today. Yesterday we were very unlucky in qualifying session and today things have turned in our favor. At the beginning of the race I lost a little time to overtake Loris, but once I made it, while trying to reach Edwards and Hayden, a little bit of rain made me go wide and this made me lose about ten seconds. So I fought with the group for the ninth position until four laps left in the race when the rain was back on the track. I saw the other riders go as fast as if the track was dry and so I saw them slipping in front of me one by one. In addition, some rider have returned to the pits to change bikes, but I had confidence to continue with the bike with dry set up and this helped me to conclude in an excellent sixth place!” Loris Capirossi Pramac Racing 9th in the race 17th in the race “I started well but after a few laps between the pain at my shoulder and the weather changing I tried to manage the race to complete it. When there was four laps left I felt heavy heavy rain coming down just before the final straight and then I thought it was appropriate to enter the pits to change bike. Unfortunately it ended up not being the right choice because I probably could have finished the race a couple of positions ahead, but the ninth is still satisfactory considering my physical condition.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: Stoner wins World Championship in all Honda podium Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner has clinched the 2011 MotoGP World Championship title 2011 with a superb victory in the Australian Grand Prix, in front of 43,880 spectators who cheered him on his way to his ninth win of the season and the first World title for Honda in the 800cc era. Andrea Dovizioso, third, returned to the podium for the first time since Brno, and Dani Pedrosa, fourth, just missed out after four podiums in a row. Honda occupied the top four spots today in Phillip Island with Stoner, Simoncelli, Dovizioso and Pedrosa. With Jorge Lorenzo out of the race due to his injury sustained in warm up this morning, Stoner needed just 10 points to be crowned Champion, but he remained loyal to his style and secured his fifth consecutive win at Phillip Island within the first seven laps, after he managed to pull away and took an advantage of seven seconds from the rest of the field. With the dominance of Stoner up front, the excitement moved to the group of Simoncelli, Dovizioso and Pedrosa in the fight for the podium and remained undetermined until the end when the rain came with four laps to the checkered flag . At that time, Andrea was three seconds ahead of Dani and caught Simoncelli, with whom he has fought for second place until the last lap. Today, Honda also claimed their 60th Constructor’s World Title and with the Rider’s Title in Stoners’ hands, Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa maintain their fight for third place in the Championship. The Italian remains third, now four points ahead of Dani who is in fourth place. CASEY STONER 1st World Championship Position: 1st with 325 points and New World Champion “I don’t think anyone could plan things to happen better than they have today! The race was incredibly difficult, the conditions we’re very tough. I built up an early lead as I saw the rain coming in, but I wasn’t sure if it would hit us. I basically ran into a wall of rain, there wasn’t any warning at the back part of the circuit and I came into the last turn and the rain started hard. I nearly lost control and thought for sure I was going to end up in the gravel. I managed to control it and maintain the gap to everyone and thankfully bring it home for the win, but it was a little bit nerve-racking for sure. I’m really sorry that Jorge had the accident this morning, he’s great competitor and I think if he’d been here racing today things might not have turned out the way they have, I hope his operation goes well and he’s back racing as soon as he feels fit. I can’t thank everyone enough , my team, Repsol, all our sponsors, everyone that has worked so hard all year, thank you!”. ANDREA DOVIZIOSO 3rd World Championship Position: 3rd with 212 points “It was a difficult race as we expected, this track is very tricky, as are the weather conditions. To return on the podium and arrive in front of Dani here at Phillip Island is a very good result for us and it was our target before getting here. I think we could have even finished in second position but when Dani overtook me in the middle of the race we lost contact with Simoncelli, then I retook the position when the rain came, but on the final lap I didn’t have enough grip to push hard in the last few corners. Anyway we are still fighting for the third place in the Championship and I’m sure Dani will be strong in the last two races, but we will try to do our best until the end. Casey has had an amazing season, he is the fastest rider at the moment, so congratulations to him for the title”. DANI PEDROSA 4th World Championship Position: 4th with 208 points “It’s been very tough today, I didn’t feel comfortable throughout the weekend and the race didn’t start in the best way either. I had a problem with the wind at the start, I almost lost balance and I had to put the left foot on the floor at the same time as the red light went out, so I had a bad start. The first few laps were not so good, then I recovered slightly, I overtook Andrea and fought with him but the front tyre was finished in the last laps. When I tried to pull away I was loosing the front, so I couldn’t keep him behind and then the rain arrived. It’s not been a good weekend for me, I want to say congratulations to Casey for his title, he’s been the strongest this season, always on the podium, with no mistakes, so he deserves it”. SHUHEI NAKAMOTO – HRC EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT “The feeling is of course very happy, today I can relax little bit, because almost every night I wake up thinking about something, doing some memo to remember to check or do something… this is my first feeling after the race! I want to say to all Honda fans and sponsors, thank you very much for your support and especially to all Honda people and in particular to everyone at HRC and in Honda R&D centre. Then I’d like to thank the Repsol Honda Team crew, all of them! A big thanks to all our Honda riders that push each other during this season and achieved great results. Then of course I want to thank Casey Stoner. He did a great job since the first day he rode the RC212V and he brings great enthusiasm to everybody in HRC. Tonight we will celebrate, but starting from tomorrow morning we will start working again to finish this season at top, win the Team Championship and to prepare th e 2012 new challenge with the 1000cc”. More, from a press release issued by Honda: STONER WINS 2011 MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FOR HONDA Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC212V) won the 2011 MotoGP World Championship with a victory in difficult conditions on his home circuit of Phillip Island on his 26th birthday. Finishing behind Stoner were three Hondas, Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V), in a career best second, then Repsol Honda team-mates Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa. Stoner’s chances of winning the title greatly improved when his only title rival, Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), was declared unfit to race after injuring his left hand in a crash near the end of morning warm-up. That put Stoner in position to take the championship by finishing sixth or better, though he would rather have won in a straight-up fight. Since Stoner had been on the podium in every race he’s finished this year, finishing sixth or better was never in question. Bolting from his 11th pole position of the year, Stoner controlled the pace on a cold, blustery, but mostly sunlit day, turning the race into a battle for second. Stoner had a lead of 7.4s on the 14th of 27 laps and was well on his way to victory when a light, then heavy rain threatened to turn the race chaotic in the final stages. Two riders pitted to change to motorcycles with rain set-ups, and three others fell, but Stoner survived one harrowing moment, maintained his composure and sped to his fifth consecutive victory at Phillip Island, today by 2.21s. The win gave him a untouchable championship lead over Lorenzo of 325 to 260, with only 50 points remaining in the final two races in Malaysia and Valencia. The title was Stoner’s second; he also won the 2007 MotoGP World Championship, giving him the distinction of opening and closing the 800cc era as world champion. The victory came on a day when Honda celebrated their 60th Constructors Championship and 18th in the premier class, and 15th riders championship in the premier class. Honda has an insurmountable 75 point lead, 380 to 305, over Yamaha with two races remaining. Though Stoner’s win was never in doubt, the same couldn’t be said of the other podium positions. By the fourth of 27 laps, Honda riders held the top four spots and began an inter-family battle that would go down to the final lap. Simoncelli took over second on the second lap and held the position almost to the end. Only on the 25th lap did Dovizioso find a way past, holding the position for two laps. But on the final lap, when the track was again dry, Simoncelli re-asserted himself to finish second, a career best in the premier class. Dovi was third at .244s, with Pedrosa dropping off the pace at the end to finish fourth. What wasn’t known at the time was that Pedrosa’s front tyre had degraded, taking away his corner entry speed and forcing him to abandon the podium fight. Rather than risk crashing, and losing valuable championship points, he made the wise decision to secure fourth, and give Honda a top four sweep. Toni Elias (LCR Honda MotoGP) survived the adverse conditions to finish eighth, tying his season best. Elias was again troubled by rear grip issues, caused by the dropping temperature. Still, he rode a smart, calculated race using his experience to avoid the traps that befell a number of others. Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) was also having a good race when he crashed four laps from the end on a wet track. At the time, the Japanese rider was immersed in a scrap with two other riders for eighth. One of the other riders also fell, leaving only ten finishers. Aoyama will be joining the World Superbike Championship aboard a Honda in 2012 and wants to finish his MotoGP career strongly in the final two races. The Moto2 World Championship delivered yet more stirring races for all three podium positions. Alex de Angelis (JiR Moto2 MotoBI) won the Australian GP for the second year in a row after a desperate last lap maneuver by Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing Kalex) nearly took both of them out. The move came early on the last lap when Bradl tried to re-pass de Angelis, who had taken the lead in turn one on the last of 25 laps. Heading into the Southern Loop, Bradl tried sticking his nose up the inside of de Angelis as they leaned left, but de Angelis had left him no room and Bradl rammed the San Marinese. De Angelis stayed upright, while Bradl fought to keep control of the bike. The failed move effectively ended his hopes of victory, with de Angelis beating him to the flag by 1.358s. Equally exciting was the battle for third, waged between Claudio Corti (Italtrans Racing Team Suter) and Marc Marquez, the Team CaixaCatalunya Repsol Suter rider and championship leader who started on the back row. Marquez had been penalised by race direction for a practice incident, but that only seemed to serve as motivation. The young Spaniard made quick progress through the field, moving into 16th ending the first lap and fourth by lap 12 of 25. Now he had Corti in his sights. Marquez caught the young Italian on the 16th lap and made the pass a lap later. It was clear Marquez had the faster motorcycle and he was able to rebuff every challenge. On the final lap Corti had one last go out of MG Corner, a slow right, but he wheelied and Marquez jetted ahead to solidify his position, denying Corti his first ever Moto2 podium by .113s. The exercise in damage control paid off for Marquez. Though he lost the championship lead to Bradl, it’s only by three points, 254 to 251. The MotoGP World Championship flies straight to Sepang, Malaysia for the last of the flyaways next weekend. The action then returns to Europe for the season finale at Valencia, Spain, on November 6. MOTOGP RIDER QUOTES Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: Race winner “I don’t think anyone could plan things to happen better than they have today! The race was incredibly difficult, the conditions were very tough. I built up an early lead as I saw the rain coming in, but I wasn’t sure if it would hit us. I basically ran into a wall of rain. There wasn’t any warning at the back part of the circuit and I came into the last turn and the rain started hard. I nearly lost control and thought for sure I was going to end up in the gravel. I managed to control it and maintain the gap to everyone and thankfully bring it home for the win, but it was a little bit nerve-wracking for sure. I’m really sorry that Jorge (Lorenzo) had the accident this morning. He’s a great competitor and I think if he’d been here racing today things might not have turned out the way they have. I hope his operation goes well and he’s back racing as soon as he feels fit. I can’t thank everyone enough, my team, Repsol, all our sponsors, everyone that has worked so hard all year, thank you.” Marco Simoncelli, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 2nd “I am delighted! It was a really tough race with changeable conditions throughout and every time I saw raindrops on my visor I was unsure whether I could push or not. I managed to put a little gap on Dovizioso and Pedrosa, but when the rain came Dovizioso was able to catch me and make a pass. I managed to stay with him and follow his lines so when the track was dry again on the last lap I was able to throw everything at him and make the pass. I had been second for the whole race and I didn’t want to give up on it until the end. It was nice to finish directly behind the new world champion. I feel sorry for (Jorge) Lorenzo and I hope he is fit and back on track again soon.” Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 3rd “It was a difficult race as we expected. This track is very tricky, as are the weather conditions. To return on the podium and arrive in front of Dani here at Phillip Island is a very good result for us and it was our target before getting here. I think we could have even finished in second position, but when Dani overtook me in the middle of the race we lost contact with Simoncelli. Then I retook the position when the rain came, but on the final lap I didn’t have enough grip to push hard in the last few corners. Anyway, we are still fighting for the third place in the championship and I’m sure Dani will be strong in the last two races, but we will try to do our best until the end. Casey has had an amazing season, he is the fastest rider at the moment, so congratulations to him for the title.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 4th “It’s been very tough today, I didn’t feel comfortable throughout the weekend and the race didn’t start in the best way either. I had a problem with the wind at the start; I almost lost balance and I had to put the left foot on the ground at the same time as the red light went out, so I had a bad start. The first few laps were not so good, then I recovered slightly, I overtook Andrea and fought with him, but the front tyre was finished in the last laps. When I tried to pull away I was losing the front, so I couldn’t keep him behind and then the rain arrived. It’s not been a good weekend for me. I want to say congratulations to Casey for his title. He’s been the strongest this season, always on the podium, with no mistakes, so he deserves it.” Toni Elias, LCR Honda MotoGP: 8th “This was a difficult race for us because the weather was pretty bad and in these conditions we always suffer very much. I can not warm up the rear tyre properly and since the beginning of the race I have suffered edge grip issues. We have been lucky because some riders crashed out in the last part of the race and we could finish in the top ten. Hopefully we can adjust the bike for next race in Sepang where the temperature is totally different.” Hiroshi Aoyama, San Carlo Honda Gresini: DNF “It has been a very difficult race because of the strong winds and the mixed conditions. I really wanted to have a good race because these are my last few races in MotoGP, but this weekend has been particularly difficult with the crash yesterday and then again today in turn nine when a sudden rain shower hit that part of the track. I am really disappointed and hope to make up for it next week in Malaysia.” MOTO2 RIDER QUOTES Alex de Angelis, JiR Moto2-MotoBI: Race winner “I’m super happy with this victory and the weekend in general. This morning we had many problems because of the wind then in the race I tried to settle my confidence in the tyres and then remain attached to Bradl as I knew he would try to get away. We suddenly got an advantage on the other riders, but he was very fast. I’ve recently suffered a lack of performance, but here we were able to do an excellent job on my MotoBI that allowed me to play all my cards. Lap after lap I realised that the race would be resolved in the last one so I used the second position to be well-prepared for my attempt to overtake. I knew that I had a small advantage on that bend and I tried, I threw myself into it and it went well. Then he attempted to gain the position back, we also touched but with a little luck we were both undamaged, these are things that can happen in racing so close. This victory is a worthy conclusion to a perfect weekend I have to thank my team and all those who work for me. Stefan Bradl, Viessmann Kiefer Racing-Kalex: 2nd “I immediately noticed that I could ride faster than the guys ahead of me. So I saw that I quickly could reach them and take over the lead. I also knew that Alex (DeAngelis) can indeed ride me behind good, but in the lead the work is more difficult. With my attack on the last lap he expected it, but it came from we touched and I am glad that I finished the race at all. I would have liked to win, but we have taken over the championship lead back and we’ll see how it goes in Malaysia.” Marc Marquez, Team CaixaCatalunya Repsol-Suter: 3rd “The race was very tough, the most difficult of the year. The high wind made it even more complicated and, as the time of the race got near, I must confess that I was getting nervous, because starting last the race would always be very difficult. I was lucky to do a great start, which I think was the most important. With the team we had set us the aim to gather points, but in the end, the third position is a result I would signed for before starting, because from the last place, to lose only four points from Bradl is a result with which we must be very happy. I want to thank the team for the job they did during the weekend, because they prepared two bikes and worked a lot, finishing in the early morning, so this podium is for all of them.” More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: ROSSI FALLS WHILE CHARGING FORWARD AT PHILLIP ISLAND, HAYDEN SEVENTH The Australian Grand Prix, which was marked by a number of incidents related to the unpredictable weather, saw Valentino Rossi fall on the fourteenth lap. He was in fifth place at the time, having started from the fourth row. After a good start from the second row, the American was involved in a number of nice battles in the first part of the race, lapping at a competitive pace. When it began raining hard four laps from the end of the race, making the conditions particularly tricky, Nicky Hayden changed motorcycles and went on to cross the finish line in seventh place. Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 7th “Conditions were really tough today, with wind and rain off-and-on at different parts of the track. My start actually wasn’t amazing, but I think everybody else got away worse than I did. I was in a good position, but I really had no grip at the rear from the very beginning, and although I tried as hard as I could, I couldn’t defend much when guys started coming past. Eventually I blistered the rear tyre and was just trying to make it to the finish, and then when it started to rain harder, it felt really slick. I just about lost it, and when I saw Bautista go down, I decided to come in and change bikes rather than risk doing the same. It’s another seventh place, but I was closer to the front than I’ve been in most races. I felt good apart from a few places, like Turn 6, and the bike was fast. We’ll try to base our future work on those positives.” Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) DNF “The crash was really a shame because I could have finished fifth. After a pretty good start, I lost some ground to Nicky and Bautista, but then I found my rhythm and managed to get them both. Unfortunately, I lost the front when I passed Alvaro, and I’m really disappointed because I didn’t expect it. Evidently, despite all our hard work, we still haven’t solved this problem. Anyway, both in Japan and here, we could have collected some good points, and instead we leave with none. That said, we’re still working, and we’ll have a number of important things to try in the next tests.” Vittoriano Guareschi (Team Manager) “Just like at the Japanese Grand Prix, there are also positives to consider here in Australia, despite the fact that it was a challenging weekend. Vale struggled in the practice sessions, but he was fast in this morning’s warm-up. He also found a good rhythm in the race and had climbed as high as fifth place when he fell. Nicky had his best qualifying session of the season, he started the race well and we saw him have some good battles in the early laps. We expected something more here in Australia, but we’re also aware that we’re working on a number of different fronts in these races, gathering information that will be useful in the future.”