Casey Stoner finished 1.935 seconds ahead of championship leader Valentino Rossi on Sunday to win for the third straight year at Philip Island. Spaniard Dani Pedrosa finished third, while Rossi’s Ducati team mate Jorge Lorenzo crashed out of the race, after tangling with American Nicky Hayden on the first lap.
Stoner, celebrating his 24th birthday this weekend, started on the pole position and led the race from start to finish, showing no sign of the mysterious illness that sidelined him for three races prior to his comeback in Portugal on October 4th, where he placed second.
“The whole team’s done a fantastic job,” Stoner said after the race.
“We spent those three races away to fix myself up. It’s definitely a big step from what we were in the middle of the season.
“It’s nice to be able to fight for victories. Even if I didn’t win today, I’d have had a ball.”
Rossi’s second place finish gives him a virtual stranglehold on another world title, putting him 38 points ahead of his nearest rival Lorenzo. Two rounds of the world championship remain – Malaysia and Valencia – with a maximum of 50 points available.
2009 Australian Grand Prix MotoGP results
1. Casey Stoner (Australia) Ducati 40 mins 56.651 secs
2. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha 40:58.586
3. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 41:19.269
4. Alex de Angelis (San Marino) Honda 41:29.353
5. Colin Edwards (U.S.) Yamaha 41:32.536
6. Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda 41:35.133
7. Marco Melandri (Italy) Kawasaki 41:41.112
8. Randy de Puniet (France) Honda 41:41.592
9. Mika Kallio (Finland) Ducati 41:50.996
10. Toni Elias (Spain) Honda 41:57.856
11. Chris Vermeulen (Australia) Suzuki 42:02.068
12. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Suzuki 42:02.601
13. Gabor Talmacsi (Hungary) Honda 42:14.602
14. James Toseland (Britain) Yamaha 42:14.636
15. Nicky Hayden (U.S.) Ducati +1 Laps
Not Finished
Jorge Lorenzo (Spain)
2009 Champion Standings
1. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha 270
2. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha 232
3. Casey Stoner (Australia) Ducati 195
4. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 189
5. Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda 152
6. Colin Edwards (U.S.) Yamaha 145
7. Alex de Angelis (San Marino) Honda 101
8. Randy de Puniet (France) Honda 101
9. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Suzuki 101
10. Marco Melandri (Italy) Kawasaki 100
11. Toni Elias (Spain) Honda 96
12. Chris Vermeulen (Australia) Suzuki 95
13. James Toseland (Britain) Yamaha 87
14. Nicky Hayden (U.S.) Ducati 82
15. Mika Kallio (Finland) Ducati 58
16. Niccolo Canepa (Italy) Ducati 38
17. Gabor Talmacsi (Hungary) Honda 17
18. Sete Gibernau (Spain) Ducati 12
19. Yuki Takahashi (Japan) Honda 9
20. Aleix Espargaro (Spain) Ducati 8
