Casey Stoner clinched the 2011 MotoGP championship today on his birthday and on home turf at Phillip Island in Australia. It is the fifth consecutive Australian GP win for the 26-year-old factory Honda rider and his second premier class championship. He won his first title in 2007 while at Ducati.
Stoner needed only a sixth place result today to clinch the title, after defending champion Jorge Lorenzo lost the tip of his left ring finger during a morning warm up highside crash and was deemed unfit to race. But the Australian led the race from start to finish to top an all Honda podium. Marco Simoncelli won a close battle with Andrea Dovizioso for second, while Dani Pedrosa trailed in fourth. Colin Edwards rounded out the top five and was the top Yamaha rider at Phillip Island. Lorenzo’s factory Yamaha team-mate Ben Spies was also unfit to race, after sustaining a blow to the head during a high speed qualifying get-off. Valentino Rossi’s season woes continued in Australia. The Ducati rider moved up four places into seventh on the opening lap, but ended his day early at the race’s half-way point, when he lost the front in turn 10 under slippery conditions brought on by light rain — his second crash in two races. Non of the riders pitted to change to rain tires and Stoner too had a late race scare due to the wet conditions, prompting him to back off of his six-second lead to a more conservative pace and cross the finish line 2.210 seconds ahead of Simoncelli.
Stoner’s ninth win of the season today also gives Honda their 60th constructors championship; their 18th in the premier class — five in MotoGP and 13 in 500 cc — to go along six 350 cc titles, 19 in the 250 cc class, 15 in the 125cc class, and two in the 50 cc category.
2011 Phillip Island MotoGP Race Results
1 Casey STONER AUS Repsol Honda Team 42’02.425
2 Marco SIMONCELLI ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini +2.210
3 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team +2.454
4 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team +13.160
5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 +30.886
6 Randy DE PUNIET FRA Pramac Racing Team +48.800
7 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati +1’16.314
8 Toni ELIAS SPA LCR Honda MotoGP 1 Lap
9 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Pramac Racing Team Ducati 1 Lap
10 Karel ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing 2 Laps
DNF
Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA Rizla Suzuki 4 Laps
Hiroshi AOYAMA JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini 4 Laps
Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 4 Laps
Valentino ROSSI ITA Ducati Team 14 Laps
DNS
Jorge LORENZO SPA Yamaha
Ben SPIES USA Yamaha
2011 MotoGP Championship Standing
1 Casey STONER Honda 325
2 Jorge LORENZO Yamaha 260
3 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Honda 212
4 Dani PEDROSA Honda 208
5 Ben SPIES Yamaha 156
6 Marco SIMONCELLI Honda 139
7 Valentino ROSSI Ducati 139
8 Nicky HAYDEN Ducati 132
9 Colin EDWARDS Yamaha 109
10 Hiroshi AOYAMA Honda 94
11 Hector BARBERA 77
12 Alvaro BAUTISTA Suzuki 67
13 Cal CRUTCHLOW Yamaha 57
14 Karel ABRAHAM Ducati 56
15 Toni ELIAS Honda 55
16 Randy DE PUNIET Ducati 49
17 Loris CAPIROSSI Ducati 36
18 Kousuke AKIYOSHI Honda 7
19 John HOPKINS Suzuki 6
20 Shinichi ITO Honda 3
