For Stoner, a win could also take him closer to securing second overall in the season’s final standings, but the Phillip Island circuit is home ground to two of his rivals as well. The track is popular and flowing, with challenges including the speed and the gradient. Marlboro Ducati man Stoner had won there in 2007, and Rizla Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen had won there in 2003 as a World Supersport rider, as well as being second in the 2006 Grand Prix. Kawasaki rider Anthony West was the third Australian, and had been second here in the 250cc GP of 2003.

© Getty Images

Eight other riders had recorded World level victories at the circuit, including three for lap record holder Marco Melandri, on the second Marlboro Ducati this year. But Rossi has looked like the man for Phillip Island for a long time, with seven GP wins there, dating back to 1998. The 29-year-old’s Fiat Yamaha team-mate, Jorge Lorenzo, had won the last two 250 races at this venue. And this form served the Spaniard well in qualifying.

But pole position went to the Australian hero Stoner, for his eighth of the season. He just beat Lorenzo, who would therefore start second on the grid. Bridgestone and Michelin tyres had a man each in the top two. Nicky Hayden was third for Repsol Honda, to make it three different makes of bike right at the front. Randy de Puniet was fourth for LCR Honda.

On his 28th birthday, starting from fifth place was GP rookie James Toseland, of the Tech 3 Yamaha team. Phillip Island was one of the tracks he was familiar with from his Superbike racing career and, like team-mate Colin Edwards, he had been a winner there in SBK. Colin would start seventh, the pair split by the JiR Scot Honda of Andrea Dovizioso, also a former winner here.

Ninth went to Shin’ya Nakano, on the works-spec Honda for the San Carlo Gresini team. He was immediately followed by team-mate Alex de Angelis, on the customer-spec RC212V. Loris Capirossi led the way for the Suzuki team, in P11, with their blue bikes this time without the usual Rizla livery. Vermeulen was in P15 on the other GSV-R800.

Fourth of the Yamahas and only in twelfth was Rossi, the Italian having hurt his neck in a qualifying crash when he went grass tracking coming out of the Southern Loop and ended in the gravel. He would be looking to move up in the race. The Alice Ducati runners were in between Rossi and Vermeulen, with Toní Elías heading Sylvain Guintoli. Kawasaki’s John Hopkins (P16) and West (P18) were split by Melandri, who replaces the Australian in that team next year.

Bridgestone are likely to be supplying tyres to the entire field in 2009, given that Michelin have decided not to tender to be the single supplier, but for now the two makes still had to compete for success. That meant Stoner and Hayden, who left the race start in first and second places. Pedrosa was third through the right-handed Doohan curve, but he went wide at the following long left Southern Loop, running onto the grass and falling. Dani was out, and would not add points as he looked to challenge Stoner for second overall.

This put Toseland third, from Edwards and Lorenzo, who would soon swap places. Towards the back, both Vermeulen and Guintoli also went off the track at Southern Loop on the outside, although they each kept upright and returned to the race. Sixth was held by Nakano, with Rossi about to take seventh from de Puniet. Then came Capirossi, Dovizioso, Hopkins, West, Elías and Melandri, ahead of the two rejoining 26-year-olds. A second retirement befell de Angelis as he crashed at the tight downhill right-handed MG corner.

Stoner came under attack from Hayden, with a gap already starting to open back to the Yamaha boys. Lorenzo took third from Toseland, with Edwards starting to drop away from them, and pursued by Nakano and Rossi. The new champion displayed his skills as he braked late on the inside of both men at the Doohan curve, making it three abreast as he passed them in one move. Valentino was now the third Yamaha rider, and would soon tag onto the pair ahead.

Hayden set fastest lap as he followed Stoner, but the Ducati rider would soon begin to pull away steadily. Toseland took third back from Lorenzo at Doohan, and the Spaniard then lost out to his team-mate as Rossi went through on the inside at the tight MG corner. Valentino passed James at Doohan while the final Yamaha man lost ground. Edwards had been passed by both Nakano and Dovizioso, who were now catching the men ahead.

Toseland’s track familiarity paid off as he raced with Rossi for third. He passed on the inside at Doohan, and defended his position at MG, so that Valentino had to back off momentarily. James now headed a fairly close group of five, all on Yamaha or Honda machinery. Rossi retook that place at Doohan, but Toseland got inside him again on the brakes for the Southern Loop. Valentino passed again at Doohan and this time started to ease clear.

Stoner’s lead was approaching two seconds over Hayden, but Rossi now had more than five seconds to make up to the man in second. Meanwhile, Dovizioso had now overtaken both Nakano and Lorenzo to run fifth behind Toseland. While Stoner’s advantage went out to beyond three seconds, Rossi’s deficit to Hayden was being pulled down to a similar figure. Toseland was not matching that pace, so he now headed a pack of four.

No doubt to the delight of the home spectators, Stoner had by now made the race his own, and was not going to be caught by Hayden. With a few laps remaining, Rossi was under two seconds from the American, and it was just a few tenths on the penultimate lap. The last lap saw Valentino overtake Nicky on the inside at Doohan. The fourth corner is the right-handed Honda hairpin, which is another passing opportunity. Hayden tried to get close enough to make an attempt, but he had to go wide and that sealed the podium finishing order. Stoner won comfortably, and Rossi beat Hayden, who’d had increasing problems with rear tyre grip.

The race for fourth had seen fluctuating gaps between Toseland, Dovizioso, Lorenzo and Nakano, but they remained a group of four. Jorge was up to fifth again when both James and Andrea had to defend their positions on the brakes at Doohan. Three laps from the finish saw Lorenzo try to get outside Toseland at Doohan, only for Dovizioso to go to the inside and pass them both. James then went wide at Southern Loop to let Jorge through as well.

Dovizioso, Lorenzo, Toseland and Nakano raced on, and the Spanish rider went to the head of the queue with a move on the inside through the long left Swan Corner, the final turn. The last lap then saw Shin’ya find his way past both James and Andrea, who swapped again so that Lorenzo secured fourth, from Nakano, Toseland and Dovizioso. Edwards was not in touch but held onto eighth.

Maintaining his place in ninth was de Puniet, from Capirossi. Elías had earlier relegated the Kawasakis and took P11. On this occasion West got the better of Hopkins on the green machines, and Guintoli fought off Vermeulen, with both of them beating Melandri, who was last on the same bike that had won the race. First lap casualties de Angelis and Pedrosa were the only riders not still running.

The podium was therefore occupied by the three most recent MotoGP class world champions, with Casey Stoner a convincing winner at home, although possibly helped by Valentino Rossi’s qualifying misadventure. Dani Pedrosa’s exit helped Stoner get closer to securing second overall, and in fact both men, along with Nicky Hayden, are now level with 25 podium results in the top class. Stoner has fifteen race wins, and of course this one saw him take the Australian flag with him on the victory lap.

James Toseland had put in a good race and, although beaten by Rossi, he was on a par with the talents in the next group. Unfortunately for James, he didn’t manage to hold on to fourth in the end, but sixth place equalled his best GP result - achieved in five previous outings. And Shin’ya Nakano made the best use of his RCV to sneak fifth at the end, his second best race of the season. Meanwhile, Loris Capirossi became only the second ever rider to score 3000 points in GP racing, moving up to 3002. Rossi is on 3679.

Standings after sixteen races: Rossi 332; Stoner 245; Pedrosa 209; Lorenzo 182; Dovizioso 145; Hayden 131; Edwards 126; Vermeulen 118; Nakano 106; Capirossi 102; Toseland 100; Elías 91.
Yamaha 361; Ducati 286; Honda 275; Suzuki 165; Kawasaki 81.

The MotoGP line-up for 2009
The picture is emerging of who we can expect to be riding for whom next year. Fiat Yamaha retain Rossi and Lorenzo, while Tech 3 Yamaha retain Edwards and Toseland and Rizla Suzuki retain Capirossi and Vermeulen. Hayden moves to join Stoner at Marlboro Ducati, and his place alongside Pedrosa at HRC-run Repsol Honda goes to Dovizioso. There will possibly be an Angel Nieto-run Ducati for nine-time GP winner Sete Gibernau, whilst the Alice Ducati team could still hold onto Elías, although Guintoli will be gone to the Rizla Suzuki team in British Superbike racing. Melandri will join Hopkins at Kawasaki, and a third bike could be run by Jorge Martínez and piloted by either Elías or Nakano. But Nakano might be on his way into a test rider role, whilst Elías could still return to the Gresini Honda team. Ben Spies has been a rumoured satellite Suzuki runner or Scot Honda man, but also has Yamaha options in AMA Superbikes or World Superbikes. Scot and JiR could split and become two separate teams again, with LCR Honda also being a potential destination for the riders left. As well as West, these would include de Puniet and de Angelis, and no doubt others currently outside the MotoGP series.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon

Related Articles:

• Valentino Rossi wins race and MotoGP title
• Valentino Rossi wins in washed out Indy GP
• Valentino Rossi wins GP at home in Misano

SPORTNETWORK SPECIALS

• Think you know your sport? Click here to try the Sportnetwork Prize Quizzes