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Stoner takes 4th straight Australian Grand Prix
Source: Agencies |
October 18, 2010, Monday
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DUCATI'S Casey Stoner delighted his home fans by winning a fourth consecutive Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island yesterday.
Stoner, who secured pole position on his 25th birthday a day earlier, completed the 27-lap race in 41 minutes 9.128 seconds, more than eight seconds ahead of newly crowned MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo of Spain on a gusty day at the 4.45-kilometer circuit.
Seven-time premier class champion Valentino Rossi finished third after battling through from eighth on the grid, snatching the podium spot from Ducati rider and future teammate Nicky Hayden of the S on the final lap.
"We didn't know what to expect before the race," a buoyant Stoner told a televised interview, referring to the changeable weather at Phillip Island that left pit crews scratching their heads for most of the weekend.
"Jorge gave it a go and after I had a couple of seconds gap I thought I'd build on that slightly because he was running some pretty good times.
"We managed to pull that gap, get us comfortable and ease into the race so we were very, very happy with this one."
The 2007 world champion Stoner roared off the grid to open a 1.5 second gap from Lorenzo's Yamaha after the first lap and was never threatened thereafter as brilliant sunshine dried out the scenic track that had earlier been doused with showers.
With Lorenzo also enjoying a luxury of space in second place, the race's drama was relegated to a battle for third between Italian Rossi and Hayden.
The win was Stoner's third of the season and continues his late revival after victories at Aragon and Motegi over the past month, while Rossi and Lorenzo's podium spots were enough to hand Yamaha the team championship with only two races rounds to go.
Stoner moved past Rossi into third in the championship standings behind second-placed Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, who withdrew from the race after qualifying due to discomfort with the collarbone he broke during the Japan round.
The MotoGP season concludes with races in Portugal in two weeks and in Valencia, Spain.
Stoner, who secured pole position on his 25th birthday a day earlier, completed the 27-lap race in 41 minutes 9.128 seconds, more than eight seconds ahead of newly crowned MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo of Spain on a gusty day at the 4.45-kilometer circuit.
Seven-time premier class champion Valentino Rossi finished third after battling through from eighth on the grid, snatching the podium spot from Ducati rider and future teammate Nicky Hayden of the S on the final lap.
"We didn't know what to expect before the race," a buoyant Stoner told a televised interview, referring to the changeable weather at Phillip Island that left pit crews scratching their heads for most of the weekend.
"Jorge gave it a go and after I had a couple of seconds gap I thought I'd build on that slightly because he was running some pretty good times.
"We managed to pull that gap, get us comfortable and ease into the race so we were very, very happy with this one."
The 2007 world champion Stoner roared off the grid to open a 1.5 second gap from Lorenzo's Yamaha after the first lap and was never threatened thereafter as brilliant sunshine dried out the scenic track that had earlier been doused with showers.
With Lorenzo also enjoying a luxury of space in second place, the race's drama was relegated to a battle for third between Italian Rossi and Hayden.
The win was Stoner's third of the season and continues his late revival after victories at Aragon and Motegi over the past month, while Rossi and Lorenzo's podium spots were enough to hand Yamaha the team championship with only two races rounds to go.
Stoner moved past Rossi into third in the championship standings behind second-placed Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, who withdrew from the race after qualifying due to discomfort with the collarbone he broke during the Japan round.
The MotoGP season concludes with races in Portugal in two weeks and in Valencia, Spain.
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