MotoGP – The Australian Grand Prix turn-based –

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The Australian Grand Prix turn-based

MotoGP - The Australian Grand Prix turn-based -

Phillip Island, Australia. Casey Stoner being already titled 2007 MotoGP world champion, prestige is at stake in the premier class … But in the 125 and 250 class, everything remains to be done in front of 50,425 spectators ! Round by round.

Australia remain on seven Italian wins with Biaggi, Rossi five times and Melandri! Of course, the MotoGP title suspense is over, but there is still a fight for the 2nd place of vice champion between Rossi and Pedrosa…

In 125, everything remains to be done between Faubel and Talmacsi, and in 250, only Dovizioso could delay the expiry of the probable title of Lorenzo.

4448 m, a 900 m straight line, 7 right turns for 5 left, the very winding Australian layout favors agile motorcycles. A circuit that favors fighting until the end, remember the final between Nakano and Jacque in 250 which gave the title to OJ in the last meters !

The engine is less crucial here, but the tires are essential. In particular, the very quick right turn at the end of the straight line is very quick, on a slight slope, and the tire has just been heated by two turns … to the left plus the straight. Soft eraser on the right, harder on the left, the equation is complex. A great challenge between Michelin, Bridgestone… and Dunlop that the capricious weather conditions could well arbitrate !

125

Friday morning, Gadea was the fastest in the wet ahead of Di Meglio, Corsi, Ranseder, Pesek, Talmacsi, Koyama, Cortese, Smith, Muresan, Bonsey, Nieto, Zanetti, De Rosa. Masbou is 24th. In the dry afternoon, Talmacsi took provisional pole ahead of Faubel, Koyama, Pasini, Gadea, Pesek, De Rosa, Zanetti, Ranseder, Corsi, Di Meglio, Nieto, Smith and Terol. Masbou is 19th.

On Saturday morning, in the wet, Di Meglio was the fastest ahead of Cortese, Corsi, Pesek, Ranseder, Smith, Koyama, Bonsey, De Rosa, Talmacsi, Lombardi, Muresan, Litjens, Terol and Masbou 15th. In the afternoon, dry again, it was Pasini who took the pole ahead of De Rosa who made his best career qualifying, Pesek and Koyama who completed the first row. In the 2nd row, Corsi, Faubel, Gadea and olive, then Cortese, Rabat, Di Meglio and Talmacsi in the 3rd row. Smith, Nieto, Espargaro and Bonsey form the 4th row. Masbou qualifies 21st.

In the warm up, Pasini is the fastest in front of Rosa, Olive, Talmacsi, Faubel, Koyama, Pesek, Terol, Krummenacher, Cortese, Ranseder, Di Meglio who has a big fall at high speed, fortunately without serious consequences, Corsi, Espargaro, Nieto and Masbou.

Departure. De Rosa started from the pit lane behind everyone, and it was Koyama who did the hole shot in front of Faubel, Pasini who quickly passed the Spaniard, then Pesek, Gadea, Rabat, Corsi, Talmacsi, Cortese. Pesek passed 3rd in front of Faubel, Talmacsi and Smith passed Corsi when braking the hairpin. Pesek passes 2nd in front of Pasini.

In the 1st round, Koyama, Pasini, Pesek, Faubel, Gadea, Rabat and Talmacsi are slightly ahead of Smith, Ranseder, Corsi, Cortese, Olive, Krummenacher, Di Meglio and Espargaro. Masbou started badly is 25th. Pasini took the lead in front of Pesek, Faubel passed 3rd ahead of Koyama, Gadea, Talmacsi and Rabat. Talmacsi passes 4th.

On the second lap, Pasini, who had the fastest lap, led ahead of Pesek who passed him on the draw, then Faubel passed both ahead of Talmacsi, Koyama, Gadea and Rabat. Corsi takes Olive, Cortese, Di Meglio, Ranseder, Smith, Krummenacher and Espargaro. Pesek took the lead in front of Faubel under braking the hairpin. Faubel regains the lead in the last corner.

On the 3rd lap, Pasini and Pesek pass Faubel in the straight line, ahead of Talmacsi, Gadea who scored the best lap, Koyama and Rabat, then Olive and Corsi, further Cortese and Ranseder, then Di Meglio, Krummenacher. When braking the hairpin, Pesek took the lead and Talmacsi 3rd. Olive and Corsi reconnect with the leaders.

On the 4th lap, Pasini, Pesek and Talmacsi took a few lengths at Faubel, Gadea, Koyama, Rabat, Olive, Corsi, Cortese, who took the best lap and Ranseder, then 2 seconds later, Krummenacher and Di Meglio. Masbou comes back 22nd. At the hairpin, Talmacsi passes 2nd in front of Faubel. Olive passes successively Smith then Koyama to come back 6th.

On lap 5, Pasini leads ahead of Pesek, Talmacsi, Gadea, Faubel, Koyama, Olive, Smith, Corsi, Ranseder and Cortese. In the straight line, Pesek then Talmacsi pass Pasini. Gadea gets a little heat and loses contact, Faubel takes the opportunity to pass 4th in the last corner.

On lap 6, Pesek, Talmacsi and Pasini were a few steps ahead of Faubel, Gadea, Koyama and Rabat, themselves ahead of Ranseder, Olive, Corsi and Cortese. Talmacsi takes the lead ahead of Pesek. Di Meglio is 15th, Masbou 20th.

On the 7th lap, Talmacsi leads in front of Pasini and Pesek, then Rabat who has reattached and brings Faubel, Gadea then Olive, Koyama, Ranseder, Corsi, Cortese.

On the 8th lap, Pasini leads ahead of Pesek who takes the lead in the draw, then Talmacsi, Rabat, Faubel who scored the best lap, Olive, Koyama, Gadea, Ranseder, Corsi then Cortese who wins. Krummenacher is 6.4 s behind the leader, far ahead of Espargaro, Terol and Di Meglio 15th. Masbou came back 16th, but 7 seconds behind his compatriot… Faubel passed 3rd in front of Talmacsi. When braking the hairpin, Rabat passes Faubel and Talmacsi, and Koyama also returns to Hungarian. Olive passes Koyama, then Gadea passes in force Talmacsi who resists, the two men lose contact with the leaders.

On lap 9, Pesek and Pasini were a few steps ahead, Faubel came back to 3rd on the draw ahead of Rabat, Olive, Koyama and then 0.7 s later Talmacsi, Gadea, Corsi, Cortese and Ranseder. When braking the hairpin, Olive passed 3rd in front of Faubel. Faubel passes Olive again in the last bend.

On the 10th lap, Pesek leads in front of Pasini, Faubel, Olive, Rabat, Koyama, Talmacsi, author of the best lap which left Gadea then Ranseder, Corsi and Cortese. Pasini took the lead from Pesek, again a few lengths ahead of Olive, who had passed Faubel again. Ranseder falls at the end of the hairpin, starts again but far behind the leaders.

On the 11th lap, Pasini took the lead again in the straight ahead of Pesek, Faubel then Olive, Rabat, Koyama, Talmacsi, Gadea then Cortese, and Corsi. At almost 10s, Espargaro let go of Krummenacher, Terol and Di Meglio. In the left of the sequence, Pasini steps aside and lets Pesek and Faubel pass. At the hairpin, Rabat passed 3rd, Olive 4th and Koyama 5th ahead of Pasini! Gadea passes 7th in front of Talmacsi.

At the 12th passage, Pesek takes Faubel, Rabat, Olive, Koyama, Gadea, Pasini, Talmacsi, Cortese, Corsi. Di Meglio is 14th, Masbou 18th. At the hairpin, Rabat with superb braking passed 2nd in front of Faubel. Olive moved to 3rd at the angle change in the last set.

On lap 13, Pesek leads ahead of Rabat, Olive, Faubel, Koyama, Talmacsi, Gadea, Pasini, Corsi and Cortese. Gadea returned to 6th place ahead of Talmacsi. Faubel passes Olive back on the suction, but Olive goes back on braking the hairpin.

On the 14th lap, Pesek, Olive, Faubel and Rabat were a few steps ahead of Gadea, Koyama, Talmacsi, Pasini, Corsi and Cortese. Di Meglio is 14th, Masbou is 24th. Pesek takes a little lead alone in front, and Faubel reacts by passing second in front of Olive at the hairpin, Rabat passing both Olive and Faubel at the same braking! Faubel goes back to 2nd in the lift. Behind Talmacsi, Pasini, Corsi and Cortese seem to struggle to follow.

On lap 15, Pesek was 0.6 s ahead of Faubel, Rabat, Olive and Gadea, then 1.3 s over Koyama and Talmacsi and 2.2 s over Corsi, Pasini and Cortese. Pasini returned to 8th place ahead of Corsi. Faubel gradually returns to Pesek and brings Rabat with him.

On lap 16, Pesek, Faubel and Rabat were a few steps ahead of Gadea, Koyama, Olive and Talmacsi, then Pasini and Corsi let go of Cortese. Faubel takes the lead ahead of Pesek and Rabat. Gadea in turn redoes the junction with the leaders, bringing back Olive, Talmacsi then Koyama, Pasini, Corsi then Cortese.

On lap 17, Faubel took a few lengths ahead of Pesek, Rabat, Gadea, Olive then Talmacsi, further Pasini and Corsi, then Cortese. Masbou falls and gives up.

On lap 18, Gadea took the lead from Faubel on the draw, ahead of Pesek then Rabat, Olive and Talmacsi who let go of Koyama, Pasini and Corsi, then Cortese at over 1s. Di Meglio is 14th. Halfway through the circuit, Olive, Rabat and Talmacsi reattach the 3 leaders. Pesek takes the lead in front of Gadea at the entrance to the last double left, then Faubel takes 2nd behind the Czech.

On lap 19, Faubel returned to the lead in the draw ahead of Gadea, Pesek, Olive, Rabat and Talmacsi, then Koyama, Corsi and Pasini, and Cortese alone in 10th. Pesek and Olive pass Gadea back to the long left before the hairpin. Rabat moved back to 4th in front of Gadea when braking the hairpin. Pesek takes the lead from Faubel in the left uphill, then at the bottom of the following descent, Olive goes 2nd under braking in front of Faubel.

On the 20th lap, Faubel returns to suction ahead of Pesek, Olive and Rabat, then Gadea, Talmacsi then Koyama, Corsi and Pasini who try to pick up the Hungarian. Olive takes second in front of Pesek. Thanks to the fight at the head, the 9 men regroup !

On the 21st lap, Faubel leads in front of Olive, then Rabat and Pesek, and Gadea, Talmacsi, Corsi, Koyama and Pasini. Cortese is at 7.7 s, Espargaro at 18.9 s, Krummenacher at 21.2 s, Terol and Di Meglio at 23 s. Pesek returns to 3rd in front of the flap at the end of the straight line. When braking the hairpin, Olive takes the lead in front of Faubel. At the entrance on the left which goes up, Pesek passes 2nd in front of Faubel. Behind Rabat, Corsi came back 5th.

At the start of the last lap, Faubel passed Pesek, Olive, Rabat, Corsi, Gadea, Talmacsi, Koyama and Pasini. At the end of the straight, Pesek regained the lead from the outside ahead of Olive, Faubel, Rabat, Corsi, Talmacsi, Pasini, Gadea and Koyama. Pasini passes 6th in front of Talmacsi at the change of angle, and Koyama passes 8th in front of Gadea. In the last double left, Pesek has a very small lead over Olive, himself slightly ahead of Faubel and Corsi, enough to hold positions until the finish !

Pesek wins ahead of Olive 2nd and Faubel 3rd. Corsi finished 4th, Rabat 5th, Pasini 6th, Koyama 7th, Talmacsi 8th, Gadea 9th, Cortese 10th, Espargaro 11th, Krummenacher 12th, Terol 13th, Di Meglio 14th and Bonsey 15th.

In the championship, it’s Faubel who gets the good deal, because if Talmacsi still leads with 237, the Spaniard comes down to 236! It’s over for the title for the others, with Koyama 166, Pesek 161, Corsi 155, Pasini 153, Gadea 133, Olive 118, Espargaro 104, Smith 86, Ranseder 70 and Krummenacher 68. On the brands side, Aprilia leads with 360 in front Derbi 178, KTM 169 and Honda 129.

250

On Friday morning, Lorenzo was immediately the fastest ahead of Barbera, Dovizioso, Simoncelli, Bautista, H. Aoyama, De Angelis, Takahashi, Simon, Kallio, Luthi, Heidolf, Toth, Locatelli and Cluzel. In the afternoon, Lorenzo takes the provisional pole ahead of Barbera, De Angelis, Dovizioso, Simoncelli, Bautista, H. Aoyama, Simon, S. Aoyama, Kallio, Luthi, Locatelli, Takahashi, Heidolf and Cluzel.

On Saturday morning, Lorenzo was the fastest again ahead of Simon, Barbera, Bautista, Luthi, Dovizioso, Kallio, De Angelis, H. Aoyama, Simoncelli, Lai, S. Aoyama, Cluzel, Takahashi and Locatelli. In the afternoon, the inevitable Lorenzo took pole ahead of Barbera, Bautista and De Angelis who completed the 1st row. Simoncelli, H. Aoyama, Dovizioso and Luthi are in the 2nd row. Simon, S. Aoyama, Kallio and Takahashi form the 3rd row, then Locatelli, Espargaro, Cluzel and Lai the 4th row.

In the warm up, Lorenzo is still the fastest ahead of Bautista, Dovizioso, De Angelis, ABrbera, Simoncelli, S. Aoyama, Kallio, Simon, Takahashi, H. Aoyama, Locatelli, Abraham, Espargaro and Vazquez. Cluzel sets the 17th fastest time.

Departure. Lorenzo took the lead ahead of Dovizioso, Bautista, De Angelis, Luthi, Simoncelli then S. Aoyama, Kallio, H. Aoyama. Lorenzo quickly takes a few steps ahead of Dovizioso and the others.

In the 1st lap, Lorenzo was 0.7 s ahead of Dovizioso, 1 s over Bautista, De Angelis, Luthi, 1.7 s over Simoncelli and S. Aoyama, 2.7 s over H. Aoyama, Kallio, Simon, Takahashi, 3.5 s over Abraham and 4 seconds on Cluzel and Locatelli. Luthi passed De Angelis on braking the hairpin, but pulled away and lost position again. Kallio falls to the high side at the exit of the hairpin bend and has to give up, luckily without damage to him. Bautista passed 2nd in front of Dovizioso in the sequence following the hairpin.

On lap 2, Lorenzo was 1.6 seconds ahead of Bautista and Dovizioso, 2.1 seconds over De Angelis, Luthi, S. Aoyama and Simoncelli. Cluzel 13th was overtaken by Locatelli. De Angelis glued Dovizioso back to mid circuit. Simoncelli passed 4th in front of De Angelis on downhill braking.

On lap 3, Lorenzo widened the gap on Bautista and Dovizioso glued to his wheel, then Simoncelli who passed 3rd in front of Dovizioso in the left seesaw under the eyes of De Angelis, S. Aoyama and Luthi. Dovizioso goes back to third on the left before the hairpin. De Angelis passes Simoncelli when braking the said hairpin. Then it was S. Aoyama who passed Simoncelli in the tight left following.

On lap 4, Lorenzo was 3.7 seconds ahead of Bautista, Dovizioso, S. Aoyama, De Angelis, Simoncelli and Luthi, then Simon and H. Aoyama. Cluzel is 12th in the fight with Abraham 13th.

On the 5th lap, Lorenzo leads, then Bautista, Dovizioso, S. Aoyama, De Angelis who passes to suction, Luthi and Simoncelli, then Simon and H. Aoyama, further on Takahashi and Locatelli, then Cluzel and Abraham. Braking the last sequence, S. Aoyama dives under De Angelis’ wheel and goes 4th.

In the 6th lap, Lorenzo alone in the lead rolls more than half a second faster than everyone else, Bautista has a leech named Dovizioso stuck to his wheel with S. Aoyama just behind, then a few lengths De Angelis and Luthi, further Simon and H. Aoyama, then Simoncelli on which return Takahashi and Locatelli, and Cluzel and Abraham. When braking the hairpin, Luthi passed 5th ahead of De Angelis and S. Aoyama 3rd ahead of Dovizioso. In the downhill braking, S. Aoyama passed 2nd in front of Bautista. Luthi takes the opportunity to get back in the wheel of Dovizioso.

On the 7th lap, behind Lorenzo, S. Aoyama leads Bautista, Dovizioso and Luthi, then De Angelis. Dovizioso came back to 3rd in front of Bautista at the entrance to the long left before the hairpin. On acceleration out of the hairpin, S. Aoyama lost the grip from the rear, recovered but went out into the grass and started off behind Locatelli and Takahashi. On the left uphill, Bautista returns to 3rd in front of Luthi, De Angelis has returned.

On the 8th lap, Lorenzo 2 s faster (!) Was almost 9 s ahead of Dovizioso, Bautista, Luthi, De Angelis, H. Aoyama and Simon returned, then 13.5 s on Simoncelli, 14.7 s on Locatelli who released Takahashi, then S. Aoyama and at 18.3 s Cluzel got rid of Abraham.

On lap 9, Lorenzo spins over 1s faster than all the others. Bautista returned to 2nd place ahead of Dovizioso, Luthi, H. Aoyama, De Angelis and Simon.

On the 10th lap, Lorenzo continues his rider alone, then Bautista, Dovizioso and Luthi slightly let go of H. Aoyama, De Angelis and Simon. At the entrance to the hairpin, Simon pulls out incredible braking and suddenly passes De Angelis and H. Aoyama !

On lap 11, behind Lorenzo, Bautista had Dovizioso and Luthi glued to his wheel, then Simon making an effort to catch up with them, H. Aoyama and De Angelis slightly off the hook. Further on, Simoncelli took to the air on Locatelli on which returned S. Aoyama who passed Takahashi, then Cluzel 12th took cover 4s in front of Abraham.

At the 12th lap, Lorenzo runs to another planet, then behind Bautista, Luthi passes 3rd in front of Dovizioso, Simon comes back little by little bringing H. Aoyama and De Angelis back even further. Halfway through the circuit, Simon came back, attacked and passed Dovizioso under braking downhill from the right.

On the 13th lap, Lorenzo leads, then behind Bautista and Luthi, Dovizioso fights to stay in contention for the title and passes Simon again. H. Aoyama took advantage of the aspiration to pass Simon in turn at the end of the straight. Bautista especially, but also Luthi took the opportunity to take a few steps ahead.

On the 14th lap, leader Lorenzo forgot Bautista who was a few steps ahead of Luthi, himself with a margin over Dovizioso, H. Aoyama and Simon. When braking the hairpin, Simon passes with authority 5th in front of H. Aoyama.

On the 15th lap, behind Lorenzo, Bautista and Luthi then Dovizioso, Simon and H. Aoyama grouped together. Cluzel is still solid 12th.

At the 16th lap, Lorenzo leads, then Bautista a Luthi stuck to his wheel, a few lengths in front of Dovizioso who has H. Aoyama and Simon on the trail, De Angelis is 5 s further then Simoncelli on whom returns S. Aoyama who has let go of Locatelli, 4.5 s ahead of Cluzel.

In the 17th lap, Lorenzo was more than 15 seconds ahead of Bautista and Luthi, who were followed by Dovizioso, H. Aoyama and Simon.

On the 18th lap, more than 16s behind Lorenzo, Bautista, Luthi, Dovizioso, H. Aoyama and Simon are grouped together. Dovizioso passes 3rd in front of Luthi.

On lap 19, Lorenzo still more than 1s faster than the others leads, then Bautista, Dovizioso, H. Aoyama who overtook Luthi, and Simon. Behind De Angelis, Simoncelli had less than 1 second of margin over S. Aoyama. In the final stretch, Dovizioso missed a speed and was passed by H. Aoyama and Luthi who were not asking for so much !

At the 20th lap, Lorenzo leads, then Bautista, H. Aoyama, Luthi, Dovizioso and Simon. Luthi took advantage of the aspiration to retake 3rd ahead of H. Aoyama, then Dovizioso in turn passed the Japanese at the end of the straight. When braking the hairpin, Luthi passed 2nd ahead of Bautista and Simon 5th ahead of H. Aoyama. The Japanese return to the following sequence, but slightly lost contact with Dovizioso.

On the 21st lap, Lorenzo completely dominated his subject, then Luthi was stolen 2nd place by the powerful Aprilia of Bautista, Dovizioso in his wheel, a few lengths ahead of H. Aoyama and Simon. De Angelis is joined by Simoncelli who picked up some air on S. Aoyama. When braking the hairpin, Luthi came back to 2nd in front of Bautista. The Swiss take a little lead on Bautista and the others before the straight line.

On the 22nd lap, behind Lorenzo, Luthi who came out wide had to let Bautista, Dovizioso and H. Aoyama pass, but the young Swiss stayed behind the Japanese and entered the inside ahead of him on the long left. When braking the hairpin, Simon came back to 5th in front of H. Aoyama. Simoncelli passed 7th in front of De Angelis, who returned to S. Aoyama.

On lap 23, Lorenzo was 19.9 seconds ahead of Bautista, Dovizioso, Luthi, H. Aoyama and Simon. Simoncelli is 7th, S. Aoyama 8th has passed De Angelis, then Takahashi, Locatelli and Cluzel. At the end of the circuit, Dovizioso passed 2nd in front of Bautista who resisted but had to bow.

At the start of the last lap, Lorenzo took a 20s lead over Bautista, who passed Dovizioso in the straight line, watched by H. Aoyama, Luthi and Simon, who won slightly. Luthi came back to 4th in front of H. Aoyama at the angle change between left and right following the straight line. When braking the hairpin, Dovizioso took second ahead of Bautista. At the entrance on the left uphill, Bautista returns to second on the nerve in front of Dovizioso! Entering the straight line, Dovizioso is firmly in Bautista’s wheel but can’t help. Behind them, H. Aoyama takes full advantage of a better exit from the last corner and suction to steal 4th place from Luthi !

Lorenzo wins far ahead of Bautista 2nd and Dovizioso 3rd. Hiroshi Aoyama finished 4th, Luthi 5th, Simon 6th, Simoncelli 7th, Shuhei Aoyama 8th, De Angelis 9th, Takahashi 10th, Locatelli 11th, Cluzel 12th, Abraham 13th, Espargaro 14th and Heidolf 15th.

In the championship, Lorenzo with 287 does not yet have enough lead to be titled, 45 points ahead of Dovizioso 242, then De Angelis 215, Bautista 181, Barbera 146, H. Aoyama 129, Kallio 119, Luthi 115, Simon 103, S. Aoyama 87, Simoncelli 84, Takahashi 75.

In terms of brands, Aprilia with 347 points leads well ahead of Honda 252, KTM 176, Gilera 102 and Yamaha with its only Japanese result 4.

MotoGP

Friday morning, on a wet track, Stoner was the fastest ahead of De Puniet, Rossi, Hopkins, Pedrosa, Capirossi, West, Checa, Elias, Vermeulen, Edwards, Guintoli, Hayden and Melandri. In the afternoon, it is again Stoner ahead of Melandri, Pedrosa, Rossi, De Puniet, Barros, Checa, Capirossi, Hayden, West, Hopkins, Nakano, Davies, Vermeulen and Edwards.

On Saturday morning, Stoner still dominates ahead of De Puniet, Pedrosa, Barros, Capirossi, Rossi, Melandri, Hopkins, West, Edwards, Elias, Hayden, Vermeulen, Guintoli and Checa. In the afternoon, Pedrosa took pole, ahead of Rossi 2nd and Stoner 3rd. Hayden, Capirossi and De Puniet form the 2nd row, then Barros, Nakano and Guintoli the 3rd row. West, Edwards and Melandri will start from 4th row, then Checa, Hopkins and Tamada from 5th row.

In the warm up, Stoner is again the fastest ahead of Rossi, De Puniet, Hayden, Barros, Pedrosa, Melandri, West, Capirossi, Hopkins, Checa, Guintoli, Edwards, Elias and Vermeulen.

Departure. Stoner got the best start ahead of Hayden from the second row, Pedrosa, Rossi, Capirossi, Barros, Melandri, Nakano, Hopkins who passed the Japanese in the sequence, De Puniet badly started, West and Edwards. In the lead, Stoner quickly took a few steps ahead of the two Hondas and the No. 46 Yamaha. But Hayden comes back with heavy braking in the wheel of the Australian.

In the first lap, Stoner and Hayden lead a few lengths ahead of Pedrosa and Rossi, then Capirossi, and Barros, which Melandri passes at the end of the straight, Hopkins, Nakano, de Puniet, West and Edwards. Guintoli is 17th. Rossi passed 3rd in front of Pedrosa on braking the hairpin, De Puniet attacked but hesitated and was passed by West and Edwards !

On the 2nd pass, Stoner, who had the best lap, goes out on the shaker, Hayden follows, then Rossi takes him out into the dirt behind the shaker, has to cut lightly and let Pedrosa pass again! A few lengths further, Capirossi is joined by Melandri who has left behind Barros, Hopkins, Nakano, West, De Puniet, Vermeulen who overtook Edwards. Melandri passed 5th in front of Capirossi when braking the hairpin.

On the 3rd lap, Stoner and Hayden wheel to wheel are 1.3 s ahead of Pedrosa and Rossi, 2 s over Melandri and Capirossi, 2.9 s over Barros, 4.2 s over Hopkins, West and Nakano, 5.4 s over De Puniet, 6.5 s on Vermeulen and Checa, 7.3 s on Davies, Edwards, Elias and Guintoli. Rossi dives under Pedrosa’s wheel at the entrance to the long left. At the entrance to the hairpin bend, Pedrosa, who applies too much braking to attack Rossi, must step aside and let Melandri pass who immediately takes advantage !

On the 4th lap, Stoner and Hayden were 1.6 s ahead of Rossi, Melandri who set the fastest lap, Pedrosa and Capirossi, then Barros, Hopkins, and West, Nakano and De Puniet passed Vermeulen.

On the 5th lap, Stoner and Hayden lead, Rossi nibbles 0.1s, Pedrosa passes Melandri back in the straight, then Capirossi, Barros, Hopkins, West, Nakano and De Puniet. At the entrance to the hairpin bend, Melandri pulls past Pedrosa at the cost of a manly braking attack.

On the 6th lap, Stoner and Hayden lead, Rossi is 1.9 s behind the leader, Melandri and Pedrosa who returns to the straight line at 2.6 s, Capirossi at 3.2 s, Barros at 4.7 s, Hopkins at 10.8 s, West and Nakano at 11.9 s. Melandri tries to brake again on Pedrosa at the entrance to the hairpin but pulls away and has to let the Spanish pass.

In the 7th lap, Stoner took a few steps ahead of Hayden, then Rossi, who had the best lap several lengths ahead of Pedrosa, Melandri and Capirossi, Barros who kept pace at a distance, then Hopkins, West, Nakano, de Puniet, Checa, Vermeulen, Edwards, Davies, Guintoli and Elias.

On the 8th lap, Stoner leads, Hayden hangs up, 1.7s ahead of Rossi, then Melandri and Pedrosa, Capirossi, Barros, Hopkins, de Puniet past Checa, West and Nakano.

On lap 9, Stoner was 0.6 s ahead of Hayden, 1.9 s over Rossi, then Pedrosa who slightly let go of Melandri, Capirossi, Barros, Hopkins, De Puniet, Checa, West, Nakano.

On the 10th lap, Stoner was 1.9 s ahead of Hayden, victim of trouble, who picked up and saw Rossi come back on his heels, then Pedrosa, Melandri, Capirossi, then Barros far ahead of Hopkins, who returned to De Puniet, Checa and West behind, then Nakano, Vermeulen, Edwards, Guintoli who overtook Davies. Rossi goes 2nd in the sequence following the straight line.

On the 11th lap, Stoner was 2.8 s ahead of Rossi and Hayden who hung on but was in difficulty with his rear tire which slipped and smoked, then Pedrosa, Melandri and Capirossi, Barros, Hopkins, de Puniet, Checa and West, Vermeulen who overtook Nakano threatened by Edwards, then Guintoli.

On the 12th lap, Stoner increased his lead, Rossi distance Hayden on which returned Pedrosa, then Melandri, Capirossi, Barros, Hopkins on which returned De Puniet, Checa, West, Vermeulen, Edwards passed in front of Nakano, and Guintoli 15th. De Puniet passed 8th ahead of Hopkins. Hayden raises his arm, forced to retire due to mechanical failure …

On the 13th lap, Stoner was 4 s ahead of Rossi, 5.2 s over Pedrosa, 6.2 s over Melandri and Capirossi, 9.7 s over Barros, 16.3 s over De Puniet who let Hopkins go, 19 s over West and Checa, 20 s over Vermeulen and Edwards, 21.8 s on Nakano and 27.8 s on Guintoli. Melandri and Capirossi return to Pedrosa.

On the 14th lap, Stoner remained the fastest, Rossi kept a margin on Pedrosa on whom came back Melandri and Capirossi, then Barros, de Puniet, Hopkins. Davies who fell is forced to retire.

On the 15th lap, behind Stoner, Rossi saw Pedrosa slightly return, but above all Melandri and Capirossi, both faster than the two Michelin drivers who preceded them! Melandri attempts a daring attack on Pedrosa who closes the door at the entrance to the left uphill, the Italian is forced to step aside and lose a few lengths to the point of being under direct threat from Capirossi !

In the 16th lap, Stoner leads, Rossi loses his lead over Pedrosa, Melandri and Capirossi are wheel to wheel, then Barros, de Puniet, Hopkins, West, Checa.

On the 17th lap, behind Stoner, Rossi is joined by Pedrosa and Capirossi passes 4th in front of Melandri in the straight line, then Pedrosa passes Rossi in the following change of angle !

On the 18th lap, Stoner was 6.7 s ahead of Pedrosa and Rossi, Capirossi almost got back into the wheel of Yamaha n ° 46, Melandri suddenly stalled, then Barros was still alone in 6th, far behind Melandri but very far ahead of De Puniet , Hopkins, Checa, West, Vermeulen, Edwards, Nakano and Guintoli.

On the 19th lap, behind the untouchable Stoner, Capirossi passed Rossi at the end of the straight line, then in the sequence that followed, put Pedrosa down with great ease! Melandri almost lost 4s in two laps, probably the victim of trouble. Rossi attacks and passes Pedrosa on braking the hairpin, seeing Capirossi go ahead !

On lap 20, 7.4 s behind Stoner, Capirossi, Rossi and Pedrosa stuck 5.6 s to Melandri, who returned Barros, then De Puniet who kept a small margin over Hopkins, West as well over Vermeulen and Checa. Barros passes a struggling Melandri with great ease on the last corner.

On the 21st lap, Stoner ensured but remained the fastest on the track, Capirossi always had Rossi stuck to his wheel, the two men slightly behind Pedrosa. Barros now 5th cowardly Melandri, then De Puniet battle to keep Hopkins back behind him, West holds on in front of Vermeulen, Edwards has passed in front of Checa.

On the 22nd lap, Stoner leads, Capirossi and Rossi let go of Pedrosa, Barros rolls alone 5th, Melandri alone 6th, De Puniet holds up ahead of Hopkins, as does West ahead of Edwards, Checa, then Nakano, and Guintoli.

On the 23rd lap, behind Stoner, Capirossi starts to slightly distance Rossi, then Pedrosa unhooked, Barros, Melandri, De Puniet, Hopkins, then Vermeulen, West, Edwards, Checa, Nakano, Guintoli.

At the 24th lap, Stoner is still a solid leader, Capirossi is 1 second ahead of Rossi, almost 4 over Pedrosa! Barros ensures, De Puniet and Hopkins overtook Melandri in distress, then followed Vermeulen, Edwards, West, Checa, Nakano, Guintoli.

In the 25th lap, Stoner and Capirossi secure their double, Rossi holds his 3rd position, Pedrosa his 4th, Barros his 5th, De Puniet and Hopkins follow, then Melandri sees Vermeulen and Edwards return who has overtaken West.

At the start of the last lap, Stoner, Capirossi, Rossi, Pedrosa, Barros, De Puniet and Hopkins hold their respective positions, then Melandri who rolls 2.5 s slower than Vermeulen must rail against his bad luck! Fortunately for him, the Italian manages to keep his 8th position until the end !

Stoner takes his 9th victory of the season, Capirossi offers Ducati the double and Rossi completes the podium. Pedrosa finished 4th, Barros 5th, de Puniet 6th, Hopkins 7th, Vermeulen 9th, Edwards 10th, Melandri 11th, Checa 12th, West 13th, Nakano 14èlme and Elias 15th.

In the championship, Stoner already titled increases his lead still further with 322, Rossi consolidates his 2nd still provisional place with 230 ahead of Pedrosa 201, then Hopkins 165, Vermeulen 160, Melandri 154, Capirossi 150, Edwards 115, Hayden 112, Barros 102, Elias and De Puniet 88, Hofmann 65, Checa 59, West 58, Guintoli and Nakano 45 and Tamada 37.

On the brands side, Ducati with 349 points widens the gap ahead of Honda 268, Yamaha 267, Suzuki 216, Kawasaki 124 and KR211V 14.

The Ducati team with 472 points distance also Fiat Yamaha 345, Rizla Suzuki 325, Repsol Honda 313, Honda Gresini 248, Pramac d’Antin 168, Kawasaki Racing Team 155, Tech 3 82, Honda LCR 59, Konica Minolta Honda 45 and Team Roberts 14.

See you next weekend in Malaysia !

They explain themselves

Casey Stoner (1st): "it is definitely my best victory!"
To be at the top of the podium was just amazing. I have never felt like this. I worked hard for years to win here. This whole season has been magical for us, we got here with a lot less pressure, having won the title in Japan, so I really got to enjoy this race. It is undoubtedly my best victory! I have to thank the Aussie fans, it’s good to see so many of them here, I really appreciate and hope they had a good time. I took one of my best starts, I had the first corner to myself so I could focus on warming up my tires. Nicky really attacked at the start, he was in my wheel for a while but I managed to get away. I hoped more than anything that Loris would get a podium here. It is again a great weekend for the team and for Ducati.

Loris Capirossi (2nd): "Ducati has won everything this year"
I didn’t have a good start so in the first laps I had to fight a lot with Marco and in my opinion he was a little too aggressive. It took me a lot of attack to pass him and I had to say to myself "go on, take it easy". After that I kept my pace and finished second so I’m really, really happy. Many thanks to my team who worked so hard all weekend. It’s another great moment, especially after my victory at Motegi. I’m trying to end my five years at Ducati in the best possible way. Ducati has won everything this year: the driver, manufacturer and team titles, which proves that everything works 100% in this factory.

Valentino Rossi (3rd): "I was hoping for a good battle against Capirossi"
Honestly I am not too disappointed because I know that I have done my best. I started well and in the first laps I felt I could go fast and fight at the front. I passed Pedrosa and at that point I was quite close to Hayden and Stoner but I made a small mistake while attacking the straight line and lost some time. I managed to get back to Pedrosa but couldn’t close the gap on Stoner, even when I was driving at full speed. In some places I had fun and I made some nice overtaking. At the end especially, I was hoping for a good battle against Capirossi, like in the good old days, but the grip of my rear tire was insufficient at the time and I had to slow down to be sure to finish the race. I’m very happy to be on the podium because it’s a special place for me and it’s always a big emotion to be in front of all this crowd. I think today for Casey it was a bit like for me at Mugello! Finally, we go to Malaysia, where our motorbike usually works well, so I will do my best to win !

Randy de Puniet (6th): "I expected to do even better"
Once again this year unfortunately, I missed my start, so I still have to work on this. I ended up behind Nakano, tried to overtake him but made a mistake, lost the rear and almost got out in the gravel on turn 4. I lost another place , so I was behind Shinya and Anthony, without being able to pass them, so I waited 4 or 5 laps and I went there. I caught up with Hopkins and Melandri who must have had a tire problem or something and I finished 6th. It’s not a bad result but after the practice I expected to do even better.

Sylvain Guintoli (14th): "I had zero grip from the rear"
I got off to a good start, but unfortunately lost everything in the first three laps. I had zero grip from the rear, I couldn’t ride the bike. Then things improved, but it was too late: I climbed well to 14th place, but way too far from my expectations for the weekend. I wish I could have fought with my opponents !

J. ARSOUILLE – Photos DR and F. KIRN

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