Indeed, the fast and challenging circuit was scene to world championship race victories, in one category or another, for ten of the seventeen entered riders. Marco Melandri had been three times successful, with Lorenzo twice the 250cc victor. Home favourite Casey Stoner, however, had been the MotoGP winner here in the last two seasons, and had proved to be back on form in his recent return at Estoril.

Practice and qualifying for this event had seen a number of crashes, not to mention mixed weather conditions. Dani Pedrosa had hurt his left ankle in a spill, before going on to resume qualifying on his spare Honda. Meanwhile, Melandri suffered a bird strike to his left hand as he powered along the main straight. But through it all pole position went to Marlboro Ducati team leader Stoner, his first since round one this year. It was the 25th for Ducati.

Stoner’s machine would compete in a patriotic Australian livery, predominantly white, with his nearest rivals all in their usual colours and led by Rossi. The championship leader’s family had suffered a recent loss with the death of his step-father. Third went to Pedrosa on the Repsol Honda, despite his setbacks, and this pushed Lorenzo to fourth, so that for the first time all year he missed out on the front row of the grid.

In a customary fifth was Tech 3 Monster Yamaha rider Colin Edwards, with a better than usual sixth going to San Carlo Gresini Honda man Alex de Angelis. Nicky Hayden had the second Ducati next, from LCR Honda pilot Randy de Puniet. Ninth position was a best yet start for series rookie Mika Kallio on the Pramac Ducati, whereas his team-mate Niccolò Canepa was slowest because of a crash, and in fact was hurt and could not race.

Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso was surprisingly only tenth, from Toní Elías (Gresini), James Toseland (Tech 3) and then Loris Capirossi (all blue Suzuki without Rizla markings). The 36-year-old fell foul of the rule limiting the number of engines allowed to finish the season, so with a penalty he would start last. Suzuki were deducted ten points for the same reason. Melandri (Hayate Kawasaki) would start from P14, then it was Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) and Gábor Talmácsi (Scot Honda).

There was fine but cool weather on race day, with all riders opting for the softer compound Bridgestone tyres, apart from the two Suzuki guys who picked the harder rear. Pedrosa made the best start and led away again, from Stoner and Rossi. Behind them there was a bit of a tangle towards the left hand side of the track as Lorenzo managed to clip the rear of Hayden’s bike on the right. Nicky went off the course to the left and ran straight through the gravel trap. Having survived the clash, Lorenzo lost it moments later and crashed out on the same side of the course. Hayden rejoined the race but was half a lap behind by then.

So behind Pedrosa, Stoner and Rossi followed de Angelis, Elías, Kallio, Dovizioso, de Puniet, Edwards, Melandri, Toseland, Talmácsi, Vermeulen and Capirossi. After a fast right, a double left and a fast left, turn four is the tight right Honda Corner, where out-braking can often be seen. Stoner passed Pedrosa on the inside here, but the Spaniard got it back going out of the corner. On lap two the same move worked to put Casey in the lead of his home race.

Casey now led Pedrosa and Rossi, with de Angelis managing to tag on as a gap quickly opened up behind the fourth man. Valentino was quick to follow Casey’s lead and overtake Dani, on the inside for the tight MG right-hander, in the dip beyond the crest left bend at Lukey Heights. Pedrosa attacked Rossi for the fast right turn one bend, Doohan, but the Yamaha man stayed ahead as the Ducati rider in front set a new fastest lap.

The first four began to be more widely spaced as they sped onward, but at this stage the interval between Rossi second and Pedrosa third was growing most significantly, and by one-third distance this was around three seconds. Dani soon also cleared de Angelis, as behind the race was on for fifth. Initially, Kallio was attacking Elías, but then de Puniet overtook both Dovizioso and Kallio to run in P6. But Edwards was recovering from his start and would soon work his way through the group.

Having dealt with Dovizioso and then Kallio, Edwards went through inside de Puniet at Honda Corner and then past Elías on the inside at MG. By now Melandri and Toseland had also joined this close knit group, but James was about to be given a pitlane ride through penalty for jumping the start. Within a couple of laps when he obeyed this directive he was demonstrably unhappy about it, presumably on the grounds that he felt he had not jumped the start.

Up front, Stoner was closely tailed by Rossi, with Pedrosa out of touch, de Angelis also out of touch, and with Edwards now having emerged into a clear fifth place. Colin is a familiar occupant of this ‘best of the rest’ slot, especially in qualifying, behind the foursome usually contending for victories - albeit with de Angelis ahead of him instead of Lorenzo this time. At this stage Elías dropped back from sixth, behind de Puniet, Dovizioso, Kallio and Melandri, and with positions still changing amongst those four.

The gap between the leading pair fluctuated a bit, sometimes extending to as much as 0.7s, but with Rossi often able to pull in closer to Stoner again. At one stage he was able to gain the slipstream along the main start-finish Gardner Straight, getting very close for Doohan but not able to pull out and pass. At around two-thirds distance Valentino attacked at Southern Loop, running over the kerb on the inside going into the first apex, but therefore then having to run wide without quite getting inside Casey to try the pass.

With seven laps left to run, Stoner seemed to finally be able to start pulling away from Rossi, but two laps later the Italian had clawed much of that gap back. With two to go there was about 0.5s between them, and going onto the last lap it was 0.7s. Valentino did not have a response as his Australian rival made it three in a row at Phillip Island as he won by 1.9s at the flag. Pedrosa was the best part of twenty seconds down in taking third.

It was another form race from de Angelis as he took a clear fourth, having held the position all race long; and Edwards duly took fifth for the third time in four races. Dovizioso had won the battle in the next group to hold sixth for most of the second half of the race, which had left de Puniet, Kallio and Melandri to tussle over P7. Marco took a position away from Randy at Honda Corner then fought off Mika, who would end up dropping behind the Frenchman too. It was a close finish between Melandri and de Puniet, with the Italian in front. Kallio led home Elías, Vermeulen, Capirossi, Talmácsi and the delayed Toseland and Hayden.

Inevitably, Casey Stoner was a popular victor at Phillip Island, just as Valentino Rossi had been at Misano. For the 24-year-old Australian it was his first win since Italy in May, and proved the wisdom of his three race layoff to fight off the mystery virus that had plagued him mid-season. It was also enough to move him back in front of Dani Pedrosa in the points. This was an important result for Casey, but was surely more significant for Rossi, because with the exit of Jorge Lorenzo the difference between the two was now 38 points. Fourth place in one of the two remaining events is now enough for Rossi, but he will surely continue to look for wins.

Standings after fifteen races: Rossi 270; Lorenzo 232; Stoner 195; Pedrosa 189; Dovizioso 152; Edwards 145; Capirossi, de Puniet and de Angelis 101; Melandri 100; Elías 96; Vermeulen 95.
Yamaha 350; Honda 252; Ducati 236; Suzuki 121; Kawasaki 99.

Mo Murray’s photo gallery from Phillip Island 2009

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