Casey Stoner is MotoGP World Champion of 2011 after picking up a dominant victory at home in Australia on Sunday afternoon. The title was all but sealed for the Honda rider as Jorge Lorenzo failed to start the race, leaving Stoner to lead home team-mates Marco Simoncelli, Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa.
With Lorenzo having injured the fourth finger of his left hand by high-siding in this morning’s warm-up session, the Spaniard was taken to Melbourne for immediate plastic surgery. Yamaha team-mate Ben Spies also missed the race, having hit his head in a high-speed crash yesterday.
After Pramac’s Damian Cudlin failed to compete as well, a reshuffled field of just 15 bikes took the start. With drops of rain falling, Ducati and Pramac elected to change bikes – and therefore tyres – for Nicky Hayden and Loris Capirossi, who ended the day in corresponding seventh and ninth positions.
Valentino Rossi and Álvaro Bautista both crashed out of fifth place, which was eventually taken by Tech 3’s Colin Edwards as Randy de Puniet completed the top six for Pramac and Karel Abraham was the last finisher, tenth for the Cardion AB outfit.
The result means Stoner becomes the first rider in MotoGP history to regain the title after a gap of three years and – on his 26th birthday – is only the fifth competitor to claim the crown with two different manufacturers. The Honda Racing Corporation is also confirmed as Constructors' World Champion of 2011.
- Post-race feelings from winner and World Champion Casey Stoner
MotoGP continues with the penultimate 2011 race in Malaysia next weekend
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| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  C. Stoner | Repsol Honda | 42:02.425 |
| 2. | M. Simoncelli | Gresini | +2.210 |
| 3. | A. Dovizioso | Repsol Honda | +2.454 |
| 4. | D. Pedrosa | Repsol Honda | +13.160 |
| 5. | C. Edwards | Tech 3 | +30.886 |
| 6. | R. de Puniet | Pramac | +48.800 |
| 7. | N. Hayden | Ducati | +1:16.314 |
| 8. | T. Elias | Honda LCR | +1 Lap |
| 9. | L. Capirossi | Pramac | +1 Lap |
| 10. | K. Abraham | Cardion AB | +2 Laps |
| Full results | |||
| Casey Stoner | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| More Casey Stoner photos | |||
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