Stoner makes it a hat-trick

Added on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments

Casey Stoner transformed his pole position start at Phillip Island into victory earlier today, giving him a hat-tick of wins at his home Grand Prix.

Home town hero Stoner secured his third triumph of the 2009 season, which in turn elevated him to third in the championship standings, behind Valentino Rossi and his chief rival and teammate, Jorge Lorenzo.

Rossi enjoyed a thrilling tussle with eventual winner Stoner for much of the race, finishing second to the Australian, just 1.935 seconds adrift of him. Lorenzo suffered a crash at the first corner, which meant his race was run before barely beginning, which also hampered his championship chances. The Spaniard and Nicky Hayden collided as the field rounded turn one. Hayden was fortunate enough to get going again, enabling the Ducati star to rejoin the race, however Lorenzo, having suffered with rear grip issues and illness throughout the weekend, was forced into an early retirement.

With Lorenzo out, Rossi’s strong finishing position enabled him to extend the previous gap of eighteen points in the championship standings to thirty-eight, with just two races remaining.

Having started third on the grid for today’s race, Dani Pedrosa held station to cross the line a solid third, achieving his first podium at the circuit in the MotoGP category, ahead of Alex De Angelis in fourth. Colin Edwards finished in a strong fifth place, with Andrea Dovizioso sixth and Marco Melandri seventh. Randy De Puniet crossed the line in mid-pack with an eighth place finish, while Mika Kallio and Toni Elias completed the top ten. The Rizla Suzuki duo of Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi took the flag eleventh and twelfth, followed by Gabor Talmacsi brought up the rear in thirteenth.

Briton James Toseland dropped to fourteenth, while Hayden, following his first corner incident with Lorenzo – the only retirement of the race - managed fifteenth by the chequered flag.

With just two races remaining it is still shaping up to be a classic ‘down to the wire’ championship, with the 2009 crown unaware as to whose head it will sit upon.

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