Ducati Marlboro's newly crowned World Champion Casey Stoner delighted the home crowd at Phillip Island today with a superb ride to victory by seven seconds at the GMC Australian Grand Prix.
Stoner joined MotoGP Legends Mick Doohan and Wayne Gardner on an exclusive list of World Champions to have won on home soil in Australia as he came from third on the grid to take the hole shot and control the race from start to finish.
As Ducati confirmed the constructors' World Championship, and Ducati Marlboro the teams' title, Loris Capirossi made it a great day for his team as he in the runners-up spot, for a second podium in successive races following his Japanese hat-trick win.
Apparent tyre deterioration meant Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) could only finish third, when he had wanted to fight for victory from second on the grid, while Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa looked similarly disappointed to finish fourth having started on pole.
The top five was rounded off by Pramac d'Antin's Alex Barros, who finished just ahead of Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet and Rizla Suzuki's John Hopkins.
The second Australian across the line was Hopkins' Suzuki colleague Chris Vermeulen in eighth, while Yamaha's Colin Edwards and Honda Gresini's Marco Melandri completed the top ten.
It is fair to say that 2007 has not been Nicky Hayden's year and last season's champion was unfortunately forced to retire in third place on lap 13, having made a great start from fourth on the grid to run with Stoner in the early stages.
DORNA / CAPSIS International
1. C.STONER
2. L.CAPIROSSI
3. V.ROSSI