News

stoner takes title and makes motogp history

23/09/07

By David Miller

Twenty-one-year-old Casey Stoner has made history at Motegi today, lifting the MotoGP championship with three races left to go and giving Ducati its first world title in the premier class.

The Australian cruised across the line in sixth place after a wet/dry race which saw his only championship rival Valentino Rossi pit twice and then run off the circuit. He came back into his pit garage after the race, shrugging and pointing at the front brakes.

Stoner's outgoing team-mate Loris Capirossi won the race by eleven seconds from Kawasaki's Randy De Puniet and Gresini Honda's Toni Elias. Tech 3 Yamaha man Sylvain Guintoli was fourth. It is third time in a row Capirossi has won here and Frenchman De Puniet's debut podium.

The race was declared wet before the start which means that if conditions change, they can pit and change bikes so long as they leave pitlane on different tyres or keep the same bike but change wheels with the same tyres - which takes ages.

With all the riders on wets, Dani Pedrosa led away from pole and made a break within three corners. Toni Elias, Nicky Hayden and Stoner, who started from ninth, tried to go with him.

Kawasaki's Anthony West, a known wet weather man, muscled his way into second and then briefly took the lead before he was called into pitlane for a jump start ride-through penalty.

After only a handful of laps gone, team-mates for next year Marco Melandri and Stoner had broken away while Rossi was slowly making his way backwards down the field. With the track drying, Carlos Checa was the first man to pit in and change bikes.

Repsol Honda's Nicky Hayden was the next man to change to full slicks but made no impression while Capirossi and his team made the swap with 15 laps to go. It was inspired timing as the little Italian then began to knock huge chunks off his lap time.

At the front, Melandri had gapped Stoner and Rossi was closing him down fast. As soon as the Yamaha was in front of the Ducati, Stoner followed the Bridgestone-shod Gresini Honda into pitlane.

With ten laps to go, Rossi also pitted for slicks but the remaining big gun Pedrosa was still out on wets - a gamble which saw him crash out when his RC212V chucked him over the highside and ended the day's proceedings.

Rossi was forced to pit for a second time, this time knowing the title was inside Stoner's hand luggage, and had his brakes adjusted, but to no avail as he ran off the track on his out lap.

Meanwhile, in typical hard-charging Aussie style, Stoner set his personal fastest lap of the entire race with just two laps remaining, trying to get past Melandri for fifth.

A man who deserves the number one plate? Of that there is no doubt...

Results:

1 25 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team DUCATI 47'05.484
2 20 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA Kawasaki Racing Team KAWASAKI 47'16.337
3 16 24 Toni ELIAS SPA Honda Gresini HONDA 47'17.010
4 13 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA 47'17.676
5 11 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Honda Gresini HONDA 47'34.053
6 10 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team DUCATI 47'36.663
7 9 13 Anthony WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team KAWASAKI 47'55.485
8 8 4 Alex BARROS BRA Pramac d'Antin DUCATI 47'57.827
9 7 1 Nicky HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 47'59.113
10 6 21 John HOPKINS USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP SUZUKI 48'05.199
11 5 71 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP SUZUKI 48'08.288
12 4 6 Makoto TAMADA JPN Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA 48'14.797
13 3 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team YAMAHA 48'15.183
14 2 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Fiat Yamaha Team YAMAHA 48'17.219
15 1 72 Shinichi ITO JPN Pramac d'Antin DUCATI 48'17.774
16 56 Shinya NAKANO JPN Konica Minolta Honda HONDA 48'38.463
17 87 Akira YANAGAWA JPN Kawasaki Racing Team KAWASAKI 47'34.190 1 lap
18 7 Carlos CHECA SPA Honda LCR HONDA 48'03.727 1 lap