Three Consecutive Victories for Casey Stoner at Aussie MotoGP

Casey Stoner finished 1.935 seconds ahead of championship leader Valentino Rossi on Sunday to win for the third straight year at Phillip Island. Spaniard Dani Pedrosa finished third, while Rossi's Yamaha teammate, Jorge Lorenzo crashed out of the race, after tangling with American Nicky Hayden on the first lap.

Casey Stoner, celebrating his 24th birthday this weekend, started on pole position and led from start to finish, showing no sign of the mysterious illness that sidelined him for three races prior to his comeback in Portugal on October 4th, where he finished second.


"The whole team's done a fantastic job," Stoner said after the race. "We spent those three races away to fix myself up. It's definitely a big step from what we were in the middle of the season. It's nice to be able to fight for victories. Even if I didn't win today, I'd have had a ball."

Valentino Rossi's second place finish gives him a virtual stranglehold on another world title, putting him 38 points ahead of his nearest rival Jorge Lorenzo. Two rounds of the world championship remain - Malaysia and Valencia - with a maximum of 50 points available.