centrebet.com.au – Valentino Rossi
Category: AFL Online
Valentino Rossi may have the World Championship race sewn up but that didn’t stop local boy Casey Stoner from delighting thousand of fans at Phillip Island by winning the Australian leg of the Moto GP.
The win is Stoner’s second straight win at Phillip Island and his fifth win of the season, which will see him runner up in the World Champions
The more favoured Rossi put on a powerful ride starting in twelfth position of the grid to finish second, just 6.5 seconds behind Stoner.
The win was never in doubt for Stoner who led from the front all day and completed the 27-lap course in 40 minutes and 56 seconds.
American Nicky Hayden finished a very creditable after being pipped by a barnstorming Rossi in the closing stages.
Hayden had remained close to Stoner right throughout the race until Stoner managed to stretch a gap of just over 4.5 seconds then never looked back.
Rossi was riding wounded after a crash during qualifying left him with a neck injury and severe headaches.
By the end of the opening lap, Rossi was in eighth place, which he then improved to fifth just three laps in.
This is to take nothing away from Stoner who rode a near flawless race to ensure that next season will see another fantastic battle between the two riders who are just so far ahead of everyone else.
Stoner grabbed an Australian flag and flew it proudly on his victory lap to cheers and applause of fans that had only come to see one thing – an Australian victory.