Stoner claims 2011 MotoGP title
Casey Stoner celebrated his 26th Birthday and his 2nd MotoGP world title at Phillip Island on Sunday. The win marked his fifth successive triumph at the Phillip Island circuit.
The race was a relatively lonely one as Stoner disappeared quickly from pole position and pulled out a 1 second lead by the end of the first lap. He stayed aboard his Repsol Honda and survived a brief shower towards the end of the race, eventually finishing over 2.2 seconds in front of Marco Simoncelli. Andrea Dovizioso took 3rd place on his Repsol Honda, firmly cementing Honda’s Constructor’s Championship.
Casey’s only real rival in this series (Jorge Lorenzo) was unable to race after a crash in final practice that has apparently claimed part of his finger.
While he expressed his concern for Lorenzo’s wellbeing and his disappointment that he claimed the title under such circumstances, there is no doubt that Stoner would have done the job (needing to finish better than 6th place) considering he has finished on the podium in all but one race this season.
Next year is sure to be another cracker for Stoner and the Honda team with the development of their 1000cc machine well underway and all reports being very positive.
