MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo cruises to title as Stoner wins Australian GP

Jorge Lorenzo secured his second
MotoGP world championship as he
finished second in the Australian GP.
Australian Casey Stoner won at Phillip
Island for the sixth year in a row, but
Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa
crashed out of the lead.
Pedrosa, who needed to finish ahead of
fellow Spaniard Lorenzo to keep the
title race alive going into the final race of
the season, crashed on lap two.
Briton Cal Crutchlow claimed third, his
second podium finish of the season.
Yamaha rider Lorenzo, who first won
the title in 2010, started the race with a
23-point advantage over Pedrosa and
was as good as handed the title when
Pedrosa crashed out.
Stoner, who retires at the end of the
season, had been dominant from first
practice on Friday and was able to
cruise to a his fifth victory of the season.
"This moment is so sweet for me,"
Lorenzo told BBC Sport. "I've been very
patient and concentrating hard for so
long and now the title has come.
"I was nervous in the last few laps. I
almost crashed in turn two but I
brought it home."
Stoner started from pole position but
was passed going into the first turn by
Lorenzo and Pedrosa.
Pedrosa hit the front at turn five and
Stoner moved into second at the end of
the first lap.
The title was all but settled in dramatic
fashion as Pedrosa ran wide into Honda
corner and lost the front end of his
bike.
Pedrosa, who attempted to rejoin the
race but had to retire, told BBC Sport: "I
was trying hard to win. Sometimes it
goes your way, sometimes it doesn't."
Earlier, Marc Marquez, who is replacing
Stoner at Repsol Honda next year,
sealed the Moto2 title with a third-place
finish.
Pol Espargaro took the race win, with
Australian Anthony West second and
Briton Scott Redding fourth.
New champion Sandro Cortese won the
Moto3 race, with British rider Danny
Kent in fifth.
Australian MotoGP results:
1. Casey Stoner (Aus) Repsol Honda -
41 minutes 1.324 seconds
2. Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha -
41:10.547
3. Cal Crutchlow (GB) Tech 3 Yamaha -
41:15.894
4. Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Tech 3
Yamaha - 41:24.627
5. Alvaro Bautista (Spa) Gresini Honda -
41:24.756
6. Stefan Bradl (Ger) LCR Honda -
41:24.791
7. Valentino Rossi (Ita) Ducati -
41:38.437
8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati -
41:39.711
9. Karel Abraham (Cze) Cardion Ducati -
41:53.937
10. Aleix Espargaro (Spa) Aspar ART -
42:01.623