MotoGP Phillip Island: Bridgestone has the word

Casey Stoner (Honda Repsol) clinched the MotoGP World Championship in the Australian Grand Prix, achieving an extraordinary victory on the Phillip Island track on his 26th birthday. With the victory obtained on the Australian track, Stoner brings his consecutive successes in his home Grand Prix to five, nine in total this season. The Riders' World Championship is the first obtained by the Honda team in the 800cc class, while for the Australian champion it is the second title won in MotoGP after that in 2007, the first with Bridgestone tyres. Stoner preceded Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Andrea Dovizioso (Honda Repsol) on the podium. Stoner went into a solitary breakaway from the first lap, maintaining the lead of the race until the checkered flag, despite a shower of rain that hit the track at the end which caused several riders to fall: Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing), Bautista ( Rizla Suzuki), Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini). Of these, Abraham was the only pilot to manage to restart. Jorge Lorenzo (Team Yamaha), Stoner's rival in the fight for the world title, was forced to miss the Grand Prix due to a fall in the morning warm-up, which caused an injury to his left hand.

Hiroshi Yamada – Head of Bridgestone Motorsport:“Congratulations to Casey and the Honda Repsol team for their well-deserved victory in the 2011 World Championship in their home Grand Prix. Casey was the first driver to achieve a world title on Bridgestone tires in 2007, so we are particularly happy to see him triumph again in front of his fans. All of us at Bridgestone Motorsport congratulate him and the team for the constant commitment shown since the start of the season."

Hirohide Hamashima – Assistant Development Manager Bridgestone Motorsport:“After a weekend characterized by stable atmospheric conditions, the weather during the race was changeable and some drops of rain fell in some sectors of the track, affecting the progress of the race for some drivers. Other sections of the track remained completely dry and for this reason it was very difficult for the riders to evaluate the level of grip, so much so that there were numerous crashes towards the end. The temperature in the race was lower than in the other testing sessions held over the weekend and the wind was also stronger, affecting the performance of the tyres. In the race, six drivers used the type of tire introduced this year on the Australian track with a softer compound on the rear. I am satisfied with the performance of this tyre, which has guaranteed an improvement in warming performance especially in the sessions held in colder temperatures"

Casey Stoner – Honda Repsol – Race winner and 2011 World Champion:“I think I couldn't have asked for anything more today! Winning like this is truly something special and there are no words to describe this moment. It was an almost perfect season for us and I want to thank the whole team and the people who followed me. This weekend was great for us, but there were difficult moments in the race. I wanted to win and I did it. It doesn't happen to many people to win their second title, their fifth consecutive victory in their home Grand Prix and celebrate their birthday on the same day. It's an incredible feeling!”.

Tire compounds available:
Front: soft, medium
Posterior (asymmetrical): medium, hard

Top ten classified and type of tires used for the front and rear:
1 Casey Stoner Repsol Honda Team 42m02.425s Soft Dura Bridgestone
2 Marco Simoncelli San Carlo Honda Gresini 42m04.635s +2.210s Soft Dura Bridgestone
3 Andrea Dovizioso Repsol Honda Team 42m04.879s +2.454s Soft Dura Bridgestone
4 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 42m15.585s +13.160s Soft Media Bridgestone
5 Colin Edwards Monster Yamaha Tech3 42m33.311s +30.886s Soft Average Bridgestone
6 Randy de Puniet Pramac Racing Team 42m51.225s +48.800s Soft Dura Bridgestone
7 Nicky Hayden Ducati Team 43m18.739s +76.314s Soft Dura Bridgestone
8 Toni Elias LCR Honda MotoGP 42m05.177s +1 lap Soft Media Bridgestone
9 Loris Capirossi Pramac Racing Team 42m09.187s +1 lap Soft Media Bridgestone
10 Karel Abraham Cardion AB Motoracing 42m45.142s +2 laps Soft Dura Bridgestone

Weather conditions:
dry, intermittent rain.
Temperature: air 16-15°C; runway 32-27°C