Casey Stoner wins fourth straight Australia GP

Ducati's Casey Stoner delighted his home fans by winning a fourth consecutive Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island on Sunday.                                           
 

Stoner, who secured pole position on his 25th birthday a day earlier, completed the 27-lap race in 41 minutes 9.128 seconds, more than eight seconds ahead of newly crowned world champion Jorge Lorenzo of Spain on a gusty day at the 4.45km circuit.                                           
 

Seven-time premier class champion Valentino Rossi finished third after battling through from eighth on the grid, snatching the podium spot from Ducati rider and future team mate Nicky Hayden of the United States on the final lap.                                           

"We didn't know what to expect before the race," a buoyant Stoner told a televised interview, referring to the changeable weather at Phillip Island that left pit crews scratching their heads for most of the weekend.                                           

"Jorge gave it a go and after I had a couple of second gap I thought I'd build on that slightly because he was running some pretty good times.                                           
 

"We managed to pull that gap, get us comfortable and ease into the race so we were very, very happy with this one."                  
 

The 2007 world champion Stoner roared off the grid to open a 1.5 second gap from Lorenzo's Yamaha after the first lap and was never threatened thereafter as brilliant sunshine dried out the scenic track that had earlier been doused with showers.         
 

With Lorenzo also enjoying a luxury of space in second place, the race's drama was relegated to a battle for third between Italian Rossi and Hayden.                                            
 

After snapping at Rossi's heels for most of the race, Hayden nosed in front at the circuit's Honda hairpin with less than three laps remaining.