These various and sundry PR accounts came to us today from Phillip Island:

Sunday Oct 14 2007
Australian GP - Race

STONER & CAPIROSSI STORM THE ISLAND TO WIN CONSTRUCTORS' & TEAMS' WORLD TITLES

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Casey Stoner and Loris Capirossi stormed Phillip Island today, scoring a stunning one-two result that secures the constructors' World Championship for the legendary Italian factory and also the team's World Championship for the Borgo-Panigale-based squad.

Ducati is the first non-Japanese manufacturer to win the premier-class constructors' title since 1973, when MV Agusta were champions.

Riding his first race as riders' World Champion, Stoner led from start to finish while Japanese GP winner Capirossi fought through from fifth place on the first lap. It was an immaculate and dominant performance from Aussie Stoner who was cheered all the way by an ecstatic 50,000 crowd. At one point he led the pack by almost eight seconds, eventually crossing the line 6.763 seconds ahead of his team-mate. Stoner's ninth victory of the year is also the team's fifth win from the past six races and the Ducati's tenth win of this season. Stoner, who topped all but one of the five pre-race track sessions here, celebrates his 22nd birthday on Tuesday.

Ducati is the first non-Japanese manufacturer to win the premier-class constructors' title since 1973, when MV Agusta were champions.

CASEY STONER, winner, World Champion on 322 points

"Being up on the podium was just unbelievable, I've never felt anything like it. I've been working very hard for a lot of years trying to win here. This whole season has been magical for us, we came here with a lot less pressure after winning the title in Japan, so I could really enjoy this race. It's definitely my best victory so far. I have to thank the Australian fans, it's good to see so many of them here and I hope they've had a lot of fun, I really appreciate it. I made one of my best starts, I had the first corner to myself so I could concentrate on getting the tyres warmed up and ready to go. Nicky [Hayden, who DNFed] was really pushing in the beginning, he was on my rear wheel for a while but I managed to get away. I was really hoping, more than ever, that Loris would get on the podium here, so it's been another great weekend for the team and for Ducati."

LORIS CAPIROSSI, 2nd place, 7th in World Championship on 150 points

"My start wasn't really good, so in the early laps I had to fight a lot with Marco [Melandri] and in my opinion he was little bit too aggressive. I had to push really hard to overtake him and then I said 'please take it easy'. After that I tried to keep my pace and I finished second, so I'm really, really happy and a big thanks to my team who worked so hard all weekend. This is another great moment, especially after my win at Motegi. I am trying to end my five years with Ducati in the best way possible. Ducati has won everything this year - the riders', constructors' and teams' championships, which proves that everything's working 100 per cent at the factory."

GABRIELE DEL TORCHIO, CEO Ducati Motor Holding

"Winning the constructors' and teams' titles confirms and strengthens the value of the goal conquered three weeks ago by Casey. We have a great team of men and women who, with courage and warmth, have made a dream come true."

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HONDA RACING INFORMATION

Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island

Sunday October 14, 2007

Weather: fine and sunny.
Temperature: Air 18 degrees, ground 29.
Humidity: 50%.
Crowd: 50,425.

STONER WINS AT HOME IN HARD RACE FOR HONDA MEN

World Champion Casey Stoner (Ducati) MotoGP emphasized his talent with a lights-to-flag win here at Phillip Island, with his team-mate Loris Capirossi second and Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) third. This is Stoner's ninth win of the season so far.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) rode as hard as he ever has to manage fourth place after his team-mate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) was forced out of this 27-lap race on lap 13 with a mechanical problem.

Stoner rocketed off the line to lead into the only turn one on the superb MotoGP circuit with a sea view. He was pursued by the fast-starting Hayden, who leapt from fourth to second in that short burst from the line. Poleman Dani Pedrosa lay third with Rossi on his tail.

Dani and Rossi spent the first few laps juggling third place between them, while Nicky stalked Stoner. Both of those riders were desperate for victory, former World Champion Nicky to record the first win of his troubled title defence season, Stoner to win in front of his massed fans.

Marco Melandri (Gresini Honda RC212V) made a fantastic start to move up to fourth place from 12th on the grid and set a fastest lap of the race while doing it. As the field settled down to engage in the fastest race of the season, it was clear Stoner was unassailable here barring disaster.

The fight would be for scraps behind the Aussie Champ. By mid-race Rossi had relieved Hayden of second, with Stoner already enjoying a 2.5 second lead. Dani held fourth, with Merlandri now fifth and Capirossi sixth. Here, from approaching mid-race distance, Capirossi would begin his charge.

But mid-race too would spell disaster for Nicky and it was an angry Hayden who trudged back to his pit garage when his RC212V expired. Having qualified in the top four for six successive races, Nicky was again working hard for a result here.

By lap 15 Stoner had put five seconds between himself and Rossi with Dani third and a determined Melandri fourth, but on the next lap Melandri ran wide and let Capirossi through to take his place. Dani took second back off Rossi on lap 17, but there was more action to come as the strain on tyres took its toll here.

The three way dice for second, third and fourth places was a highlight of the race with Capirossi taking both Rossi and Dani's places in the space of the final turn on lap 19 and the entry to turn one on lap 20 - and racing doesn't come much more spectacular than that. Rossi then stole third off Dani on the same lap.

Stoner was well away by now and at the flag he was 6.763 seconds ahead of his team-mate. Dani in fourth was 11 seconds away from the Aussie victor. Melandri would drop to 10th at the flag as his tyres deteriorated towards the end of this gruelling race.

Carlos Checa (LCR Honda RC212V) finished 11th, Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda RC212V) 13th and Toni Elias (Gresini Honda RC212V) 15th. Kurtis Roberts (Roberts KR212V) brought the KR machine home 17th.

Dani, still fighting Rossi for second overall in the Championship with 201 points to Rossi's 230, said: "This is not really the result we wanted here. We had an issue with the machine on my practice start in the warm-up this morning and so I was racing my second bike today. The feeling was not perfect but still I was able to push hard and fight for positions for most of the race. However in the last ten laps the grip from the tyres began to fall away quite quickly and I had a lot wheelspin and the machine was sliding when I tried to open the throttle. Casey was very fast again here and I don't think we could have stayed with him today but it's a shame not to be on the podium today."

Nicky said: "That's a tough one to swallow. That hurts because we were having a really good race and the bike was feeling by far the best it has all season without a doubt. Stoner was setting a hot pace - he was a little bit quicker in some places and I was quicker than him in a few places. I was trying to hang in there and ride smoothly and try to preserve the tyres and not get too crazy too quickly. It's easy to speculate on what would have happened at the end of the race... After a few laps I was still right on him but all of a sudden the engine started to get tight and started slowing down. I was nervous but it kept running and I wasn't going to pull over so I kept one hand on the clutch. Eventually she tied up and that was it - another goose egg in the points column."

Marco Melandri (10th) said: "Today we were in good shape to finish on the podium. After a good start from the fourth row I was able to battle virtually for the whole race in the top five. I had a good pace and the bike felt really good. I could have fought for second but unfortunately I had problems. I tried to finish the race as best as I could. I'm disappointed with tenth place because we had the potential for a much better result at a circuit I love and where I have already won in all three classes, as well as lifting the 250 title here."

Checa in 11th said: "The start and opening laps were the best for me and I did my fastest lap of the weekend on lap seven. I was still suffering from a lack of turning, especially in the very fast turn three, plus it was difficult to stay ahead on the front straight. I had a lot of fun in the fight with West, Vermeulen and Edwards, it is more enjoyable than riding alone. The team worked hard to improve the bike but this was the best result possible today."

Shinya Nakano (13th) said: "My start wasn't too bad - it's nice to start from the third row for a change. Initially I found I could stay with the middle group at the start of the race. My pace at the start wasn't too bad - I was actually faster than during practice - so I was enjoying myself. Unfortunately from the middle to the end of the race I couldn't keep my rhythm going. Our problem was chattering from the front-end of the RCV211V when under hard braking for the two hairpin corners. I think what we need to do is start Friday with a faster lap-time and then make changes from there to find a setting that works better when we're going faster in the race."

Toni Elias finished 15th and said: "It's been a difficult weekend and today I suffered from a few different problems that prevented me from riding as I can. I had problems with the front tyre from the start, then at the halfway stage we developed a problem with the electronics and I just tried to finish the race. I want to put this behind me now and just think about Malaysia. Sepang is one of my favourite circuits so hopefully we can have a much better result there."

Kurtis Roberts said: "This weekend's been tough just because of the weather conditions. And it's the first time I've been here in ten years. We did as much as we could. I probably could have ridden a bit better, but I tried my hardest and ended up just losing out to Tamada and Elias right at the end. I'd got ahead of Tamada, but I just left the door open coming down the hill on the last lap. He pulled alongside and I went round the corner right with him. I thought I could out-drive him on the way out, but he had more grip. My bike was spinning there the whole race. I tried again in the last corner, but I went sideways."

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Rossi keeps island podium intact with third in Australia

Valentino Rossi

Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi claimed his tenth consecutive career podium at Phillip Island today, taking third place and clocking the fastest lap of the race in the process. Team-mate Colin Edwards finished ninth in a race that was won by Casey Stoner, with Loris Capirossi second.

Starting second on the grid, Rossi slipped to fourth but passed Dani Pedrosa on lap two, only to make a small mistake at the end of the lap, briefly touching the grass at the start of the main straight and letting Pedrosa back past. On lap four of 27 he managed to get in front of the Spaniard once again and he then set off after Nicky Hayden, who was running second behind Stoner. Despite setting the fastest lap on lap seven, Rossi was unable to make much headway until lap 11, when he passed Hayden for second. As Stoner gradually extended his advantage in front however it became clear that Rossi's fight would be for the runner-up spot as he became embroiled in a three-way battle with Capirossi and Pedrosa. After several changes of position between the trio Pedrosa tailed off and it briefly looked like another being another vintage Rossi-Capirossi showdown, but with little grip left in his tyres Rossi was unable to keep pace with his compatriot and he eventually crossed the line three seconds adrift, with Stoner several seconds ahead of Capirossi.

After failing to find a comfortable setting throughout the practice sessions, Edwards made a change to his setting for the race and, although it took him some laps to adapt and he dropped a few positions early on, he kept pushing throughout and was able to peg back several places. He finished ninth and claimed seven points, which moves him up one place in the championship to eighth. Rossi's 16-point haul meanwhile sees him move 29 points clear in second place, ahead of Pedrosa. The team now heads directly to Sepang for the Malaysian Grand Prix in just seven days time.

Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi - Position: 3rdTime: +10.038
"Honestly I'm not too disappointed today because I know I did everything I could have possibly done. I started okay and in the opening laps I felt like I could go quite fast and have the chance to fight at the front. I passed Pedrosa and at that stage I was quite close to Hayden and Stoner, but then I made a small mistake coming onto the straight and lost a bit of time. I managed to pass Pedrosa again but then I wasn't able to close the gap to Stoner, even though I was riding at the maximum. In places I had fun and I made some good passes; at the end especially I was hoping for a great battle with Capirossi, like the old days, but by then the grip from my rear tyre was very poor and I had to slow down to make sure I would arrive to the end. I am very happy that I was on the podium because this is a special place and it's always a big emotion to stand there with all the crowds in pit lane. Today with Casey I think it was a bit like for me in Mugello! Anyway, now we go straight to Malaysia, where our bike usually goes well, so once again we will do the maximum and try for the win."
Colin Edwards

Colin Edwards - Position: 9thTime: +35.073
"After the problems we'd had all weekend we made a big change to the tyres and to our setting for the race, more towards what Valentino was running, so it was pretty different to what I'd been used to all weekend. I got pinched a bit at the start and had to go round the outside of a few people, and then I had a huge moment at the end of the first lap where it nearly flicked me off and I lost a few places. Once I'd got the measure of how to ride it though it actually felt okay and I did a 31.9 at one point, which I hadn't been close to all weekend. I gave it everything I had today and, although I can't be happy with ninth, after the nightmare I'd had all weekend I think it could have been worse. It's been great to have so many family and friends here as ever and I want to say a huge thank you to my guys; they've had to work so hard changing the bike around so much and they've done a great job as always."

Davide Brivio - Team Director
"At the beginning of the race Valentino was keeping the same pace as the riders in front and we were all hoping for a battle until the last corner. Unfortunately it was not possible because after some laps the grip went down and we had to settle for finishing third. We had hoped for a better result today and it's a real pity because we all love this track; it's a magic place for us. Colin made a big effort and did a very good job because he was able to climb some positions in the second half of the race. If he'd had a faster pace from the beginning, he could have made a very good race. Unfortunately we struggled a lot with his bike throughout the weekend and this was the best we could do with him. It was not a disaster today because we were able to confirm Valentino's second place in the championship and we will keep on defending it in the last two races. Now we go to Sepang and we will be fighting for the win again."

More championship points for Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3

In a weekend marred by extreme changes in the weather, the Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team managed to gain more championship points as Sylvain Guintoli brought his Yamaha M1 home in 14th position at the Australian Grand Prix held at Phillip Island while his team mate Makoto Tamada finished in 16th.

Sunshine was only seen on race day which made machine setup and tyre selection over the two days of practice extremely difficult as the track was either fully wet or damp for most of the time. Qualifying was held in dry but cold conditions, which allowed Sylvain to take full advantage of the Dunlop qualifying tyres to put him on the third row of the grid.

Sylvain Guintoli - Position: 14thTime: +54.324
Although I had a good start, I lost quite a lot of places on the first lap waiting for enough heat to get into the tyre. Once that happened I was able to set a good pace and match the lap times of the riders in front of me. It took me a long time to get past Chaz Davies by which time the others had made too much of a gap on me and I wasn't able to reduce it with the number of laps remaining.

Makoto Tamada - Position: 16thTime: +1'12.904
I was very happy with the bike setting we had and the front tyre was great but I didn't have a lot of side grip in the rear. It was ok when I was right on the side of the tyre but I didn't have much feeling throwing the bike into the corners and also picking it up on the exits.

Herve Poncharal - Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team Manager
After the lift from Motegi this was a very disappointing weekend for us as we came here with high hopes of a good result. We didn't find the best settings with the weather but that is no excuse. Qualifying was good as Sylvain was on the third row in front of some more fancied riders but in the race we lacked grip in the crucial first couple of laps. We then started lapping at the same pace as the guys in front but we had lost over five seconds to them in the opening laps, which is just too much. We expected a lot better so we are all disappointed.

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MICHELIN MAN ROSSI SETS FASTEST LAP, FINISHES 3rd , HAYDEN IMPRESSES WITH NEW 16-INCH REAR SLICK

Michelin rider Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) took third place in today's Australian GP to maintain his full-house of podium finishes at Phillip Island, MotoGP's fastest racetrack.The former World Champion battled hard for the result, setting the fastest lap of the race to claim the last podium place, just 1.6 seconds in front of fourth-placed Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin). Yesterday Pedrosa had claimed his second consecutive pole position, just ahead of Rossi.

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SIXTH AND TWELFTH FOR KAWASAKI DUO DOWN UNDER

Having started from sixth on the grid after a healthy qualifying session yesterday, de Puniet lost places as the race began, finding himself in 10th position by the end of lap one. He was then relegated to 11th when he was overtaken by his team mate, Anthony West, but the Frenchman soon fought back, taking West and Shinya Nakano to move up to ninth.

From there, he overtook John Hopkins and everybody moved up a place when Nicky Hayden dropped out on lap 13. Then, he passed Marco Melandri, all the while holding off the efforts of John Hopkins, who was unable to move past the 26-year-old Ninja ZX-RR rider.

Finally finishing in a comfortable sixth, de Puniet succeeded in surpassing Kawasaki's previous best premier class result at Phillip Island, which was Shinya Nakano's 7th, back in 2005.

West, meanwhile, struggled to maintain his positive early momentum. From his starting position of 10th, he changed places a number of times and ended up fighting hard in a group consisting of himself, Carlos Checa, Chris Vermeulen and Colin Edwards. Much overtaking and re-taking took place, making for some great racing, until the 26-year-old Australian went over the line in 12th.

It was a disappointment for West, who had hoped for more at his home round but, yet again, he battled well and continued his run of bringing home championship points at every round since he joined the championship in June: no mean feat for a rider in their rookie year.

Both riders and the team will travel to Malaysia this week for next Sunday's race at Sepang. There, they hope to continue to improve on their results at what will be the penultimate round of the 2007 MotoGP World Championship.

Randy de Puniet
6th Position
"Unfortunately, like many for me this year, my start was bad, so I still need to work on those. I got behind Nakano and tried to pass but I made a mistake, losing the rear, and nearly went into the gravel at turn four. I lost another place and was behind Shinya and Anthony, and then it was impossible to overtake, so I waited four or five laps and went for it. Then I got Hopkins and Melandri, who I think had a tyre problem or something, and I finished sixth. It's not a bad result but sure, after the practices, I expected to do better in the race."

Ant West
12th Position
"My start wasn't that great but I started to work my way through and did okay; I was feeling good. I tried to push as much as I could until I'd pretty much destroyed the rear tyre. I couldn't keep my speed up through the corners and, as has been the case over the past day or so, it was particularly difficult to feel comfortable when the bike was leaned over on the left hand side. I was working to stay at the front of my group but by the last few laps I don't think the tyre had anything left. I'm not very happy about my result but the fans here have been really supportive so hopefully, by the time we come back here next year, I can give them some more to cheer about."

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Ducati takes momentous 1-2 as Stoner storms the island

Round 16 - Australia - Race
Phillip Island Circuit - Sunday 14 October 2007

The Bridgestone-shod Ducati Corse team took a spectacular 1-2 at Phillip Island this afternoon as 2007 MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner took his ninth won of the season at his home grand prix ahead of team-mate Loris Capirossi who took his fourth podium of the year. Stoner's success today makes it the eleventh win by a rider on Bridgestone tyres this season and the first ever in MotoGP at the technically challenging Phillip Island circuit.

Pramac d'Antin's Alex Barros made it three Ducati bikes in the top five with a competitive fifth place ahead of Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet, and the Suzuki duo of John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen. Honda Gresini's Marco Melandri was the seventh Bridgestone-equipped rider to claim a top ten result.

Bridgestone's range of tyres performed well over the 28 lap event in spite of increased track temperatures after a weekend hit by cool and often wet conditions. All riders opted for a softer specification front tyre since the demands of the 4.428km track do not place the front tyre under too much stress, while riders were split between medium and hard specification rear tyres. Across the range, the performance was consistently competitive and the tyres coped well with the stresses placed on the left-hand side of the tyre, especially through the final left hander where tyre temperatures can reach in excess of 120 degrees Celsius for a prolonged period of time.

Hiroshi Yamaguchi - Bridgestone Corporation - Vice President and Officer, Motorsport

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Corporation - Director of Motorsport Tyre Development

Casey Stoner - Ducati Corse - Australian GP Winner and 2007 MotoGP World Champion

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