The 2007
MotoGP song remains the same with
Casey Stoner roasting the competition to yet another '07 win. The new MotoGP champion was joined on the podium by Honda riders
Marco Melandri and Dani Pedrosa, with
Randy de Puniet and Valentino Rossi rounding out the top five.
Sepang marks Stoner's 10th win of the 2007 campaign and his MotoGP victory now compliments the Aussie's Malaysian wins in the 125cc and 250cc classes.
Stoner earned his victory right off the green light, jumping out to the early lead. The Aussie didn't go unchallenged, with Melandri and Pedrosa giving chase within a few seconds of the leader, but the checkered flag would not elude the Ducati ace's grasp.
"The bike, the tires and everything were performing really well but it was a very, very difficult race," said Stoner after the 21-lap contest. "The biggest battle I had was being out front by myself and not having anyone to focus on."
Geez, all alone out front, what a horrible situation to be in... The latest victory for Stoner marks his tenth this season. His MotoGP win also means the 22-year-old has tallied wins at the Malaysian circuit in 125cc, 250cc and now 800cc GP classes, the first rider to do so at Sepang.
The next closest rider to match Stoner, Melandri gave it his all but crossed the line 1.7 seconds too late. Supermarco did better his factory rival, Pedrosa, who was less than a second behind the Bridgestone-shod Gresini Honda at the finish.
Able to hang with the front-runners, Randy de Puniet is ending his tenure with Kawasaki on a roll, the French rider finishing fourth by virtue of a solid start and steady race.
"I'm very happy, it was a good race," said De Puniet. "For the first time in 17 rounds, I managed a good start and then I took Melandri by the first corner, holding third for a few laps. After that he passed me and I tried to stay with the leading group. I did make some small mistakes during the race but the gap between me and the others didn't change and towards the end I got within less than a second of Pedrosa. But then I had a few problems with stability under braking and decided to hold my place rather than push too hard and take any risks. The bike worked very well today and I'm so happy with this result."
The rest of the MotoGP paddock did its best but nothing could match the combination of Ducati, Bridgestone, and most important, Casey Stoner.
Unable to find a podium pace, Rossi's fifth-place result gives him a 24-point lead over Pedrosa for second-place in the championship going into the final round at Valencia. The Italian was the final rider in the front pack, but unable to vault to the front with his third-row starting position.
"Of course I'm disappointed with fifth place, but I am very happy with my race today. It's a pity because we had great potential this afternoon and, if we had been able to start from the front row, I think we could have fought for the victory," said The Doctor, who later went on to speak about his Michelin tire performance, with Rossi being the focal point of the recent spec tire controversy. "My Michelin tire worked very well to the end today so this is encouraging for Valencia, where we will be trying one more time to win before the end of the season."
After Rossi, the gap to the sixth-place finishing Toni Elias was a substantial 13 seconds. The Spaniard was followed by Rizla Suzuki riders Chris Vermeulen and John Hopkins, who had a spirited battle over that number seven position. Nicky Hayden settled in ninth, one spot ahead of fellow American Colin Edwards.
MotoGP Sepang Results:
1. Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro) 43'4.405
2. Marco Melandri (Honda Gresini) + 1.701
3. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) + 2.326
4. Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki) + 3.765
5. Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) + 4.773
6. Toni Elias (Honda Gresini) + 17.667
7. Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) + 20.950
8. John Hopkins (Rizla Suzuki) + 22.198
9. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda) + 22.450
10. Colin Edwards (Fiat Yamaha) + 29.746
11. Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro) + 34.923
12. Alex Barros (Pramac d'Antin) + 35.667
13. N Aoki (Rizla Suzuki) + 44.113
14. Carlos Checa (Honda LCR) + 44.486
15. Anthony West (Kawasaki) + 49.658
16. Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda) + 51.726
17. Chaz Davies (Pramac D'Antin) + 58.905
18. Makoto Tamada (Yamaha Tech 3) + 59.596
19. Sylvain Guintoli (Yamaha Tech 3) + 1'23.119
20. Kurtis Roberts (Team Roberts) + 1'50.960
2007 MotoGP Points Standings:
1. Casey Stoner - 347
2. Valentino Rossi - 241
3. Dani Pedrosa - 217
4. Marco Melandri - 174
5. John Hopkins - 173
