Australian MotoGP - Phillip Island

Once again, another race for the ultra keen.

0245-0515 BST - 125cc & 250cc races on the Beeb website.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/7614322.stm

0545-0700 BST - MotoGP on BBC1 with Matt Roberts presenting. Juicy Suzi must be gearing herself up for boring F1 [her words] for next season. These night time races are making my HDD recorder get near its limit.

I don't believe Suzi is to be involved in the F1 coverage StL, some Lee woman is pencilled in.

As for the MotoGP, what with the time difference and the fact the Championship is over already, I can't believe the Beeb raked in many viewers for the live show.

The full re-run is at 4pm today. As it happens it is longer than the Live show, so perhaps they've added extra interviews and analysis. I might watch, although I've already seen my recording.

Great race too. It was a mouth watering prospect to see Rossi starting back in 12th position. The GOAT is such a racer, but he got a bit of a bonus when Pedrosa binned it on the first lap. That has pretty much cemented Stoner in second place in the Championship. I also can't help thinking that Honda, who have built their bike around Pedrosa, have scored an own goal, because teammate Nicky Hayden was easily faster yet again. Next season he joins Stoner at Ducati, and that should make a hell of a team. At least they get along. No doubt, Pedrosa will be competitive again next season.

Back to the race. Stoner stormed off, with Hayden on his rear wheel. For a while it looked as though Hayden might get by, but then his Michelin tyres began to fade a bit, and Stoner, on Bridgestones, began to sneak out a defensible lead. All the time, Rossi was gaining places, until he came up behind our James Toseland. For a few laps there was JT, Rossi, and Lorenzo, all on Yamahas, and all fairly close on performance. Rossi inevitably went by JT, and we all breathed in and out again. But JT hadn't read the script. Astonishingly, he outbraked Rossi at the end of the start-finish straight and passed him. Rossi got back in front, and then JT did it to him again..! But Rossi had a tiny trump card. His bike was wearing a harder rear tyre than everyone else, and so when he got back in front, he stayed there and set about chasing down Hayden.

Behind Rossi was a real race for 4th place between 4 riders, JT, Lorenzo, Dovizioso, and Nakano. There were some toe curling moments as riders were diving into corners, outbraking each other, and getting bloody close. They were right on the limit, and it was nice to see the TV director concentrating on them, rather than following the home boy Stoner around. With a few laps to go, tyres were really beginning to go off for everybody, except Rossi of course, and the potential 4th placers were swapping around faster than you could work out who was who. In front of them, Rossi was reeling Hayden in, and camera shots of Hayden's rear tyre were showing it to be decidedly iffy. He was running on treacle, and Rossi was able to smell it with two laps to go. Up the start-finish straight and the inevitable pass happened. Nicky tried to put up a fight, but it was all over after the first corner.

Stoner delivered a massive wheelie to finish first, with Rossi second and Hayden in third. Behind them the 4x4 riders still hadn't decided who was going to be 4th. Nakano, the 4th of the 4 eventually finished at number 2, if you get my drift, behind Lorenzo, with the guy I thought would be at the head of the pack, i.e. Dovizioso, at the back, with JT in the sandwich. Once again, James had managed to come 6th. That position is starting to become annoying - will he ever get higher..?

So a great show, even though there is no championship to win now, and a few more nuggets from Charlie Cox and Steve Parrish. My personal favourite was CC's reference to JT's steely edge, i.e. if he was any tougher, he'd rust. Everyone was happy, and the most popular of podiums had resulted.

Australian MotoGP results:

1. Casey Stoner (Australia) Ducati 40:56.643

2. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha 41:03.147

3. Nicky Hayden (U.S.) Honda 41:03.848

4. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha 41:08.143

5. Shinya Nakano (Japan) Honda 41:08.557

6. James Toseland (Britain) Yamaha 41:08.886

7. Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda 41:09.423

8. Colin Edwards (U.S.) Yamaha 41:22.563

9. Randy de Puniet (France) Honda 41:22.680

10. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Suzuki 41:23.442

11. Toni Elias (Spain) Ducati 41:23.670

12. Anthony West (Australia) Kawasaki 41:44.451

13. John Hopkins (U.S.) Kawasaki 41:44.976

14. Sylvain Guintoli (France) Ducati 41:45.542

15. Chris Vermeulen (Australia) Suzuki 41:45.578

World championship standings:

1. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha 332

2. Casey Stoner (Australia) Ducati 245

3. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 209

4. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha 182

5. Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda 145

6. Nicky Hayden (U.S.) Honda 131

7. Colin Edwards (U.S.) Yamaha 126

8. Chris Vermeulen (Australia) Suzuki 118

9. Shinya Nakano (Japan) Honda 106

10. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Suzuki 102

Other:

11. James Toseland (Britain) Yamaha 100

Thanks Auntie Beeb.

The Suzi reference was just a joke. Like the last time, I haven't a clue why she wasn't presenting the race today. Perhaps there's another dodgy reality TV series around the corner, or she's making that Gadget Show series for CH5. Tbh, I don't know. Anyway, it doesn't matter, just remember 4pm BBC2 today.

Bloody hell, look at these lean angles. That's modern race tyres for you. JT is about 30-35 degrees off the horizontal, and Rossi and Lorenzo are around 35-40 degrees. All are probably doing close to 100mph. I call that OUCH..!

This is just bloody ridiculous. That bike is almost defying physics, even allowing for the non-horizontal ground angle. The rubber on those tyres must be close to glue at racing teperatures.

Aussie Stoner on his 800cc Ducati Desmosedici. Can I have it once you've thrashed it Casey..?