29 October,2012 08:27 AM IST | | AFP
Spain's Lorenzo took the title despite finishing second behind the rampant Stoner, who thrilled his 53,000 home fans by storming to a nine-second victory in his final ride at his favourite track before retirement.
Lorenzo's task was made considerably easier when Stoner's Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa crashed out on the second lap. Lorenzo had led Pedrosa by 23 points going into the penultimate Phillip Island round. He only needed to finish three points higher than his compatriot to secure the championship before the final race in Valencia on November 11.
Pedrosa was leading when he high-sided and lost control of his Honda on the right-handed turn four and his race was over in a matter of minutes after the start.
The unstoppable Stoner took over to draw away from the field for a convincing win, his 38th in 114 MotoGP starts. Stoner lost all chance of defending the world title he carried off last year at when he missed three rounds after a horror crash at Indianapolis.u00a0