Jorge Lorenzo of Spain clinched his first MotoGP world title by finishing third in the Malaysian Grand Prix as Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi raced to a brilliant victory on Sunday.
Lorenzo had to finish ninth or better at Sepang to wrap up the championship with his closest rival Dani Pedrosa sidelined through injury.
It was defending champion Rossi’s first victory since the opening race of the season in Qatar and he turned on the style on one of his favorite circuits to edge out Italian compatriot Andrea Dovizioso on a Honda who finished second.
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The 31-year-old Rossi, who will join Ducati next season, started from the second row and even slipped back down the field before powering through the pack in spectacular style. CNN International
Lorenzo said: “I was really impressed to be at the front and not to lose any time until the end of the race.
“But when the tyres started sliding I thought, ‘today we have to finish the race and get the maximum a rider can get in the motorcycle world.’
“Today is the happiest day in my life and we have to celebrate it.”
Casey Stoner endured a horrible day. The Australian crashed out on the final corner of the opening lap, but the race was an enjoyable experience for Rossi, who recovered from a poor start in which he dropped from sixth on the grid to 11th to win the race.
It was his first race success since victory in the opening round in Qatar six months ago - his longest run without a win in MotoGP in a season badly disrupted by the broken leg he suffered in the Italian Grand Prix. The Press Association
Ben Spies (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) took fourth position with rookie Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) equalling his season’s best result in fifth. Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) and Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP) followed, with Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini) eighth having battled closely with former 250cc rival Aoyama. Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) completed the top ten. Motogp.com
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