Rossi wins MotoGP Title :w00t congrats....
http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0...-23210,00.html
VALENTINO Rossi has clinched the MotoGP world championship for the fourth year in a row by winning the Australian Grand Prix.
Spain's Sete Giberneau, led most of the race, but finished second when the Italian overtook him with one lap to go. Loris Capirossi of Italy was third.
It was the 25-year-old Rossi's 46th career Grand Prix win, third in a row at Phillip Island and fifth career win in Australia. The Yamaha rider has eight wins this season.
Rossi took the last 500cc title in 2001 and won the last two MotoGP championships with Honda before making a multimillion dollar switch to Yamaha this year.
He is the second rider after American Eddie Lawson to win the championship for different manufacturers in consecutive seasons.
After crossing the finish line, Rossi raised his left arm into the air and shaped the figure '1' with his index finger. Moments later, he clasped his helmet with both hands during his victory lap.
Giberneau, the only rider in a position to challenge for the world title, needed to win and have Rossi finish worse than second in order to keep the title going until the 16th and final race in Valencia, Spain, on Oct. 31.
But if Giberneau slowed down in an attempt to allow other riders to move up to challenge Rossi, Rossi would have taken the lead. And if Giberneau sped up along with Rossi, other challengers would fall away from the leaders and never threaten the Italian for second place.
Rossi, who led Giberneau by 30 points - 254 to 224 - after winning last weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix, took control of the race himself on lap 18 Sunday, powering past Giberneau.
But the Spaniard recaptured the lead three laps later before Rossi made his late charge to victory after the lead changed three times on the last lap.
Earlier on the 4.448km circuit, Argentina's Sebastian Porto won the 250cc race but couldn't prevent Daniel Pedrosa of Spain from clinching the world championship with a fourth-place finish.
Pedrosa, who won last year's 125cc crown, needed only two points to clinch the 2004 title after winning last weekend's race in Malaysia. He led second-place Porto by 48 points entering Sunday's race and, at 19, becomes the youngest winner of the 250cc title.
Porto, who finished in 39:24.604, was followed by Alex de Angelis and defending 250cc world champion Manuel Poggiali, both of San Marino. All three rode Aprilias, while Pedrosa was on a Honda.
Italian Andrea Dovizioso, who clinched the 125cc world championship in Malaysia, won Sunday's Australian race in the same class.
Dovizioso, whose second placing behind Casey Stoner of Australia gave the Italian the season title at the Malaysian Grand Prix on Oct. 10, finished the 23-lap Australian race Sunday in 38:01.877.
The Italian, riding a Honda, finished ahead of Spain's Jorge Lorenzo, on a Derbi, and local favorite Stoner, riding a KTM. Fastest qualifier Roberto Locatelli of Italy, on an Aprilia, was fourth.
Dovizioso held off Lorenzo and Stoner in a last-lap flurry.
"It was a great win, and all the more satisfying after holding on for the final lap," Dovizioso said.
Stoner crashed in morning practice, falling heavily, and nearly didn't start the race.
"Everything worked out all right, and I'm satisfied," said Stoner. "I was close on the final lap, but just didn't have the power at the end."
-Dirrty>mrmyz =P
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