Rossi wins fifth Australian Grand Prix in a row
(AP)
Updated: 2005-10-16 14:40

World MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi won his fifth consecutive Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, easing ahead of pole winner Nicky Hayden of the United States with nine laps to go to claim his 11th victory of the season.

It was Rossi's seventh win in eight years on the 4.448-kilometer (2.764-mile) Phillip Island circuit, having won two 250cc class races ahead of his move into 500cc and MotoGP.

Rossi needs just one more victory in the season's last two races to equal Australian Mick Doohan's record of 12 wins in one season, set in 1997.

Hayden stayed on Rossi's tail for most of the 27-lap race to earn second, a second behind, with Carlos Checa of Spain in third.

"This track is magic, it was a great race," said Valentino. "I wasn't able to escape. Nicky had a great race and stayed right with me."

Hayden moved into second place in the championship standings, level with Italy's Marco Melandri on 150 points each. American Colin Edwards is in fourth place overall with 162 points, followed by Italy's Max Biaggi with 159.

"I enjoyed running at that pace, I tried to just hang on to Valentino," said Hayden.

"Overall, I'm happy with the way it felt. There were a few places that I was faster, but I didn't get it done. I'll keep working on it."

Italian MotoGP world champion rider Valentino Rossi, right, and American Nicky Hayden celebrate on the podium after the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2005. Rossi won the race and Hayden came second. [AP]

Officials said Brazilian Alex Barros was not seriously injured when he fell off his bike on the 23rd lap, bouncing into the air after hitting the edge of a gravel pit.

Earlier, Daniel Pedrosa of Spain won the 250cc race and the world title when his closest pursuer, Australian Casey Stoner, crashed on the third lap.

Stoner, who had won the last two races, fell off his bike and was forced to retire from the 25-lap race. That allowed Pedrosa to take an unassailable 51-point lead over Stoner, who was celebrating his 20th birthday Sunday.

Pedrosa finished the race in 39 minutes, 19.195 seconds. Argentina's Sebastien Porto was second, slightly more than one-fifth of a second behind, while Spain's Jorge Lorenzo was third, eight seconds slower than the leading two finishers.

Earlier, pole-sitter Thomas Luthi of Switzerland won the 125cc class to take the lead in the world championship standings.

"It's not an easy track to ride, so I was very pleased with the win," said Luthi, who led from start to finish.

Luthi, who has won all four races he has started from pole this season, finished in 38 minutes, 0.352 seconds, less than three seconds ahead of Japan's Tomoyoshi Koyama. Marco Simoncelli of Italy was third.

KTM's Mika Kallio came to Phillip Island with a two-point lead but slid back to fifth and left 12 points behind Luthi with two races remaining in Turkey and Valencia, Spain.