Starting from pole, Lorenzo was 0.7secs ahead by the end of lap one, 1.6secs clear at the conclusion of lap two and continued that trend until his lead peaked at 20.122secs on lap 24 of 25.

The Fortuna Aprilia rider backed off slightly on the last lap, but his ninth victory of the season was never in doubt as he maintained his perfect win-from-pole record and built his championship lead up to 45 points with just 50 points still remaining.

The fight for second place was more entertaining, with 125cc world champion Alvaro Bautista winning a five-way fight for the runner-up spot, just ahead of Lorenzo's closest title rival Andrea Dovizioso.


Race results – Phillip Island:

1. Lorenzo (Aprilia)
2. Bautista (Aprilia) +19.634secs
3. Dovizioso (Honda) +19.724secs
4. H. Aoyama (KTM) +19.797secs
5. Luthi (Aprilia) +20.066secs
6. Simon (Honda) +21.045secs
7. Simoncelli (Gilera) +32.960secs
8. S. Aoyama (Honda) +33.043secs
9. de Angelis (Aprilia) +33.051secs
10. Takahashi (Honda) +44.814secs

16. Laverty (Honda) +1min 21.239secs