Italy’s Valentino Rossi has expressed his delight at wrapping up a first MotoGP World Championship victory on Australian soil in nine years after surviving an incident-packed race in Phillip Island yesterday.

The Italian started down in eighth but showed impressive pace to work his way up to second, indulging in a battle with Yamaha team-mate and rival for the runners-up spot Jorge Lorenzo along the way, before being promoted to the lead at the expense of the crashing Marc Marquez.

His first win around Phillip Island since 2005, Rossi was thrilled to be celebrating victory from a relatively low starting position.

“On the second corner when I saw Marc (Marquez) and Jorge in front, and I was still in sixth, I thought it would be hard. Afterwards I was able to overtake and I was fast, but when I was behind Jorge it was very difficult. I tried to focus on him and to gain a little bit. I was a little bit faster and when I arrived there was a great battle because we overtook a lot of times, but today I was a little bit faster so I could stay in front.

“Marc was not too far ahead but it was already two seconds, so I tried to focus on second place for the championship, but after I saw Marc crash and it was great because to come back to first position on the Island 9 years from my last victory. It is a great achievement.

His second win of the season, Rossi admits he approached the race with the fight for second overall with Lorenzo and Honda’s Dani Pedrosa firmly in his mind.

“I was focused on Jorge for the championship because of the battle for second place and I was able to gain some points over Jorge, but unfortunately I think Dani made zero. It is so close, there are just seven points to the end so it will be very important to continue like this for Sepang.

“It is a great second place [overall] because it is fighting with Jorge and Dani, who are two of the best riders in the world, so it is a very high level second position.”

Rossi’s win sees him consolidate second place in the overall standings, eight points ahead of team-mate Lorenzo, with two races remaining.

MotoGP result from Phillip Island, Australia:

1. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 40m 46.405s
   2. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 40m 57.241s
   3. Bradley Smith GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 40m 58.699s
   4. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici) 41m 1.298s
   5. Hector Barbera ESP Avintia Racing (Desmosedici) 41m 16.494s
   6. Alvaro Bautista ESP Go&Fun Honda Gresini (RC213V) 41m 16.559s
   7. Scott Redding GBR Go&Fun Honda Gresini (RCV1000R)* 41m 16.563s
   8. Hiroshi Aoyama JPN Drive M7 Aspar (RCV1000R) 41m 19.571s
   9. Alex De Angelis RSM NGM Forward Racing (Forward Yamaha) 41m 19.982s
   10. Nicky Hayden USA Drive M7 Aspar (RCV1000R) 41m 20.549s
   11. Yonny Hernandez COL Pramac Racing (Desmosedici) 41m 25.873s
   12. Danilo Petrucci ITA IodaRacing Project (ART) 41m 43.089s
   13. Michael Laverty GBR Paul Bird Motorsport (PBM-ART) 41m 59.218s
   14. Mike Di Meglio FRA Avintia Racing (Avintia)* 42m 14.455s
   Cal Crutchlow GBR Ducati Team (Desmosedici) DNF
   Pol Espargaro ESP Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* DNF
   Aleix Espargaro ESP NGM Forward Racing (Forward Yamaha) DNF
   Stefan Bradl GER LCR Honda MotoGP (RC213V) DNF
   Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) DNF
   Broc Parkes AUS Paul Bird Motorsport (PBM-ART)* DNF
   Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) DNF
   Andrea Iannone ITA Pramac Racing (Desmosedici) DNF
   Karel Abraham CZE Cardion AB Motoracing (RCV1000R) DNF

Riders’ World Championship standings:

1. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 312 points
2. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 255 points (-57)
3. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 247 points (-65)
4. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 230 points (-82)
5. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici) 166 points (-146)
6. Aleix Espargaro ESP NGM Forward Racing (Forward Yamaha) 117 points (-195)
7. Pol Espargaro ESP Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 116 points (-196)
8. Bradley Smith GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 108 points (-204)
9. Andrea Iannone ITA Pramac Racing (Desmosedici) 102 points (-210)
10. Stefan Bradl GER LCR Honda MotoGP (RC213V) 96 points (-216)
11. Alvaro Bautista ESP Go&Fun Honda Gresini (RC213V) 89 points (-223)
12. Scott Redding GBR Go&Fun Honda Gresini (RCV1000R)* 69 points (-243)
13. Cal Crutchlow GBR Ducati Team (Desmosedici) 63 points (-249)
14. Hiroshi Aoyama JPN Drive M7 Aspar (RCV1000R) 62 points (-250)
15. Nicky Hayden USA Drive M7 Aspar (RCV1000R) 44 points (-268)
16. Yonny Hernandez COL Pramac Racing (Desmosedici) 44 points (-268)
17. Karel Abraham CZE Cardion AB Motoracing (RCV1000R) 33 points (-279)
18. Hector Barbera ESP Avintia Racing (Desmosedici) 14 points (-298)
19. Alex de Angelis RSM NGM Forward Racing (Forward Yamaha) 14 points (-298)
20. Danilo Petrucci ITA IodaRacing Project (ART) 13 points (-299)
21. Colin Edwards USA NGM Forward Racing (Forward Yamaha) 11 points (-301)
22. Michele Pirro ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici) 11 points (-301)
23. Broc Parkes AUS Paul Bird Motorsport (PBM-ART)* 7 points (-305)
24. Mike di Meglio FRA Avintia Racing (Avintia)* 6 points (-306)
25. Michael Laverty GBR Paul Bird Motorsport (PBM-ART) 5 points (-307)
26. Katsuyuki Nakasuga JPN Yamalube Racing Team with YSP (YZR-M1) 4 points (-308)