This race was most notable for Casey Stoner's first victory in front of his home crowd, two weeks after the Australian became Ducati's first ever world champion at the previous round in Japan.

Nicky Hayden took the first spot on the second row in fourth, Loris Capirossi was fifth and Randy de Puniet in sixth.

As lap two begins, Marco Melandri makes a move on the Pramac Ducati of Alex Barros for sixth, overtaking him on the start/finish straight.

Rossi then makes a move on Pedrosa for third spot, overtaking him at the Honda Corner as he does not want the two at the front to ride away.

However, coming out of the fast, unnamed Turn 12 corner, Rossi went slightly wide and onto the grass, undoing all his hard work and dropping him back to fourth behind Pedrosa.

[5] Rossi meanwhile finally manages to overtake Pedrosa at the Southern Loop by going through on the inside with a tighter line.

Pedrosa tries to get back at him by lining up a pass at the Honda Corner, but fails to brake in time, runs in too deep and loses fourth to Melandri instead.

Melandri takes the position back by outbraking Pedrosa at the Honda corner and at the front, Stoner is slowly opening up a gap to Hayden.

[5] Lap ten and Rossi overtakes an ever fading Hayden into the Doohan Corner, moving him up to second.

Hayden's retirement moves Pedrosa up to third, Melandri to fourth, Capirossi to fifth and Barros to sixth place.

Melandri wanted to overtake him going up the hill at Lukey Heights, but made a mistake and ran wide, almost gifting Capirossi fourth position.

[5] Rossi now started to lose ground to Pedrosa as well, the Spaniard catching up to the Italian's rear wheel.

As lap nineteen begins, Capirossi once again uses his Ducati's superior top speed to blast past the Yamaha of Rossi and moves up into third position before the Doohan Corner.

[5] Pedrosa – now suffering badly with the tyres – is also overtaken by Rossi at the Honda Corner to take the bottom step of the podium.

Further back, Melandri – who has been suffering with his tyres since his mistake – has been caught by the Pramac Ducati of Barros, and gets passed by him at Turn 11.

Lap twenty-two and the midfield runners Chris Vermeulen and Anthony West battle for ninth position.

[5] Capirossi and Rossi crossed the line in second and third, Pedrosa in fourth and Barros fifth – his third highest position of the season.

De Puniet and Hopkins finished sixth and seventh and Vermeulen and Edwards eighth and ninth.