Capirossi pleased to maintain form

The Italian veteran has rediscovered his form in recent races after a miserable start to 2007.

He initially had difficulty adapted his style to Ducati's 800cc bike and often struggled in the upper midfield while Stoner swept to a series of wins and built a large championship lead. Capirossi's relationship with Ducati also declined, and after five seasons with the team he will leave for Suzuki next year.

But Capirossi rebounded take his first victory of the season in the last round at Motegi before backing that result up with second at Phillip Island.

"I'm really happy," he told the BBC. "The beginning of the season was really hard for me, but now I am back.

"The win in Japan was great for me, now I have second here. I am fighting a lot."

Having qualified fifth, Capirossi spent the first half of the race dicing with Marco Melandri before pulling away from the Gresini Honda and hunting down Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi. He was able to pass both riders within a single lap and then edged clear of Rossi to clinch second position.

"I lost a lot of positions in the beginning because Marco was a little bit too aggressive but this is racing," Capirossi said. "When I started overtaking everybody and finished second it was really good for me."

The result moves Capirossi into the battle for fourth in the championship. He is currently seventh in the standings, but is now just four points behind sixth-placed Melandri and within range of the two Suzuki riders.