Casey Stoner thanks Honda for "amazing season"

Stoner, whose win was his fifth in successive years at Phillip Island, knew that a top six finish would give him the title, following rival Jorge Lorenzo's withdrawal from the race through injury.

But instead he rode into an instant lead from pole position and pulled away steadily from Marco Simoncelli; a brief rainshower with a few laps to go failing to halt his progress.

"I don't think I can fit too many more things in today," said Stoner. "It's my second title, my fifth win [at Phillip Island] and my [26th] birthday too. Home grand prix... Everything. To win like this is something special. I don't think people can align things to fit in like that.

"It's been a dream season really. We've had a few ups and downs, but the downs haven't been that far down and the ups have been a long way up, so a big thanks for team and everyone that's done such an amazing job."

Stoner said he was fearful of crashing - as so many others did - when the rain hit near the end, but remained flawless as he cruised to his ninth win of 2011 and the 32nd of his top level grand prix career.

"This weekend has been amazing. Everything went almost perfectly," he added. "The race threw a few curved balls in. Being in the lead, I was the one having to test all the conditions first, and you're never quite sure what's going to happen there.

"It wasn't the way I wanted to do the race. I hoped it would go a lot more smoothly, but we managed to bring it home for the win. Words can't describe how I'm feeling right now."