Australia’s Phillip Island is a favourite for MotoGP racers, fast and flowing, with some of the most iconic backdrops in motorsport worldwide. Over the years there have been plenty of standout performances at the Island by our homegrown heroes. We look back at five of our favourites in this special edition of Rewind.

Casey Stoner and the Repsol Honda RC213V were at one around the Island with victories in 2011 and 2012.

1989
History was made in 1989 when the 500cc World Championship first visited Phillip Island, as 1987 world champion Wayne Gardner delivered Australia an emotional victory aboard his potent Rothmans Honda NSR500. Gardner stopped the nation with his triumph, edging out young American Wayne Rainey and Christian Sarron for the top spot on the podium by less than half a second. Countryman Kevin Magee was also in the thick of the action, eventually narrowly missing the podium in fourth position. Meanwhile, a young rising star by the name of Mick Doohan, in his rookie 500cc season, battled his way to eighth as HRC teammate to Gardner.

1998
Five-time 500cc World Champion Doohan was a master at Phillip Island in the heyday of two-stroke grand prix racing, however his lone win came in 1998, clinching the last of his world titles before injury would sideline him early in ’99. Fast-finishing Kiwi Simon Crafar crossed the line just 0.818s in arrears of Doohan, who cruised to the title on his final lap, celebrating his historic run of championships while waving to the adoring Aussie fans. After crashing out of the lead at ‘Doohan Corner’ one year earlier, it was a fitting way to finish his career on home soil.

2007
He entered the weekend as the newly-crowned MotoGP World Champion and what a homecoming it was for Australia’s Casey Stoner, storming to his first of six consecutive grand prix victories at Phillip Island from third on the grid. Stoner starred with a 6.763s advantage over Ducati teammate Capirossi, with Rossi completing the podium another four seconds in arrears. For Australia though, a new era had dawned and it was Stoner who asserted himself at the forefront of world motorcycling. Queenslander Anthony West rode his factory Kawasaki to 12th on this occasion.

Stoner won the Australian GP for Ducati from 2007 through 2010.

2011
In what was one of Stoner’s true career highlights, the Aussie icon clinched his second career MotoGP World Championship with a stunning win on debut at Phillip Island aboard Repsol Honda’s special RC212V. On his 26th birthday Stoner was again in a class of his own at the Island after qualifying on pole position. He’d go onto win by 2.210s despite rain falling toward the race’s end from late Italian Marco Simoncelli and Andrea Dovizioso. The race weekend will also be remembered for the morning warm-up incident of Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo, who sustained a serious injury that ruled him out of the race and title hunt.

2012
Casey Stoner’s last appearance at Phillip Island was an emotional one just races before hanging up his helmet at the close of the season, returning from injury to decimate the field by 9.223s. The synchronisation of Stoner and his RC213V at Phillip Island on this occasion was stunning, one of the all-time beautiful performances at the flowing 4.445km venue. The end result was a 9.223s win over Jorge Lorenzo and Cal Crutchlow, and fans will forever remember the scenes of Stoner sliding his way through the fifth-gear ‘Stoner Corner’ at turn three lap after lap.