VALENCIA: Honda rider Dani Pedrosa won the Valencia motorcycling GP here on Sunday, the final race of the season.

World champion Valentino Rossi of Italy was second and his Spanish Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was third.

On front of 95,000 home fans, Pedrosa achieved his second win of the season and took third place in the standings at the expense of Australian Casey Stoner, who crashed on the warm-up lap.

Ducati rider Stoner, who had been due to start on pole and was bidding for a third straight win, could not start after coming off the bike on the warm-up lap.

Pedrosa set the pace from the front row and held the lead to finish third in the overall standings behind champion Valentino Rossi and compatriot Lorenzo.

Italian Rossi, who clinched his second successive MotoGP title in Malaysia last month, finished second, almost three seconds behind Pedrosa, and Yamaha team mate Lorenzo was third.

The 30-year-old Rossi wasn't too deflated to have bowed out at the end of the season in second place.

"We were a lot slower this weekend, but it didn't matter as I was already the world champion," said Rossi.

"I'm happy. Tomorrow (Monday) we will go out and try the new bike for next season."

Lorenzo, who doesn't enjoy the happiest of relations with Rossi, admitted that he could have pressed on the gas once Stoner crashed out.

"The stable called me and said Stoner was out of the race. I should have put my foot down but instead I allowed Dani (Pedrosa) to take a second up on me and that was enough.

"All in all it has been a good season and I will come back stronger next term."