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PHILLIP ISLAND, Australia : Spain's Julian Simon clinched the 125cc world championship title with victory in the Australian Grand Prix on an Aprilia here on Sunday.
Simon pounced on his British teammate Bradley Smith inside the final lap of the 23-lap race to claim victory and the world title with an unassailable points advantage over Smith heading into the final two GPs of the season.
It was Simon's fifth win of the season and his sixth overall in the 125cc class.
Smith looked set to mathematically keep alive the world championship into next weekend's Malaysian GP only to suffer a lapse of concentration and allow Simon to slip beneath him on a sweeping bend of the Phillip Island circuit.
Simon won the 102.304 kilometre (63.5 mile) race in 37 minutes 55.798 seconds and had 0.313sec to spare over Smith at the chequered flag.
Germany's Sandro Cortese was third 2.057sec behind Simon.
- AFP
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