125: Cortese wins at drying Phillip Island

Sandro Cortese won his second race of the season, and world championship career, during Sunday's delayed 125cc Australian Grand Prix.

The start was postponed by ten minutes to allow a rain shower to pass, after which Aspar's Adrian Martin made use of a wet tyre gamble to bolt to an early lead.

Cortese had been third on lap one, behind Cortese and Danny Kent, but got ever faster as the track dried and took the lead from a soon-to-pit Martin on lap 6 of 23.

The Racing Team Germany Aprilia rider was untouchable thereafter, charging to a huge 13-second lead by the time the race was red flagged, due to another rain shower, with two laps to go.

Joining 21-year-old Cortese on the podium were RW Aprilia's Luis Salom and Ajo Derbi's Johann Zarco, the pair battling with Zarco's team-mate Efren Vazquez for much of the second half of the race.

Title contender Zarco was frustrated at the early end, believing he could have claimed second from Salom had the race gone full distance.

The dubious early conditions looked set to cost world championship leader Nico Terol heavily, the Spaniard slipping from fourth to 15th on the opening lap, before gathering pace as the race went on. The Aspar Aprilia rider made a good recovery to reach sixth.

Terol, who began the race with a 31-point lead over Zarco, will now head to the penultimate round in Malaysia next weekend with a 25-point advantage.

Third place qualifier Jonas Folger missed the race.

Race results:

1. Cortese (Aprilia) 20 laps (out of 23)
2. Salom (Aprilia) +13.572s
3. Zarco (Derbi) +14.311s
4. Vazquez (Derbi) +14.926s
5. Moncayo (Aprilia) +22.328s
6. Terol (Aprilia) +26.689s
7. Faubel (Aprilia) +28.887s
8. Vinales (Aprilia) +35.635s
9. Rossi (Aprilia) +36.553s
10. Webb (Mahindra) +36.686s

18. Mackenzie (Aprilia) +1m 10.237s
22. Kent (Aprilia) +1m 37.676s