Jorge Lorenzo claims title with win despite Rossi's stunning charge

Rossi made up 10 places in the opening lap alone and eventually got himself to fourth.

But with the leading trio of Lorenzo, Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa having pulled well clear at the front, it became Lorenzo's race to lose.

And the Yamaha rider made no mistake, holding off the two Honda - both of whom needed to pass Lorenzo to deny him the championship - with a flawless ride.

Lorenzo, who also won the title in 2010 and 2012, led from the start after his blistering lap record in qualifying had put him on pole.

And while Marquez got within inches of his rear wheel several times, he never looked like giving up his lead.

Pedrosa spent most of the race further back in third place, but as the leaders' tyres deteriorated he closed up to make it a three-man battle for the lead.

He even briefly caught Marquez, duelling with his team-mate on the penultimate lap and drawing gasps and cheers from a crowd who were clearly desperate for Rossi to make it a dramatic finish, despite him being an Italian on Spanish soil.

But in the end it was the tussle between Marquez and Pedrosa which gave Lorenzo the title: the 28-year-old had a little space to pull clear at the start of the final lap, and he used the breathing space to great effect to claim the race, and secure the title by five points from Rossi.

The Italian, whose race had started so brightly, collapsed on his bike at the end, distraught at having fallen short.

But that disappointment was tempered as he still received a hero's welcome as he rode back to the pits amid huge applause.

Lorenzo converted pole into an early lead from Marquez, as a fired-up Rossi carved his way through the order, taking 19th into Turn 1 and ending the second lap in 11th.

As Lorenzo and Marquez attempted to break clear of Pedrosa in third, a fall for fourth-place runner Andrea Iannone promoted Rossi into ninth.

The Italian quickly dispatched Bradley Smith and Danilo Petrucci to take seventh, before setting off after Andrea Dovizioso and the Espargaro brothers.

Rossi muscled his way past the two brothers, before sweeping past Dovizioso's Ducati for fourth, where his charge stalled, 11s behind Pedrosa in third.

Unable to match the pace of the frontrunners, Rossi settled for fourth on the road, leaving the Hondas to fight race leader Lorenzo.

With Lorenzo battling tyre wear, the two Honda riders closed on him into the closing stages, with Pedrosa reeling in his team-mate and the Yamaha.

Pedrosa briefly passed Marquez for second, only to concede the position back to his team-mate, which offered Lorenzo the respite needed to cross the line and win.

Pol Espargaro ended his season with a fifth place finish, 3s clear of Tech 3 team-mate Smith and Dovizioso.

Aleix Espargaro was five seconds back, beating the charging Cal Crutchlow - the LCR Honda rider having started from the back after mechanical problems on the grid - and Petrucci to eighth.

Maverick Vinales rounded out his season with an 11th place finish for Suzuki, one spot ahead of Michele Pirro, riding a wildcard factory Ducati.

Nicky Hayden closed out his MotoGP career with a 17th place finish, while Hector Barbera claimed the Open class title ahead of his 2016 Avintia Ducati team-mate Loris Baz.