Jorge Lorenzo is 2015 MotoGP champion!

Jorge Lorenzo has become a triple MotoGP champion after snatching the 2015 title from team-mate Valentino Rossi at the Valencia season finale.

Lorenzo began the race seven points behind Rossi, but having been propelled to title favourite after the Italian was forced to start from the back of the grid due to his penalty for clashing with Marc Marquez at Sepang.

After a stunning pole lap, the Spaniard led the race from start-to-finish - but was hounded by the Repsol Honda of Marc Marquez throughout. Marquez's team-mate Dani Pedrosa also put in a late burst to join the battle, but Lorenzo held on to win the race and title.

An appeal by Rossi to get the penalty suspended until after Valencia was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Friday. The Italian charged from 25th to 4th, but was left five points shy of his team-mate.

Lorenzo, who lost out to Marquez in a title showdown at Valencia in 2013, is now Spain's first triple premier-class champion.

After winning the 250cc title twice, Lorenzo joined MotoGP in 2008, winning the world championship in 2010 and 2012. Lorenzo has always raced for the Factory Yamaha team and been team-mate to Rossi for six of his eight MotoGP seasons.

After struggling in the early part of this season, the Spaniard was the rider to beat in the dry since the summer break and briefly tied with Rossi after Brno (round 11 of 18).

Rossi then exploited Lorenzo's weakness in mixed weather conditions to gain ground at Silverstone, Misano and Motegi, only for Lorenzo to reel him back in at Aragon and Phillip Island.

The championship then took a dramatic twist when Rossi was penalised for the controversial clash with Marquez at the penultimate round in Sepang, just days after accusing the Honda rider of favouring Lorenzo.