At the next race, Stoner crashed heavily during the qualifying session for the Indianapolis Grand Prix, suffering torn ligaments in his ankle but was declared fit to race the following day. He finished fourth in the race, 2.5 seconds behind third-placed Andrea Dovizioso. Stoner then elected to have surgery on his ankle, ruling him out of action for three races which essentially put him out of contention for the championship. Stoner's priority then was to be fully recovered for his home race in Australia, and he was slated to return at the Japanese Grand Prix in October. Upon returning, he finished fifth in Japan and third in Malaysia, before winning his home race for the sixth successive season at Phillip Island. The win gave him an undefeated record on Bridgestone tyres at the circuit.