PEDROSA TAKES SECOND IN SEASON FINALE Valencia Grand Prix, Valencia Ricardo Tormo circuit Race Day, Sunday October 26 2008 Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa completed the 2008 MotoGP World Championship with a strong ride to second place in front of 117,000 sun-blessed fans at Valencia this afternoon. The Spanish star, who qualified second fastest yesterday, led into the first corner and then held second place for the rest of the race, pulling clear of his pursuers but not quite able to go with race-winner Casey Stoner. Today’s result gave Pedrosa his 11th podium result of 2008. During this year’s 18-race calendar the former 125 and 250 World Champion won two races (Jerez and Catalunya), finished second on five occasions and third on four occasions. He also led the World Championship before falling at July’s German GP and breaking bones in his left hand. Pedrosa, team-mate Nicky Hayden and their RC212Vs wore a special one-off livery today to celebrate Repsol’s 40 years of motorsport sponsorship. The paintwork was based on the livery used on the company’s first rally cars in 1969. Repsol moved into motorcycle sponsorship two years later with Derbi riders Angel Nieto, who won the 1971 125 World Championship, and Barry Sheene, who was 33rd in that year’s 250 World Championship. Since then Repsol has won an amazing 33 World Championships with Nieto, Sheene, Mick Doohan, Alex Crivillé, Valentino Rossi and Pedrosa. Dani Pedrosa, finished 2nd, 3rd in World Championship “I am happy with second place today. I pushed Casey as hard as I could but he had something a little extra and he managed the gap very well. We worked hard all weekend, so my thanks to my team and also to Repsol, the bike I rode today was one of the best-looking bikes I’ve ridden. The crowd was great, it was fantastic to see so many fans here, packing the grandstands and obviously really enjoying the spectacle and pushing us along. Overall, I am also happy with the last few races, because we were able to come back from a difficult period during the middle of the season. We changed tyres and I came in for some criticism, but finally we got back on the pace at the last few races, running close to the front in the wet and in the dry. It hasn’t been the easiest of years. I broke my right hand during preseason testing, I broke my left hand in Germany and I injured my left knee at Phillip Island. These injuries caused me to lose my rhythm and they interrupted our development work, while everyone else was racing and improving their bikes. I have had to push really hard to come back from all these injuries. Tomorrow we start testing for 2009 I am looking forward to it because things are going well now. I hope to have a good off-season and stay healthy.” Kazuhiko Yamano – Team Manager “Today was very difficult because Casey was so fast. Dani did a good job, taking second position in the last race. During the race we gathered plenty of data which will be useful in our preparation for 2009, which begins here tomorrow, with two days of testing. My thanks to Dani and to all members of the team staff for all their hard work this season.” More, from another press release issued by Repsol Honda: HAYDEN ENDS AN ERA WITH FIFTH AT VALENCIA Valencia Grand Prix, Valencia Ricardo Tormo circuit Race Day, Sunday October 26 2008 Repsol Honda RC212V rider Nicky Hayden had high hopes of a strong final ride with his team at Valencia today after an impressive performance in practice and qualifying. The 2006 MotoGP World Champion topped the first three practice sessions, qualified on the front row and was determined to go out in style, but following a high-speed tumble during morning warm-up he could do no better than fifth. After two days of on-and-off rainfall, the sun finally shone at Valencia today, with close to 120,000 fans thronging the track’s grandstands. Hayden didn’t get away from the grid as cleanly as he had hoped and ended the first lap in fourth spot. He got up to third for four laps but then slipped to fifth, a position which he then held to the flag. Hayden, team-mate Dani Pedrosa and their RCVS wore a special one-off livery today that celebrates Repsol’s 40 years of motorsport sponsorship, using the same livery that featured on the company’s first rally cars in 1969. Repsol moved into motorcycle sponsorship two years later with Derbi riders Angel Nieto, who won the 1971 125 World Championship, and Barry Sheene, who took 33rd in that year’s 250 World Championship. Since then Repsol has won an amazing 33 World Championships with Nieto, Sheene, Mick Doohan, Alex Crivillé, Valentino Rossi and Pedrosa. Nicky Hayden, finished 5th, 6th in World Championship “We started out the weekend like a bit of a fairytale fastest in the first three sessions, so we were off to a good start, I think the conditions were better for us then. Yesterday afternoon we were third and on the front row, then this morning we had a big off which probably didn’t help things. I just lost the front at turn nine, maybe conditions were a bit too cool for that front tyre. I had to swap bikes for the race and my crew had to change a lot of stuff: callipers, swingarm and so on. My other bike didn’t feel so smooth. It wasn’t too bad but I definitely liked my first bike better, but that was my fault. In the race I didn’t quite get the start I wanted and those guys were just quicker in the beginning, my rhythm wasn’t quick enough. It obviously would’ve been better to finish my last race with Honda a bit stronger. I rode hard this weekend, now I’m looking forward to doing something different. I have to finish off by saying thanks to my team, to Honda, to Michelin and to everybody here. They made me a world champ, I’m grateful to them all.” Kazuhiko Yamano – Team Manager “Nicky had quite a heavy crash this morning, but in the race he pushed as hard as he could. He did a good job this weekend. He was fastest in three practice sessions, qualified on the front row of the grid and I know he very much wanted to finish on the podium. My thanks to Nicky for a wonderful six seasons with Repsol Honda, my thanks also to the team and to Michelin.” More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway: MotoGP RACE REPORT: GRAND PRIX OF VALENCIA Stoner dominates season finale; Americans Hayden and Edwards finish fifth and sixth VALENCIA, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008 Casey Stoner earned his sixth victory of the 2008 MotoGP World Championship at the Grand Prix of Valencia on Oct. 26, standing at the top of the podium just as he did at the opening-round race at Qatar in March. “We couldn’t really have asked for much more today,” Stoner said. “To end a difficult season in this way is a fantastic feeling and it’s a nice way to thank everybody at Ducati for their hard work. Once again my crew got it right, finding a good setting for the bike despite limited dry track time.” With his victory, Stoner, the 2007 MotoGP World Champion, finished second in points, by a margin of 373-280, to 2008 World Champion and Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi. The Australian led every lap from the pole on the Ducati Desmosedici GP8 and finished 3.390 seconds ahead of Spaniard and local hero Dani Pedrosa, who finished second for the Repsol Honda Team by nearly nine seconds over Rossi. The result was Rossi’s 16th podium in the 18-race season, while Pedrosa’s second-place effort was his 11th podium of the year. American riders Nicky Hayden and Colin Edwards fared well in the season finale, with Repsol Honda Team rider Hayden, of Owensboro, Ky., finishing fifth and Tech 3 Yamaha rider Edwards, of Houston, closely trailing in sixth. Fellow American John Hopkins finished 14th for the Kawasaki Racing Team. Just as he did at the Malaysian Grand Prix two weeks ago, Hayden battled for position throughout the race with with JiR Team Scot MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso. After starting third on the grid, Hayden slipped behind Dovizioso and gave chase throughout the race, with “Dovi” holding on for a fourth-place finish. “We started out the weekend like a bit of a fairytale fastest in the first three sessions, so we were off to a good start, I think the conditions were better for us then,” Hayden said. “Yesterday afternoon we were third and on the front row, then this morning we had a big ‘off’ which probably didn’t help things. I just lost the front at Turn 9, maybe conditions were a bit too cool for that front tire. “I rode hard this weekend, now I’m looking forward to doing something different. I have to finish off by saying thanks to my team, to Honda, to Michelin and to everybody here. They made me a world champ, I’m grateful to them all.” A new era begins for Hayden Oct. 27, when he moves to the Ducati Marlboro Team and begins testing at Valencia. Many of the MotoGP teams and riders will participate in the test, signaling the beginning of preparations for the 2009 season, provisionally scheduled to start April 12 at Qatar. RESULTS VALENCIA, Spain Results of the 30-lap Grand Prix of Valencia race, with position, rider, country, motorcycle/tire, time behind winner: 1. Casey Stoner Australia Ducati/Bridgestone 2. Dani Pedrosa Spain Honda/Bridgestone +3.390 seconds 3. Valentino Rossi Italy Yamaha/Bridgestone +12.194 4. Andrea Dovizioso Italy Honda/Michelin +24.159 5. Nicky Hayden United States Honda/Michelin +26.232 6. Colin Edwards United States Yamaha/Michelin +32.209 7. Shinya Nakano Japan Honda/Bridgestone +34.571 8. Jorge Lorenzo Spain Yamaha/Michelin +35.661 9. Loris Capirossi Italy Suzuki/Bridgestone +38.228 10. Alex de Angelis San Marino Honda/Bridgestone +47.583 11. James Toseland Great Britain Yamaha/Michelin +52.107 12. Sylvain Guintoli France Ducati/Bridgestone +52.350 13. Chris Vermeulen Australia Suzuki/Bridgestone +52.833 14. John Hopkins United States Kawasaki/Bridgestone +53.227 15. Randy de Puniet France Honda/Michelin +53.411 16. Marco Melandri Italy Ducati/Bridgestone +1:08.387 17. Anthony West Australia Kawasaki/Bridgestone +1:11.181 18. Toni Elias Spain Ducati/Bridgestone +1:37.055 Fastest lap: Stoner, 1:32.582, Lap 5 (new record) Pole lap: Stoner, 1:31.502 POINTS Riders: Rossi 373, Stoner 280, Pedrosa 249, Lorenzo 190, Dovizioso 174, Hayden 155; Edwards 144, Vermeulen 128, Nakano 126, Capirossi 118, Toseland 105, Elias 92, Guintoli 67, de Angelis 63, de Puniet 61, Hopkins 57, Melandri 51, West 50, Ben Spies 20, Jamie Hacking 5, Tadayuki Okada 2. Manufacturers: Yamaha 402, Ducati 321, Honda 315, Suzuki 181, Kawasaki 88. PODIUM QUOTES CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati/Bridgestone, winner): “We couldn’t really have asked for much more today. To end a difficult season in this way is a fantastic feeling and it’s a nice way to thank everybody at Ducati for their hard work. Once again my crew got it right, finding a good setting for the bike despite limited dry track time. To be honest I was quite worried during qualifying yesterday because I didn’t have a good feeling at all but by the time we put the softer tires on the bike was already feeling better and then the guys did a fantastic job overnight and in the warm-up this morning to iron out a few more of the problems. This was the first time we’ve ridden in these conditions all weekend so there were still a few question marks before the race, so to go out and set the pace like that was a nice feeling. Now I’m really excited about testing the new bike tomorrow. It felt good the last time I rode it and I’m sure they’ve made it better, so hopefully we can have a good first session and go home for the winter full of optimism about next season.” DANI PEDROSA (Repsol Honda Team Honda/Bridgestone, second): “I am happy with second place today. I pushed Casey as hard as I could but he had something a little extra and he managed the gap very well. We worked hard all weekend, so my thanks to my team and also to Repsol, the bike I rode today was one of the best-looking bikes I’ve ridden. The crowd was great, it was fantastic to see so many fans here, packing the grandstands and obviously really enjoying the spectacle and pushing us along. Overall, I am also happy with the last few races, because we were able to come back from a difficult period during the middle of the season. We changed tires and I came in for some criticism, but finally we got back on the pace at the last few races, running close to the front in the wet and in the dry. It hasn’t been the easiest of years. I broke my right hand during preseason testing, I broke my left hand in Germany and I injured my left knee at Phillip Island. These injuries caused me t o lose my rhythm and they interrupted our development work, while everyone else was racing and improving their bikes. I have had to push really hard to come back from all these injuries. Tomorrow we start testing for 2009 I am looking forward to it because things are going well now. I hope to have a good off-season and stay healthy.” VALENTINO ROSSI (Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha/Bridgestone, third): “I don’t think that was so bad today! Unfortunately we had some problems yesterday and that meant we had to start from the fourth row, which left us with a very difficult task. As always though we found a way and my team gave me a good bike, which meant I was able to get a great start and then have some fun passing people. Once I got to third there was no way to catch Dani and so it wasn’t such an exciting race from then on. This has been an amazing season for us and to finish with another podium, the 16th, is great and we cannot complain. I am so happy with what we have done this year, as I said it’s definitely one of my greatest championships and I want to thank everyone once again Yamaha, my team, the engineers, Bridgestone and everyone who helped us to get this result. Tomorrow we will try the new bike which means we can’t have as big a party as we would like, but it is important to try to find a base for it so I am looking forward to it.” AMERICAN RIDER QUOTES NICKY HAYDEN (Repsol Honda Team Honda/Michelin, fifth): “We started out the weekend like a bit of a fairytale fastest in the first three sessions, so we were off to a good start, I think the conditions were better for us then. Yesterday afternoon we were third and on the front row, then this morning we had a big off which probably didn’t help things. I just lost the front at Turn 9, maybe conditions were a bit too cool for that front tire. I had to swap bikes for the race and my crew had to change a lot of stuff: calipers, swing arm and so on. My other bike didn’t feel so smooth. It wasn’t too bad but I definitely liked my first bike better, but that was my fault. In the race I didn’t quite get the start I wanted and those guys were just quicker in the beginning, my rhythm wasn’t quick enough. It obviously would’ve been better to finish my last race with Honda a bit stronger. I rode hard this weekend, now I’m looking forward to doing something different. I have to finish o ff by saying thanks to my team, to Honda, to Michelin and to everybody here. They made me a world champ, I’m grateful to them all.” COLIN EDWARDS (Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha/Michelin, sixth): “It has been a while since I finished in the top six and for this result to help the team finish fourth in the Team World Championship makes it extra rewarding. I’m pleased for Herve Poncharal and the team because they deserve it. We had a couple of races where we gave a lot of points away, but for an independent team we have done a fantastic job together and it was a year to remember. I got a great start and rode around the outside of Nicky at the first corner to slot in behind Casey and Dani. I actually felt pretty comfortable at that point. Nicky passed me though down the front straight and I started to spin the rear tire a bit just as the other guys started to get into the groove. The next thing I know, everybody was disappearing up the road and there was nothing I could do. With so little dry track time we gambled with the setting and I ran a softer tire and at the end I was having a few problems. My bike felt great b ut I just didn’t have a lot of grip and this isn’t the best track for Yamaha. We don’t have the initial raw grunt that you need on a tight and twisty track like this with a lot of low speed acceleration points. I’d like to thank all my guys for their hard work throughout the season and to Yamaha for their continued support. Finally I’d like to say a big thanks to Michelin. I had the greatest moments of my career with them and I’ve enjoyed our time together. I’m looking forward to a bit of a break now before coming back in Jerez next month to begin working as hard as ever for 2009.” JOHN HOPKINS (Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki/Bridgestone, 14th): “After getting such a good start to the race it became obvious we were going to be fighting a losing battle, because I soon realized I couldn’t get the bike turned well enough. This also added to the wear on the rear tire, and the season-long traction issues we’ve suffered were evident again, so after the first few laps I had to fight for every position I could. We knew it was going to be a tough one because, after all of the rain this weekend we’ve had very little dry set-up time, but I was really hoping for a top ten finish. I’m also incredibly disappointed as my crew chief, Fiorenzo Fanali, is retiring after this race and I really wanted to get one final good result for him. The 2009 season starts with testing tomorrow and we have to start finding solutions to our problems so we can be competitive right from the word go next year.” MotoGP SUPPORT CLASS WINNERS 250cc: Marco Simoncelli of Italy, the 2008 250cc World Champion, won on the Metis Gilera. 125cc: Simone Corsi, of Italy, won on the Jack & Jones WRB Aprilia. American Stevie Bonsey completed nine of the 24 laps and was not classified. More, from a press release issued by Blusens Aprilia: HAPPY END OF SEASON Redding and Vázquez have reached their objectives in 125cc Clean fight for the points between Arcas and Hernández at Valencia The Blusens Aprilia team has finished today his participation on the 2008 World Championship with a good taste after the celebration of the GP of Valencia. In this last race of the season his raiders have known to reach in main lines their expectations. In 125cc Scott Redding (8th) has finished again in another brilliant Top10 and he has been confirmed as the greatest revelation of the year. Proof of this is that tonight he is going to receive the prize as the Rookie of the year, within the ceremony that will serve to close the present edition of the MotoGP World Championship. The actuation of Efrén Vázquez (12th) today at Valencia has also been very meritorious, considering that he was riding with his left had broken. Not only he has been able to complete the race but he has scored four new points for the Championship. In the 250cc category Dani Arcas (14th) and Manuel Hernández (16th) started off with the complicated challenge to end the season entering the points. Both riders have carried out an intense battle to strain themselves in the Top 15, where the Catalan rider has been the winner. This way Arcas has managed to reach what he planed when he arrived to the Bluesens Aprilia with four rounds to end the season. In Japan, Australia and Malaysia he made an important adaptation work, and here in Valencia he has finished that work in the best possible way. In order to Hernández he has finished very close to the points, after a tough race in which he has suffered hard problems with his rear tyre from the beginning of it. Ricard Jové, General Manager of the Spanish team, assured after this GP of Valencia that “although there will be time to realize more detailed analyses, like a first conclusion we can say that this season has been a very good season. We have reached our first ever GP victory and we have finished only one point behind the Top 10 of the 125cc category. Moreover all the work done for the riders and the mechanics has been excellent and it will serve for us to start the next season with more ambition and thinking in doing another quality step ahead. There is much to be thankful to all the team and all our sponsors”. Scott Redding (125cc 8th – 41’15″134 – 1’42″173) “In the end I have finished quite well in a weekend full of difficulties. I had not been able to feel comfortable during the practices and this way the race started very complicated. So I’m happy to finish again within the Top 10 of the race because I think that it is a pretty way of finishing this great season. I have won a race and I have finished as the Rookie of the category and this is not something that you reach everyday. I give thanks to all the people that have been near me for their effort”. Efrén Vázquez (125cc 12th – 41’34″181 – 1’43″074) “I’m the first one surprised with my performance today. I arrived to Valencia with so few options of riding and in the end I have finished with four points. It’s near a feat. I have suffered a lot for the injury but the effort has been worth the pain. In the middle of the race I’ve been so close to leave the race but I’ve told myself that I was able to follow one more lap. And that way step by step I have pushed until the end. It has helped my much the support of the fans and the work of the doctors and of the team”. Dani Arcas (250cc 14th – 45’08″113 – 1’39″142) “When you reached your objectives you can be satisfied. And this is my case today. When I arrived to the World Championship the maximum I could expect was to score any point before the end of the season and I have done it. I haven’t made a very good start but immediately I have passed some riders and I have reached Manuel. I was comfortable riding with him and I was able to ride still some tenths faster. With two laps to go I have made my attack and it’s been satisfactory. I can only say thanks to all my people and to the Blusens Aprilia team for the chance they have given me. Manuel Hernández (250cc 16th – 43’30″468 + 1 lap – 1’39″662) “I’m disappointed because I was so close the points but I have lost them in the last moment. The truth is that it has been a very though race because I have had problems with my rear tyre from the beginning. This difficulty has gone to more and due to that reason at the end of the race my bike was uncontrollable and I wasn’t nearly able to open gas. Anyway I finish happy with my return to the World Championship and I thank to all the team to let me the chance to enjoy myself with the best riders of the world”. More, from a press release issued by KTM: Aoyama fifth in KTM’s final 250 cc GP in Valencia; Kallio off on final lap Red Bull KTM factory rider Hiroshi Aoyama put in a brave and determined ride to finish fifth in Sunday’s 250 cc GP in Valencia to conclude a proud chapter in road racing history for the orange bikes “Made in Austria”. Teammate Mika Kallio was not so lucky. After putting in a do-or-die dash for final victory in a display of riding that illustrated the determination, skill and passion of the Finnish rider, Kallio in hot pursuit of leader Marco Simoncelli, crashed out of second position only a few corners from the finish line. He got back on the bike and crossed the finish line in eleventh place. Kallio was treated for abrasions on the fourth finger of his left hand in the medical centre but luckily, he escaped without any other injuries. Even though Aoyama lost engine power early on in the race due to a small problem on one of the two cylinders, the 27-year-old Japanese rider pushed his bike to the limit all along the way, and managed to defend his strong position in the second group of riders. Repsol KTM rider Julian Simon had, together with Kallio, dominated the race in the early stages, swapping the lead back and forth between them. But as the race progressed Simon dropped back through the order and finally was forced to retire in front of his home crowd when his engine started to lose water and overheated. Hiroshi Aoyama (Red Bull KTM 250 – eleventh) “Under normal circumstances, I would have been able to follow the front runners for sure, but unfortunately, I had a little problem with the engine so I couldn’t fight for the podium today. But even though I am still proud of what we achieved together. We built this bike as a team, and the milestones and memories are unforgettable. To celebrate victory with KTM at my home race in Motegi in two years ago was one of the great highlights of my career and for our young team. So was our double victory at the German Sachsenring last year, which is kind of a home race for KTM. All in all, we celebrated four victories and had a great time together, and I want to thank my team, the factory and our sponsors for their support and trust. I will always regard these three years with KTM as a very special time!” Mika Kallio (Red Bull KTM 250 – eleventh place) “I was sliding with the rear on the last lap and lost some ground on Marco Simoncelli but I still believed in my chance to win the race because I knew I was better on the brakes and faster through the last corner of the track. Unfortunately, I didn’t get that far. In only the next corner after my slide, the front of the bike closed and I crashed. It’s a real shame because after some late modifications this morning, my bike felt really good, and I was immediately able to push right from the start. Simon and I were first and second for quite some time, end even later on in the race, when Simoncelli moved to the front, I was always able to catch up. I really wanted to win this race for KTM and for myself, but it wasn’t meant to be!” Julian Simon (Repsol KTM 250 – did not finish) “We were strong and competitive today and a podium finish would have been within reach for sure. But unfortunately, my engine started to lose water, and the temperature started to rise. Eventually it collapsed. It’s a pity, but things like that happen in racing. Despite our bad luck today, I want to thank my team and KTM for their great work and support this season. We kept getting stronger from race to race and today, even though it only lasted a few laps, we showed how fast we really were!” Harald Bartol (Technical Director) “Even though everybody could see how fast we were today, this certainly was not the finish of the season and of our 250 cc campaign that we had hoped for. I am sorry for Mika, but I am also sorry for the entire team. They really deserved another celebration today.” KTM has already announced that in the coming season they will only contest the 125 cc class. The decision was promoted by the general uncertainty of the future of the 250 cc class, which is to be phased out within the next seasons. Results final 250 cc GP 2008 season 1. Marco Simoncelli, Italy, Gilera, 43:29.003 2. Yuki Takahashi, Japan, Honda, 43:34.167 3. Alvaro Bautista, Spain, Aprilia, 34:37.651 4. Roberto Locatelli, Italy, Gilera, 43:44.608 5. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan, KTM, 43:49.994 11. Mika Kallio, Finland, KTM, 44:13.068 DNF Julian Simon, Repsol KTM 250 cc Final standings at the end of 2008 season 1. Marco Simoncelli, Italy, Gilera, 281 points 2. Alvaro Bautista, Spain, Aprilia, 244 3. Mika Kallio, Finland, KTM, 196 4. Alex Debon, Spain, Aprilia, 176 5. Yuki Takahashi, Japan, Honda, 167 Other KTM 7. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan, KTM, 139 10. Julian Simon, Repsol KTM 250 cc, 109