FIM MotoGP World Championship Motegi, Japan September 28, 2008 Race Results: 1. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha), Bridgestone, 24 laps, 43:09.599 2. Casey STONER (Ducati), Bridgestone, -1.943 seconds 3. Dani PEDROSA (Honda), Bridgestone, -4.866 4. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha), Michelin, -6.165 5. Nicky HAYDEN (Honda), Michelin, -24.593 6. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki), Bridgestone, -25.685 7. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha), Michelin, -25.918 8. Shinya NAKANO (Honda), Bridgestone, -26.003 9. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda), Michelin, -26.219 10. John HOPKINS (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, -37.131 11. James TOSELAND (Yamaha), Michelin, -37.574 12. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda), Michelin, -38.020 13. Marco MELANDRI (Ducati), Bridgestone, -39.768 14. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Ducati), Bridgestone, -45.846 15. Anthony WEST (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, -55.748 16. Toni ELIAS (Ducati), Bridgestone, -59.320 17. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda), Bridgestone, -72.398 18. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki), Bridgestone, -8 laps, DNF, retired 19. Kousuke AKIYOSHI (Suzuki), Bridgestone, -24 laps, crash MotoGP World Championship Point Standings (After 15 of 18 races): 1. Rossi, 312 points * 2. Stoner, 220 3. Pedrosa, 209 4. Lorenzo, 169 5. Dovizioso, 136 6. Edwards, 118 7. Vermeulen, 117 8. Hayden, 115 9. Capirossi, 96 10. Nakano, 95 11. Toseland, 90 12. Elias, 86 13. Guintoli, 58 14. De Angelis, 55 15. Melandri, 51 16. TIE, Hopkins/De Puniet, 47 18. West, 42 19. Ben Spies, 20 20. Jamie Hacking, 5 21. Tadayuki Okada, 2 * = clinches 2008 MotoGP World Championship More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: With his eighth victory of the 2008 season, Valentino Rossi sealed his sixth MotoGP World Championship title , and eighth in all classes at the A-Style Grand Prix of Japan. The Fiat Yamaha rider proved unstoppable at Twin Ring Motegi as he relegated outgoing champion Casey Stoner to second place in the 24-lap race. Rossi had started from the second row of the grid, and looked to be on the back foot when Stoner took the holeshot and attempted to break away. The top three in the standings, Rossi, Stoner and Pedrosa became embroiled in an early battle for supremacy, narrowed down to a duel on lap five courtesy of a hard overtaking move by Stoner on his Spanish rival. The Ducati rider apologised for the pass, which took place on the run-up to the bridge section of the circuit, but still upped the pace in the ensuing laps with Rossi hot on his tail. The definitive pass for Rossi came on lap fourteen, and the Italian was able to do what he had done in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005: clinch the MotoGP World Championship with a race victory. Stoner, a valiant foe for his successor over the course of the year, returned to the podium after three races off the rostrum. Whilst it was not enough to prevent Rossi from confirming the title, it still marked his first top three finish in Japan in the premier class. The battle for the final podium place came down to two Spanish stars, with Pedrosa chased down by poleman Jorge Lorenzo. The Repsol Honda rider was put under pressure by the Fiat Yamaha rookie, and the two rivals clipped wheels on the final lap. Neither hit the asphalt, but Lorenzo was left without the chance of maintaining his run of top three finishes. Nicky Hayden and Loris Capirossi rounded off the top six, with the experienced Italian unable to repeat his winning ways of the past three years at Motegi. Colin Edwards, Shinya Nakano, Andrea Dovizioso and John Hopkins also featured in the top ten, with the only crash of the race coming from Rizla Suzuki wildcard Kousuke Akiyoshi Valentino Rossi – Race Winner and New MotoGP World Champion “It´s difficult to compare titles, but this one definitely feels great. I feel very good, because the battle was very tough this year, especially with Stoner and Pedrosa. It has been a long season with a lot of hard races. In my career I have been lucky and have won some hard championships like the first with Yamaha in 2004-, but this one I maybe tried to put more effort in outside of the races to try and win. I have to thank everyone at Yamaha for their efforts this year, the M1 has been very fast and we have worked very hard every weekend. Today was a great battle and a great race, and to win the championship with a race win is fantastic.” 250cc Marco Simoncelli took victory number four of his 2008 season, his second from pole position, to extend his lead in the 250cc World Championship and draw one step closer to his first quarter-litre title. He did so ahead of Spanish rival Alvaro Bautista. Simoncelli had attempted to break free from the pack, but was chased down by first Julian Simon and subsequently Bautista, who laid down some blistering times en route to catching the Metis Gilera rider. With less than ten laps to go, Bautista had already broken Shinya Nakano´s circuit record from 2000 on multiple occasions, and set about putting on the pressure with the victory at stake. Unfortunately for Bautista, his push coincided with the frontrunners encountering the backmarkers, and trying to get past 250cc debutant Daniel Arcas and wildcard Takumi Endoh the leading duo were broken up. Amidst the confusion Simoncelli was able to put the required distance between himself and his Spanish rival, and brought his Gilera RSA home first in Japan. Bautista had signaled to Alex Debon that he should hang on his tail as he passed his fellow countryman on lap ten, and the experienced Lotus Aprilia rider made the most of the draft to catch up with Repsol KTM man Simon. He took his fourth podium of the year, denying Simon his first quarter-litre rostrum. Title challenger Mika Kallio and home rider Yuki Takahashi completed the top six, ahead of Aleix Espargaro, Mattia Pasini, Hiroshi Aoyama and Roberto Locatelli. 125cc Stefan Bradl took the second victory of his Grand Prix career in the 125cc A-Style Grand Prix of Japan, from second on the lower cylinder class grid. Heading into the final lap, the podium finishers were all-but-certain, but the order in which they would take the chequered flag was far from decided. Bradl, the young pretender, series leader Mike Di Meglio and Gabor Talmacsi, the reigning World Champion riding with immense pain in his recently operated arm, would pit their wits against each other for one last time in Japan. Bradl held on for the win, whilst Di Meglio gained valuable points to extend his advantage in the World Championship to 36 points.Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing rider Bradl also moved up to third in the classification, getting the better of Talmacsi in the standings as he did in the Motegi race. After a crash-filled start to the race, which saw Marc Marquez, Dominique Aegerter, Pol Espargaro, Andrea Iannone, Hugo Van den Berg and Jules Cluzel all eliminated from proceedings before the first time across the line, the leading pack broke free for an entertaining duel between three of the 2008 season´s racewinners. Behind them, many got close but were unable to fully close the gap, with Joan Olive denied a fourth podium of the year by the frontrunners´ pace. Indianapolis racewinner Nico Terol placed fifth, coming out on top in another close three-way battle between himself, Emmi-Caffe Latte´s Sandro Cortese and his Jack&Jones WRB teammate Simone Corsi, who remains second in the World Championship but with his chances of the title severely hampered. Scott Redding, Sergio Gadea and Danny Webb completed the list of the top ten riders past the line. More, from another press release issued by Dorna Communications: Valentino Rossi, conqueror of the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc/MotoGP World Championships in his second season in each class, became only the second rider in the history of motorcycling to lift all three titles. He is now the only man to win the premier class MotoGP World Championship with 500cc, 990cc and 800cc machinery, returning this year to the pinnacle after two seasons away. Rossi’s natural skill, charisma and flair has already made him a huge fans’ favourite and at just 29 years of age, he is already one of the sport’s true greats. With his victory at Motegi sealing a sixth MotoGP title, Rossi moved one step closer to legendary status in a season already notable for his record-breaking performances. At Indianapolis, the Fiat Yamaha rider took the record for all-time premier class victories from Giacomo Agostini, incidentally the only other rider to have regained the title after two years away, with a 69th triumph, followed by a 70th today. Son of Graziano, celebrated rider of the seventies, the charismatic Italian entered Grand Prix racing with Aprilia in 1996, winning 125cc races in his first season. He went on to win the 125 world title in 1997, and after a move up to 250s with the Italian brand, collected the quarter-litre title in 1999. He then made a move up to the premier 500cc class in 2000 with Honda, challenging for the title in the first season whilst picking up two victories and second in the championship. After winning the last 500cc World Championship in 2001, the following year he dominated once again in the first ever MotoGP four-stroke series onboard the Honda RC211V. He was just as untouchable the following season, before accepting the biggest challenge of his career by leaving the Honda camp and taking a Yamaha ride for 2004. An historic year for Rossi began in the first race at Welkom, when he became the first rider ever to take consecutive victories for different factories, with a further eight wins sealing Yamaha’s first title in over a decade. He has kept on winning for the Japanese manufacturer, with an additional twenty-eight triumphs (eight of which have come this season) since his maiden World Championship for Yamaha. In 2005 he added to his previous triumphs, again achieving nine wins on the road to the title, his second with the Yamaha team. Linked with a move to four wheels, Rossi announced that he would stay with Yamaha for another year at Mugello in 2006, and was further spurred on by World Championship wins for rivals Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner. Signed up for the next two seasons with Fiat Yamaha, Rossi now has his sights set on Agostini’s record of eight premier class titles and the accolade of the greatest rider of all time. MotoGP Career Statistics Season Category Starts 1st 2nd 3rd Total podiums Poles Bike Pts. Pos. 2008 MotoGP 15 8 4 1 13 2 Yamaha 312 1 2007 MotoGP 18 4 3 1 8 4 Yamaha 241 3 2006 MotoGP 17 5 4 1 10 5 Yamaha 247 2 2005 MotoGP 17 11 3 2 16 5 Yamaha 367 1 2004 MotoGP 16 9 2 0 11 5 Yamaha 304 1 2003 MotoGP 16 9 5 2 16 9 Honda 357 1 2002 MotoGP 16 11 4 0 15 7 Honda 355 1 2001 500cc 16 11 1 1 13 4 Honda 325 1 2000 500cc 16 2 3 5 10 0 Honda 209 2 1999 250cc 16 9 2 1 12 5 Aprilia 309 1 1998 250cc 14 5 3 1 9 0 Aprilia 201 2 1997 125cc 15 11 1 1 13 4 Aprilia 321 1 1996 125cc 15 1 0 1 2 1 Aprilia 111 9 Some facts about Rossi’s achievement The 800cc Yamaha is the fourth different motorcycle on which Rossi has won the premier-class title, having already taken the title on a Honda 4-cylinder 2-stroke, Honda 990cc 5-cylinder 4-stroke and a Yamaha 990cc 4-cylinder 4-stroke. On his way to winning the title this year Valentino Rossi has taken Giacomo Agostini’s record for most premier-class victories; a record that has stood since Agostini took his 68th and final victory at the West German Grand Prix in 1976 at the Nurburgring riding the legendary MV Agusta machine. He is only the second rider to regain the premier-class title after a two year gap the other rider to do this was Giacomo Agostini. It is Rossi’s sixth premier-class title one more than Mick Doohan. Only Giacomo Agostini with eight titles will have won the premier-class championship on more occasions. It is Rossi’s eight world title across all GP classes. Only Giacomo Agostini with 15, Angel Nieto with 13, Mike Hailwood and Carlo Ubbiali with 9 titles each have won more world championships. There is an eleven-year period spanning the time from Rossi’s first world title in the 125cc class in 1997 and this year. The only rider with a longer period between first and last world titles is Angel Nieto who won his first title in the 50cc class in 1969 and his last in the 125cc class in 1984. Personal Data* Date of birth: 16/02/79 (29 years) Place of birth: Urbino (Italy) First Grand Prix: RSA 2000 First Pole Position: RSA 2001 First Podium: SPA 2000 (3rd place) First GP Victory: GBR – 2000 Grand Prix Starts: 207 Grand Prix Victories: 96 (70 in MotoGP) Podiums: 148 (112 in MotoGP) Pole Positions: 51 (41 in MotoGP) Race Fastest Laps: 76 (56 in MotoGP) World Championship Wins: 6 MotoGP 2008, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001 1 250cc 1999 1 125cc 1997 2008 Total Points: 312 *data correct at 28/09/2008 (A-Style Grand Prix of Japan) More, from a press release issued by Tech 3 Yamaha: Double top ten for Tech 3 in Yamaha’s home race Colin Edwards and James Toseland helped Yamaha claim four top ten finishes in its home race in Japan today, with the Tech 3 duo securing hard fought seventh and tenth places respectively. Capitalising on a strong start from the third row of the grid, Edwards reeled off a series of consistently fast lap times to mount a serious assault on the top six in the second half of the race. The American managed to claw back a three second deficit on Loris Capirossi to shadow the Italian from lap 12 onwards. Edwards exerted intense pressure on the Italian, winner of the last three races at the challenging Twin Ring Motegi circuit, and he cut the gap to Capirossi by 0.5s in the last two laps. But Edwards had to settle for seventh, a result which is still a big confidence boost with today’s 24-lap race his best result since the Dutch GP at Assen in June. He moved back into the top six in the overall standings ahead of Chris Vermeulen. Toseland also rode a strong race in front of an appreciative crowd of 57,865 fans as he was embroiled in a nail-biting battle with John Hopkins. Toseland rode superbly to keep his more experienced rival at bay for 15 laps before he slipped to 11th on the last lap. Today’s result saw the Tech 3 Yamaha squad remain firmly in the hunt for fourth place in the Team World Championship. Colin Edwards 7th 118 points “I got a good start and settled in behind Valentino and Jorge at the first corner and I was happy because I’ve been caught up in a couple of incidents there in the past. I threw it in and then I just saw this front wheel staring straight at me. It was Dovizioso but luckily we all made through but the first lap I was just trying to get some heat into the rear tyre. I got it working and got into a good pace and saw that Loris was coming back to me. I was pushing hard but I was having a few issues with the rear spinning, which has been a problem all weekend. But then Loris made a mistake and he was right out to the kerb at the first corner. He was nearly in the dirt and I was right on his tail. I was behind him for what seemed like forever but it was fun. I could almost reach out and touch his back wheel but I couldn’t do anything to get by him. Loris’s bike was really good coming off the corner. It obviously has some bottom grunt because all I could do was watch him and I couldn’t do anything with him. I couldn’t get close enough to out-brake him and with the spinning problem I couldn’t get any acceleration grip out of the corner to line him up for a pass. I put my head down and I was riding as hard as I could, but with the spinning issue I was losing a bit of corner speed, so I was braking extra deep to keep all the weight on the front to run some momentum in the corner. Seventh is not where I want to be but it feels good to get a solid race under my belt. It feels forever since I did that, so it is something to build on for the last three races.” James Toseland 11th 90 points “I gave it my all on every lap and I stayed consistent without making any mistakes. But with that lack of dry track time on Friday it cost me because I was only a couple of tenths slower than fifth position and that time you can find on a dry day with the set-up. But the guys in front were so consistent that I couldn’t really get close. One slight problem like a wet day makes it really difficult to get right on the pace. I was with Colin and Shinya early on but I’d been playing with the rear shock all weekend to try and get some grip at full lean angle. It was the best it has been but I was still losing a lot of time on the exit and they were just pulling away from me a bit. And because it is so stop and start here, if you can exit the corners better it gives you a good advantage and you can pull a couple of tenths a lap. I really wanted tenth but John came underneath me at turn one on the last lap and I tried to pass him back in the second part of it down the straight. But he came back on my side and he put my clutch on. It slipped my clutch and he was just able to get a bit of an advantage. I tried to get him back but he didn’t put a foot wrong for the rest of the lap. It’s disappointing to have worked so hard to keep that place and lose it at the end. At least now I can look ahead to three races where I know the tracks, so hopefully we can end the season on a high.” Herve Poncharal Team Manager “First of all I want to say very big congratulations to Yamaha and Valentino for such a great world championship success. Yamaha has a great bike with a great champion, and it is great for them to win the title in Yamaha’s home race. I’m also very happy with our performance today. Colin did one of his best races of the season when you consider the recent run he has been on. He was pushing hard right to the end and he survived a lot of pressure from behind and at one stage we thought he might pass Loris and get a top six. I’m happy he climbed one position in the championship to get some points back on Suzuki in the team championship, so after the disappointment of Indianapolis and Misano I think we saw Colin back where he belongs. James also rode a really strong race and he fought very hard as always. It was another hard weekend on his first time at this track, not helped again by losing some dry track time. I think both of them gave their maximum and that’s all we can ask and we can look forward to Australia now with high hopes of even better results.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: HAYDEN TAKES HARD-FOUGHT FIFTH AT MOTEGI Japanese Grand Prix, Twin Ring Motegi Race day, Sunday September 28 2008 Repsol Honda rider Nicky Hayden rode to a hard-fought fifth-place finish in today’s record-breaking Japanese GP at Motegi. This was the American’s first dry race in more than two months he missed the Czech and San Marino GPs due to injury and scored a podium last time out at rain-soaked Indianapolis two weeks ago. The 2006 World Champion started from the front row of the grid after a storming performance in yesterday’s qualifying session. He completed the first lap in third place, but didn’t quite have the pace to go with the leaders. He spent most of the race in fifth place. In the closing laps he was chased hard by a group of four riders but he kept his head to maintain his position. On the grid Hayden wore a hachimaki (Japanese-style bandana), given to him yesterday by a fan. The race was run in cool, cloudy conditions and was watched by 58,000 fans. Nicky Hayden, finished 5th, 8th in World Championshiphampionship “I got a pretty good start and was certainly in the mix there for a couple of laps but they just had a little bit more pace everywhere. I tried to make up for it a few times on the brakes, but I just didn’t have the pace. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I had high expectations, I thought maybe we could get in there and find something extra for the race. We rode about as hard as we could and it got harder as the tyres went away. That pack was coming for me, I just tried to not make any mistakes, keep my rhythm and hold them off. I knew there was a couple of guys chasing but I didn’t know there was that many coming for me. The bandana I wore on the grid, some fan gave it to me yesterday. I wore it for qualifying and got on the front row, so I figured, try it again. Congratulations to Valentino [Rossi, who won today’s race to claim his eighth world title]. I know what it takes to win one and it takes a bad dude to win eight of them. Much respect.” Kazuhiko Yamano – Team Manager “Nicky did a good job this weekend. He qualified on the front row yesterday, showing he is very motivated after his podium result at Indy two weeks ago. He rode hard today but didn’t quite have the pace to run with the leading group. Now we go to Phillip Island, a track that Nicky really loves. We know he will do his best to get back on the podium there.” More, from another press release issued by Repsol Honda: PEDROSA ‘S FIRST PODIUM WITH NEW TECH PACKAGE Japanese Grand Prix, Twin Ring Motegi Race day, Sunday September 28 2008 Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa rode a great race at Honda’s home MotoGP event, finishing third place after leading the early stages of a record-breaking Japanese GP. This was only Pedrosa’s second race with his pneumatic-valve RC212V and Bridgestone tyres, and his first race with this new technical package on a dry track. Starting from the second row of the grid, the Spaniard grabbed the lead on the second lap and led for four laps. He slipped to third at quarter distance, maintaining that position to the end, despite coming under pressure from Jorge Lorenzo in the final few laps. Indeed Lorenzo’s front tyre tagged the lower exhaust of Pedrosa’s RC212V when Lorenzo made an optimistic move at Hairpin Curve on the final lap. Pedrosa managed to stay on board to record his first podium since June’s Dutch TT. Today’s race was run in cool, cloudy conditions and was watched by 58,000 fans. Dani Pedrosa, finished 3rd, 3rd in World Championship “Third place was not so bad today, though of course I tried to be faster. I have had some difficult races recently and some injuries, so it was a good feeling to be competitive again. I wasn’t so fast at the beginning of the race, I expected to be faster. Later on I was able to improve my pace, my times got better lap by lap, so I am happy about that. My pitboard told me that Lorenzo was coming, I got ‘plus zero’, ‘plus zero’, ‘plus zero’. I expected him to get faster because he was chasing me. On the last lap he touched me but I was able to stay on the bike. My thanks to Honda and to Bridgestone. Also congratulations to Valentino [Rossi, who won today’s race to seal his sixth premier-class crown], he rode a great race.” Kazuhiko Yamano – Team Manager “Dani did a good job this weekend, always improving his race pace, always coming better, until he was fast enough to lead the race and finish on the podium. This is a great result considering that this was his first dry race with a new bike and tyres. Next race we hope he can go for the win. I would also like to offer my congratulations to Valentino for his championship victory.”. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: HOPKINS FIGHTS TO THE CHEQUERED FLAG FOR TENTH Kawasaki’s John Hopkins fought a hard battle to the chequered flag today to clinch 10th place in the A-style Grand Prix of Japan at the Motegi circuit. Hopkins got a steady start to the 24-lap race and settled into 11th position for the opening stages, before losing a place on lap seven to Marco Melandri. The 25-year-old Anglo-American then benefited from Melandri’s mistake on lap nine and found a good rhythm aboard his Ninja ZX-RR to catch 10th placed James Toseland one lap later. Hopkins, who is known for his excellent late-braking skills, tried to find a way around the Tech 3 Yamaha rider in a 14-lap tussle that lasted to the finish line. The Kawasaki pilot finally managed to make a pass stick at turn two on the final lap, and fended off Toseland to the chequered flag to clinch his fourth top ten finish of the season. Anthony West endured a tough race today after suffering with a technical difficulty aboard his Ninja ZX-RR, which hampered his progress around the 4.8km circuit. The 27-year-old Australian managed to climb his way up to 14th position from 17th on the grid, when a problem with his front brake caused him to run into the gravel trap on lap 10. West rejoined the race in 16th place and gained a position when Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen ran onto the grass. The Kawasaki pilot was unable to catch the group ahead of him having lost his race rhythm, and crossed the finish line in 15th place. His crew are now investigating the issue with his front brake, and West is hoping to put this behind him to continue the progress he’s made in set-up this weekend for his home Grand Prix next time out. Valentino Rossi took his eighth victory of the season today to claim the 2008 MotoGP World Championship title with three rounds remaining. John Hopkins #21 – 10th Position “The start is always a bit hectic here because the first few turns are quite tight, so we just got our head down and settled into a rhythm. We caught up with James Toseland and I tried everything to get around him, but he just had a little bit more acceleration out of the turns than us. It was quite frustrating because on the brakes and mid-corner we were much quicker, so we passed each other on many occasions. We were side by side for a lot of the time so it was a big battle and it came down to the final lap where I made a pass that stuck at turn two. We managed to achieve tenth, but really I felt we were capable of a top five finish because we were lapping at the same pace as riders much further up the field. We’ve learnt a lot from this weekend, and we’ve made a lot of set-up changes, so it’s definitely been positive. I’ve also regained a lot of confidence and we can now use the last three rounds to start preparing the bike for 2009.” Anthony West #13 – 15th Position “At the moment it seems that, if it wasn’t for bad luck we wouldn’t have any luck at all. Early on in the race my front brake lever was coming all the way back to the bar, and the bike just wasn’t stopping. Almost every lap I had to use the brake span adjuster to move the lever further out, but two corners later it would be back to the bar again. We don’t know yet what the problem was, but eventually I just ran out of brakes at the end of the straight and ended up taking a trip through the gravel trap. So, a bit frustrating, but I don’t want to dwell on this weekend. Now I need to look forward to my home race at Phillip Island, where I really want to put on a good show for all the Australian MotoGP fans. We made some progress with set-up during practice and qualifying here, and I hope we can continue to make further improvements before we line up for the Australian Grand Prix next Sunday.” Michael Bartholemy Kawasaki Competition Manager “This weekend has been quite positive for us, as we’ve been in, or close to, the top ten for most of the sessions, which is an improvement on the last few races. John has made some steps forward in set-up, and he has more confidence on the bike. He was trying hard to get past Toseland in the race, but it seems we need to improve the machine’s corner exit capabilities, as this would certainly have helped his campaign today. Anthony suffered with some problems, but he made a good start to the race and he also seemed to have felt more comfortable on the bike during yesterday. I hope we can continue with the progress he’s made here, especially for his home round next weekend in Australia.” More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: PEERLESS ROSSI TAKES EIGHTH WORLD TITLE WITH EMPHATIC HOME WIN FOR YAMAHA Valentino Rossi rode a perfect race to win Yamaha’s home Grand Prix in Japan today, claiming the 2008 MotoGP World Championship title in the process. In doing so the 29-year-old Italian became only the second rider in history to recapture the title after two years, the other being Giacomo Agostini, whose all-time victory record Rossi surpassed at the last race in Indianapolis. This is Rossi’s third title with Yamaha, his sixth in the premier class and eighth in total in a career spanning 12 years. His team-mate Jorge Lorenzo finished a fighting fourth and today’s results also secured the triple crown of Rider, Manufacturer and Team titles for Yamaha and the Fiat Yamaha Team. Rossi slipped some places at the start and was in fifth first time around. He soon found his rhythm however as his Bridgestone tyres warmed up and he passed Lorenzo and Nicky Hayden on the next lap before settling in behind Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, the three contesting the next four laps within a few tenths of a second of one another. On lap six both Rossi and Stoner got by Pedrosa and from then on the Italian was on his championship rival’s tail, determined to find a way to pass him and win the race despite the title being his with a podium finish. With ten laps to go Rossi did just that and it was then a straight run to the finish as he pulled away from Stoner, crossing the line 1.943 seconds and 92 championship points ahead to seal a very special title after two barren years. Rossi has won eight races this season and, with three remaining, he is still in with a chance of matching the 11 he won in his second season with Yamaha in 2005. Today’s win was his 70th in the premier class, his 96th in total and his 148th career podium. Valentino Rossi Position: 1st Time: 43’09.599 “It’s a great victory and a great achievement; I think it’s at the same level as the first title in 2004 with Yamaha, maybe even better! This championship has been very long and hard and all of the team and all of Yamaha have worked very well, never giving up for one moment. We have been able to put a great bike onto the track in all conditions and at all circuits, and this has allowed me to ride like this and to win so many races. I am very happy! The race was a great battle and I had to ride at 100%, like I have through all through the season! Pedrosa and Stoner today were very strong and it was fun to fight with them like this, I am happy that it was a good race for the fans. It was a fantastic feeling to take the title with a win, like I did in 2001 and 2004. I think this is the hardest I have ever had to work to win a world championship and I have to say a huge thank you to Yamaha, my mechanics, the team and everyone involved for working this hard alongside me. Of course I also have to say a special thank you to Bridgestone, they have done a great job with the tyres all season and the decision to be with them has been a big part of our success this season. We have lost for two years and I don’t think I was the favourite this season, but we have shown that we are a great team and that we never give up. I am so happy that I have now won three titles with Yamaha because this is how many I won with my last team and I want Yamaha to have the same merit I am a Yamaha rider and I feel different with Yamaha than with anyone else before I hope we will have more together! Now I have to get used to being World Champion again!” Davide Brivio Team Manager “Simply amazing! Every time he surprises us. We’ve already been working together for five years and what he can deliver on the track is always unbelievable. This year is another demonstration of how strong Valentino is, especially to come back to this level of performance after two very hard years. We knew we had to improve the bike and make it faster after last year and Yamaha have done this, but Valentino worked very hard in the winter too and, together with Bridgestone, we were able to start very strongly and get better as the season progressed. 2006 and 2007 made everyone stronger, including the relationship between Valentino and Yamaha; we knew that we didn’t want to be in this situation again and so this has been a great motivation for this victory. Congratulations to Valentino, to all the team and Yamaha engineers, and thank you to Bridgestone, Fiat and all of our sponsors and partners. Congratulations also to Jorge’s team and to Tech 3, they have all played a big part in winning the Triple Crown.” More, from another press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: LORENZO HELPS YAMAHA TO TRIPLE CROWN WITH FIGHTING FOURTH IN MOTEGI Fiat Yamaha Rider Jorge Lorenzo just missed out on a podium at Motegi today, finishing fourth after a hard fight with Dani Pedrosa. His team-mate Valentino Rossi won the race to take his eighth world championship title and Yamaha and the Fiat Yamaha team also secured the Team and Manufacturer’s titles, both of which Lorenzo has played a significant part in during his rookie season. After dominating qualifying, the young Spaniard was looking forward to being able to fight for the win today but much lower temperatures made things harder for him and he was unable to keep up quite the same pace as he had yesterday. He slipped to fourth at the start, was relegated to fifth by Rossi on his charge to the front on the second lap and then took six laps to pass Nicky Hayden to regain fourth. The determined rookie was then 1.6 seconds from third-placed Pedrosa but he put his head down and pushed as hard as he could to bring himself into touching distance for a showdown on the last lap. Lorenzo made his move at the hairpin but was unable to make it past Pedrosa today and had to settle for fourth and 13 points, leaving him 40 points adrift of his fellow Spaniard, who is third in the championship, with three rounds remaining. Jorge Lorenzo Position: 4th Time: +6.165 “I am very happy with this fourth position; it was impossible to do more today. I tried so hard to pass Dani and the hairpin before the back straight was the only place I had the chance, but I couldn’t do it. Yesterday I thought I had a chance to win and I was very confident, but this morning I saw the weather, much colder and yesterday, and I knew that it would be more difficult than in the qualifying session. The track was colder and for Michelin and for me this was more difficult. I have to improve my starts because once again I had problems and lost some places, but anyway I think I’m in good form for the last three races. The team worked very well this weekend, as always, so thanks to them and to Michelin. Big congratulations to Valentino and the other side of the box, to do what he has done is almost impossible! Finally well done to everyone for winning the Team’s and Manufacturer’s titles as well, I am so happy that I have played a part in this during my first season with Yamaha.” Daniele Romagnoli Team Manager “Obviously, after yesterday’s qualifying, we hoped for a better result, but today Jorge did the best he could. He rode in a very fast and aggressive way but the weather, with the colder ground temperature, didn’t help us and we achieved as much as we were able. Many thanks to the team for their work because the bike setting was very good, but we do need to work on our race start. Congratulations to Valentino for the world championship title, won so far in advance, but we are also happy about the ‘triple crown’ of Team and Manufacturer’s titles because we have played an important role in these titles.” More, from another press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: FURTHER COMMENTS FROM VALENTINO ROSSI FOLLOWING HIS 2008 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY “I think it’s difficult to say, but maybe this is even better than the first championship with Yamaha in 2004. In 2004 I arrived after three championships in a row; the change was very big and no one expected me to win then, not even us to be honest! But this year is great too because I didn’t start as the number one favourite after losing for two years. The taste of this is something special. “In 2006 I lost because of bad luck; I still won the most races and was the fastest on track for most of the time, but in 2007 Stoner was a lot faster than us and so we got to the end with a big of disadvantage. Winning this championship was very difficult but also very, very important. “The decision to change to Bridgestone tyres, which I took together with Jeremy, my team and all the Yamaha crew, was very important, as were the changes to the bike because the first 800cc M1 last year was not competitive enough. We spoke a lot during last season and I remember a strange meeting in Valencia last year, me with a broken hand, speaking with Furusawa about 2008. From then we started to work on the improvements for this season. It’s also been important to have the right people in the right place and this year everything has been correct. It’s been step-by-step. “I think I have made a lot of good decisions this year and we have been competitive from the start. Qatar was the worst race of the season but I knew our potential was good so, although we were a bit worried at that point, we weren’t desperate because we knew if we fixed a few problems we could try to win. “I grew up a lot in the last two years, because at the end of 2005 I had a great career and I had won all the important targets so far. 125, 250 and then five titles in a row in MotoGP with two different bikes I felt unbeatable. But in 2006 and 2007 I learnt to lose and this has been very important. I came out much stronger and my level of concentration and effort to win this championship has been higher than ever before. “This season has had some different periods. At the beginning of the year we had some important results when Bridgestone wasn’t the strongest: Jerez, Portugal and others, and in that period we took a big advantage from Stoner. After Barcelona Casey started to ride like a demon and dominated three races in a row, and then we went to Laguna which was the turning point of the season. Laguna was a real battle and from then on we have flown. “The show after the race was one of my friends pretending to be a ‘notary’, signing and certificating the eighth championship ‘deed’. It was very exciting to be planning the championship t-shirt and celebration once again with my friends and fan club and the one we came up with is funny I think, it says ‘I’m sorry for the delay!’ “I am very content at Yamaha and this is why I signed for two more years. I had some good offers at other factories, but I already changed bike once and proved everything I wanted to and so there is no need to do that again. Also I am no longer 20 years old and I need a good atmosphere in my team in order to keep me focused and happy, and I have this at Yamaha. The atmosphere in our team, from the Japanese all the way down to the garage is fantastic and this is what makes me want to stay. “I think 2009 will be even more difficult than this year. Now I am the world champion again and I have demonstrated that I am still very fast; I think I rode the best of my career this year apart from the mistake in Assen, but next year is another story, it depends on how the winter is and how Stoner, Pedrosa and also Lorenzo are next year, as well as the other riders because there are many fast people in this championship. I think it will be a great championship and I’m looking forward to it, but first I want to finish this year and try to win the final three races! “As I said, there are many strong riders but of course I hope that in the future nobody will win like Valentino Rossi! Maybe my brother Luca will be as strong as me”¦I wanted to take him on my bike on the celebration lap, but they did not allow it. Maybe I will wait for him to be a MotoGP rider before quitting, then I will beat him in the first year, and then I will stop riding! “When you are 20 or 22 yrs old, you live everything in a different way. It’s different”¦ In 2000, maybe, I could have won on my debut, but I underestimated myself! In 2001 it was the last chance for me to win in 500, so I gave it my best and did that. In 2001 it was the year of the battle with Biaggi, in 2002 it was the year when everybody said that I won because of my bike, then 2003 was the year of Gibernau, it was hard until the end. They were fantastic years but with Yamaha it is different. I enjoy it more. “During 2003 I started thinking about Yamaha. Of course I was scared about the new challenge, it was a big question mark. This year, when I tested the new bike and the new tyres, I understood that I could win. In 2004, however, when I tested the new bike I understood we had to work a lot. Sincerely, the feeling of winning in Welkom in 2004 was the strongest emotion of my career; more so than in Laguna Seca this year. The 2005 the M1 was very fast and that one and the 2008 one are the best Yamaha bikes ever. “I think Stoner next year will be back stronger again, so maybe he is the hardest rival I have ever had, more than Gibernau and all the others I fought against in the past. Last year I was sorry that after so many successful years, some people thought Valentino was finished and Casey was the new Valentino. As I said, until I stop riding a bike, my objective will always be to win. I like this life and I always try to do my best in it.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Takashi Kajikawa, President and CEO Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. CELEBRATING THE 2008 MOTOGP CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY “It gives me great pleasure to announce today that Valentino Rossi has reclaimed the championship title in MotoGP after two years of unfortunate near misses, and that we have also achieved the ultimate goal of adding the team and constructor titles to win the coveted “triple crown” in this premier class of international road racing. For us at Yamaha Motor Company, this great achievement is especially great because it comes at our home GP here in Japan. “We owe this great achievement to Valentino Rossi, who won the championship today, as well as to Jorge Lorenzo, who won his first victory earlier this year in his first season in the MotoGP, and to Colin Edwards and James Toseland, who also rode hard throughout the season and won points on the Yamaha YZR-M1. “I want to take this occasion to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of the people who have made this achievement possible, including not only the team members who have worked so hard to realize it but also the Yamaha fans around the world who have cheered them on consistently through the season and the sponsors who have supported them so generously. “At Yamaha Motor Company, we believe that the racing arena is more than just a stage for technological development. It is also a theatre that helps nurture employee skills and traits such as the spirit of challenge that we value so much. For these reasons, racing has been an important symbol of our corporate culture that we have continued to pursue actively throughout our history., I also believe firmly that racing is a challenge that helps us bring Kando to many people around the world. “I hope that everyone will continue to give us their support in this ongoing challenge.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: VALENTINO ROSSI STATISTICS In becoming only the second rider ever to win the MotoGP World Championship following a two-year gap, Valentino Rossi has cemented his place amongst the legends of motorcycle racing. A return to the form that won him five consecutive premier-class titles between 2001 and 2005 has seen the Italian reinstated at the very pinnacle of the sport, with a host of career milestones reached along the way. Here is a full list of Rossi’s historic MotoGP achievements in 2008: “¢ Rossi has joined Giacomo Agostini as one of only two riders to have taken six or more premier-class World Championships “¢ Rossi is only the second rider to regain the premier-class title after a two year gap the other rider to do this was also Agostini “¢ This is Rossi’s eighth world title across all classes. Only Agostini with 15, Angel Nieto, with 13, Mike Hailwood and Carlos Ubbiali, with nine each, have won more “¢ Rossi is the first rider to win the premier-class title on four different types of motorcycle: 500cc 4-cylinder two-stroke, 990cc 5-cylinder four-stroke, Yamaha 990cc 4-cylinder four-stroke and a Yamaha 800cc 4-cylinder four stroke “¢ It is eleven years since Rossi’s first World Championship success in the 125cc class in 1997. The only rider with a longer period between his first and last titles is Angel Nieto, who won the 50cc crown in 1969 and the 125cc equivalent in 1984 “¢ With his 69th career MotoGP win at Indianapolis, Rossi broke Giacomo Agostini’s record for the most premier-class victories; a record that has stood since the legendary Italian’s final victory at the West German Grand Prix in 1976 “¢ With 37 wins, Rossi has had more success with Yamaha than any other factory in his career “¢ Rossi is also Yamaha’s most successful rider, having scored 13 more premier-class wins for the factory than Kenny Roberts. “¢ With three races to go he is the only rider to have scored points in every round of the 2008 season. “¢ Rossi’s sequence of five straight race wins since Laguna Seca is his longest run of wins since 2005, when he also scored five successive victories. Other facts about Rossi’s career “¢ In 1997 Rossi became the second youngest ever 125cc World Champion after scoring 321 points and eleven wins “¢ Two years later, he became the youngest ever 250cc World Champion with nine wins “¢ In 2001 Rossi joined Phil Read as one of only two riders ever to win the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc titles “¢ Rossi’s debut victory for Yamaha at the opening race of 2004 in South Africa made him the first rider in history to take back-to-back wins for different manufacturers “¢ After winning the MotoGP World Championship three times with Honda, Rossi took his fourth premier-class title with Yamaha in 2004 and became the only rider other than Eddie Lawson to win consecutive premier-class titles for different manufacturers Valentino Rossi – Career Nationality: Italian Born: 16th February 1979 in Urbino, Italy World Championships: 8 (6 x MotoGP/500cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 125cc) GP victories: 96 (70 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) GP podiums: 148 (112 x MotoGP/500cc, 21 x 250cc, 15 x 125cc) GP Pole Positions: 51 (41 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) First GP win: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 207 (146 x MotoGP/50cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: STONER HANDS OVER TO ROSSI AFTER SECOND PLACE AT MOTEGI Casey Stoner fought hard with Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi for victory at Motegi today but after a combative and entertaining battle over the opening half of the race the Australian struggled to maintain his strength in the later stages, effectively conceding victory and the world title to the Italian. Stoner set an electric early pace, including a new circuit record on the ninth lap, as he tried to escape but he was unable to maintain such a high rhythm and after taking second place, two seconds adrift of Rossi at the flag, he now trails by 92 points in the championship – an impossible deficit with only three rounds remaining. Nevertheless, a ninth podium of the season marked a timely return to form for Stoner and it lifted Ducati to second in the constructors’ championship – ahead of Honda but behind Yamaha. Marco Melandri made a brilliant start from the penultimate row on the grid and was up to eleventh by the eighth lap, when an attempt to pass Dovizioso went wrong as he ran straight into the gravel. The Italian returned to the track to take 13th. CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) 2nd “At the beginning of the race everything felt good although I made a couple of mistakes on a cold tyre. We were running quite a hard compound today so we needed a few laps to get it warmed up. Once we did that the lap times were good and I felt happy with my pace. Unfortunately in the second half of the race I started to get tired in the changes of direction and I was having to close the gap coming out of the corners to get into the next one – simply because I didn’t have the strength to flick the bike over with the throttle open. The lap times dropped off and when Valentino came past I couldn’t keep up. He’s had an amazing season – he only made one mistake at Assen and the rest of the time he’s been on the podium, winning races. He’s a worthy champion – eight world titles show that – and I want to congratulate him for that. I’m just disappointed that we made two mistakes in the mid-point of the season that allowed him to open up such a big advantage. Anyway, after the recent misfortune we’ve had it was important to come back here with a strong performance and some solid points. Now we can go to Australia with confidence and look to finish the season strongly.” MARCO MELANDRI (Ducati Marlboro Team) 13th “I got a good start today but I ran off track when I was in the middle of fighting with a group of riders and lost all the positions I’d made up. It’s a shame because it is really hard for me to overtake. I lose so much time on the exit of the corners that I’m always a long way back under braking. We recovered some ground but it wasn’t enough. We’ll see how it goes in Australia, which is one of my all-time favourite tracks and a place Ducati always seem to do well at.” LIVIO SUPPO (Ducati MotoGP Project Director) “Casey had a great race today but when Valentino’s in the form he was in today there’s not much you can do about it. Our congratulations go to him and to Yamaha for a title they truly deserve. The 2008 season has been a difficult one for us but I think we’ve seen Casey and the whole team demonstrate that they always give everything to the cause and we know now that they can come through the hard times too. We’re second in the riders’ and constructors’ championships with three races to go and we will give our all to hang on to those positions as we look ahead to next season.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: DETERMINED DANI TAKES PODIUM PLACE AS ROSSI WINS Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) rode to his first rostrum position since the Dutch TT in June today and showed he is on the way back to form as Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) won to clinch the World Championship with Casey Stoner (Ducati) second. Stoner powered off the line to lead the field into turn one with Dani and Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) on his tail and in short order the lead trio turned out to be Stoner, Rossi and Pedrosa. Dani showing he had the pace to pursue the title protagonists that he had sometimes lacked this year. His first dry race with the Bridgestone tyre and pneumatic-valve RC212V combination was proving highly competitive. The early battle between these three title rivals proved to be as fierce as anything seen so far this season and as Stoner put a hard pass on Dani on the run-up to the bridge section of the track (a move for which he later apologized) and Dani lost ground on the lead duo. Nicky couldn’t quite match the pace of the front-runners either and he was shortly overhauled by Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) for fourth. By lap seven of this 24-lap affair it seemed the order had been established for a three-way dust up for the podium places, but Dani couldn’t quite stay with Stoner and Rossi. Rossi was hunting Stoner down but took time to make his move on the Aussie World Champion such was the Ducati man’s pace in the first half of this race. But Rossi seized his moment on lap 14 and from then on he was never troubled on his march to the flag and World Championship number six in the premier class. Dani’s third place was soon in jeopardy from the hard-charging Lorenzo and Pedrosa’s Spanish rival tried everything he could to steal the final podium spot from his rival. They clashed on the final lap, Lorenzo’s front wheel bashing Dani’s exhaust system. It was the redoubtable Dani who prevailed however and this is first podium place since the Dutch TT in June. Nicky would have liked nothing more than another rostrum finish after his US success but he had to be content with fifth here today. Shinya Nakano (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) was eighth and this seasoned campaigner’s 12th top ten finish of the season was well deserved, and some compensation for the 17th place finish of his team-mate Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V). Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Scot Honda RC212V) was disappointed with his ninth place, knowing he had the race pace to finish higher. Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V), who’s injured wrist is still troubling him, had to settle for 12th at the flag. Dani said: “Third place was not so bad today, though of course I tried to be faster. I’ve had some difficult races recently and some injuries, so it was a good feeling to be competitive again. I wasn’t so fast at the beginning of the race and I expected to be faster. Later on I was able to improve my pace, my times got better lap-by-lap, so I’m happy about that. My pitboard told me Lorenzo was coming, I got ‘plus zero’, ‘plus zero’, ‘plus zero’. I expected him to get faster because he was chasing me. On the last lap he touched me but I was able to stay on the bike. My thanks to Honda and to Bridgestone and also congratulations to Valentino, he rode a great race.” Nicky Hayden, who finished fifth, said: “I got a pretty good start and was certainly in the mix there for a couple of laps but they just had a little bit more pace everywhere. I tried to make up for it a few times on the brakes, but I just didn’t have the pace. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I had high expectations, I thought maybe we could get in there and find something extra for the race. We rode about as hard as we could and it got harder as the tyres went away. Congratulations to Valentino. I know what it takes to win a title and it takes a bad dude to win eight of them. Much respect.” Shinya Nakano finished eighth and said: “I didn’t make the best start but I tried to push straight away to recover ground and I managed to pass some riders on the first lap. Then I made a mistake and lost the rear, which cost me a few positions. I got past Edwards again on the brakes and stayed behind him for the rest of the race. I spent a few laps trying to work out where I could pass him but he was very strong on corner exit and under braking. Towards the end I had Capirossi in front of me so I tried to overtake again but Dovizioso was very close behind and it was a tough situation to judge. In the end I decided it was better to defend than attack.” Dovizioso finished ninth today and said: “Today I worked hard to catch up with the leaders. I finished the race in ninth but my race pace was good enough to get fifth. The race was decided in the early laps: in the first turn we were all in a group and no one had any intention of leaving space for others! It was a tough race, and I was riding hard and taking many risks to try and gain positions. At one point I almost touched Nakano, then I was confronted with a group of riders that brake hard like me, including John Hopkins and James Toseland and it took many laps to pass them, after which I was tired.” De Puniet in 12th said: “Honestly we expected a better race here. I made a good start but in the first corner Dovizioso went a bit wide. I tried to pass him in the inside but some riders overtook me because didn’t have enough corner speed. So I lost few places finishing the first lap in 14th place. After that I tried to concentrate, but then the bike started to slide. With four laps to go I caught Hopkins and Toseland but was impossible for me to pass them. Besides my wrist started to ache a lot and I just did my best to finish the race.” Alex De Angelis was 17th. He said: “It’s been a really tough weekend. We haven’t managed to find the right settings for this track. I want to thank my mechanics because I’ve had three crashes here but they’ve done a great job to fix the bike and I’m disappointed not to get a better result for them. I tried to push hard over the opening laps but I kept running wide and never found my rhythm. It has been a day to forget but we have to stay positive because now we go to Phillip Island, which is one of my favourite tracks.” 250cc Grand Prix Marco Simoncelli recorded Gilera’s first win here at Motegi when he pipped Aprilia rider Alvaro Bautista to the line after the Spanish man pressured him in the closing stages. Alex Debon (Aprilia) was third and Julian Simon (KTM) fourth. Yuki Takahashi (JiR Scot Honda RS250RW) rode with typical verve at his home track but could do no better than sixth at the flag, and 19 seconds away from the winner. Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda PTT SAG RS250RW) finished 13th. Takahashi said: “I started in eighth place on the grid and I wanted to take as many positions as I could off the line, because I knew that Simoncelli was a step above the others. But in the early laps the bike slid a lot and I couldn’t push hard, so I kept on the tail of the group. Then in middle of the race the situation improved and I could be faster. I must thank the team for their excellent work during the whole weekend. Today we could not do any more, but after the good results recently, the evidence pointed to a better result.” Wilairot said: “I had a very good start and got up to ninth position. I tried to do everything I could, but it was not enough as some riders passed me with ease because they had a better pace than me. From the ninth lap I noticed the rear tyre sliding a lot, which made me hesitate a little. I’m leaving with a bad taste in my mouth, as I really wanted to do very well here at Motegi.” Simoncelli now has 215 points to Bautista’s 183 with three races left to run. 125cc Grand Prix Stefan Bradl (Aprilia) won this race by 0.151 seconds from series points leader Mike Di Meglio (Derbi) with Gabor Talmacsi (Aprilia) third. This result helps Di Meglio in his title quest as his main rival Simone Corsi could only manage sixth place. Cyril Carrillo (FFM Racing Honda RS125R) finished 26th and said: “It was a difficult race on a very technical track and I found it hard to improve. I’m lacking top level riding time and still have a lot of work to do. Though I made a good start I wasn’t able to stay in a good pack and found myself alone. I really pushed the bike hard. I felt better than in the practice runs, but my efforts didn’t lead to improved times in the race.” Honda rider quotes. MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 3rd. “Third place was not so bad today, though of course I tried to be faster. I have had some difficult races recently and some injuries, so it was a good feeling to be competitive again. I wasn’t so fast at the beginning of the race, I expected to be faster. Later on I was able to improve my pace, my times got better lap by lap, so I am happy about that. My pitboard told me that Lorenzo was coming, I got ‘plus zero’, ‘plus zero’, ‘plus zero’. I expected him to get faster because he was chasing me. On the last lap he touched me but I was able to stay on the bike. My thanks to Honda and to Bridgestone. Also congratulations to Valentino [Rossi, who won today’s race to seal his sixth premier-class crown], he rode a great race.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 5th. “I got a pretty good start and was certainly in the mix there for a couple of laps but they just had a little bit more pace everywhere. I tried to make up for it a few times on the brakes, but I just didn’t have the pace. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I had high expectations, I thought maybe we could get in there and find something extra for the race. We rode about as hard as we could and it got harder as the tyres went away. That pack was coming for me, I just tried to not make any mistakes, keep my rhythm and hold them off. I knew there was a couple of guys chasing but I didn’t know there was that many coming for me. The bandana I wore on the grid, some fan gave it to me yesterday. I wore it for qualifying and got on the front row, so I figured, try it again. Congratulations to Valentino [Rossi, who won today’s race to claim his eighth world title]. I know what it takes to win one and it takes a bad dude to win eight of them. Much respect.” Shinya Nakano, San Carlo Gresini Honda: 8th. “I didn’t make the best start but I tried to push straight away to recover ground and I managed to pass some riders on the first lap. Then I made a mistake and lost the rear, which cost me a few positions. I got past Edwards again on the brakes and stayed behind him for the rest of the race. I spent a few laps trying to work out where I could pass him but he was very strong on corner exit and under braking. Towards the end I had Capirossi in front of me so I tried to overtake again but Dovizioso was very close behind and it was a tough situation to judge. In the end I decided it was better to defend than attack and even though eighth place is not what I wanted it is at least an improvement on recent results. Now I feel I have my confidence back and that makes me look forward to the final three races.” Andrea Dovizioso, JiR Scot Honda: 9th. “Today I worked hard to catch up with the leaders. I finished the race in ninth but my race pace was good enough to get fifth. The race was decided in the early laps: in the first turn we were all in a group and no one had any intention of leaving space for others! It was a tough race, and I was riding hard and taking many risks to try and gain positions. At one point I almost touched Nakano, then I was confronted with a group of riders that brake hard like me, including John Hopkins and James Toseland and it took many laps to pass them, after which I was tired. I continued to push, and maybe the result would have been different if I had managed to stay behind Nicky Hayden, when he pulled away, but that is racing.” Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda: 12th. “Honestly we expected a better race here. I made a good start but in the first corner Dovizioso braked to late and went a bit wide. I tried to pass him in the inside but some riders overtook me because did not have enough corner speed. So I lost few places finishing the first lap in 14th place. After that I tried to remain concentrated but the bike started to slide. However at 4 laps to go I caught Hopkins and Toseland but was impossible for me to pass them. Besides my wrist started to ache a lot and did my best to finish the race”. Alex De Angelis, San Carlo Gresini Honda: 17th. “It has been a really tough weekend because despite the best efforts of the team we haven’t managed to find a setting that has allowed me to ride comfortably at this track. I want to thank my mechanics because I’ve had three crashes here but they’ve done a great job to fix the bike and I’m disappointed not to get a better result for them. I tried to push hard over the opening laps but I kept running wide and never found my rhythm. It has been a day to forget but we have to stay positive because now we go to Phillip Island, which is one of my favourite tracks, and I want to bounce back. It has been a tough experience here but one we can use in our favour.” 250cc: Yukio Takahashi, JiR Scot Honda: 6th. “I started in eighth place on the grid and I wanted to retrieve many positions, because I knew that Simoncelli was a step above the others, but in the early laps the bike slid a lot and I could not push hard, so I kept onto the tail of the group. Then in middle of the race the situation improved and I could be faster. I must thank the team for their excellent work during the whole weekend. Today we could not do any more, but after the good results recently, the evidence pointed to a better result. In championship we have gained important points, and we must give our utmost to achieve the fifth position. Together with the team can do this.” Ratthapark Wilairot, Thai Honda PTT SAG: 13th. “I had a very good start and got up to ninth position. I tried to do everything I could, but it was not enough as some riders passed me with ease because they had a better pace than me. From the ninth lap I noticed the rear tyre sliding a lot, which made me hesitate a little. I’m leaving with a bad taste in my mouth, as I really wanted to do very well here at Motegi.” 125cc: Cyril Carrillo, FFM Honda: 26th. “It was a difficult race on a very technical track and I found it hard to improve. I am lacking top level riding time and still have a lot of work to do. Though I made a good start I wasn’t able to stay in a good pack and found myself alone. I really pushed the bike hard. I felt better than in the practice runs, but my efforts didn¹t lead to improved times in the race.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Valentino Rossi crowned 2008 champion with Motegi win Round 15: Japan Race Twin Ring Motegi Sunday 28 September 2008 Bridgestone-shod Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi has today clinched the 2008 MotoGP World Championship title, winning the Japanese Grand Prix at the Motegi Twin Ring. The 25-points earned for his win takes Rossi to an unassailable 92 point lead in the series with just three races remaining. It is the second consecutive championship title for a rider using Bridgestone tyres after Ducati’s Casey Stoner took the title in Motegi twelve months ago. Rossi’s victory today is his eighth of the season and the twelfth in total for a Bridgestone-shod rider, equalling the record number of Bridgestone-shod victories in a single season, which was set last year. It is the fifth consecutive Motegi win for Bridgestone following Makoto Tamada’s win in 2004 and Loris Capirossi’s three successes from 2005-2007, making it the most successful circuit for the tyre manufacturer on the MotoGP calendar. For the second Japanese GP in a row, Bridgestone riders secured all three podium positions with Stoner taking a fine second place for Ducati and Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa taking his debut Bridgestone podium in third. It is the fourth 1-2-3 result for Bridgestone in the last six races after similar success in Germany, Laguna Seca and Brno. The podium finishers were embroiled in an exciting three-way battle in the early stages of the race with Stoner and Pedrosa exchanging the lead for several laps before Rossi made his way past Pedrosa on lap 6 and then Stoner on lap 14. Rossi held on to the lead and ultimately took the chequered flag 1.9s ahead of Stoner, who increased his grasp of second place in the championship with another well-earned twenty points, setting the fastest lap of the race along the way. Pedrosa’s third place takes him over the 200-point mark in the championship and gives him an increased buffer over fourth-placed Jorge Lorenzo. Three additional Bridgestone riders finished in the top ten this afternoon with Loris Capirossi taking sixth place for Rizla Suzuki, Shinya Nakano finishing his home grand prix in eighth and John Hopkins rounding out the top ten for Kawasaki. Osamu Inoue Bridgestone Corporation – Senior Vice-President “Congratulations to Valentino Rossi and Yamaha for securing the 2008 MotoGP World Championship with an impressive race win. For Bridgestone, we are delighted to secure our second consecutive Championship at our home grand prix at the Twin Ring Motegi Circuit. I would also like to send my sincerest congratulations to Ducati’s Casey Stoner in 2nd place today, and Honda’s Dani Pedrosa for his 3rd place finish. This is our fifth consecutive year of race wins at Motegi and it has been accomplished with an all-Bridgestone podium, so I am very thankful. Finally I would like to say thank you to all our teams and riders for their great effort, as well as to all the motorsport fans here in Motegi and all over the world.” Hiroshi Yasukawa Director of Bridgestone Motorsport “Congratulations to Valentino and to the Fiat Yamaha Team for today’s exciting triumph and championship success. I am pleased that Bridgestone tyres have been able to help take the title for the second year in a row. Valentino has had a terrific season and he has taken some fantastic victories this year, including today’s closely-fought win in our home grand prix. Ducati and Casey did another great job today as well to take second place, while Dani Pedrosa also performed well to take his first podium using Bridgestone tyres. All in all, we have a lot of positives to take away from today’s race and more happy Motegi memories.” Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team Race Winner and 2008 MotoGP World Champion “I feel very good with this title because the battle this year was very tough, especially with Stoner and Pedrosa. It was a long season with a lot of hard racing and hard battles. I’m so happy. In my career I’ve been lucky – I’ve won a lot of good and difficult championships, like the first one with Yamaha in 2004, but I think this one is the one I put most effort into trying to win. I have to say a great thank you to Yamaha, who worked a lot, to Bridgestone for their support, and to all my team. I think we deserve this championship. We were very strong every weekend and we were fast. I’m also happy because today was a great battle and a great race. I felt confident with the bike and to win the championship with a race win is fantastic.” Bridgestone-shod Riders’ Race Results and Tyre Choices Pos. Rider Team Race Time Gap Front Tyre (all 16.5”) Rear Tyre (all 16.5”) P1 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 43m09.599s Winner Slick-Medium Slick-Medium P2 Casey Stoner Ducati Corse 43m11.542s +1.943s Slick-Hard Slick-Medium P3 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 43m14,465s +4.866s Slick-Medium Slick-Medium P6 Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 43m35.284s +25.685s Slick-Medium Slick-Hard P8 Shinya Nakano San Carlo Honda Gresini 43m35.602s +26.003s Slick-Hard Slick-Medium P10 John Hopkins Kawasaki Racing Team 43m46.730s +37.131s Slick-Hard Slick-Hard P13 Marco Melandri Ducati Corse 43m49.367s +39.768s Slick-Hard Slick-Soft P14 Sylvain Guintoli Alice Team 43m55.445s +45.846s Slick-Medium Slick-Hard P15 Anthony West Kawasaki Racing Team 44m05.347s +55.748s Slick-Medium Slick-Medium P16 Toni Elias Alice Team 44m08.919s +59.320s Slick-Medium Slick-Soft P17 Alex De Angelis San Carlo Honda Gresini 44m21.997s +1m12.398s Slick-Hard Slick-Medium DNF Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 29m15.247s +8 laps Slick-Medium Slick-Hard DNF Kousuke Akiyoshi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Did not finish first lap Slick-Hard Slick-Medium Weather: Dry Air 19°C, Track 23°C (Bridgestone measurement) More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer Loris Capirossi produced a hard fought race to bring his Suzuki GSV-R home in sixth position at Motegi today. Starting from sixth on the grid, Capirossi maintained the position early on as he kept up with the break-away front group, but a mistake on lap 12 cost him dearly and he dropped back towards the following pack. He chased back to Nicky Hayden in fifth, and was close enough to make a challenge on the last lap, but he had a big slide and the opportunity disappeared. Capirossi scored 10 points for his sixth place finish and has now moved up to ninth in the riders’ championship. Chris Vermeulen was battling with a group of riders and still looked in with a chance of a top-10 finish, but the Australian star was struck with a braking issue that caused him to run off the track on lap 17. Vermeulen re-joined the race but was unable to continue and was forced to retire. He was visibly disappointed, but remains in high spirits as he prepares to travel to his home Grand Prix in Australia next weekend. Kousuke Akiyoshi had a very short race that lasted only three corners. The Japanese Wildcard rider was taken out by another rider in this morning’s warm-up and his crew worked hard to prepare his bike in time for the race. He got to the grid just in time for the lights to change and although he made a good start and passed several riders immediately, he suffered a huge slide and crashed out unhurt on the first lap. He will now remain at Motegi for a day’s testing, as Suzuki begins preparations for the development of the 2009 GSV-R. Today’s race was held in very overcast conditions with the threat of rain never far away. A colourful and ebullient crowd of over 57,000 witnessed Valentino Rossi win the race and regain the World Championship title. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will now make the journey south as it heads to Australia for the only race held below the equator. Round 16 of the MotoGP World Championship is at Phillip Island on Sunday 5th October. Loris Capirossi: “All weekend has been not too bad for us – we’ve worked hard to find the best setting and to try to work in a different method. The race was a bit tough and I tried really hard at the beginning, and stayed with the front group, but in the middle of the race I made a mistake and lost contact with Nicky. I fought back to him and tried to catch him on the last lap but unfortunately I lost the rear and missed the opportunity. I think we had a bike capable of top-five today, but to be any higher than that would have been very difficult. We still need to keep working very hard and I feel quite good about the future and believe 100% in the Suzuki project. We now have to finish the best way we can this season so we are in a good position for 2009.” Chris Vermeulen: “It’s always very frustrating not to finish a race and when it is something that you have no control over that makes it even harder to take. I made quite a good start, but I had a couple of moments early on in the race as the tyres weren’t quite up to working temperature. I got involved with a group of riders and as soon as the tyres started to work well I felt like I had a good speed and rhythm. After about three or four laps I started to have a bit of an issue with braking and stopping the bike, and eventually I ran off the track. I am really disappointed about what happened as I thought I was in with a chance of at least a top-10 today, but now I can look forward to my home GP next weekend and try to make up for it there!” Kousuke Akiyoshi: “I had tried all weekend to get a good engine management set-up and last night we made some big changes and the feeling was a lot better. Unfortunately I crashed in the warm-up and it meant I had to use my spare bike for the race and I struggled to get a good start – but I did manage to get past five or six bikes. Then in the third corner I had a big slide and crashed. I am very unhappy about this weekend and now I must concentrate on the test tomorrow and make some more improvements and help to develop the 2009 bike.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “Loris showed great fighting spirit today to keep the GSV-R in the top-six and really we should’ve had Nicky for fifth, but sometimes – when you push to the maximum – it is easy to make a mistake and the chance to get him just didn’t quite happen. The most important thing is that Loris went to the maximum all race and the technical areas in which we need to improve to move us further forward are very clear. “Chris has had a Japanese Grand Prix to forget and it’s disappointing for him and for the whole team, given that he showed such good speed here in the test after the race last year and that we were coming here looking for a good result. Luckily he won’t have too long to think about it because we arrive in his home country of Australia in a couple of days, when we will try and put things right there for him. “Akiyoshi’s weekend went from bad to worse to disaster! He’s a great guy and a much faster rider than he was able to demonstrate this weekend. We hope that he has a much better weekend at the final round of the Japanese Superbike Championship that comes up soon.” More, from a press release issued by Michelin: LORENZO BATTLES FOR THIRD PLACE AT MOTEGI Michelin rider Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) fought like a tiger in today’s Japanese Grand Prix, completing the 24 laps just 1.3 seconds outside a podium finish, after a last-lap attempt to take third place didn’t work out. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin) also rode a determined race, holding on to fifth position. Michelin’s other top-ten finishers were Colin Edwards (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin) and Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Team Scot Honda RC212V-Michelin), who were seventh and ninth. The race was won by Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1) who also secured his sixth premier-class crown. Conditions were considerably cooler than yesterday when Lorenzo and Hayden starred in qualifying, Lorenzo taking pole position, Hayden joining him on the front row with third-best time. “First of all, I would like to congratulate Valentino Rossi for winning the World Championship here,” said Michelin’s director of motorcycle racing Jean-Philippe Weber. “He has ridden great races this year, including today’s Japanese GP, and has fought very hard for the crown. Our own results today were not as good as we expected after some promising performances in practice and qualifying. Conditions were not as good as yesterday afternoon when our riders did some better lap times. I also think that the warm-up of our tires was slightly worse, which made the early laps a bit difficult for some of our riders. Jorge rode a fantastic race, pushing hard all the way. He was very close to taking third on the last lap. Nicky started well, but he didn’t quite have the pace to go with the leaders.” Lorenzo knew the race would be difficult in the cooler conditions, but he still came close to passing Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) for third place at Hairpin Curve on the last lap. “Yesterday I thought I could win, but the lower track temperature made things difficult for us,” he said. “I have been getting stronger these last few races and I did my best today. I tried to attack Pedrosa at the hairpin because I knew that was my last chance, I didn’t think I could out-brake him at the next corner. He left some room, but not quite enough.” More, from a press release issued by JiR Team Scot: Andrea Dovizioso takes top 10 finish in title-deciding race The Japanese Grand Prix proved to be one of the most demanding of the season for Andrea Dovizioso. On a track that requires hard braking and acceleration, the JiR Team Scot rider did his best on the brakes to make up time on his opponents. After a slow start, Andrea recovered several positions until he reached the trio fighting for sixth position: Loris Capirossi, Colin Edwards and Shinya Nakano. The fight ended with ninth position going to the rider from Forlì. The championship position remains unchanged, with Andrea in fifth place overall. Gianluca Montiron Director JiR Team Scot “Andrea has made a good race, claiming back several positions after a difficult start. The Motegi circuit has a first turn which is very slow and narrow, and every rider came into that turn aggressively. Andrea gave it his all, exerting all his physical energy even if his task was a difficult one. We are still the first satellite team in the results and this is a good for us. Recognition is due to Valentino Rossi, who today claimed his sixth title in the blue-riband category.” Andrea Dovizioso Rider JiR Team Scot MotoGP HONDA RC212V 9th position, 9th-best time: 1’48 “208 “Today I worked hard to catch up with the leaders. I finished the race in ninth but my race pace was good enough to get fifth. The race was decided in the early laps: in the first turn we were all in a group and no one had any intention of leaving space for others! It was a tough race, and I was riding hard and taking many risks to try and gain positions. At one point I almost touched Nakano, then I was confronted with a group of riders that brake hard like me, including John Hopkins and James Toseland and it took many laps to pass them, after which I was tired. I continued to push, and maybe the result would have been different if I had managed to stay behind Nicky Hayden, when he pulled away, but that is racing.” Cirano Mularoni – Team Manager JiR Team Scot “Today was a day in which Andrea was pushed to the limit in every turn. He finished the race in ninth, but had the pace to get fifth. Unfortunately, the first lap was difficult, the level of our opponents was high as usual, and it was difficult to overtake. We leave Motegi with the knowledge of having done the best we could, and we think ahead to the next weekend of racing at Phillip Island in Australia.” More, from a press release issued by Alice Ducati: COMPLICATED WEEKEND FOR THE ALICE TEAM GUINTOLI FOURTEENTH, ELIAS SIXTEENTH Since yesterday’s qualifying session we could have understood that this would have been a difficult race for the Alice Team riders. Started from 14th and 15th position, Toni Elias and Sylvain Guintoli have concluded the first lap in 15th and 17th place with the French rider in front of the Spaniard. Elias has therefore tired to comeback but during the seventh lap he went off track and when back on track he found himself in last position with many seconds of disadvantages from De Angelis who was the first rider in front of him. Toni didn’t anyway give up, reaching and overtaking the Italian concluding in seventeenth position. Guintoli has finished in fourteenth position conquering two points for the world championship. Next appointment in Australia in seven days for the sixteenth MotoGP round of the season. Fabiano Sterlacchini — Alice Team Technical Director To start so far back is never easy. Then, after that Toni went long in a turn the situation got even more complicated. Also to find the right motivation was difficult to continue but Toni reacted well and kept a good rhythm that allowed him to gain a position. If he wouldn’t go off track he could have surely concluded in the top ten. We hope to do much better in Australia in seven days with both riders. Toni Elias — Alice Team Rider (16th in the race — 12th in the MotoGP classification) “It has been a difficult weekend for me: I am ill and today it wasn’t easy to race. In addition I went off track in the seventh lap due to some problems and to comeback it wasn’t an easy job. I really lost too much time and therefore I decided to take this race like a long run in a free practice maintaining a really good rhythm. Now I hope to feel much better physically soon to be in the best conditions in Australia.” Sylvain Guintoli — Alice Team Rider (14th in the race — 13th in the MotoGP classification) “Until Saturday morning things were going in the right direction, then in the qualifying and today everything has changed. I don’t know what has happened but I really didn’t make it to find the right confidence to push at the maximum. I didn’t have much confidence with the front tyre and I was losing too much time during the turns. Now I have to check the data with my technicians to sensibly improve for the next round in Phillip Island.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: DE PUNIET MANAGED TO FINISH 12th AT MOTEGI GP Motegi, 28 September 2008: after yesterdays good qualifying session result, LCR Honda MotoGP racer Randy De Puniet made a good start from the 8th place for the 24-lap race at Twin Ring Motegi race track getting the 12th position overall. The fifteenth round of the season, which saw Rossi winning the 2008 World Championship, started today at 14:00 local time and was held in dry conditions although a threatening sky welcomed the premier class riders this morning. The Frenchman aboard the Michelin-shod Honda RC212V nr. 14 did a good start from the third row but was trapped in the first corner ending the first lap in 14th position. After that Randy tried to set his pace but struggled a lot with rear grip and, in the last laps of the race, his injured wrist started to ache a lot. The 27-year-old managed to finish the race but he honestly expected a better result at the Japanese circuit. De Puniet 12th: “Honestly we expected a better race here. I made a good start but in the first corner Dovizioso braked to late and went a bit wide. I tried to pass him in the inside but some riders overtook me because did not have enough corner speed. So I lost few places finishing the first lap in 14th place. After that I tried to remain concentrated but the bike started to slide. However at 4 laps to go I caught Hopkins and Toseland but was impossible for me to pass them. Besides my wrist started to ache a lot and did my best to finish the race”. More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway: MotoGP RACE REPORT: GRAND PRIX OF JAPAN Rossi clinches sixth MotoGP title with victory; Three Americans finish in top 10 MOTEGI, Japan, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008 The Doctor is back on top of the world. Valentino Rossi, nicknamed “The Doctor,” added to his legend by claiming his sixth MotoGP World Championship by winning the Grand Prix of Japan on Sept. 28 at Twin Ring Motegi. It was Rossi’s first championship since 2005, as he became just the second rider to regain the premier-class title after a two-year gap. Fellow Italian legend Giacomo Agostini was the first, in 1975. Rossi only trails Agostini, who won eight premier-class titles, on the all-time list. “We have lost for two years, and I don’t think I was the favorite this season, but we have shown that we are a great team and that we never give up,” Rossi said. “Now I have to get used to being World Champion again.” Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Rossi passed 2007 World Champion Casey Stoner with 10 laps remaining in the 24-lap race after a taut duel, winning by 1.943 seconds on his Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha/Bridgestone. Dani Pedrosa finished third on his Repsol Honda Team Honda/Bridgestone. Pole sitter Jorge Lorenzo finished fourth on his Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha/Michelin. 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden followed his fine second-place finish at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a solid fifth place on the Repsol Honda Team Honda/Michelin. Hayden held off a charging pack of four riders that included fellow American Colin Edwards, who finished seventh on the Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha/Michelin. Just 1.626 seconds separated fifth-place Hayden from ninth-place Andrea Dovizioso, who was named at this event as Hayden’s replacement next season on the Repsol Honda Team. Hayden is moving to the Ducati Marlboro Team as Stoner’s teammate in 2009. John Hopkins finished 10th on his Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki/Bridgestone to round out a strong day for American riders. It was the second time this season that all three Americans on the MotoGP grid finished in the top 10, the first coming at the Grand Prix of Catalunya on June 8. Stoner, Pedrosa and Rossi locked into a tense struggle for the lead for four laps early in the race, separated by a bike length at most. Pedrosa and Stoner swapped the lead twice while Rossi watched their duel from a close third. Rossi then dove under Pedrosa for second on Lap 6 and sat on Stoner’s rear wheel, applying constant pressure for eight laps before making his decisive pass. Rossi earned his fifth consecutive victory and his eighth win overall this season. There also was big news off the track. FIM and Dorna officials announced only one tire manufacturer will supply the MotoGP class in 2009, with bids being accepted until Oct. 3. *** RESULTS MOTEGI, Japan Results of the 24-lap Grand Prix of Japan race, with position, rider, country, motorcycle/tire, time behind winner: 1. Valentino Rossi Italy Yamaha/Bridgestone 2. Casey Stoner Australia Ducati/Bridgestone +1.943 seconds 3. Dani Pedrosa Spain Honda/Bridgestone +4.866 4. Jorge Lorenzo Spain Yamaha/Michelin +6.165 5. Nicky Hayden United States Honda/Michelin +24.593 6. Loris Capirossi Italy Suzuki/Bridgestone +25.685 7. Colin Edwards United States Yamaha/Michelin +25.918 8. Shinya Nakano Japan Honda/Bridgestone +26.003 9. Andrea Dovizioso Italy Honda/Michelin +26.219 10. John Hopkins United States Kawasaki/Bridgestone +37.131 11. James Toseland Great Britain Yamaha/Michelin +37.574 12. Randy de Puniet France Honda/Michelin +38.020 13. Marco Melandri Italy Ducati/Bridgestone +39.768 14. Sylvain Guintoli France Ducati/Bridgestone +45.846 15. Anthony West Australia Kawasaki/Bridgestone +55.748 16. Toni Elias Spain Ducati/Bridgestone +59.320 17. Alex de Angelis San Marino Honda/Bridgestone +1:12.398 18. Chris Vermeulen Australia Suzuki/Bridgestone +8 laps 19. Kousuke Akiyoshi Japan Suzuki/Bridgestone +24 laps Fastest lap: Stoner, 1:47.091, Lap 9 Pole lap: Lorenzo, 1:45.543 *** POINTS Riders: Rossi 312, Stoner 220, Pedrosa 209, Lorenzo 169, Dovizioso 136, Edwards 118, Vermeulen 117, Hayden 115, Capirossi 96, Nakano 95, Toseland 90, Elias 86, Guintoli 58, de Angelis 55, Melandri 51, Hopkins 47, de Puniet 47, West 42, Ben Spies 20, Jamie Hacking 5, Tadayuki Okada 2. Manufacturers: Yamaha 341, Honda 261, Ducati 259, Suzuki 159, Kawasaki 77. *** PODIUM QUOTES VALENTINO ROSSI (Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha/Bridgestone, winner): “It’s a great victory and a great achievement; I think it’s at the same level as the first title in 2004 with Yamaha, maybe even better. This championship has been very long and hard, and all of the team and all of Yamaha have worked very well, never giving up for one moment. We have been able to put a great bike onto the track in all conditions and at all circuits, and this has allowed me to ride like this and to win so many races. I am very happy. The race was a great battle, and I had to ride at 100 percent, like I have through all through the season. Pedrosa and Stoner today were very strong, and it was fun to fight with them like this. I am happy that it was a good race for the fans. It was a fantastic feeling to take the title with a win, like I did in 2001 and 2004. I think this is the hardest I have ever had to work to win a world championship, and I have to say a huge thank you to Yamaha, my mechanics, th e team and everyone involved for working this hard alongside me. Of course, I also have to say a special thank you to Bridgestone. They have done a great job with the tires all season, and the decision to be with them has been a big part of our success this season. We have lost for two years, and I don’t think I was the favorite this season, but we have shown that we are a great team and that we never give up. Now I have to get used to being World Champion again.” CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati/Bridgestone, second): “At the beginning of the race, everything felt good although I made a couple of mistakes on a cold tire. We were running quite a hard compound today, so we needed a few laps to get it warmed up. Once we did that, the lap times were good, and I felt happy with my pace. Unfortunately in the second half of the race, I started to get tired in the changes of direction, and I was having to close the gap coming out of the corners to get into the next one, simply because I didn’t have the strength to flick the bike over with the throttle open. The lap times dropped off, and when Valentino came past, I couldn’t keep up. He’s had an amazing season; he only made one mistake at Assen, and the rest of the time he’s been on the podium, winning races. He’s a worthy champion eight world titles show that and I want to congratulate him for that. I’m just disappointed that we made two mistakes in the mid-point of the season tha t allowed him to open up such a big advantage. Anyway, after the recent misfortune we’ve had, it was important to come back here with a strong performance and some solid points. Now we can go to Australia with confidence and look to finish the season strongly.” DANI PEDROSA (Repsol Honda Team Honda/Bridgestone, third): “Third place was not so bad today, though, of course, I tried to be faster. I have had some difficult races recently and some injuries, so it was a good feeling to be competitive again. I wasn’t so fast at the beginning of the race, I expected to be faster. Later on, I was able to improve my pace, my times got better lap by lap, so I am happy about that. My pit board told me that Lorenzo was coming, I got ‘plus zero,’ ‘plus zero,’ ‘plus zero’. I expected him to get faster because he was chasing me. On the last lap, he touched me, but I was able to stay on the bike. My thanks to Honda and to Bridgestone. Also congratulations to Valentino. He rode a great race.” AMERICAN RIDER QUOTES NICKY HAYDEN (Repsol Honda Team Honda/Michelin, fifth): “I got a pretty good start and was certainly in the mix there for a couple of laps, but they just had a little bit more pace everywhere. I tried to make up for it a few times on the brakes, but I just didn’t have the pace. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I had high expectations. I thought maybe we could get in there and find something extra for the race. We rode about as hard as we could, and it got harder as the tires went away. That pack was coming for me. I just tried to not make any mistakes, keep my rhythm and hold them off. I knew there was a couple of guys chasing, but I didn’t know there was that many coming for me. The bandana I wore on the grid, some fan gave it to me yesterday. I wore it for qualifying and got on the front row, so I figured, try it again. Congratulations to Valentino. I know what it takes to win one, and it takes a bad dude to win eight of them. Much respect.” COLIN EDWARDS (Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha/Michelin, seventh): “I got a good start and settled in behind Valentino and Jorge at the first corner, and I was happy because I’ve been caught up in a couple of incidents there in the past. I threw it in and then I just saw this front wheel staring straight at me. It was Dovizioso, but luckily we all made through. But the first lap, I was just trying to get some heat into the rear tire. I got it working and got into a good pace and saw that Loris was coming back to me. I was pushing hard, but I was having a few issues with the rear spinning, which has been a problem all weekend. But then Loris made a mistake, and he was right out to the curb at the first corner. He was nearly in the dirt, and I was right on his tail. I was behind him for what seemed like forever, but it was fun. I could almost reach out and touch his back wheel, but I couldn’t do anything to get by him. Loris’s bike was really good coming off the corner. It obviously has s ome bottom grunt because all I could do was watch him, and I couldn’t do anything with him. I couldn’t get close enough to out-brake him, and with the spinning problem, I couldn’t get any acceleration grip out of the corner to line him up for a pass. Seventh is not where I want to be, but it feels good to get a solid race under my belt. It feels forever since I did that, so it is something to build on for the last three races.” JOHN HOPKINS (Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki/Bridgestone, 10th): “The start is always a bit hectic here because the first few turns are quite tight, so we just got our head down and settled into a rhythm. We caught up with James Toseland, and I tried everything to get around him, but he just had a little bit more acceleration out of the turns than us. It was quite frustrating because on the brakes and mid-corner we were much quicker, so we passed each other on many occasions. We were side by side for a lot of the time, so it was a big battle and it came down to the final lap, where I made a pass that stuck at Turn 2. We managed to achieve 10th, but really I felt we were capable of a top-five finish because we were lapping at the same pace as riders much further up the field. We’ve learned a lot from this weekend, and we’ve made a lot of setup changes, so it’s definitely been positive. I’ve also regained a lot of confidence, and we can now use the last three rounds to start pre paring the bike for 2009.” *** MotoGP SUPPORT CLASS WINNERS 250cc: Marco Simoncelli, Italy, Metis Gilera. 125cc: Stefan Bradl, Germany, Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing Aprilia. American Stevie Bonsey placed 20th and is 14th in series points. *** NEXT RACE Grand Prix of Australia, Phillip Island, Australia, Oct. 5. Round 16 of 18.