Final MotoGP Qualifying Results: 1. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:31.874 2. Marco MELANDRI, Honda, 1:32.111 3. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:32.21 4. Carlos CHECA, Ducati, 1:32.374 5. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:32.384 6. Colin EDWARDS, Yamaha, 1:32.456 7. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:32.482 8. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:32.518 9. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:32.663 10. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:32.682 11. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:32.785 12. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:32.966 13. Toni ELIAS, Yamaha, 1:33.005 14. Nobuatsu AOKI, Suzuki, 1:33.393 15. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:33.503 16. Ryuichi KIYONARI, Honda, 1:33.846 17. Ruben XAUS, Yamaha, 1:34.874 18. Roberto ROLFO, Ducati, 1:34.978 19. James ELLISON, Blata, 1:35.158 20. Kurtis ROBERTS, Proton, 1:35.374 21. Franco BATTAINI, Blata, 1:35.712 Final BMW Best Qualifier Award Standings (after 18 0f 18 rounds): 1. GIBERNAU, 30:55.903 2. ROSSI, 30:59.488 3. HAYDEN, 31:00.899 4. MELANDRI, 31:01.117 5. EDWARDS, 31:07.586 6. BARROS, 31:09.605 7. BIAGGI, 31:09.807 8. HOPKINS, 31:09.859 9. NAKANO, 31:10.732 10. XAUS, 31:39.296 11. ROLFO, 31:52.030 12. BATTAINI, 32:27.349 More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: NAKANO AND HOFMANN IMPRESS IN VALENCIA QUALIFYING Kawasaki riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, bravely rode through the pain barrier to record impressive qualifying times for tomorrow’s end-of-season Valencia Grand Prix. Both Nakano and Hofmann were within one second of pole position, set by Sete Gibernau, and ahead of seven-time World Champion Valentino Rossi, who qualified fifteenth. Nakano will start from ninth on the third row while Hofmann, in his final race appearance aboard the Ninja ZX-RR, will start from 12th position. Nakano required a painkilling injection 30 minutes before the start of qualifying to ease the discomfort in his bruised left hand, injured when he crashed in yesterday’s first free practice session. With 18 minutes remaining in the one hour session Nakano posted the third fastest time, moving up from 14th. He posted another fast lap later in the session to hold a top five spot before finishing ninth on the grid, just 0.4s off a front row start. Nakano’s hand injury is at its worst while operating the clutch for downshifts in the frequent heavy braking zones of the 14-turn Valencia circuit. Meanwhile, Hofmann continued to defy medical opinion with a gritty and fast performance, despite riding with a plate and 16 screws in his left ankle and foot. The 25-year-old German rider has not ridden a MotoGP bike for seven weeks, but still rose to the occasion and out-qualified factory rivals from Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda. Hofmann was firmly established in the top ten until the final minutes of the session when he made a mistake at the final corner on his final fast run. While neither is 100% fit, both Nakano and Hofmann believe they have strong race set-ups for the 30-lap race, which promises to be a gruelling test of endurance on this compact and physical circuit. Shinya Nakano: #56 – Ninth – 1’32.663 “That was very difficult, I could not have ridden without an injection in my hand. Even so, the hard part is under brakes and in the right-hand corners, I could not push any faster because of my hand. The race will be tough over 30 laps, I’m not sure about the condition of my hand but I will try my best. We have a strong race set-up, the bike feels good and this morning I did not think this qualifying position would be possible – I didn’t think I could ride this afternoon.” Alex Hofmann: #66 – Twelfth – 1’32.966 “I’m a little disappointed because I had been faster than Shinya in the three free practice sessions and I thought I could have stayed ahead this afternoon. I tried to catch a tow on my final lap, but Barros and Tamada were just playing so I went alone. I had a fast lap going until the final corner – I lost the rear on entry and this cost me a lot of acceleration onto the straight. But overall I’m surprised to be within one second of pole after being away for seven weeks, and not taking big risks, I cannot afford to crash while I’m not 100% fit. Now I’m just going out to enjoy my final race with Kawasaki, and do the maximum that my body will allow – the longest run I’ve done this weekend is ten laps.” Harald Eckl: Team Manager “I am full of admiration for the strong comeback by Alex, he is pushing very hard despite not being 100% fit. This is a very brave performance and Alex deserves to have a good result in his final race with Kawasaki, I just hope his physical endurance allows him to do this. It was not so easy for Shinya either, as he is also suffering, to a lesser extent, with an injury. I hope he can also have a good race tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Yamaha: YAMAHA FACTORY RACING FACE SUNDAY CHALLENGE AT VALENCIA Yamaha Factory Racing rider Valentino Rossi faces an uphill battle in the final round of the 2005 MotoGP World Championship tomorrow after qualifying fifteenth fastest at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia. Rossi slid from his YZR-M1 machine just over eleven minutes from the end of this afternoon’s qualifying session and, despite returning to the track on his second machine, he lost several positions in the final push for times. The Italian will start from the fifth row of the grid as he aims to score his twelfth victory of the season and repeat the success he has enjoyed at this circuit for the past two years. Rossi’s Yamaha Factory team-mate Colin Edwards benefited from a more productive afternoon, making major progress with his new riding style and knocking almost two seconds off his best practice time from yesterday. For the second successive race the American will start from the second row of the grid in sixth place as he aims to improve his championship position with a good finish tomorrow. Pole position went to Sete Gibernau (Honda) in a new record time of 1’31.874 and the Spaniard is joined on the front row by Marco Melandri and Nicky Hayden (both Honda), who will fight for the runner-up spot behind Rossi in the championship in tomorrow’s race. COLIN EDWARDS (6th 1’32.456; 29 laps) “I’m halfway happy with the result. We had a few problems early in the session but we worked things out and I was able to set a decent time on a qualifying tyre. The second row isn’t terrible but we have work to do to find a better race pace. We made more progress with the new riding style but in reality I need 100 laps to perfect it, so I can’t wait for winter testing! It takes me five or six laps to get going and we just need to get it ingrained in my system. The team has worked hard today and Michelin has given us some good options for tomorrow – I am determined to finish the season on a high. The stadium style atmosphere here is always fantastic so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.” VALENTINO ROSSI (15th – 1’33.503; 27 laps) “When I crashed I was pushing hard with the qualifying tyre and honestly I felt confident that I could do a good time. I was maybe a little too aggressive and when I touched the brake I just lost the front and went down. I was going fast and I have some small bruises on my elbow and on my leg, but I will be fine tomorrow for the race. I was lucky. The grid position is not so good, my worst for a very long time! The situation on the track is actually not so bad; the rhythm is okay, although we do have some problems and for sure I am slower than some of the other riders. The main problem is that it’s hard to overtake at this circuit. A lot will depend on how many riders I can pass at the start and in the first lap. Anyway, we will try to make some progress tomorrow morning and see what happens in the race. My target is to be in the top five, any higher is maybe too difficult, but it’s going to be a good battle!” DAVIDE BRIVIO YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM DIRECTOR “We are in a strange situation. Colin is on the second row but his race pace is not as good as we would like, whilst Valentino is on the fifth row with a better race pace than his team-mate. We need to combine the two! Valentino’s starting position is going to make it very difficult for him and it will not be his easiest race, but that is the reality of the situation and we have to deal with it. Luckily we have already won everything but we still want to have a good last race. It’s going to be tough but we’ll work hard in the morning and see what the race brings.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team SUZUKI MotoGP looking for end of season improvements Sunday afternoon will see the final race of the 2005 MotoGP World Championship and both Suzuki racers will be aiming to be involved in the traditional post-race firework celebration. Following today’s free practice and qualifying sessions both John Hopkins (P11, 1’32.785) and Nobuatsu Aoki (P14, 1’33.393) are looking forward to the race, and will be doing their best to improve on their starting positions during the 30 laps of the Gran Premio betandwin.com Comunitat Valenciana. Hopkins will complete a full set of Grand Prix starts in a season – for the first time in his career – tomorrow when he lines up on the grid at 14.00hrs CET. He is joined by team-mate Aoki who is directly behind him on the start-line and the pair will be looking to get a good start in front of what promises to be a huge and fanatical Spanish crowd. Today’s pole position was set by local favourite Sete Gibernau who also won a brand new BMW motor car for being the best overall qualifier of the year. John Hopkins: “I would definitely say that we have found some stuff from yesterday to today. Our goal today was to be able to run consistently in the 34’s and we pretty much accomplished that. But now that everyone has stepped it up we need to be running in the high 33’s – that will have to be another step for tomorrow. The guys have been working really hard this weekend and I’ve worked hard to improve my lines as well. As far as qualifying went, we got into a good rhythm but I burnt out the tyre early on during my last lap and was just unable to make up that extra bit of time. I’m confident that we can get into the top 10 tomorrow and I’ll get a good night’s rest tonight and think about what to do tomorrow. I’ll make sure that I come out swinging!” Nobuatsu Aoki: “Things went pretty well this morning and this afternoon. We have been adjusting small things and basically I kept the same settings as yesterday afternoon which was a fairly good one. The race set-up is ok and I can run consistent times on race tyres. I was not 100 percent with the qualifying tyres though and was not able to find the limit with them and I lost maybe 0.3 or 0.4 of a second on what I should have been doing. I’m happy with everything else and very optimistic for Sunday.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “Both the guys rode to the maximum potential of the bike this afternoon and with another two or three tenths John could have been up to sixth or seventh place. Unfortunately he ran out of grip towards the end of the lap and couldn’t make up the time. In race trim we are not a close as we would like to be, there are the normal things that have been discussed all year that are holding us back and also at this track a number of other issues that will need to be resolved. We have made steps though this weekend and both John and Nobu are feeling more comfortable and confident with the machine that they have underneath them. We will be working right up until the end of warm-up with some further options and get both the guys aiming for a top 10 in the race. “Nobu has done a great job this weekend it’s always difficult coming back to MotoGP after a time away. He has been every bit as quick as John and I’m sure he will be determined to be the first Suzuki home tomorrow although I have no doubt that John will have something to say about that!” More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda: GIBERNAU PRODUCES HIS BEST FORM Sete clocks the best ever pole at Valencia and Marco Melandri will fight for the runner up spot in the Championship from second place. GP DE LA COMUNITAT VALENCIANA – qualifying Sete Gibernau and Marco Melandri put everything into the final qualifying session of the season and will start from the front row of the grid in the final Grand Prix of the season at Valencia. After a magical lap Sete Gibernau celebrated his fifth pole of the season and the eleventh of his career. Tomorrow he will try and provide the perfect end to a season in which he has again been the fastest and most consistent qualifier. The BMW he will receive in a special ceremony tomorrow is proof of that fact, with Sete beating Valentino Rossi by three and half seconds in the overall qualifying classification. His fastest time (1’31″874) represents the fastest ever lap in the history of the circuit, knocking six tenths off the previous best, held by Rossi since 2003. Marco Melandri also fought for pole position until the final second of the session, when a small mistake forced him to settle for second place. The battle with Nicky Hayden, who also starts from the front row, for the runner-up spot in the Championship is sure to be intense. SETE GIBERNAU (1st 1’31″874): “This pole gives me a lot of pride and I want to dedicate it to the people who continue to believe in me, my family and myself. Even though a lot of people have focused on the negative side of the season, in my view, there have been a lot of positive aspects: we have been fastest in qualifying, spent most laps leading the races and due to bad luck and the occasional mistakes, we have not been able to make the most of this hard work at every Grand Prix. I hope to do it here, at home, in the final race of the year. I want to fight for the podium and the victory if it is possible, and finish with my best result of the season.” MARCO MELANDRI (2nd 1’32″111): “I am happy with the result of the qualifying to start from second is very good, although I am a bit annoyed because I made a small mistake on the last qualifying tyre and when I changed to a new one the bike was sliding around and I lost time. In any case, in the afternoon we were very competitive after suffering a little bit in the final free practice this morning. Now we are ready to give our best and tomorrow I will do everything I can to finish second in the Championship.” More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda: BARROS STARTS VALENCIAN GP FROM THIRD ROW Alex Barros will start tomorrow’s Valencian Grand Prix from the third row of the grid, a position which should allow him to stick with the front group, especially with his race pace at a similar level to theirs. The Brazilian rider should have the chance to do a good race tomorrow. Young Ryuichi Kiyonari, who was unable to make the necessary progress which allowed him to feel comfortable on the bike, was unable to make the most of the qualifying tyres and get himself a more favourable grid slot. Sito Pons Camel Honda “I’m quite happy with how the day went for Alex, because along with his technicians he was able to find a set-up that will give him confidence for tomorrow. If he can get a good start, which is a possibility from the third row, then he should be able to hang on to the front group and do a good race. I’m a little disappointed that Ryuichi was unable to do better than sixteenth because to fight back from there will be very hard indeed. I think that he paid for a lack of experience with the qualifying tyres because in terms of race pace he is much faster than his position shows.” Alex Barros Camel Honda 1’33.967 8th position “We eventually managed to improve the suspension settings so we should be able to get better grip in the rear wheel but in doing so lost time on choosing a tyre and we got a little confused. In any case I have tested myself on race tyres and the pace might not be the fastest, but it’s still not bad. We also tried to make some changes to the forks, but there was no improvement, so we kept yesterday’s setting. Overall we’re not a hundred percent yet, but it’s rare for that to happen anyway, so in general I’m quite happy.” Ryuichi Kiyonari Camel Honda 1’35.579 16th position “I really disappointed to not have been able to do any better in practice, but that’s just the way it went. Over these two days we have made small steps forward and I felt a bit better with the set-up but I still wasn’t able to get the most out of the qualifying tyres and get further up the grid. Obviously I’m going to do my best though in tomorrow’s race and try and get the best result possible.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: HOT HONDA TRIO MONOPOLISE VALENCIA FRONT ROW Honda men Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) on pole, his team-mate Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) second fastest, and third front row qualifier Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) ruled the final hour of 17 super-tough 60-minute sessions here at the last race of the season. In dry, sunny conditions (where rain was a possibility), these riders stamped their authority on the grid with all three occupying the top slot at various times throughout. Carlos Checa (Ducati), who eventually qualified fourth to head row two was another man who shone, but he ended up 0.5 seconds off Gibernau’s fastest time of 1m 31.874 seconds. Ryuichi Kiyonari, standing in for the injured Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V), headed the timesheet in the very early stages but eventually ended up just one place behind Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) in 16th. Rossi crashed with 11 minutes remaining and could do no better than 15th on his spare machine. Sete has now secured five pole positions this season and the Spaniard is highly motivated to win a race this year. His team-mate Melandri has won in Turkey and looks in good shape to now secure the runner-up position in the World Championship standings. Melandri is nine points ahead of Hayden, and this, combined with Gibernau’s absolute determination to finish the season on a high, make tomorrow’s 30-lap encounter look like an engrossing end of season finale. With riders carving laps on race set-up with prospective race rubber in the first three-quarters on the hour, it was Melandri who first put his marker down on qualifying tyres with a 1m 32.318s lap with 17 minutes to go. With ten minutes remaining his time still held until Hayden then blasted to a 1m 32.217s time to stake his claim. Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V), who had held third in the early stages, then edged up to fifth from seventh. The Roman couldn’t manage any better then that and he will start from row two in that position tomorrow. But he did manage to split the Ducatis of Checa and Capirossi (in seventh) before Colin Edwards (Yamaha) elevated himself to sixth behind Max. Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V) qualified eighth and Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V), who was on pole here last year, will start from tenth. But Sete, the master of maximising the extraordinary grip from qualifying rubber that is only designed to last two laps, was the boss here today. He will be a hard man to beat tomorrow. He said, “We’ve been fastest in qualifying, spent most laps leading the races and due to bad luck and the occasional mistakes, we have not been able to make the most of this hard work at every Grand Prix this season. I hope to do it here, at home, in the final race of the year. I want to fight for the podium and the victory if it is possible, and finish with my best result of the season.” Marco said, “I am a bit annoyed because I made a small mistake on the last qualifying tyre and when I changed to a new one the bike was sliding around and I lost time. In any case, in the afternoon we were very competitive after suffering a little bit in the final free practice this morning. Now we are ready to give our best.” Nicky said, “After the first qualifiers I tried a bit too hard with the second set and the time just didn’t come so I was real happy to end up on the front row, especially as our pace hasn’t been that hot so far this weekend. Really looking to have a good race tomorrow. Marco will need to have to have a major problem not to keep second slot but we’re going to give it our best.” For Biaggi, this race, after a disappointing year, is vital. He said, “My main problem is on the entry into the corners the same as it has been all season but we are not as far off the front as we have been in the last few races. It will be hard to improve much before tomorrow but we start the race with the same drive and enthusiasm as if it was the first round of the season.” Barros said, “We eventually managed to improve the suspension settings so we should be able to get better grip at the rear. But in doing so we lost time on choosing a tyre and we got a little confused. In any case I have tested myself on race tyres and the pace might not be the fastest, but it’s still not bad.” Tamada said, “Today the bike didn’t seem so agile. In some parts of the track the rear-end didn’t allow me to open the gas as I would have wanted. Now I’ll have to analyse the telemetry data with the team to understand what to modify to be competitive in the race. I want to end this World Championship well and I hope for a nice gift for my 29th birthday.” Kiyonari said, “Over these two days we have made small steps forward and I felt a bit better with the set-up but I still wasn’t able to get the most out of the qualifying tyres and get further up the grid. Obviously I’m going to do my best though in tomorrow’s race and try and get the best result possible.” Dani Pedrosa (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) sped to his fifth pole position of the year with a last gasp pole lap of 1m 35.298 seconds. He denied local hotshot Hector Barbera (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) a dream pole at the final race of his rookie 250cc year. Barbera has been improving steadily all season and looks capable of a maiden win. Alex de Angelis (Aprilia) and Jorge Lorenzo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) complete the front row as third and fourth fastest qualifiers. But although 0.644 seconds separate the pole man from the fourth front row qualifier, this is a physically demanding track and the man who wants it the most will always have a chance here. The front row also looks good for Honda in the chase for the Constructor’s World Championship. Whichever machine, Honda or Aprilia, crosses the line first will scoop this prize as there is just one point separating the two factories in the overall standings. Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) heads row two in fifth with Hiroshi Aoyama (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) alongside him in sixth. Yuki Takahashi (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) qualified eighth. Dani said, “Tomorrow will be tricky. There are so many fast riders and with the weather we’ll just have to see what happens. We still have to make a few things right, but we’re doing OK so far.” Local boy Barbera said, “I’ve been getting better over the last few races and this ‘home’ race comes at a good time for me. It’s important, but just as important as trying to win any other race.” For Lorenzo the front row will suffice. He said, “This is a good situation for me. I’ve set my bike up to be as consistent as possible for the whole race. I want to be able to predict and then control it as consistently as possible. This is the last race of the season and I want to make it a good one.” Dovi said, “We have worked well and my Honda has improved in this qualifying session. But the bike is still not 100%. Tomorrow it’ll be very important to keep the race pace of the leaders. As usual I’ll give it my best I want to keep my third place in the World Championship.” Pole in the 125cc class belonged to Sergio Gadea (Aprilia) who has not yet started a race from the front row. The Spaniard is joined by Mattia Pasini (Aprilia) in second and title challenger Mika Kallio (KTM) as third fastest qualifier. Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) will start from fourth. Luthi has to finish in 13th place or higher to net the two points he needs to deny Kallio the title, even if the Finn wins the race. This is the Swiss rider’s 11th front row start of the season. Fabrizio Lai (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125RW) qualified fifth and German rider Sandro Cortese (Klefer Bos Castrol Honda RS125R) just missed matching his best qualifying result of the season with a seventh on the grid (he qualified sixth in the Czech Republic). Tomoyoshi Koyama (Ajo Motorsport Honda RS125R) heads row three in ninth. The Constructor’s title is also undecided in this class too. KTM has 307 points to Honda’s 294, with Aprilia on 280 points. Luthi said, “The bike was very good. It has been all weekend. The engine is always strong, but the suspension and tyres have also been very good here. A lot will depend on the weather tomorrow, but I aim to get a good start and try to get away. If I get caught in a group I’ll just have to keep an eye on things.” Lai said, “I’m satisfied. The bike set up is OK for tomorrow. I hoped to start from front row but I’m happy anyway. I got my time running with Luthi and I’ve studied his style: he is very fast but he is also lighter than me. The choice of the right tyre will be very important for the race and I think I can be among the front runners.” Cortese was happy with events. He said, “My best session yet. In the last six minutes I got a tow from Talmacsi and my lap time turned out all right. I like the track and if we don’t have any problems it should be a good race.” Koyama said, “Not so bad. I had a bit of front-end chatter, but we think we can fix it for the race. We’ll also make a few small chassis adjustments tomorrow when we see what the weather might bring.” HONDA TEAM QUOTES MotoGP: Sete Gibernau, MoviStar Honda: 1st: “This pole gives me a lot of pride and I want to dedicate it to the people who continue to believe in me, my family and myself. Even though a lot of people have focused on the negative side of the season, in my view, there have been a lot of positive aspects: we have been fastest in qualifying, spent most laps leading the races and due to bad luck and the occasional mistakes, we have not been able to make the most of this hard work at every Grand Prix. I hope to do it here, at home, in the final race of the year. I want to fight for the podium and the victory if it is possible, and finish with my best result of the season.” Marco Melandri, MoviStar Honda: 2nd: “I am happy with the result of the qualifying to start from second is very good, although I am a bit annoyed because I made a small mistake on the last qualifying tyre and when I changed to a new one the bike was sliding around and I lost time. In any case, in the afternoon we were very competitive after suffering a little bit in the final free practice this morning. Now we are ready to give our best and tomorrow I will do everything I can to finish second in the Championship.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 3rd: “I’m real happy to get on the front row. It’s so important round here this must be one of the hardest tracks in the calendar to pass on. After the first qualifiers I tried a bit too hard with the second set and the time just didn’t come so I was real happy to end up on the front row, especially as our pace hasn’t been that hot so far this weekend. Really looking to have a good race tomorrow. Marco will need to have to have a major problem not to keep second slot but we’re going to give it our best. I know everyone will bring their ‘A’ game as a lot of guys are going real fast out there. I expect a barn-stormer of a race.” Max Baggi, Repsol Honda: 5th: “We have improved over every session so far this weekend and I’m pretty happy to finish where we are at the moment. This morning was not so good but we make some adjustments in the right direction and things come better. My main problem is on the entry into the corners the same as it has been all season but we are not so far off the front as we have been in the the last few races. It will be hard to improve much before tomorrow but we start the race with the same drive and enthuasiam as if it was the first round of the season.” Alex Barros, Camel Honda: 8th: “We eventually managed to improve the suspension settings so we should be able to get better grip in the rear wheel but in doing so lost time on choosing a tyre and we got a little confused. In any case I have tested myself on race tyres and the pace might not be the fastest, but it’s still not bad. We also tried to make some changes to the forks, but there was no improvement, so we kept yesterday’s setting. Overall we’re not a hundred percent yet, but it’s rare for that to happen anyway, so in general I’m quite happy.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 10th: “Today the bike didn’t seem so agile. In some part of the tracks the rear didn’t allow me to open the gas as I would have wanted. Now I’ll have to analyze together with the technicians the telemetry data to understand what to modify to result competitive in the race. I want to end well this championship and I hope to conquer for my self a nice gift for my twenty-ninth birthday.” Ryuichi Kiyonari, replacement rider for Troy Bayliss at Camel Honda: 16th: “I really disappointed to not have been able to do any better in practice, but that’s just the way it went. Over these two days we have made small steps forward and I felt a bit better with the set-up but I still wasn’t able to get the most out of the qualifying tyres and get further up the grid. Obviously I’m going to do my best though in tomorrow’s race and try and get the best result possible.” 250cc: Dani Pedrosa, MoviStar Honda: 1st: “we have done a good job in qualifying today although the race is tomorrow and that is the most important thing. I think we have found quite a good set-up although during this evening and tomorrow morning, we will try and improve a few small things. As far as the race is concerned, we will have to see what the weather and track conditions are like there are a lot of fast riders and I am sure it will be difficult. It will also be special for me because it is my last in 250cc, the last of the season and it’s at home. It is really important to get a good start here and I will try my best to finish as high up as possible. Hopefully, everything will be okay”. Hector Barbera, Fortuna Honda: 2nd: Racing at home is always a special motivation, but I have also improved over the last two races. Valencia is a circuit that I like a lot, all my fans are here and you can tell the difference. Tomorrow we could get the result I have been fighting for all season. We have been working well since Australia and the final date of the season could be one to remember, at least for me.” Jorge Lorenzo, Fortuna Honda: 4th: it was not a good situation for me, because I have not been able to lap really fast throughout the day because I didn’t feel comfortable on the bike at any point. The most positive thing is that this is the last race of the year so we will wait and see what happens. In the last few races, I have been a bit unlucky but things change quickly and I am sure we will start next season with a good run.” Andrea Dovizioso, Scot Honda: 5th: “We have worked well and my Honda has improved in this qualifying session. But the bike is still not 100% ok. Tomorrow it will be very important for me to keep the race pace of the leaders. As usual I’ll give my best: I want to keep my third place in the World Championship standings.” Hiroshi Aoyama, MoviStar Honda: 6th: “we are still suffering a bit with the front end although we have managed to adapt and take half a second off our time from yesterday. In the afternoon we made a few changes to the front fork that didn’t work well and we went back to the configuration from the morning. In the end, when I went out to do my fastest lap there was too much traffic and I didn´t have time to get a clear run to improve my grid position. Anyway, second place is not bad, I think I have been consistent all weekend and now I just need to keep up that pace with a couple of tenths off it.” Yuki Takahashi, Scot Honda: 8th: : “I like this track and I’m satisfied with the second row of the grid. If I’ll start well and I don’t lose contact with the front runners I can do the best race of the season and a good end is a good omen. Next year I’ll run for the same team to collect the results that I lost this year because of my lack of experience”. Jakub Smrz, Molenaar Honda: 11th.: “All day I have had problems with the rear end, no grip and some slides. I came into the pits to change tyres but did only a few laps before they started sliding. When we changed the suspension to make it a bit softer on the spring it was a lot better. For the last few laps I put in a soft tyre and ran some very good laps. My fast lap would have been even better if I have not made a small mistake. The engine is very good and if I get a good start I know I will have a good race.” Dirk Heidolf, Kiefer-Bos-Castrol Honda: 12th. “It’s good, very good. We tested a few things after Turkey and the bike feels much better. We tested here in the winter and I didn’t have the feeling with the Honda I have today. This morning we had a big problem with the rear tyre sliding. Dunlop gave us a special tyre to try but it was no better. In the afternoon we ran with a standard rear tyre and it was immediately better. The engine is in standard ‘A’ kit form and is as good as it can be and the bike is handling really good, I have a good race set up so I’m happy.” Alex Debon, Wurth Honda BQR: 13th. “Not so bad. I hav3e a small problem with my hand but its nothing serious. The balance of the bike is very good and handles well enough just the rear tyre has to work so hard here but with my race set up and a good engine, same as at Motegi, I will be OK. I need a good start because I have to take as many points from this race as possible, I want to finish tenth in the championship.” Arturo Tizon, Wurth Honda BQR: 22nd. “I have improved a lot in three races and now I’m running consistent lap times alone. I’m beginning to feel very comfortable on the bike, the front end doesn’t feel like it’s going to close on me. The only problem I had today as when braking hard the rear end gets very light and a little difficult.” 125cc: Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: 4th. “The bike is very good, it has been all weekend, I feel really comfortable riding. The engine is always strong and today we have good chassis and suspension settings. We have yet to decide which tyres to run but that will depend on the weather. In qualifying, on my fast lap I made one small mistake when I passed Espargaro at the last corner. I am still on the front row and that’s what we wanted from the qualifying session. The time gaps between the top ten riders is very small so I expect a hard race with a big group of riders fighting for the podium places. My job will be to get a good start and go. If I can lead and go away I will but if I’m dragged back into the group I will have to analyse the situation at the time.” Fabrizio Lai, Kopron Racing World Honda: 5th: “I’m satisfied: the bike set up is ok for tomorrow. I hoped to start from front row but I’m happy anyway. I got my time running with Luthi and I’ve studied his style: he is very fast but he is also lighter than me. The choice of the right tyre will be very important for the race and I think I can be among the front runners”. Sandro Cortese, Kiefer-Bos-Castrol Honda: 7th. “That was a really good session my best yet. In the last six minutes I was hooked up with Kallio and Talmacsi and the lap time was very good. I raced here in the Spanish Championship last year and I like the track All practice and qualifying has gone without a single problem. I’m very happy with the bike, engine, chassis and suspension. I will run the Dunlop D tyre. I have no race strategy, just get a good start and go for it!” Tomoyoshi Koyama, Ajo Motorsport Honda: 9th. “Not so bad. I have some front-end problems but its just a little chatter, I’m sure the team can fix it for the race. We have small chassis adjustments to make because the rear wheel was sliding a bit so we will have to wait and see what the weather is like tomorrow before we make suspension and tyre choice. “ Mike Di Meglio, Kopron Racing World Honda: 10th: “The chain came off and I re-entered to the box walking. Therefore I lost the chance to start from the front row of the grid. Tomorrow I have to make a good start and make sure I don’t lose the contact with the leaders”. Aleix Espargaro, Seedorf RC3 Tiempo Holidays Honda: 14th. “I am not very happy with my qualifying. The rear end of the bike is sliding badly and I have to work hard to hold my lines. The engine is strong and if we can sort out the problem with sliding I will b OK for the race. Alexis Masbou, Ajo Motorsport Honda: 18th. “I had a crash in the qualifying session, in the downhill. It was spectacular but not fast and I’m OK but several parts of the bike are not so good. The front wheel has buckled and we broke off a few pieces. Still my engine is better than it was yesterday and the bike was handling good here.” Manuel Hernandez, Angaia Racing Honda: 19th. Alvaro Bautista, Seedorf RC3 Tiempo Holidays Honda: 22nd. “I crashed my number one bike, not fast, I’m OK but I did a lot of damage to the bike. Anyway I had to use the back up machine and it is not set up so well, I still have problems getting it to turn into the corners. The team have fixed my number one bike so I have 20 minutes of the warm up to find a good race set up.” Sacha Hommel, Molenaar Honda: 39th. “I had a crash yesterday which affected my performance this afternoon. I damaged one front fork leg in the crash and today it gave me problems half way through the qualifying session. When it showed up I should have gone into to the pit but there was not much time left. I didn’t realise the extent of the problem.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Gibernau takes home pole for MotoGP finale Sete Gibernau will start the final round of the MotoGP World Championship from pole position after setting a new record time at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia today. Gibernau was comfortably the quickest rider at the scene of his debut victory four years ago, his fastest lap of 1’31.874 proving too fast for his closest challengers Marco Melandri and Nicky Hayden, who again complete the top three in an exact replica of the front row at the last round in Turkey. There was a major difference to the order behind them, however, with Valentino Rossi qualifying in fifteenth place his lowest grid position of the season. Rossi was forced to use his second bike after crashing eleven minutes from the end of the session, effectively conceding the prize of a new M5 car to Gibernau in the BMW Award MotoGP Best Qualifier 2005. “Everyone has said that this has been a bad year, but I want to see it differently,” commented Gibernau, who lies sixth in the championship and has yet to win a race this season. “We have actually been faster than ever, maybe even the fastest in the championship, but we just haven’t had the results. I’m very happy because I feel we have been fast and consistent. We’ll come back tomorrow to fight for the podium and hope to win the race.” Carlos Checa looks set for a strong performance in his swansong with Ducati after clinching the fourth spot on the grid, ahead of Italian veteran Max Biaggi. Colin Edwards out-qualified Yamaha team-mate Rossi for the first time this season after the Italian’s untimely crash. The American lines up in sixth place for the second successive race as aims to end his first season with the factory by scoring his first MotoGP win. Dani Pedrosa looks set to leave the 250cc class in style after setting a new pole record for his home race. Provisional pole setter Casey Stoner crashed in the early stages of the session and was unable to improve his time from yesterday, leaving Pedrosa to clinch top spot ahead of local favourite Héctor Barberá with a time of 1’35.298. Second place for Barberá represents his best ever grid position in the class and he is joined on the front row by Alex de Angelis and Jorge Lorenzo, with Stoner dropping back to the second row in seventh. Thomas Lüthi will start from the front row of the 125cc grid as he aims to clinch the World Championship ahead of Mika Kallio. Lüthi needs to score three points in tomorrow’s race to secure the title should Kallio win – and the rivals will start the race side by side after Kallio qualified third fastest, with Lüthi fourth. Local hero Sergio Gadea clinched his maiden pole position, beating Mattia Pasini by just three thousandths of a second on his last flying lap. More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: DUCATI MARLBORO MEN ALL SET FOR VALENCIA FINALE Ducati Marlboro Team riders Carlos Checa and Loris Capirossi will start tomorrow’s season-ending Valencia Grand Prix from the second and third rows of the grid after a typically thrilling qualifying session at this tight and twisting track. Both riders had major moments during the hour-long outing, Checa saving a highside at turn13, Capirossi staying on board after getting hugely sideways out of the final turn. “It looked like we could have had one rider on the front row, the other on the second row, but it was a good qualifying session for us even though we lost that,” said Ducati MotoGP project manager Livio Suppo. “Carlos rode a very impressive rhythm on race tyres, running low 33s for many laps, so he’s ready to race. Loris is still struggling with his physical condition. Even so, he did a great job in qualifying, it was nice to see him in fighting mood again, unbelievable! We obviously have two very brave riders because Carlos was nearly thrown off his bike during the session, landing back on board and damaging a very tender part of the male anatomy! After a few minutes in the pits he went straight back out and improved his lap time! Our thanks to Bridgestone, the tyres are working really well here.” CHECA: “I WAS FLYING LIKE A BIRD” Carlos Checa led the first 40 minutes of this afternoon’s session, lapping fast and consistently and ending up fourth quickest, just 0.157 seconds off the front row. The Ducati Marlboro Team man reckons he’s more than ready for tomorrow’s 30 lap race, despite a painful incident mid-session, when he was flicked off his Desmosedici through the mightily fast turn 13, slamming his groin on the fuel tank as he miraculously regained control. “It was Saint Carlos’ day yesterday, so I think he was close to me today, because you normally crash when that kind of thing happens,” said Checa, managing a smile. “It was a big highside, I was flying like a bird, my hands the only part of me still holding onto the bike. I hit my “jewels” really hard and went white like a candle. “Otherwise today was positive. Yesterday we had two limitations – tyre warm-up and endurance – but we today worked on the bike and tyres to find a good balance, especially on endurance. We have found the rear-end stability I was losing yesterday after some laps. The second row is fine, it’s a very long race, I just want to get away from the start in the top five.” COMEBACK MAN CAPIROSSI 0.026s OFF ROW TWO Loris Capirossi ended today seventh quickest, a mere 0.026 seconds off the second row, despite riding in some discomfort from the nasty chest injuries he sustained at Phillip Island just 22 days ago. The Ducati Marlboro Team man, who only returned to riding yesterday, had his big moment near the end of the session, when he ran wide and onto the grass exiting turn 14. “I came out of the final turn too fast and too wide,” explained Capirossi. “But I didn’t shut off because I thought there was green tarmac beyond the kerb, as at turn one. But it wasn’t tarmac, it was grass. Luckily I didn’t close the gas, because although the bike flicked sideways it came back into line and I didn’t fall. “Overall, I’m pretty satisfied – I’m here and I’m not too slow. The race will be tough because my physical condition means that I’m making a few mistakes. Also, it’s 30 laps around a narrow and twisty circuit that doesn’t give you any room for a breather. And I hope the weather is warm because my injuries hurt more when it’s cool. Anyway, today was better than yesterday, though I’m still trying to train my body for a different kind of effort compared to my gym training before this race. I have some protective padding over my right chest which makes my leathers extra tight, I wish I had an XXL suit!”