MELANDRI FAVOURITE TO SECURE RUNNER-UP POSITION Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V), winner of the Turkish Grand Prix two weeks ago, is now nine points ahead of Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) in the fight for the MotoGP runner-up title. With this, the final round of a 17-race series to go, Melandri holds the advantage on 195 points to Hayden’s 186. But the Italian’s lead is a slender one and Hayden has proved this year that he also has race-winning capability with his Laguna Seca triumph. Mathematically Colin Edwards (Yamaha), fourth with 171 points, is still in the chase. But it’s the Melandri/Hayden fight that will decide the matter on Sunday. For some riders, like Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) and Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V), the season is all but over. Gibernau has failed to win a single race this season when he won four in 2004. Barros, one of the few men to win early in 2005, cannot now seem to find the recipe for success. Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V) is struggling too. Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V) has lost his battle to be fit for this final race of the season. A possible replacement rider is Ryuichi Kiyonari. ‘Kiyo’ rode an RC211V for part of the 2003 MotoGP season for the Fausto Gresini run MotoGP team and finished 14th here at Valencia that year. After two hard-riding years in the British Superbike series, Kiyo could taste MotoGP action again. Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) who holds the pole position lap record here at 1m 32.815 seconds is eager to end his season with at least another podium to add to his third-place at the Japanese Grand Prix this year. Last year Rossi won, with Biaggi second and Bayliss third and with a heavy winter test schedule to come riders need to carry confidence into the looming weeks of hard work, and into next year – the old adage that you’re only as good as your last race always holds true. The 4.005km Ricardo Tormo track was designed to fit in the ‘bowl’ of a natural amphitheatre, so that the huge crowds (120,000 plus) can track the progress of riders almost all the way around a full lap. With 14 turns (five rights and nine lefts) packed into this tight space, and only a short 876m straight, it’s ideal for spectators – but hard work for riders. There is no time to rest here. With many turns in quick succession and only the short chute on which to ‘relax’, the ‘Cheste’ track is punishing. Despite a slow average lap time at around a 150km/h average speed (the second slowest on the calendar next to Estoril) the bikes are on the edge of their tyres for long periods – precisely where riders need to apply maximum concentration. The two fast turns at either end of the main straight are hard on rubber too, so set-up means making the most of available grip and having a machine that turns easily without too much physical effort from the pilot. Progressive acceleration out of those turns is vital too. Marco Melandri feels ready for the challenge and said, “After a year of experience on the Honda RC211V, with five podiums and a win, second place in the World Championship is a tangible goal. I now believe I can do it. It would be a dream come true at the end of a great season, the best possible way to thank Fausto Gresini who believed in me, for the team who followed me in everything, and for Honda and Michelin.” Max said, “The important thing is to look forward and to try to be positive. Valencia should be good for this, not just because I have a great memory of last year, when I got a podium finish after having fought for the victory. I really like this track, although it’s quite narrow and not so fast. I just want to get a good result for my team.” His team-mate Nicky Hayden is typically upbeat too, “Valencia is a track I’ve gone well at in the past, but have never finished the race in the last two years. Both times I’ve got caught up in it being the last race of the year, I’ve just let it all hang out and unfortunately crashed. So I guess this year will be no different other than we want to finish. Marco pulled some big points last week but we won’t quit till the flag on Sunday.” For Gibernau this is last chance for a win. “To race the last round of the season in Spain is an extra motivation,” he said. “I would like to give a gift to all those fans who follow my races and in particular to my fan club who always stood by me, even during this particularly difficult year. A gift to my team as well, who always did a fantastic job and who I would like to thank with a great finale.” Alex Barros said, “I still have great belief in my ability and I go to every race believing I can win,” said the Brazilian. “I still remember the last race of the season here in 2002 when I had a fantastic battle with Valentino and won the race. I still have the same feeling and the same hunger to go out and win and we’ve been trying to do this all season but without sustained success. I like the layout of the track at Valencia and it is great to race in such a real festival atmosphere.” “I would like to fight with the best here,” said a typically determined Tamada. “It would be a way to redeem a season without many successes and with a rash of injuries. The one I suffered at the beginning of the season in Portugal cost me three races, and the long time needed to fully recover has ruined my season. This is my last chance for glory here, I will give it everything.” The 2005 World Champion Dani Pedrosa (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) will see this race as a celebratory home-coming after another tough season defending his 2004 crown. The Spanish maestro graduates to MotoGP next year and this will be his farewell ride on a 250. The combative Jorge Lorenzo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) will be going all-out to ruin Dani’s day and try to win a Grand Prix himself in his debut season. If he does he will be the youngest ever winner of a 250cc Grand Prix at just under 18 and a half years old – younger even than Dani – if he can succeed at this final race of the year. The matter of the Manufacturer’s Championship also remains to be decided this weekend and it could hardly be closer with Honda on 324 points to Aprilia’s 323. Both factories have at least three riders capable of winning this race and scooping the points that would conclude the contest. Hiroshi Aoyama (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) would like another win to add to his victory in Japan this year, Hector Barbera (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) is now up to speed after a sluggish start and Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) craves a win after five podiums in his rookie season. Dani won last year and set a fastest lap of 1m 36.367 seconds and it would be hard to bet against him in his swansong 250cc race. He said, “Hopefully I can have a good race and repay the fans for all their support. It will be a very special Grand Prix for me because it is the end of an era – my final race in 250cc. But I don’t want to think too much about that or let it affect me. I want to enjoy it as much as possible, finish as well as I can and then on Monday rest a little and start thinking about the future.” His team-mate Aoyama said, “Last year we had a great race, the team worked really well all weekend, and we were all very upset when I was disqualified after finishing third. I hope to bury that memory by fighting for the podium again, as we did in Turkey. I would also like to finish third in the World Championship – I think that would be a great result for me and the team.” Lorenzo said, “It’s not one of my favourite circuits and I have never been fast there. I much prefer fast circuits with fast corners. The track is difficult but far too slow – I really only like fast corners. It’s a very tiring track physically, and the race is over so many laps. But all the Spanish riders will get great support from the fans, they make a special atmosphere.” Dovi said, “I don’t particularly like this track because it isn’t fast. There are a lot of corners that come back and a lot of work to do. Moreover the grip is very conditioned by the weather. It is very important for me to do a good race because I want absolutely to keep third place in the World Championship standings.” The 125cc class is where the action will be as all the tension of the 16-races so far is distilled into just 24-laps on Sunday. Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) and Mika Kallio (KTM) have been slugging it out at the front all season and with this one race left Luthi leads Kallio by a seemingly healthy 23 point margin. But a Championship is never won until the flag drops on the final race and Luthi knows that in the cauldron of 125cc racing he can take nothing for granted in this final race. Kallio has to win with Luthi failing to score points to wrest the title from the Swiss Honda man – his chances are slim – but he still has a chance. Luthi said, “Everybody in the team knows exactly what we have to do in Valencia. We will go there and prepare for the race just the same way as we have for all the others. I normally prefer fast tracks – Valencia is different – but I still like racing there. The most important thing for us is to keep a cool head during practice and qualifying. If we do that we will be OK.” Mike Di Meglio (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125R) said, “Last year I was in hospital and didn’t race here. However the bike has been very good at the last few races and after the race in Turkey we are very confident. I like this track and I hope we can take another good result.” Fabrizio Lai (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125RW) said, “I don’t particularly like Valencia. Last year I was 15th with a broken hand. My riding style is not well suited to this track. I usually brake hard and late but here it’s better to ride flowing lines without unsettling the bike too much. And the weather here can really affect the grip.” Hector Barbera won this race last year with the 2004 125cc World Champion Andrea Dovizioso (both Honda) second. Now both have graduated to the 250cc class and the third-placed rider here last year, Alvaro Bautista (Seedorf Racing Honda RS125RW), can now use this race to try and finish his season in style. He said, “Valencia is a ‘home’ race for me and my last chance to take a good result from this season. In the last few races my feeling with the bike has been good. I like the circuit and I hope to qualify near the first row – if I do that I will have a good race.” In the 125cc Constructor’s Championship KTM currently has 307 points, Honda 294 and Aprilia 280.