FIM MotoGP World Championship Valencia, Spain November 11, 2012 Race Results (wet conditions, all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 30 laps, 48:23.819, started from pit lane 2. Katsuyuki NAKASUGA, Japan (YAMAHA), -37.661 seconds 3. Casey STONER, Australia (HONDA), -60.633, pitted 4. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (HONDA), -62.811, started from pit lane 5. Michele PIRRO, Italy (Honda-Gresini/FTR), -86.608 6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (YAMAHA), -90.423, pitted 7. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), -91.789, pitted 8. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (BMW-IODA/SUTER), -1 lap 9. James ELLISON, UK (Aprilia-PBM/ART), -1 lap, pitted 10. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), -1 lap, pitted 11. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (Aprilia-Aspar/ART), -1 lap, pitted 12. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Aprilia-Aspar/ART), -2 laps 13. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (Kawasaki-BQR/FTR), -2 laps, pitted 14. Colin EDWARDS, USA (BMW-Forward/SUTER), -3 laps, pitted 15. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (YAMAHA), -8 laps, DNF, started from pit lane, crash 16. Claudio CORTI, Italy (INMOTEC), -13 laps, DNF, pitted, crash 17. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), -14 laps, DNF, pitted, crash 18. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), -17 laps, DNF, crash 19. Stefan BRADL, Germany (HONDA), -21 laps, DNF, crash 20. Roberto ROLFO, Italy (Aprilia-Speed Master/ART), -24 laps, DNF, pitted, crash 21. Ivan SILVA, Spain (Kawasaki-BQR/FTR), -28 laps, DNF, crash 22. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (DUCATI), -28 laps, DNF, started from pit lane, crash World Championship Point Standings (after 18 of 18 races): 1. Lorenzo, 350 points 2. Pedrosa, 332 3. Stoner, 254 4. Dovizioso, 218 5. Bautista, 178 6. Rossi, 163 7. Crutchlow, 151 8. Bradl, 135 9. Hayden, 122 10. Ben Spies, 88 11. Barbera, 83 12. Aleix Espargaro, 74 13. De Puniet, 62 14. Abraham, 59 15. Pirro, 43 16. Ellison, 35 17. Yonny Hernandez, 28 18. TIE, Nakasuga/Petrucci, Edwards, 27 21. Jonathan Rea, 17 22. Pasini, 13 23. Silva, 12 24. Toni Elias, 10 25. Aoyama, 3 26. Steve Rapp, 2 27. David Salom, 1 More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: Pedrosa wins dramatic season finale with Stoner in 3rd The 2012 MotoGP World Championship came to an exciting climax today with a fantastic display from the Repsol Honda Team. Dani Pedrosa took victory in the Grand Prix of La Comunidad Valenciana (his sixth at this track) and finishes the season runner-up to champion Jorge Lorenzo by just 18 points but with the most victories of the championship, with a total of seven. 2011 World Champion Casey Stoner completed the final GP of his career and took third place, his tenth podium of the year. It was one of the most dramatic races of the season. Tricky weather conditions caused confusion at the start with only two riders – Lorenzo and Bradl -starting with slicks tyres on the grid. After the sighting lap, several riders chose to change to slick tyre bikes and start from the pit lane, including Dani who lost his advantage of being on pole position. With the asphalt drying up very quickly, Dani managed to catch race leader Lorenzo within 12 laps, just before the Yamaha rider crashed out. Dani took the lead with a huge advantage of 23 seconds and remained calm to control the pace until the end, crossing the finish line with gap of 37 seconds and securing Honda’s 19th premier class Constructor’s Title. Casey chose to remain on the wet tyre for the start but came in to the pit lane for the slick tyre bike on lap 4. The Australian was very cautious at the beginning but gradually caught up and passed the majority of the field and took third place with two laps to go, celebrating a podium in his last race. Casey finishes the championship in third position, a place that he already secured with his win in Australia. On completion of his final MotoGP race, two-time MotoGP World Champion Casey, was nominated as a MotoGP Legend. He becomes the 20th MotoGP Legend, joining an exclusive club, whose members are: Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan, Geoff Duke, Wayne Gardner, Mike Hailwood, Daijiro Kato, Eddie Lawson, Anton Mang, Angel Nieto, Wayne Rainey, Phil Read, Jim Redman, Kenny Roberts, Jarno Saarinen, Kevin Schwantz, Barry Sheene, Freddie Spencer, John Surtees and Carlo Ubbiali. Casey retires at the age of 27, having amassed two MotoGP World Championships, 45 Grand Prix victories, 89 podium finishes and 43 pole-positions. DANI PEDROSA 1st Final Championship Standing: 2nd with 332 points “After Márquez’s race, I thought I should do something similar! But seriously, I’m really happy with this win, it was very difficult at the start to make the decision with tyres. I saw Jorge on slicks on the grid and I was pretty sure with my decision, but standing there the track was drying up very quickly and before the start I didn’t know if it would be better to forget about the pole and start from the pits or go out on wets and stop after 4 or 5 laps. In the last corner of the sighting lap, the instinct told me to get in immediately. I started from the pit lane and I managed to be fast from the beginning, I caught Jorge and then I made a mistake and lost three seconds again, but one lap later he also made a mistake and crashed out. From this point another race began for me. It was tough to maintain concentration with such conditions and a big advantage, so I planned the second half of the race like a practice session, taking the corners, the lines, lap by lap. It’s a great end of the season and I’d like to thank all the Repsol Honda Team!”. CASEY STONER 3rd Final Championship Standing: 3rd with 254 points “Considering everything that happened today, we’re very happy with a podium. My motivation wasn’t particularly high today as I haven’t wanted to push in the wet and haven’t felt comfortable on the bike. I just didn’t want to take any risks of crashing and damaging my ankle again so I was very cautious and this isn’t how I like to ride. Even with the choice of going with the wets, not the slick tyres at the beginning of the race, I took the easy option which really isn’t me. When I saw the slicks had a big advantage, we came in and changed bikes and went back out and pushed as hard as we could, without taking unnecessary risks. In the end we were able to chase down Alvaro and take the last spot on the podium in our last race. My team are l ike my second family, we’ve been through a lot of ups and downs together and it’s going to be difficult not to see them every week. I’m sorry for them and for everyone who has supported me for so long but this is the way it is and it’s time to say goodbye. Thank you to all the people who have supported us over the years and all our sponsors, and to everyone in the Repsol Honda Team”. More, from a press release issued by Speed Master: CRASH FOR ROBERTO ROLFO IN THE RACE AT VALENCIA The eighteenth and last race of the 2012 season was held today from the MotoGP class, at the circuit of Cheste. The warm up of this morning was held on wet track: Rolfo and his crew took the occasion to try some options for the setting in case of rain. Roberto began his race from the seventh row of the starting grid on wet tyres and, after few laps, he decided to get back to the pit lane to use the second bike, which had slick tyres on. On the seventh lap, however, the Italian crashed out and he didn’t have the chance to rejoin the race, being forced to leave Valencia without achieving any point. Roberto Rolfo #84 – crashed out “I’m sorry because this could have been a good race. We started off with rain tyres and we used them till they were working well. I got the guys to know I was going back to the pit lane and when we changed bike we were fast, we managed to make a small gap from Ellison, whom I had overtaken on the last turn of that lap. On slick tyres I was comfortable immediately and we had a good performance in each corner. On the seventh lap, however, I crashed out, maybe there were still some very wet spots on the track or the tyre was still too cold. The crash ruined the bike quite a lot and I couldn’t restart. There were a few crashes like this one, maybe I should have taken it easier. We didn’t get any points and this adventure ends in this way. I’d like to thank the team for these four races, they were a lot of fun. I got along with the crew and, despite the results, this was a positive experience.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Two-time MotoGP™ World Champion Casey Stoner was nominated as a MotoGP™ Legend on Sunday in Valencia, right after making his final appearance in the premier class before retiring from the sport. The Australian becomes the 20th MotoGP™ Legend, joining an exclusive club, whose members are: Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan, Geoff Duke, Wayne Gardner, Mike Hailwood, Daijiro Kato, Eddie Lawson, Anton Mang, Angel Nieto, Wayne Rainey, Phil Read, Jim Redman, Kenny Roberts, Jarno Saarinen, Kevin Schwantz, Barry Sheene, Freddie Spencer, John Surtees and Carlo Ubbiali. Stoner concluded his career at the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana taking third position in a thrilling race ran in mixed conditions, five and a half months after announcing his decision to retire at the end of this season. Big things were heralded for Stoner when, as a 15 year-old, he made his World Championship debut as a 125cc wildcard at Donington Park in 2001. Having graduated through the same academy system that also produced his future factory Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa, Stoner fully capitalised on the bold move made by his family of moving to Europe to further his fledgling career. A full time Grand Prix career started in the 250cc category under Lucio Cecchinello’s guidance in 2002, but it was a step down to the 125cc class the following season that saw Stoner’s talent begin to fully flourish with four podiums and a first victory in the final round of the campaign. In 2004 he challenged for the title, taking KTM’s first ever Grand Prix win and ending the season fifth overall. A step back up to 250s with Cecchinello’s team in 2005 produced a thrilling battle with Pedrosa for the title as Stoner amassed five wins on the Aprilia, and the next year he and the LCR team debuted in the premier MotoGP class on board a Honda as the Australian displayed flashes of brilliance which included a pole position in only his second race at Qatar and second place in Turkey mixed with a few disappointing crashes, all part of the learning experience. He had shown enough to encourage Ducati to make an offer to ride on their factory team the next season, and what followed was a stunning campaign. A maiden MotoGP victory in the first race of 2007 at Qatar was a self-confessed surprise for both rider and team, but once he followed this up with wins at Turkey and China a title challenge became a more than realistic target. His standout performance at Catalunya, where he battled toe-to-toe with five-time champion Valentino Rossi will go down as one of the great races in history, whilst he dominated the mid-season with pole-to-flag victories at three consecutive races at Laguna Seca, Brno and Misano. Stoner went on to secure the title with four rounds to spare, and ended 2007 with a total of 10 wins, 14 podiums and 5 poles. Defending his title in 2008, Stoner fought rival Rossi intensely as the pair crossed swords on a number of occasions, their duel at Laguna Seca still being talked about as one of the greatest battles of recent years, and the Australian eventually ended the season runner-up to his Italian adversary despite taking 6 wins and 9 poles in a strong second campaign on the Desmosedici. 2009 did not run a smooth course for Stoner, a mid-season three-race break due to fatigue uncovered a lactose intolerance that had affected his physical condition on the bike, and he ended the season 4th overall in the standings. 2010 was to prove not much easier as he took only three wins all in the final third of the season on an increasingly hard to tame Desmosedici. By that stage it had already been announced that Stoner would ride for the factory Repsol Honda team in 2011. The switch proved a resounding success as the 2007 World Champion displayed the same kind of dominant form that delivered him his first title four years earlier. Pole position and victory in the opening round in Qatar was a sign of things to come, and by the time Stoner won the race in Phillip Island to clinch the title with two more rounds to spare he had already taken nine victories. Added to that race success was an incredible consistency, which saw him finish off the podium just once in the second round at Jerez where he crashed out through no fault of his own. Winning his home race in Australia for a fifth consecutive season handed Stoner not only his second World title, but his 32nd career MotoGP victory, as he took victory from another pole position his 11th of the season; this represented a new record for the most poles in one season in the MotoGP four-stroke era. Stoner went into the 2012 season as clear favourite after his dominance in 2011, however the first races revealed that Jorge Lorenzo would prove a much tougher challenge than the year before. In addition to this, rumours about his retirement had been rife from the second race in Jerez, which the Australian ultimately confirmed in Le Mans. His year was cruelly interrupted by a nasty injury obtained in a crash in Indianapolis, which saw his fracture his right ankle and damage his ligaments badly, keeping him out for three races. He came back from injury in Japan, yet it was not until his final home race in Phillip Island that he once again showed his true colours, with one of the most dominant performances of the year. He bowed out in the final race in Valencia with a podium finish, taking third in the championship with five wins, ten podiums, five pole positions and ten front row starts. Stoner retired at the age of 27, having amassed two MotoGP™ World Championships, 45 Grand Prix victories, 89 podium finishes and 43 pole-positions. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Pedrosa wins exciting season finale at Valencia Sunday, 11 November 2012 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium. Rear: Medium, Hard (Asymmetric) Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative) Weather: Wet. Ambient 13-13°C; Track 14-14°C (Bridgestone measurement) Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa capped off his most successful MotoGP™ season by winning an exciting flag-to-flag race at Valencia. Pedrosa started the race in pit lane after making a late decision to swap to slick tyres and his decision paid off as he went on to cross the finish line 37.661 second ahead of his nearest competitor, Yamaha Factory Racing’s Katsuyuki Nakasuga who scored his first ever MotoGP podium. In third place was Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner in his last ever MotoGP™ race. San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Michele Pirro scored the best CRT result of the season by finishing in fifth place, the Italian rider being one of those to start the race on slick tyres. Many damp patches greeted riders on the sighting lap but throughout the track a large dry line was apparent, so tyre choice for the race was not decided until the very last moment. Seven riders selected slick tyres on the grid, while a further four riders changed bikes during the warm-up lap for a total of eleven starters on slick tyres. The softer slick options, the soft compound front and medium compound rear slick, were the only dry tyres used during the race. Among the eleven riders that started the race on wet tyres, seven selected the harder front option, while six selected the harder rear option. All the riders that started on wet tyres pitted and changed to bikes with slick tyres within the first five laps of the race. Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “What an amazing finish to the season we had today! Congratulations to Dani for scoring his seventh win of the season, but I am also very pleased for Nakasuga-san on his first MotoGP podium and that Casey was able to stand on the podium in his final race. Also, well done to Aleix for ending the season as the top CRT rider in the first year of this new class. With the conclusion of another exciting season Bridgestone now looks to the future and the post-season test next week will form the basis of our MotoGP tyre development programme over the winter break.” Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “It was expected that we would have wet weather today but the condition of the track for the start of the MotoGP race was just dry enough for some riders to consider slicks, although almost every rider originally planned to run on wet tyres. Of those riders that did start the race on wet tyres, the majority went for the alternative hard option wet tyre as this specification provides better durability on drying tarmac. Ultimately though, every rider switched to the softer option slick tyres during the race despite the track being quite damp off the racing line which unfortunately caught a few riders out. Overall it was a very challenging race, but our tyre allocation provided options that were well suited to the variable conditions.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Race Winner “On the grid I was expecting to do a few laps on the wet tyres before changing bikes, but while waiting for the start the track became dry enough for slicks. On the warm-up lap I wasn’t sure if I had time to change my bike, but I was able to enter pit lane and change quickly. The start was the most critical point and from then I just focused on having a good race. It was hard to keep concentration once I had my large advantage but in the end it came out alright and I am very happy to take this win for my fans and my team.” More, from a press release issued by Power Electronics Aspar Team: ALEIX ESPARGARÓ BEST CRT RIDER FOR 2012 Spaniard places eleventh in final race of the season and leads for two laps, claiming best CRT honour ahead of teammate Randy De Puniet by twelve points Pedrosa, Stoner and Lorenzo had looked to be the trio to battle for the podium at the Valencia GP, but there were twists in the final round of the year. The starting grid featured variations in tyre choice amongst the MotoGP riders, and when the thirty lap contest began, several riders had gambled on slick tyres. Dani Pedrosa had started from pit lane but went on to win the race, after Jorge Lorenzo crashed out in a spectacular fall. Substitute rider Kats Nakasuga took second, with Casey Stoner in third for his final race before retiring. Aleix Espargaró made history today by becoming the first CRT rider to lead a MotoGP race, and he did so for two laps at Valencia. He had to pass through the pits later on in the race to change bikes, in order to use the slicks that were appropriate for the conditions. He then set about overtaking his teammate, and claimed the best CRT rider of 2012 honour. The POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar riders were once again close to one another on race day, as Randy De Puniet used slick tyres from the start and battled with a lack of front grip. The Frenchman might have been unable to keep up with his teammate, but his twelfth place finish was just behind Espargaró and he placed runner-up to the Spaniard in the overall CRT standings. Espargaró claimed 74 points over the course of the year, winning out by 12. 11th Aleix Espargaró: “I am very happy, because finally we were able to claim the prize for best CRT riders of the year. The race was very strange, as on the grid I was a little nervous about the tyre choice. I knew that I could go faster with the slicks, but it was very risky so I used the wets. There was a dry line that was rather unstable, so it was only my teammate who used slicks in the end. Once the race began, I focused on going as hard as I could until the tyre went off, then I changed bikes. I concentrated on catching Randy, and when I passed him I relaxed a bit to enjoy the race and finish as high up as possible. I think that we have had a formidable season and that this has been reflected with the best CRT prize. The most important thing is that the team has supported me, which I value a lot. Jorge gave me a lot of confidence from the start and I want to thank him and enjoy having reached our goal.” 12th Randy De Puniet: “Against all predictions, we decided to go with the slicks when the track was still damp. I think that it was a good choice. On Friday I felt really comfortable in a similar situation, but I don’t know what happened in the race today that made me feel so strange. I didn’t have any confidence in the front end and I was having a lot of difficult in keeping the bike up. That meant that I went wide on a number of occasions. I am a bit annoyed, because having watched the race, I can see that with a better feeling I could have fought for the top positions. Now the season is over, we need to focus on doing a good job in the test this week and go into the winter break feeling calm.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati: Variable weather conditions affect season-ending MotoGP race at Valencia The final race of the 2012 MotoGP season, at Valencia, was seriously affected by uncertain weather. After the wet warm-up session, in which Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden had found a good rain setting, the precipitation stopped and the MotoGP race started with a track that was only damp. Most of the riders began the race with rain tyres, though a small group risked slicks, returning to the garages to change bikes just before the lights went out. That group, which was obliged to start from pit lane, included the eventual winner, Dani Pedrosa, and Nicky Hayden. The American was caught out by the tricky conditions and crashed before he was able to take advantage of having made the right choice. Valentino Rossi started with rain tyres and was in fourth place when, 25 laps from the end, he re-entered pit lane to switch bikes. With the dry tyres, he no longer felt at home and was only able to finish in tenth place. Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 10th “It’s really a shame that the last race with Ducati finished this way. Things went well this morning in the wet warm-up, and in similar conditions, it would have been possible to do a nice result. Instead, this half-and-half situation was truly difficult. In the end the right choice was to use the slick tyres, but my bike on the grid had a very different setting from the other one, so I didn’t feel like switching. With the rain tyres, I felt fine at first, but then when it was necessary to switch, the situation became more complicated. There was a thin dry line, but I couldn’t put the bike where I wanted and as soon as I would go off that line, it was very risky. I could only try to finish. I would have liked to finish these two years with Ducati better. They were two difficult seasons, but I nonetheless leave behind many people that I enjoyed working with, and with whom it was nice to go racing.” Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) DNF “It’s a shame to end a difficult season in a bad way, but at least I’m 100 per cent okay from the crash. On the grid, it was a really close call between slick tyres and rain tyres. If the track had been warm, it would clearly have been better to start on slicks, but the cold surface temperature made it close. On the warm-up lap, Lorenzo was going faster than us on slicks, so in my opinion, it was the right decision to come in and switch bikes and start from pit lane. After that, it was okay on the dry line, but to make passes, you had to go out where it was treacherous. I got behind Petrucci and couldn’t find a way past. I was waiting to go by him on the front straightaway, but I got a little bit wide in the last corner and hit a patch. I went down so quickly that there was no way to save it. Next season starts now, so hopefully things will be better.” Vittoriano Guareschi, Team Manager “Today we lost an opportunity to have a nice race, both with Nicky and with Vale, and although that can happen in such uncertain conditions, we’re obviously not happy. Nicky switched bikes immediately, like Pedrosa, who won in the end, but he was done in by the slippery asphalt. Vale went well in the early laps, while he was on the rain tyres, but he didn’t feel good with the slicks. He tried until the end, without ever being able to push hard enough. We would have liked to finish differently, but anyway, we tried until the end.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Pedrosa wins dramatic Valencian GP as Stoner says goodbye Access to ResultsAccess to Results MotoGP™ Photo Photo D.Pedrosa Photo Photo K.Nakasuga Photo Photo C.Stoner Photo Photo M.Pirro In the final MotoGP™ race at the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana it was Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa who took victory in a dramatic race that was marred with awkward conditions and crashes ahead of Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Casey Stoner, who was later named the 20th MotoGP Legend. The race was declared wet by Race Direction despite a near dry line having formed, and only Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo, his teammate Nakasuga, and LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl, chose the softer option slick tyres, with all others on the hard wets. However, in a twist unseen this season, Pedrosa, Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden, Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow and San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista then decided to start from pit-lane after their sighting lap, with all of them switching to a bike with slick tyres. As the race got underway it was Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaró who was leading the early exchanges, yet within three laps Lorenzo’s choice looked the better one as he started to lap significantly quicker than the rest. Pedrosa was carving his way through the pack, whilst many riders that were on wets started coming into the pits to switch to their bikes with slicks, amongst which were Repsol Honda’s Stoner, Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá, and Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso. Amid the frantic happenings, Hayden, Avintia Blusens’ Iván Silva, and Speed Master’s Roberto Rolfo crashed out of contention. On lap eight, Lorenzo was leading with Pedrosa in tow, whilst Bradl was running third with Nakasuga and Crutchlow behind. It was however not to be for the young German as he lost control of his bike in Turn 5 and crashed out. With 18 laps remaining Crutchlow’s efforts were rewarded by getting past Nakasuga, as Pedrosa had a moment and ran wide, putting him over three seconds back on Lorenzo. Then there was huge drama as the World Champion was highsided off his bike as he was passing back markers, and was fortunate to walk away unhurt. This left Pedrosa in the lead, who also had his work cut out getting past the slower riders. On lap 19 the crashes continued as Barberá also took a tumble, whilst Espargaró’s teammate Randy de Puniet ran into the gravel. A lap later he was followed Avintia Blusens’ Claudio Corti, who skidded off into the gravel on his Inmotec chassis. Just as things looked to have settled down, Crutchlow was caught out by the conditions and dropped out of second place. This moved Bautista up into third, although Stoner was catching up quickly in fourth. And with three laps remaining Stoner was all over the rear wheel Bautista and caught him at the end of the lap down the home straight to move into third. In the end it was Pedrosa who took chequered flag to score his seventh win of the season, with Nakasuga taking the first Japanese podium this year in his second wildcard entry, and Stoner signing off his GP career with the final step on the rostrum. The first non-podium finisher was Bautista, followed by his teammate Michele Pirro, Dovizioso, Cardion AB Racing’s Karel Abraham, Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci, Paul Bird Motorsport’s James Ellison and Ducati’s Valentino Rossi. Espargaró finished in 11th and secured himself the CRT title this season, whilst Bautista consolidated fifth in the championship. Moto2™ Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol’s Marc Márquez rode a phenomenal race at the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana as he charged his way to victory from last on the grid ahead of Julián Simón and Nico Terol. In a race that started on a wet track, Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2’s Terol had a sensational start and took the lead in Turn 4, which was named after him earlier in the day. He had Tuenti Movil HP 40’s Pol Espargaró, Came IodaRacing Projects’ Simone Corsi and Interwetten-Paddock’s Tom Lüthi in tow. Márquez, who started last, was already up to 11th after just one lap. Blusens Avintia’s Julián Simón had also charged up the field and was on the back of Espargaró’s rear wheel. Whilst Márquez was looking strong, Federal Oil Gresini Moto2’s Gino Rea made a pass on the Spaniard, as the pair was being held up by Terol’s teammate Jordi Torres. With 21 laps remaining Torres had been passed, as Rea had also made his way past Technomag-CIP’s Dominique Aegerter, with Márquez finding it tougher to pass the Swiss rider. The battling was fierce as the group caught up to Lüthi, who was soon involved in the fight for sixth. There was however drama a few laps later as Espargaró slid off after making contact with Corsi. He managed to re-mount and re-join in 18th. In the meantime, Simón had passed Terol to take the lead, as Espargaró’s crash left Tech 3 Racing’s Xavier Siméon in third. JiR Moto2’s Johann Zarco made himself known on lap nine, as the Frenchman found his stride and started to halt Márquez’s progress. Siméon’s race was however soon halted as he slid off, with Zarco soon following suit as conditions started to worsen. Márquez and Rea continued their enthralling battle, once touching, which saw Márquez having to run wide. Yet Márquez did not hold back as he passed Rea and then Aegerter in a tough move town the straight, which prompted the Spaniard to hold up an apologetic hand. Rea suffered disappointment soon after as he crashed out chasing Márquez, who was then in third spot. In the meantime, QMMF Racing’s Rafid Topan Sucipto had crashed out, yet was able to re-join the race, while his teammate Elena Rosell was taken out by JiR Moto2’s Eric Granado. With eight laps left Márquez was on a mission as he flew past Terol and started to hunt down Simón at the front. His pace was significantly higher than the front-runner, and with three laps left Márquez was on the back wheel of Simón. And heading into the penultimate lap the World Champion made his way past to take the lead. He did not relinquish that lead and ended up taking victory in his final ever Moto2™ race before moving up to MotoGP™ in stunning fashion. It is the first time in history that a rider has won a race from 33rd on the grid. Simón and Terol took the final spots on the podium, with this being Terol’s first ever podium in the intermediate-class. They were followed by Lüthi, Aegerter, Torres, Marc VDS Racing Team’s Mika Kallio, Espargaró, Italtrans Racing Team’s Toni Elías and Pons’ Esteve Rabat. Speed Master’s Andrea Iannone, despite only finishing in 11th, managed to hold onto third spot in the championship ahead of Lüthi. Moto3™ In a thrilling final Moto3™ encounter in the wet at the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana it was Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Danny Kent who put in a stunning ride to take victory ahead of Sandro Cortese and Zulfahmi Khairuddin. Pole-man Jonas Folger had technical issues on the out-lap and had to start from the pits, meaning that it was RW Racing GP’s Luis Salom that led the early exchanges in front of Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Miguel Oliveira and Ambrogio Next Racing’s Alex Márquez. On lap three it was Márquez that went into the lead, with Oliveira following suit to relegate Salom to third. This was however short lived as Márquez lost the front and crashed out. In the pursuing group, Racing Team Germany’s Louis Rossi was putting on a strong show ahead of JHK t-shirt Laglisse’s Efrén Vázquez and Red Bull KTM Ajo duo of Cortese and Kent. Folger’s day then got worse as he retired from the race, as well as JHK’s Adrián Martín and IodaRacing Project’s Luigi Morciano. Caretta-Technology’s John McPhee was also caught out by the wet as he dropped his bike on lap eight. Yet as more riders got used to the track surface, the likes of Salom’s teammate Brad Binder starting challenging the front-runners. With 13 laps remaining Salom had dropped off the pace and was embroiled in an entertaining battle with Blusens Avintia’s Maverick Viñales. Past the halfway point and the battles were hotting up with Salom and Viñales, as well as Binder and Kent going fairing-to-fairing. More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: Valencia, 11th November: the ultimate round of 2012 season at Ricardo Tormo circuit was marred with awkward conditions and crashes as the 30-lap race was declared wet by Race Direction despite a near dry line having formed, and only a couple of riders including Stefan Bradl chose the slick tyres, with all others on the hard wets. Bradl started his final race as a MotoGP rookie from the middle of the second row and amid the frantic happenings he was running third but lost control of his bike in Turn 5 and crashed out on lap 10. Although this unfortunate last race, the 22-year-old German has not come worse than ninth in any race he finished this year. That record has made him the runaway winner of Rookie of the Year honours (8th place overall with 135 points). Stefan: “First of all we had very tricky conditions today as almost everybody was on wet tyres because the dry line was less than 10cm and we decided to go on slicks because we wanted to avoid a bike chance which could cost us a lot of time. At the end we made the right choice and want to the thank the Team for their support because it’s not easy for a rider to decide when the surface is so slippery. I was on a good pace since the beginning and was lapping third when I crashed out. The rider in front of me was slower and I wanted to overtake him quickly but in turn 5 I was a bit too aggressive and lost the control of the bike. I should have waited a bit longer to make the move and I feel bad for the Team because I lost the chance to fight for the podium. However I feel happy today because I will be awarded as the Best Rookie of the Year and this is simply great. This first year in the premier class was incredible for me and must thank Lucio and his Team because at the beginning I was a bit worried but now I know this is like a family”. More, from a press release issued NGM Mobile Forward Racing: Edwards scores important points at Valencia It has not been the best weekend for the NGM Mobile Forward Racing team given the mixed weather conditions on track, the team has still been able to get in the points with Colin Edwards in the 14th position in this last race. A result that does not reflect the efforts of the rider and his team but that allows the American rider to finish the season in 20th place, alongside Danilo Petrucci. An exciting weekend for the NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team with its new rider Claudio Corti. Dignified debut race for the Italian rider, aside from the crash, with the Inmotec bike. Tuesday the beginning of his new adventure with the CRT begins. Colin Edwards 14th “The conditions for the race were half wet, half dry. You were both gambling if you went with dry and you gambling if you went with wet. With this particular bike I felt the safest option was to go with wet. Went out and our rain setting, we must have changed something from this morning and when I got in the corner and open full gas it just wouldn’t go anywhere. I came in, changed bike and just went out and it stopped downshifting. At that point I was just kind of surviving and waiting to see what happened and finally finished the race and got a few points. The season is over and in a few days we start testing and I am looking forward to it.” Sergio Verbena Crew Chief “This weekend we found a good setting for both rain a dry. Today the track conditions were difficult; we started off with rain tires knowing that we were taking a risk and it didn’t turn out well. We cannot say we are happy of the way the season has ended but I would like to thank Colin because he has invested himself a hundred per cent. The bike was not at a level in which it could match his talent and we will try to work in order to provide him with the necessary to show his full potential.” Claudio Corti Not Classified “Exciting weekend in which the weather conditions have complicated things a bit in my MotoGP debut. I have had a taste of everything; rain, dry, mixed conditions and even a bike change during the race. At some point I was even in the points for a minute but had to turn off the electronics because it was not working as it should and I crashed. I would like to thank Inmotec for this opportunity to ride with their bike, to Avintia Racing for their technical support, great team. On Tuesday the new adventure will begin with NGM Mobile Forward Racing.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Corporation: Honda Clinch 61st Constructors Championship Today in Valencia, with Dani Pedrosa’s victory, Honda Motor Company won their 61st Constructor’s Championship (Repsol Honda RC213V). The 2012 MotoGP Constructors Championship is Honda’s 19th in the premier class – six in MotoGP and thirteen in 500cc – to add to the six 350cc titles, nineteen in the 250cc class, fifteen in the 125cc class, and two in the 50cc category. With 12 victories this season, Honda riders have won 658 races, a number that’s sure to continue growing. Honda’s 2012 Repsol Honda Team riders, Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner, both contributed to the Constructors Championship which is calculated by the result of the highest placed motorcycle of a Constructor, according to the position in the race. They scored a combined tally of 412 points with Dani Pedrosa taking Honda’s top result ten times, and despite missing three races due to injury, Casey Stoner was Honda’s top points-earner seven times. Honda satellite rider, Alvaro Bautista also contributed to the tally with his 3rd place finish in San Marino. A Honda rider finished on the podium in every race this season and the Contructors Championship was won by the following placed finishes: Qatar Pedrosa 20, Spain Stoner 25, Portugal Stoner 25, France Stoner 16, Catalunya Pedrosa 20, Great Britain Stoner 20, Netherlands Stoner 25, Germany Pedrosa 25, Italy Pedrosa 20, USA Stoner 25, Indianapolis Pedrosa 25, Czech Republic Pedrosa 25, San Marino Bautista 16, Aragon Pedrosa 25, Motegi Pedrosa 25, Malaysia – Pedrosa 25, Australia – Stoner 25, Valencia – Pedrosa 25. Honda is an engineering company, whose legendary and innovative machines have attracted the best in the world. Machines that are the creation of some of a brilliant engineering corps, which had the bikes over to the dedicated globe-trotting race technicians who are overseen by passionate team managers who demand, and receive, excellence. Men like Shuhei Nakamoto, the Executive Vice-President of Honda Racing Corporation, whose laser-like focus, brutal honesty, and selfless dedication were instrumental in bringing Honda the first Constructors Championship of the new 1000cc era. TETSUO SUZUKI – HRC PRESIDENT, SENIOR MANAGING OFFICER AND DIRECTOR OF HONDA R&D CO.,LTD TETSUO SUZUKI – HRC PRESIDENT, SENIOR MANAGING OFFICER AND DIRECTOR OF HONDA R&D CO.,LTD “To win back to back Constructors Titles, our 61st, is a wonderful achievement and it is a credit to our dedicated team and talented riders. This second successive title is testament that HRC is stronger than ever. Unfortunately Dani missed out on the Rider’s Championship by the narrowest of margins, he fought until the end and we congratulate Jorge Lorenzo on a very strong season. We are sorry to say farewell to our 2011 Champion, Casey and we wish him the very best for his future. I must thank all our sponsors and technical partners for their ongoing valuable support and input, and also thanks to all our fans around the World. We hope to repeat this victory again next season!”. More, from a press release issued by Power Electronics Aspar Team: AN EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW IN THE MOTHER OF ALL RACING CATEGORIES The term ‘CRT’ has been much used in 2012. An acronym for Claiming Rule Team, a CRT bike is one which the team owns, rather than leases. The factories supply their official teams with bikes, but a private team looking to run a factory bike must cover its own costs -exorbitant in the majority of cases. That’s just for the lease of a bike for a single season, and does not constitute purchase of the machinery; at the end of the campaign, it is sent back to the manufacturer. That is the main difference between a CRT bike and a factory bike. A CRT machine belongs to the team, is likely developed in-house or has development handed off to a third party. Why CRT? The level of technology in MotoGP has reached a level at which electronics play an increasingly larger role. Without debating the skills of each individual rider, the imbalance between machines spoils the show. CRT aims to be the bridge to parity and plurality. The difficulty of competing in recent seasons reduced the MotoGP grid, leaving it barren. Only 17 drivers were in action each Sunday in the best case scenario, with fifteen or so if anyone was forced out through injury. 2012 has seen the launch of the new MotoGP concept, dubbed simply CRT. Frames and engines are free creations. Prototypes with less horsepower and still in a phase of transition, and as such the regulations are more lenient to them -mainly in the limits to engines permitted in one season and the amount of fuel per race. The 2012 season has been a promising start, but more is expected. Further changes are predicted, including a spec ECU for 2014. Aware of the current revolution in the premier class of motorcycle racing, the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team jumped onboard the train of new technology. The changes occurred at the beginning of the season. Firstly, the Spanish team brought in two riders, expanding the single-rider project from their first two years in MotoGP. Choosing experience and knowledge, they went with Aprilia to make the leap into CRT. A World Championship winning factory in many lower cylinder categories, the Italian manufacturer had the credentials for success. The fruit of this collaboration took the name of ART (Aprilia Racing Technology), a machine designed to dream. Randy De Puniet and Aleix Espargaró would be the two riders in charge of taking it to glory, in a mix of experience and youth. The results were every bit as good as could have been imagined. Randy De Puniet and Aleix Espargaró ‘won’ fourteen of the eighteen races this year in the CRT sub-class, and were also seven times finishers inside the top ten of fastest riders overall in MotoGP. They achieved the fastest time for a CRT in qualifying on seventeen occasions. Converting the fight for ‘Best CRT’ into a duel, the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team’s pairing dominated from the beginning of the year. The battle was to be resolved in Valencia, with Aleix Espargaró arriving at the team’s home race eleven points clear. The epilogue of 2012, in Valencia, was a triumphant round for Aleix Espargaró who, after having won out on nine occasions (Jerez, Portugal, Catalonia, Great Britain, Laguna Seca, Aragon, Japan, Malaysia and Australia) was proclaimed winner of the first CRT sub-championship. It is a primordial category, a new concept that advocates equity, technological innovation and entertainment. A new idea, in which the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team has made its mark just as they had done before with 125cc World Championships in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011. Previously they ruled the roost in the lower classes, but this latest honour has been achieved in the mother of all racing categories. More, from a press release issued by Avintia Blusens Team: Hiroshi Aoyama finishes thirteenth in his debut on Avintia Blusens CRT. Silva crashes in chaotic MotoGP race. Cheste, 11 of November 2012. Today the Ricardo Tormo circuit held a crazy MotoGP finale. The rain once again left the track in a critical state which made it difficult for the riders to make up their mind between dry or wet conditions tyres. The Avintia Blusens riders made different choices. Aoyama opted for wet whereas Silva took a higher risk by choosing dry. Iván proved he made the right choice as time went by as most riders ended up going dry. Unfortunately he crashed which kept him from achieving an undoubtedly great result. For his part Aoyama had to drop by the box to change bikes even though he has already ridden in the MotoGP class he never had to do it before and finished thirteenth in a crash-strewn race. 73 Hiroshi Aoyama (13º, 2L): “The state of the track has been really critical for all riders. We opted for wet but a few laps later we dropped by the box and take out the bike set up with dry. The problem is the asphalt was not completely dry which makes crashing easier. We finally managed to finish the race and even score. It’s much more than we expected as we said yesterday it was going to be more of a training practice than a race for me. This result doesn’t match up our expectations for the future but I am happy with the way the team has worked and also with my comeback to MotoGP”. 22 Iván Silva (Dropped out): “We’ve been quite competitive this weekend and I wanted to complete the season with a positive result. Today’s conditions made things complicated but I think opting for dry was the right thing to do as shown later on. It’s a pity because we could have got a great result. The problem was when I reached a pack riding at a slower pace I had to get off the lane to pass them and my wheel dropped. I really regret it because I wanted to thank Avintia Blusens for trusting me throughout the year by offering them a good result for this finale”. More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing: Claudio Corti crashes and drops out of the his debut race in MotoGP Cheste, 11 of November 2012. It was undoubtedly not the best weekend for a debut in MotoGP. The climatologic conditions were seriously detrimental to Italian rider Corti’s work on his Inmotec sponsored by J.Juan and also to today’s race. Corti opted for rain tyres as the track was soaked when the race started. Late on as the track went drying off the Italian also made his debut in the box to change bikes. Unfortunately he crashed which prevented him and his Inmotec sponsored by J.Juan to score for his debut in MotoGP. 71 Claudio Corti (Dropped out): “It was really difficult. Everything got more complicated due to the weather. It was a crazy race with lots of positions swapping. I took out to the track with rain tyres but I had to drop by the box to change bikes as the track had dried off. I experienced some electrics-related issues with the second bike and I couldn’t avoid the crash. It’s a pity because it would have been marvellous to score both for me and the team. This weekend has been full of new and positive experiences and I’d like to thank everybody who has made my participation in this race possible”. More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: The 2012 MotoGP™ season was brought to an end this evening at the FIM Awards Ceremony, where among others, Jorge Lorenzo picked up his World Champion trophy at the Auditori Mar Rojo de L’Oceanogràfic in the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciencies. Presenters Gavin Emmett and Lara Álvarez were joined on stage by President of the Generalitat Valenciana Mr. Alberto Fabra, Mayoress of Valencia Ms. Rita Barberá Nolla, Dorna Sports CEO Mr. Carmelo Ezpeleta and FIM President Mr. Vito Ippolito, to present the numerous awards throughout the course of the evening. It was Yamaha Factory Racing rider Lorenzo who took centre-stage as he collected his award, along with Moto2™ World Champion Marc Márquez and inaugural Moto3™ World Champion Sandro Cortese. These were however not the only awards on offer, as a series of other notable achievements saw other prizes awarded, such as Top CRT rider of the year for Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaró, as well as Rookie of the Year, which went to LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl in MotoGP, JiR Moto2’s Johann Zarco in Moto2 and Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alex Rins in Moto3. This year’s Rookie of the year award is awarded in memory of Marco Simoncelli on behalf of the Sepang International Circuit. The BMW M Award for best qualifier in the MotoGP class was awarded to Lorenzo, and the Tissot Pole of Poles went to Lorenzo, Pol Espargaró in Moto2 and Cortese in Moto3. Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit was awarded Best Grand Prix organization of 2012 while Mugello received the award for last year season, Repsol Honda Team the Best MotoGP Team, whilst across the three classes the Constructor Titles went to Honda in MotoGP, Suter in Moto2, and KTM in Moto3. The Michel Metraux Trophy was awarded to Pol Espargaró in Moto2 and Alex Rins in Moto3, whilst the Shoya Tomizawa Fair Play Award went to the Espargaró brothers Pol and Aleix. Future talent was also honoured as the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup top three picked up their trophies with champion Florian Alt leading the way. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha MotoGP Team: Katsuyuki Nakasuga stole the show today in an incident packed race, delivering an incredible performance to take second place on the podium for the Grand Prix of Valencia. The Japanese Yamaha test rider, appearing in place of injured Ben Spies, was one of the few who gambled on slick tyres to start the race in damp conditions. The gamble paid off with Nakasuga-san moving from 16th to 11th on the first lap, and then jumping to fourth on lap four as riders came in to change rubber. The one-event wonder was looking safe for third on the podium when second placed rider Cal Crutchlow crashed out in front, leaving him to hold on and focus for the remaining eight laps to claim his incredible podium finish in second, over 20 seconds clear of Casey Stoner behind him. The four-time All Japan Superbike Champion had double cause for celebration with his second son, Haruto, being born on Saturday evening. He is also the only Japanese rider to have stood on the podium this season in all three classes. 2012 MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo also gambled on slick tyres and after initially dropping from second on the grid to eighth the Mallorcan began to make steady progress back up the field. By the fourth lap Lorenzo had taken the lead, which he maintained until lap 13, pulling nearly a four second gap to chasing Dani Pedrosa. Disaster struck when he came off the dry line to lap CRT rider James Ellison on the same lap, losing grip on the damp surface and suffering a huge high side crash. Lorenzo was lucky to walk away without serious injury and will be ready to take part in testing on Tuesday and Wednesday for the 2013 season. Katsuyuki Nakasuga Position : 2nd Time: +37.661 “I’m so very happy with this result, the conditions were very difficult today. It was a tough race but the team were amazing and I have to thank them for making the best choice for my set up for the race. It is like a dream or a miracle for me to be on the podium as the qualifying was not so good. I want to thank Yamaha for giving me this special opportunity to race here in MotoGP, it has been amazing.” Jorge Lorenzo Position : DNF Time: “I’m happy because we are world champions and that is the most important thing. Maybe if we had arrived here without the title decided it could have been another story and I wouldn’t be so happy. I had a lot of hopes to win today, I chose a really risky tyre strategy and I was making a really good race. Dani was catching me a little bit but then I managed to have a four second lead. I came up to the slower riders and I’m not sure what happened, maybe the marshals didn’t put up the blue flags quickly enough but I was losing some time stuck behind them. I was behind Ellison and he stayed on the racing line, I couldn’t wait for another corner to overtake him as I was losing time. I overtook and made a mistake, outside the dry line and I had a big high side.” Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager “What a crazy race! I think we could have won today so it’s a real shame we wrap up the season like this. Jorge took a big gamble with the tyres which proved to be a clever choice and rode a very strong race. Unfortunately with such tricky track conditions and much slower bikes making traffic the risk was high. We are very happy he is unhurt after his crash and also that we secured the title in Phillip Island! We’ll take some time to celebrate tonight and then it’s back to work for 2013 on Tuesday! Nakasuga-san was brilliant today and really deserved his podium, he and Ben’s crew put in a great effort for the result.” Massimo Meregalli Team Director “I don’t think anyone could have predicted today’s results! It’s a pity Jorge’s championship season ended this way in front of his home crowd but we are happy that he has no serious injuries and is ready to test next week. For Nakasuga-san it has been a fairytale day, we are so happy for him and proud of his achievement. After a difficult season it was also a great result for Ben’s crew who deserved this podium today. I would like to wish them all the best for the future.” More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Crutchlow and Dovizioso star in dramatic Valencia race The 2012 MotoGP World Championship concluded in dramatic fashion for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team this afternoon after Cal Crutchlow fell out ofsecond position and Andrea Dovizioso secured a hard fought top six in an incident-packed Valencia race. Officials declared the 30-lap encounter a wet race but new asphalt was already drying up when the action got underway in front of almost 62,000 fans. Crutchlow was one of four riders to opt to switch to slick tyres ahead of the start, which meant the British rider joined Dani Pedrosa, AlvaroBautista and Nicky Hayden in starting from th e pit lane. Crutchlow’s decision immediately paid off with a clear dry line appearing right from the opening lap. He brilliantly built up his pace and needed only five laps to surge from the back of the field into the top five. Crutchlow then moved into the top three on lap 13 and he found himself promoted into second position when Factory Yamaha rider and new World Champion Jorge Lorenzo crashed unhurt out of the lead on lap 14. The 27-year-old streaked away from Japanese replacement rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga, but just as he looked poised to score a career best second place and third rostrum of 2012, he crashed out on the approach to the final corner on lap 23. Dovizioso’s farewell appearance with the French-based Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team ended with a sixth place finish, but the Italian was left to rue his decision to start the race on Bridgestone’s rain tyres.With section s of the track still damp, Dovizioso seized the lead from Aleix Espargaro on lap three, but he quickly realised that he would need to pit and switch to his YZR-M1 fitted with slick tyres as track conditions continued to improve.Dovizioso switched to slick tyres as he was about to complete the fifth lap, which dropped him out of the top 15. He lost time in the pits when he stalled his YZR-M1 machine before embarking on a brilliant recovery to score his 15th top six finish in 18 races. Andrea Dovizioso 6th – 218 points: “It is a pity that I could only finish my last race with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team in sixth position. I’m sorry because I selected the worst strategy possible with the tyre choice and I’m disappointed. Normally I am always very strong at interpreting the conditions in the right way but this time I chose to start on the wet tyres and it was clearly the wrong decision. The o ther decision that compromised my race was I stayed out too long before coming in and changing to slicks. I didn’t have a reference because I was in the lead but when I saw Jorge I understood it was already too late. But I still came in to change to slicks. I then stalled the bike, so I lost more time. I didn’t give up and found a good rhythm so I get back into the top six which is at least decent finish. It has been a fantastic season with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team and I have enjoyed the experience a lot. The Team is incredibly professional and it has been an honour for me to ride with them and achieve a lot of success together.” Cal Crtuchlow DNF – 151 points: “Obviously I am very disappointed to finish the season like that. I wasn’t sure whether to start on wet tyres but I saw Dani pit and just followed him. Going to slicks was obviously the right choice but although there was a dry line, in some places it was so narrow that you couldn’t go off line to overtake because it was way too risky. Dani got through the pack quicker than me but once I got into a fast rhythm I felt really at ease. I had a comfortable lead over third and it was looking good for me to get my best MotoGP result when I hit the smallest wet patch going into the final corner. It just flicked the bike enough to throw me off the left side and I was actually lucky not to get tangled up with the bike. It is a shame because I wasn’t pushing that hard, but in those conditions we saw loads of people getting caught out. But once again I showed I was really fast and we take a lot of positives from the second half of the season. I’ve been on the podium twice and in the last races I’ve been right in the battle for the podium. I’d like to have had a few more finishes but I’ve shown my potential this year and that I am good enough to fight with the best in the world. I can now look forward to 2013 with a lot of confidence.” Herve Poncharal – Team Manager: “That was an incredible way to finish the season and the excitement in the first laps when Cal was on slicks and Andrea on wets was really compulsive viewing. Nobody really knew what to expect because the conditions were so tricky but Cal was doing a brilliant job. He had built up a big lead over third place and with only a few laps to go we were getting more confident that he could he get his best result in MotoGP and the best result of the season for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. Unfortunately a small damp patch caught him out but I don’t think the punishment fitted the crime. Cal has enjoyed a fantastic second season and shown the form that we all knew he could after 2011. We are already really looking forward to 2013 and I am convinced that he is only going to be an even bigger threat. Andrea did another good job in his f inal race for us but it was a pity that he stalled the bike when he came in to change to slick tyres. That lost him a lot of time but the decision to start on wet tyres compromised his hopes of ending a memorable season with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team on the podium. I have to say huge thanks though to Andrea. He has been amazing in 2012 and he has become the most successful rider we have ever had in MotoGP with six podiums. He finished fourth in the World Championship and he was key to helping us take third in the Team World Championship. We only finished behind Yamaha’s Factory Team and HRC, so that is a great achievement for a non-factory squad.”