As tradition, the final chapter of the MotoGP World Championship 2012 will be written in Valencia, Spain this weekend. The spectacular Spanish track, that accommodates the Gran Premio de la Comunitat Valenciana, has several layouts, running anti-clockwise with varying lengths. It allows all part of the circuit to be seen from any stands, helping to create a unique atmosphere enjoyed by the Spanish and international riders. The Pramac Racing team rider, Hèctor Barberà is ready to ride his Ducati number 8 for the last time, in a race full of excitement for him. For the Spaniard it is more than a home race: he hails from a nearby town and grew up at the Ricardo Tormo circuit, where he finished first both in 2004 and in 2009, securing the first runner-up spot in two different classes. For this 2012 season finale Héctor has an important goal: try to achieve the top ten finish in the overall World standing (with only 5 points separating him from Ben Spies). Héctor Barberà Pramac Racing Team Rider “This is my home circuit and I can go fast without hardly thinking about it, so I hope that remains the case this weekend. I will fight, trying to achieve my best result of this season to complete this adventure with the Pramac Racing Team in a positive way, both for me and for my crew”. More, from a press release issued by NGM Mobile Forward Racing: The curtan falls on this 2012 season for the NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team The MotoGP world championship in coming to an end but not quite yet, the now classic end of season Valencia GP has yet to take place this weekend. In the MotoGP category Colin Edwards will be fighting for the fourth place in the CRT standing: the American rider has to gain 3 points over James Ellison and the absent Yonny Heranndez to achieve it. In Moto2 there is yet to be determined if Alex De Angelis will be able to ride this weekend. The rider from San Marino is recovering rapidly from the injury on his left hand suffered in Australia. We will have to wait until Thursday morning after the visit to the Clinica Mobile in order to know if he will be declared fit to race this weekend at the Gran Premio de la Comunitat Valenciana. On the other hand the participation of his teammate Yuki Takahashi is guaranteed, the Japanese rider will be aiming this weekend to get in the points. Colin Edwards -5 “With the struggles we’ve had this season I’ve been pretty happy these last few races. It’s been a tough year and we have worked our way through it. I look forward to this weekend, I have always liked Valencia, I’m just hoping that the weather doesn’t get too cold. Some good weather would be nice for this last race.” Alex De Angelis – 15 “I like the Valencia circuit, I have won races here in the past. It will be very difficult to get back out on the track after my crash from Philip Island and the injury that it caused me on my left hand. I am currently doing everything that the doctors are telling me in order to be ready for this weekend’s GP but it will need a long time for my hand to heal and be as it was. I will not be participating on the test on Monday after the Valencia GP.” Yuki Takahashi – 72 “This is our last opportunity this season to get in the points and we will do out best to get them. From the moment we started working with FTR we improved a lot but the race results do not do justice all the hard work and effort put in. We go to Valencia with high expectations.” More, from a press release issued by Power Electronics Aspar Team: ALEIX ESPARGARÓ READY TO CLAIM FIRST CRT ‘TITLE’ POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar rider eleven points clear of team-mate Randy De Puniet with one race remaining It may seem like yesterday that the 2012 season opened with a roar under the lights of Qatar but already the series wraps up for another year this weekend at Valencia. Four kilometres of freshly relaid track await the riders at the Comunidad Valenciana circuit, now the traditional stage for the season’s curtain call. The eighteenth and final round of the season is the fourth on Spanish soil and with Jorge Lorenzo already crowned World Champion and Dani Pedrosa confirmed as the runner-up it looks set to be a veritable fiesta for the home crowd. The POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team races at its home track with Aleix Espargaró leading his team-mate Randy De Puniet in the chase for the first ever CRT ‘title’ by eleven points. The Spaniard knows it would take a remarkable result to turn their positions around in the final race but he is determined to work with the same focus that has served him so well so far this season. The Frenchman, meanwhile, knows that nothing is over in racing until the chequered flag waves and until that happens on Sunday afternoon he will be giving maximum effort as always. Aleix Espargaró: “I am really looking forward to arriving at Valencia and I hope we can have a good weekend to finish the year off. We are in good form and have finished the last four races as the top CRT so we have to keep going like this until the final push. It is another home race for me and in particular my team. Hopefully we can finish the season as the top CRT ahead of my team-mate Randy but I will need to work hard all weekend and not make any mistakes. Obviously the objective is to finish the race and the championship as the top CRT rider. My team-mate is very strong though so we can’t slack off until it is over. I think if we do it we will deserve it because we have won nine of the fourteen races we have finished.” Randy De Puniet: “This is an important race for my team, who are based in Valencia, so I hope we can have a good weekend. It is not a particularly quick circuit, which I usually prefer, but I like the Comunidad Valenciana track and I find it interesting. I have been told that they have resurfaced the track, which is a good thing for sure, and now it should have more grip. I am looking forward to riding and seeing how our recent improvements shape up there. Hopefully the weather will be kind to us and we can have a nice weekend to finish the season off. Everybody in the team is highly motivated about this one and the clear objective is to finish the season in the best way possible. The aim is to finish this race as the best CRT – it’s a bit late to try and beat my team-mate in the championship but anything can happen in racing so we have to make sure we do our best and finish the season on a high note.” More, from a press release issued by Avintia Blusens MotoGP Team: Iván Silva hopes he will be among the best CRT´s in Valencia Avintia Blusens MotoGP rider Iván Silva wants to complete the year by showing that he can be among the best CRT´s and that his year of hard work with the team will prove to be fruitful. Iván who has always prioritized the bike’s development worked on it again during the Asian round when information was compiled and tests were carried out in order to reduce the chattering of the front-wheel assembly and the excessive loss of grip of the rear wheel in race conditions. Now that the season is coming to an end Silva would like to take advantage of the experience he has acquired and show that he could be among the best CRT’s on a track that he is so familiar with. Iván Silva: “I am glad to be riding in Spain again and very motivated to achieve the best result of the year for the team. I intend to be among the best CRT’s in Valencia and at least reach the podium as we did in Indianapolis. I have managed to improve my pace over the last few rounds and if we can improve the grip in the second half of the race we can be very competitive. It is the finale and it is the last chance. We’ll have to give everything”. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Bridgestone MotoGP™ Race Preview – Round 18: Valencia, Valencia Wednesday, 7 November 2012 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium. Rear: Medium, Hard (Asymmetric) Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative) The final race of the 2012 MotoGP™ season sees the paddock descend on Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo as the home fans get to greet their World Champion, Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo after the Spaniard clinched the title at the previous round. Valencia is a tight and technical circuit that offers tyres little respite over the course of a lap, so a good bike setup is very important to ensure the most efficient use of the tyres allocated for this Grand Prix. The layout of the circuit means more stress is placed on the left shoulder of the tyres, and an unbalanced bike setup can cause excessive rear tyre temperatures which can lead to a loss of performance and accelerated tyre wear. To manage the unbalanced layout and the moderate track temperatures the asymmetric rear slicks at Valencia feature rubber on the left shoulder that is two grades harder than on the right side. This ensures the lesser-used right shoulder of the rear tyre stays in its ideal operating temperature window and that the left shoulder provides the durability and stability needed for the many left hand turns. Additionally, the front slick compounds allocated for this weekend need to provide enhanced warm-up performance and grip in the temperate weather. The main wet tyre for the Valencia Grand Prix is the soft compound option, with all riders also having access to a maximum of two front and rear wet tyres in the alternative hard compound option. Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department “It is fitting that the last race of the year is in Valencia as it will give the Spanish fans a chance to welcome home their MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo after he claimed his second title at Phillip Island. With the championship battle now over, the main motivation for riders this weekend is to end the season on a high with a victory. “After the last race of the season the annual post-season test will commence on Tuesday at the Valencia circuit, providing many of the riders that are stepping up to the premier class next year their first experience with Bridgestone MotoGP tyres. Our technical team will be on hand to assist the riders and teams during this very important time and we will also have some experimental tyres at this test for riders to evaluate as part of our development programme for the 2013 season.” Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “Valencia is the traditional venue for the season finale and is a slow, tight circuit with nine left-hand and five right-hand corners. The frequency of corners at the circuit means bikes spend a lot of time leaned over, so there is not much time during a lap for heat to dissipate from the tyre shoulders meaning excessive rear tyre temperatures are possible if a bike’s setup isn’t optimised. Considering this potential for high tyre temperatures in the left shoulder and also the need for good temperature retention in the right shoulder due to the possibility of cooler weather, we provide asymmetric rear slicks at Valencia with substantially harder rubber on the left shoulder compared to the right.”