The MotoGP paddock always attracts a large following, even on a pre-race Thursday without on-track action. The Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia welcomed an even larger crowd than normal as the riders prepared for their final battle of 2006, the Gran Premio bwin.com de la Comunitat Valenciana. Even the most casual follower of MotoGP is aware of the circumstances surrounding Sunday’s race. Valentino Rossi leads Nicky Hayden in the championship by eight points, and one of the two stars will leave Spain as the last ever MotoGP World Champion on a 990cc bike. Both riders were present in the customary pre-event press conference, joined by Hayden’s team-mate Dani Pedrosa, the victor 2 weeks ago in Estoril Toni Elias and last year’s race winner Marco Melandri. Along with fielding the inevitable questions about the title race, Repsol Honda duo Hayden and Pedrosa were also quizzed about the accident which dealt a serious blow to the American’s title chances in Portugal. Ahead of tomorrow’s practice sessions, there were a number of pre-event activities around Valencia. John Hopkins, Toni Elias and Randy de Puniet all headed down to the stunning new port area to meet members of the BMW Oracle Racing team, an outfit aiming to take part in the 32nd America’s Cup next year. They had the opportunity to see next year’s boat in all its glory in the dedicated boathouse. Dani Pedrosa also headed outside the hustle and bustle of the paddock, participating in a special event for the launch of the Official MotoGP videogame which goes on sale this week. The Spaniard pitted his gaming skills with some rapid thumb-work against five contestants, winning a two lap race which he said “would undoubtedly be easier than Sunday’s Grand Prix.” With the British version held at Donington earlier this year, Valencia was the setting for the Spanish “Day Of Champions.” A fundraising event put on by Riders for Health, MotoGP’s official charity, various activities were held on the day including a pit lane visit, a stunt show on the starting grid and the always-popular MotoGP auction, with items signed by various World Championship riders put on sale to the highest bidder, with all proceeds going to the good cause. Michelin gave a special presentation this evening to all their MotoGP riders, in which they presented them with tyres adorned with their national colours. Having announced his departure from Konica Minolta Honda earlier this week, Makoto Tamada also today confirmed his move to Herve Poncharal’s Tech 3 Yamaha team, keeping both rider and team in MotoGP next year. With the rumour mill running at full steam, it had been speculated that Loris Capirossi and returning rider Troy Bayliss would give the 800cc Desmosedici GP07 its first race run-out in Valencia this weekend. Ducati MotoGP Project Manager Livio Suppo dismissed a sneak preview of the new bike, stating that the Gran Premio bwin.com de la Comunitat Valenciana would hopefully mark the perfect end to the 990cc Ducati era. The weather at the Spanish track has been warm but overcast, with rain a distinct possibility for tomorrow. Practice for Sunday’s race begins tomorrow at 9am local time.