From a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Repsol rider finishes a succeful 2003 season
Title for Valentino Rossi in MotoGP and title for the Repsol Honda Team.

This has been with no doubt a good year for the Repsol riders at the Motorcycle World Championship. In the MotoGP class, the Repsol Honda Team has excelled by far the expectations set in the team and its riders. The result of the excellent 2003 season has been Valentino Rossi’s World Championship title, a fifth overall place for Nicky Hayden in his rookie year in the MotoGP class and, as the finishing flourish, the team’s world championship. Valentino Rossi started the 2003 season in Japan just like he finished it, winning and without leaving any chance for his rivals. His figures are a proof of both the Repsol rider’s and his team’s superiority, with nine victories, five runner-ups and two third places. In short, Valentino has been on the podium throughout the season. After a strong beginning of the 2003 World Championship, Valentino had a light performance drop after the Catalunya Grand Prix and was overtaken twice by Sete Gibernau and once by Biaggi, turning the alarm lights of the Repsol Honda team on. However, after the summer break, Rossi reacted clinching three victories in a row in the Czech Republic, Portugal and Brazil, thus engaging top gear towards the MotoGP title.

His teammate Nicky Hayden, in his first year in the championship after winning the AMA Championship in the USA the year before, made a brilliant 2003 season. His preseason was not easy at all, setting discrete times, far behind of those set by his teammate. But the Repsol rider didn’t give up and kept on working methodically and with firm consistency, leading him to start the second half of the season having already the podium in mind. And the podium finally arrived, although not the way he wanted, because at the Pacific Grand Prix, Hayden moved up from fourth to third after Tamada’s disqualification due to an incident with Gibernau. But as he explained, his aim was to achieve a real podium, on the track. So at the Australian Grand Prix and after an intense fight with much more experienced riders such as Gibernau, Ukawa and Checa, the Kentucky-born rider clinched his first podium in the class. His good job in the second half of the season has turned him into one of the riders to be taken into account in a near future. His final fifth place in his first season is good evidence.

In addition to the success of both riders of the Repsol Honda Team, the team as such has also been able to win the Teams’ World Championship title. The Repsol Honda Team took the lead of the standings from the first race and has not left the top place until the end of the 2003 season. It was always followed by the Camel Pramac Honda Pons team, that finally became runner-up. The Repsol Honda Team has scored a total 487 points, exactly 136 points over the second classified team. Of the sixteen races staged, the Repsol Honda Team has been the team scoring more points by both team riders at races, namely ten. This has been with no doubt an excellent season for the Repsol Honda Team.