2007 FIM MotoGP World Championship Motegi, Japan September 23, 2007 Race Results (wet/dry conditions): 1. Loris CAPIROSSI (Ducati), Bridgestone, 24 laps, 47:05.484, pitted 2. Randy DE PUNIET (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, -10.853 seconds, pitted 3. Toni ELIAS (Honda), Bridgestone, -11.526, pitted 4. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Yamaha), Dunlop, -12.192, pitted 5. Marco MELANDRI (Honda), Bridgestone, -28.569, pitted 6. Casey STONER (Ducati), Bridgestone, -31.179, pitted 7. Anthony WEST (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, -50.001, pitted, ride-through penalty 8. Alex BARROS (Ducati), Bridgestone, -52.343, pitted 9. Nicky HAYDEN (Honda), Michelin, -53.629, pitted 10. John HOPKINS (Suzuki), Bridgestone, -59.715, pitted 11. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki), Bridgestone, -62.804, pitted 12. Makoto TAMADA (Yamaha), Dunlop, -69.313, pitted 13. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha), Michelin, -69.699, pitted twice 14. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha), Michelin, -71.735, pitted 15. Shinichi ITO (Ducati), Bridgestone, -72.290, pitted 16. Shinya NAKANO (Honda), Michelin, -92.979, pitted 17. Akira YANAGAWA (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, -1 lap, pitted 18. Carlos CHECA (Honda), Michelin, -1 lap, pitted twice 19. Kousuke AKIYOSHI (Suzuki), Bridgestone, -4 laps, DNF, pitted, retired 20. Dani PEDROSA (Honda), Michelin, -10 laps, DNF, crash 21. Kurtis ROBERTS (KR-Honda), Michelin, -23 laps, DNF, retired 2007 FIM MotoGP World Championship Point Standings (after 15 of 18 races): 1. Stoner, 297* 2. Rossi, 214 3. Pedrosa, 188 4. Hopkins, 156 5. Vermeulen, 152 6. Melandri, 148 7. Capirossi, 130 8. Nicky Hayden, 112 9. Edwards, 108 10. Barros, 91 11. Elias, 87 12. De Puniet, 78 13. Alex Hofmann, 65 14. TIE, Checa/West, 54 16. Guintoli, 43 17. Nakano, 42 18. Tamada, 37 19. Kurtis Roberts, 10 20. TIE, Michel Fabrizio/Roger Hayden, 6 22. Fonsi Nieto, 5 23. TIE, Olivier Jacque/Kenny Lee Roberts, 4 25. Ito, 1 *clinches 2007 Championship More, from a press release issued by Team Roberts: SHORT DAY FOR ROBERTS IN JAPAN Kurtis Roberts had a short afternoon at today’s Japanese GP, pulling in with tire problems on both of his Honda-powered Team Roberts KR212V hybrids on a day of changing weather at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit. The 15th round of the World Championship featured flag to flag racing, with riders starting the 24 lap race on rain tires before pitting to change motorcycles as a dry line developed on the track north of Tokyo. But from the very start, Roberts was in trouble. After passing five riders early on the first lap, he found a troubling lack of rear tire traction. Thinking it was oil on the tire, Roberts pulled into the pits to swap bikes. But his second motorcycle was fitted with cut slicks which he quickly discovered were inappropriate for the conditions. A lap spent trying to stay upright convinced the youngest son of the team owner to preserve himself and the motorcycle for the next race at Phillip Island, Australia in three weeks time. The race was won by Loris Capirossi (Ducati), from Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki) and Toni Elias (Honda). Australian Casey Stoner clinched Ducati’s first MotoGP World Championship with a sixth place finish. KURTIS ROBERTS – DID NOT FINISH I just got around about five guys in the first lap and then about four corners from the end of the lap all of a sudden the thing started coming around really badly. I could tell the thing was just skip-sliding across the asphalt. And it started doing it coming in and going out, like there was oil or something getting on the tire. I wanted to stay on the bike, but I didn’t know what was wrong. We were on the hard rear rain tire and it didn’t work at all. It looked like it was the soft. I just pulled in, because I didn’t know what was going on. We tried the bike with cut slicks and there was no way it was it going to work that early in the race. I almost crashed every corner on the thing. It was just too wet to give the cut slicks a chance to work. It’s unfortunate, because we could have had a good race I think. Typical luck this year. CHUCK AKSLAND TEAM MANAGER He got a good start, he was aggressive, he got by a couple of guys. Then he said that four or five corners in a row the thing was completely sideways. Bad enough to where he suspected an oil leak and pulled in. The other bike we had set up for cut slicks anticipating it would dry out. He went out on that; he just said he couldn’t even lean it over. It was scary. It’s a shame, because somebody missed the boat on that one. There were no mechanical problems with the first bike. We’ve been to Phillip Island down on horsepower before and still been able to achieve good lap times. The bike seems to be handling OK. I think every race we go to is down to what tires we get, really, what the choices will be, and what the conditions are. More, from a press release issued by Konica Minolta Honda: KONICA MINOLTA Honda out of the points at home in Japan It proved to be a tough home race for Shinya Nakano and the KONICA MINOLTA Honda Team at today’s Japanese Grand Prix. With rain arriving in time for the morning warm-up, Shinya was 11th fastest as he and the Team made set-up preparations for a wet start to this afternoon’s 24-lap race. The race was declared wet, but within just a few laps conditions began to change and as the track began to dry out, it was only a matter of time before the riders had to pit to switch to their second bikes fitted with dry-weather tyres and settings. Shinya pitted his KONICA MINOLTA Honda with 12 laps to go but found that he did not have enough grip from his slick tyres in the difficult conditions and also had a vibration problem from the rear of his Honda RCV212V machine. Gianluca Montiron Team Manager KONICA MINOLTA Honda “With these conditions at the beginning of the race, you can see the riders spend a little time to understand the conditions and I think we lost a little bit of time in the early laps. Within two or three laps Shinya was more consistent and he began to get into a good rhythm. When the track dries out, it’s the rider who has to decide when to enter the pits to change to the dry set-up bike and I think Shinya came in at about the right time. After he went out on the bike with slicks he needed a few laps to understand the feeling and feedback from the machine, but he didn’t get a good feeling from our technical package today in these difficult conditions, so this is the reason for our performance. We are all obviously disappointed as our expectations were higher as we look on this race as another ‘home’ Grand Prix in front of our sponsor.” Shinya Nakano Rider, KONICA MINOLTA Honda (16th) “I am disappointed that my home Grand Prix has ended this way. The race started full wet, but it was soon beginning to dry and I saw some riders pitting. I was going to pit, but the Michelin wet tyres were working well in the drying conditions. I maybe could have pitted a couple of laps earlier, but when I eventually changed bikes there were still some damp parts of the track and I couldn’t push hard. I found it hard to get feedback from the harder compound slick tyres, which made it a difficult race for me. It’s hard to accept a result like this at my home GP, but I now have to look forward to the final three races.” Giulio Bernardelle Technical Director, KONICA MINOLTA Honda “This has been a very difficult race for us. In the wet morning warm-up our situation wasn’t so bad as Michelin gave us a new family of wet-weather tyres to try and they were good, so if the race was in full-wet conditions we could have had a good race. By the time Shinya had gone out on the dry set-up machine he felt that the grip levels weren’t there so his lap-times were not high enough to battle with the other riders. We can see that when conditions aren’t either fully wet or fully dry and when the temperature isn’t constant we have problems with the grip levels. Shinya also had some sort of vibration problem from the rear of the machine, we do not know yet what it was but perhaps it was related to the level of grip in the corners.” More, from a press release isssued by Bridgestone: Bridgestone celebrates perfect home result – Stoner clinches title, Capirossi wins Round 15 Japan – Race Motegi Circuit – Sunday 23 September 2007 Bridgestone is today celebrating the perfect result in its home grand prix in Motegi with Ducati’s Casey Stoner securing the world championship crown with a sixth placed finish in today’s chaotic Japanese GP, while his team-mate Loris Capriossi led a Bridgestone 1-2-3 with a sensational first victory of the season. Bridgestone riders took all the podium places this afternoon, led by triumphant Capirossi, his third consecutive win in Motegi, and the fourth in a row at the track for a rider on Bridgestone tyres. Randy de Puniet crossed the line in second position to score the first podium of the season for Kawasaki, while Honda Gresini’s Toni Elias took his second podium of the season on Bridgestone tyres with a superb third place. A weather-affected race saw riders start the 24-lap on wet tyres but switch to slick-equipped machines at different intervals as the track started to partially dry. Bridgestone’s wet weather tyres provided good early pace but as the track started to get drier, the wet tyre performance was affected, benefiting those who had pitted earlier for slicks. One of the biggest beneficiaries was Capirossi who used his advantage to the maximum on the way to a popular victory. Stoner’s biggest championship rival, Valentino Rossi, was unable to finish higher than thirteenth, so Stoner’s sixth place extended his points advantage to an unassailable 83 and deservedly earned the Bridgestone-shod Ducati rider the 2007 world championship. For Bridgestone, it is the first MotoGP world championship title. Bridgestone has been in MotoGP since 2002, taking its first podium result in 2003 courtesy of Honda’s Makoto Tamada. The debut win on Bridgestone tyres was one year later as Tamada took two victories in Rio and at Motegi. The following year, 2005, Capirossi and Ducati took two victories in Malaysia and Motegi, while in 2006 Capirossi took the top step of the podium three times on his way to third in the championship. Casey Stoner has scored 8 of the ten wins on Bridgestone tyres this season on his way to the 2007 title in just his first year with Ducati and on Bridgestone tyres. To date, riders on Bridgestone tyres have taken 18 victories, 51 podiums and 20 pole positions in 97 GPs. Shoshi Arakawa Bridgestone Corporation Chairman of the Board, President and CEO (in attendance today) “Congratulations to Casey Stoner and the Ducati Corse team for their 2007 MotoGP championship triumph and to Loris Capirossi for a tremendous win today. His victory makes it four wins in a row on Bridgestone tyres at Motegi in our home grand prix. I am greatly honoured to see Casey win this championship in only our sixth season of competition and on our home soil. This is a truly unforgettable day for Bridgestone. Thank you to all our teams and riders for their continued hard work, to all the fans who have come to the Twin Ring Motegi and to motorsport fans around the world.” Hiroshi Yamada Bridgestone Motorsport Manager, Motorcycle Sport Unit “This is a truly amazing feeling and I really do not have the words to convey how I feel with today’s result and with Casey and Ducati taking the riders’ title in our home GP. It has not been the easiest of weekends, but I am so honoured that we could secure a 1-2-3 with Loris showing his true Motegi magic once again, as well as the results from Randy and Kawasaki and Toni and Honda Gresini. Well done to everyone for a great job in really tough conditions, also a special thanks to all Bridgestone staff who have worked tirelessly for this fantastic result. Casey has been a really special addition to the Bridgestone family this year and I would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to him for this well deserved championship, the first ever in motorcycle racing for a rider on Bridgestone tyres.” Casey Stoner Ducati Corse 2007 MotoGP World Champion “There is really no better feeling than this. I didn’t really expect to clinch the title this weekend. It would have been a dream to win the title at any of the remaining races but to do it here with three races remaining is unreal. There’s a lot of people I have to thank – my parents who have always been there for me and supported me through my whole career, my wife, who has been there through this season and the past few, and everybody who has helped me along the way – my whole Ducati team and everyone at Bridgestone.” Bridgestone’s Japanese GP Race Results in Brief P1 Loris Capirossi Ducati Corse Winner; P2 Randy de Puniet Kawasaki – +10.853s; P3 Toni Elias Honda Gresini – +11.526s; P5 Marco Melandri Honda Gresini – +28.569s; P6 Casey Stoner Ducati Corse – +31.179s; P7 Anthony West Kawasaki – +50.001s; P8 Alex Barros Pramac d’Antin – +52.343s; P10 John Hopkins Suzuki – +59.715s; P11 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki – +1m02.804s; P15 Shinichi Ito Pramac d’Antin – +1m12.290s; P17 Akira Yanagawa Kawasaki – +1 lap; DNF Kousuke Akiyoshi Suzuki – +4 laps More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Top-10 for Hopkins as unlucky Akiyoshi is forced to retire Rizla Suzuki MotoGP had a frustrating Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi today with all three riders suffering various levels of difficulties over an entertaining and bizarre 24-lap race. John Hopkins was the highest finishing Rizla Suzuki rider with 10th place. He struggled to get enough grip right from the start of the race which was wet after heavy showers this morning and lost several places early on. As the track began to dry he pitted his GSV-R at the end of lap 10 to change to a machine with dry tyres. He re-joined the race in 16th place and set about chasing down the pack in front of him, fighting his way through the field and eventually bringing his bike home in 10th. Chris Vermeulen’s race was nearly over on the start-line as his bike stalled just as the lights changed to go. One of his mechanics had to run on to the grid and re-start the bike before Vermeulen could get away. Suzuki’s Australian star was over 40 seconds behind the leader at the end of lap one, but he fought his way back into contention and was at one point inside the top-10. He finally followed team-mate Hopkins home in 11th place, which was a tremendous effort considering his start. Kousuke Akiyoshi was the unluckiest of all three Rizla Suzuki men today. The Japanese test rider, making only his third Grand Prix start, was in a comfortable seventh place – in front of many established MotoGP stars – before a mechanical issue forced him to retire with just over three laps remaining. Today’s race was watched by a colourful and enthusiastic Japanese crowd who saw Loris Capirossi on his Bridgestone-shod Ducati win his third Japanese Grand Prix in succession. Casey Stoner, also on a Ducati, was crowned MotoGP World Champion after his sixth place was enough to secure him the title. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP now travels south across the Pacific for the only round of the championship staged in the southern hemisphere. Round 16 of the MotoGP World Championship will be held at Phillip Island in Australia on Sunday 14th October. John Hopkins: “The race was all over the place with the drying track. I think I chose a bit too soft of a compound when we first went out and I was sliding around a lot and lost quite a bit of time. I came in and got the dry bike and set about working as hard as I could. I ran off the track once and we had a couple of little mechanical issues, but nothing too serious. We needed to salvage some points from today and we did that. I would like to say congratulations to Casey on winning the championship today he certainly deserves it. Other than that I hope we have a lot better time in the next three races than we did at this one!” Chris Vermeulen: “We had a problem at the start which certainly wasn’t good. The guys had to run on the track and start my bike for me. When I got going I felt alright, but the track was drying quickly and I knew it was only a matter of time before I had to come in and change bikes. It was difficult to gauge how quickly to go in those conditions and when I went out on slick tyres there was still a lot of water on the track so it was quite slippery! It was all about taking risks and trying to be quick in some places and smooth in others. We really struggled to get enough heat into the tyres and brakes in these conditions, but in the last few laps we got going. To come from nearly a minute behind on the first lap to 11th is ok, but it is not good enough. I have got to work on my qualifying and we need to fix the problem with the bike in time for the next race back home in Australia. Finally, well done to Casey, it’s good to see an Aussie as champion; I just need to make sure it’s me next time!” Kousuke Akiyoshi: “I was having a good race and really enjoying myself. The bike and the tyres were working well and I thought I was going to get a good finish. But something happened to my bike and I had to stop. I am really disappointed because I would like to have given Suzuki a good result as a thank you for this weekend!” Paul Denning Team Manager: “It’s been a difficult weekend for Rizla Suzuki MotoGP in Motegi and today the luck didn’t go with us either. I feel particularly bad for Akiyoshi-san. He did really well all weekend and looked set for a good finish. He made a great effort here, turned a few heads and deserved a better result he was faster than Chris and John today and can be proud of his efforts. “Chris and John both had a number of issues; most notably Chris with his bike stopping on the start-line and neither of the guys had a good feeling in either the wet or dry conditions. We’ve had a great season so far, but this weekend is a clear demonstration that you can’t assume anything and we will have to work extremely hard between now and Phillip Island to make sure we are back on the pace. “On behalf of Rizla Suzuki MotoGP I would like to say well done to Casey Stoner, Ducati and Bridgestone for a well deserved World Championship. We’ll be working overtime between now and the start of next season to make sure we are in a position to compete with them in 2008.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: The long wait for the standout performer of the season is over: Casey Stoner has finally achieved his dream of becoming the 2007 MotoGP World Champion. Sixth place at the A-Style Grand Prix of Japan, coupled with closest rival Valentino Rossi’s desperate misfortune with his setup that left him in 13th position, was enough for the Australian to establish an unattainable points advantage and become the second youngest MotoGP World Champion in history. The race itself was also history in the making; the first ever wet-dry Grand Prix in which riders were permitted a change to a dry set-up. The forgotten man of Ducati this season, Loris Capirossi continued his Motegi winning streak after gambling on an early change. The Italian won by over thirteen seconds in one of his final races for Ducati, the third time in as many years that he has taken victory in Japan. Many had written-off ‘Capirex’s chances of another win for the Italian factory team, but the well-travelled veteran showed his expert judgement with a perfectly judged strategy. Randy de Puniet took his first ever podium finish in second, Kawasaki’s best result of the season. The Frenchman came back from two early run-offs, and kept his cool to bring the Ninja ZX-RR800 home in a rostrum place. He was joined by Toni Elias, a consistent threat in wet or dry who changed bikes at the perfect time. Elias had to be quick on his still injured leg to change machines in pit lane, and was put to the test as he was hunted down before putting in the fastest lap of the race with two to go. The man that had him most closely in his sights was Sylvain Guintoli, who took a superb fourth onboard the Dunlop-shod Yamaha M1. Continually putting in the fastest laps of the race, Guintoli squeezed out everything he could from the 800cc machine to come close to his first MotoGP podium, but despite coming up short had an amazing race for his best MotoGP result. Finishing fifth, Marco Melandri had led the race during the wet stage after a fantastic start. The Italian made a masterful move when passed by Valentino Rossi, darting into the pits to make his change the moment he relinquished the lead. However, all eyes were on the man in sixth, as Stoner wrapped up the title with his lowest finish of the season, a sign of his tremendous consistency in 2007. Having stayed out longer than most of the field when battling for the lead, the Ducati rider came in with ten laps to go to switch to his dry bike. Rossi stayed out, and when the Italian did make his change Stoner was in fifth place. Another visit to the garage for Rossi when he ran off track, followed by more problems for the former champion, meant that Stoner could relax whilst Rossi had to endure the torture of riding in a lowly position knowing that the title was lost. For Stoner, the elation of the moment was obvious; for a devastated Rossi there was little to say. In the lead on the opening laps, Anthony West was called in for a ride through penalty by Race Direction for a jump start; a setback for the Kawasaki rider that he refused to let affect him. Alex Barros, Nicky Hayden and John Hopkins completed the top ten, ascending a place each when Suzuki wildcard Kousuke Akiyoshi was forced to retire when above them, and 2006 MotoGP World Champion Hayden was one of the first to congratulate his successor Stoner on the cool down lap. Poleman Dani Pedrosa suffered a highside after staying out longer than every other rider apart from Rossi, paying the price for pushing too hard on wet tyres. 250cc Mika Kallio added his debut 250cc triumph to his previous two 125cc Motegi victories, continuing a three year winning run at the Japanese circuit. The Finn put his considerable experience of the track, along with his previous outings in ice racing in his homeland, to full effect in an excellent quarter litre race that will be a contender for the Grand Prix of the season. A spellbinding battle developed between the KTM and Kopron Team Scot Honda squadrons, with Kallio, Hiroshi Aoyama, Andrea Dovizioso and Yuki Takahashi involved in a four-way duel for the victory. Two crashes for the home riders left the contenders for the win as just Kallio and title challenger Dovizioso, and when backmarkers became involved the Finn could extend his gap just enough to hold out for victory. Second place for Dovizioso, combined with an eleventh place finish for World Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo, leaves the gap between the two in the standings at 36 points with three races to go. Lorenzo had the mathematical chance of retaining his crown this weekend, but now the tussle for the title is extended for another race in the quarter litre class. Hector Barbera completed the podium spots onboard his Team Toth Aprilia, having had a great weekend in which he was able to fully concentrate on his race setup without the mechanical problems of recent rounds. He was trailed by Yuki Takahashi, the first rider to buckle in the podium battle as he ran off on lap nineteen, Alex de Angelis and Julian Simon, who also took an excursion onto the Motegi grass. Marco Simoncelli headed the Aoyama brothers Hiroshi and Shuhei, who both suffered disappointment at their home race. Older sibling Hiroshi lowsided when trying to reclaim second from Andrea Dovizioso, and saw his chances of a third consecutive 250cc win go up in smoke, whilst Shuhei was unable to hold onto a top position after starting from pole position. Thomas Luthi was the final rider in the top ten. 125cc Taking his fourth victory of the 2007 season, Mattia Pasini was the first rider of the day to come out on top in the rain of Motegi. The Polaris World rider had started from pole, although as has been demonstrated this year this was no guarantee of the win for Pasini. The Italian established a gap from the first corner, and second placed rider Gabor Talmacsi was only a peripheral figure after an early push to catch up with the eventual race winner. Talmacsi’s second place extends his lead in the 125cc World Championship over today’s third place finisher Hector Faubel to nine points, with the battle against his Spanish team-mate set to go the distance this season as both Aspar riders chase the title. Behind the podium finishers, Mike di Meglio had an excellent wet race only blighted by a crash on lap fourteen, which came just after the Frenchman had moved up into second. The top six was completed by Joan Olive and Simone Corsi, ahead of Pablo Nieto, Sergio Gadea, Michael Ranseder and Andrea Iannone. Ranseder’s result was particularly impressive considering the fact that he was riding with a broken foot after a morning highside yesterday, one which ruled him out of the afternoon qualifying session and left him starting well down on the grid. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Bridgestone-shod Casey Stoner 2007 MotoGP World Champion Motegi, Japan – Sunday 23 September 2007 Bridgestone-shod Casey Stoner and the Ducati Corse team has today clinched the 2007 MotoGP World Championship title, the first ever premier class motorcycle championship on Bridgestone tyres in only the company’s sixth season in MotoGP. Stoner’s success is the culmination of a dream debut season with Ducati and Bridgestone which has seen the 21-year-old Australian sensation take a mighty eight race victories aboard his Ducati Desmosedici GP7 equipped with Bridgestone tyres. For Bridgestone, it is the realisation of many years of dedication and hard work, and has ensured that its impressive motorsport CV can now boast a premier class two-wheeled world championship to add to its enviable list of four-wheeled triumphs, including the pinnacle of four-wheeled racing, Formula 1. Bridgestone’s MotoGP career was carved out from its humble beginnings as tyre suppliers in the 250cc and 500cc classes of the All Japan Championships in the 1980s, but it was not until 1991 that Bridgestone’s foray into world championships commenced as the manufacturer embarked on a 13-year involvement in 125cc world championship racing. Along the way, Bridgestone tyres helped 125cc riders to amass thirty race victories and 85 individual podium results up to and including its final season in 2003. Bridgestone also concurrently supplied tyres to a handful of private teams in the 250cc class in mid-1990s. At the turn of the century, Keisuke Suzuki, then Bridgestone Board Member and now Advisor attended the Spanish GP in Jerez and was so amazed by the rapturous and enthusiastic 150,000 fans in attendance that he decided to expand Bridgestone’s involvement in motorcycling to the 500cc pinnacle (now known as MotoGP). A five year plan was subsequently implemented to take Bridgestone step-by-step on the way to the ultimate goal of seeing a rider on Bridgestone tyres win the MotoGP championship. In 2001, Bridgestone took its first tentative steps with inaugural track tests of 500cc specification racing tyres. In stark contrast to the passionate throng of fans who had inspired Keisuke Suzuki’s decision to enter MotoGP, initial tyre testing took place at a deserted Jerez in southern Spain. Meanwhile, development work was ongoing at Bridgestone’s Japanese technical centre in Kodaira on the outskirts of Tokyo, in preparation for the company’s debut season in the renamed MotoGP championship in 2002. Bridgestone supported two teams and three riders in its debut MotoGP season with Juergen van den Goorbergh and the Kanemoto Racing team, as well as Nobuatsu Aoki and Jeremy McWilliams in the Proton Team KR, run by three-time 500cc world champion Kenny Roberts Senior. Highlights of the debut season were a best race result of fifth scored by van der Goorbergh in Phillip Island and a debut pole position on Bridgestone tyres scored in the same weekend by McWilliams. Bridgestone continued to supply three riders in 2003, its final year in the 125cc championship. Both Aoki and McWilliams stayed on with the Proton Team KR but the Pramac Honda team opted for Bridgestone tyres with its rider Makoto Tamada. Tamada would set some of the landmarks for Bridgestone’s participation in MotoGP starting in the 2003 season with the first ever podium finish on Bridgestone tyres at Rio. Tamada finished an encouraging third, just 7 seconds from the race winner, Valentino Rossi. In 2004, Bridgestone’s portfolio of teams and riders began to take a familiar shape with the Kawasaki and Suzuki teams coming on board. Tamada also continued with the renamed Camel Honda team for what would be his final season on Bridgestone tyres. Tamada took the first two victories on Bridgestone MotoGP rubber in Rio and on home soil at the Motegi Twin Ring. An additional podium result in Estoril helped Tamada to 6th in the championship, while Nakano took the first Kawasaki podium on Bridgestone tyres with third place in Motegi. In 2005, Ducati Corse took the decision to switch tyre manufacturers and chose Bridgestone as their technical partner to join Suzuki and Kawasaki as Bridgestone-equipped teams. All three teams enjoyed podium success with Olivier Jacque taking a career-best second place in the debut Chinese GP and Kenny Roberts Junior enjoying a trip to the rostrum in Donington Park, but it was Loris Capirossi aboard his Ducati who shone in Bridgestone’s fourth season. The Italian veteran scored two consecutive pole-flag victories in Japan and Malaysia which helped him to 6th place in the end-of-season standings. Last season, Capirossi went even further and had it not been for the now infamous Catalunya crash, he may have mounted an even greater assault on the championship title. He kick-started his season in style by claiming the first ever Bridgestone-shod win on European soil with victory in Jerez. He followed that up with impressive podium results in Qatar, Le Mans and Mugello to lead the championship moving into the Catalan round. Once fully recovered from injuries sustained in that accident, which also took out several other riders, Capirossi returned in style to claim victories in Brno and Motegi, as well as a thrilling runner-up slot in Malaysia. He ultimately took a hard-fought third place in the championship with three wins. The improvements made to Bridgestone’s range of MotoGP tyres was made more evident across its three teams with Shinya Nakano taking a second-placed podium finish for Kawasaki in Assen and Chris Vermeulen laying claim to second place for Suzuki in Phillip Island. As a stand-in for the season finale in Valencia, Troy Bayliss stunned the paddock with a victorious ride to take the number of wins on Bridgestone tyres to four, double the number of the preceding year and the combined number of podiums to 11. Over the winter 2006-2007 numerous changes were made to offer Bridgestone an even greater MotoGP challenge than ever before. New tyre regulations were introduced restricting the number of tyres that a rider can use during the race weekend to just 31 pre-selected tyres (17 rears and 14 fronts). At the same time, bike technical regulations were changed to reduce engine capacity from 990cc to 800cc. Bridgestone also expanded its number of supplied teams from three to five and the number of riders from six to ten. For a tyre manufacturer with such comparative inexperience, Bridgestone had set its hurdles high. Among the riders new to Bridgestone tyres in 2007 were Honda Gresini duo Toni Elias and Marco Melandri, Pramac d’Antin rider Alex Barros and Ducati’s new recruit Casey Stoner. Stoner’s early wins in Qatar and Turkey set him on course for a championship assault that would be insurmountable with eight victories, equalling to the total number scored on Bridgestone tyres in the previous five seasons, and five pole positions. On difficult weekends, Stoner still ensured an unbroken run of top six race results and up to today’s Japanese GP, he has been the only rider to have scored points in every round. For Bridgestone, its most successful season to date, was further proven with strong results across its five teams. Honda Gresini scored its first Bridgestone-shod podiums with Toni Elias in Turkey and Motegi and Marco Melandri in Le Mans and USA, Pramac d’Antin took a surprise podium in Mugello with Alex Barros, while Bridgestone veteran Loris Capirossi enjoyed continued winning success in Motegi today and further podium success in Turkey and Sachsenring. Suzuki has also enjoyed its most successful season in the MotoGP era with seven podiums courtesy of its rider pairing John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen with the latter taking a well deserved and popular win in the French GP at Le Mans. Bridgestone has benefited from a stable workforce over the years with the majority of its German-based fitting team still the same as in the 125cc days. Bridgestone prides itself on the strength in depth of its team and partners and is pleased to have played such an integral part in Stoner and Ducati’s championship-winning season, which has been secured in advance of the Valencia GP, which, perhaps fittingly, will be Bridgestone’s 100th MotoGP event. Bridgestone-shod Casey Stoner 2007 MotoGP World Champion More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Casey Stoner was always earmarked out for greatness when he made his debut as a wildcard at Donington Park in 2001. Having been drafted into the same academy system which has seen the likes of Dani Pedrosa and Toni Elias rise through the MotoGP ranks, Stoner took full advantage of his family’s bold move to Europe to build on a promising national dirt-track career. Beginning a permanent Grand Prix career in the 250cc class under the guidance of Lucio Cecchinello, it was when he dropped down to the 125s the following season that the motorcycling world began to take notice, as he took four podiums and a win at the final round. In 2004 he battled for the 125 championship with KTM, taking their first ever Grand Prix victory and finishing fifth overall. A return to the LCR team and the 250 class in 2005 saw him battle his old stablemate Pedrosa for the 250cc title, winning five races on the Aprilia, before he continued with LCR for his and the team’s rookie season in MotoGP on board a Honda. His rookie year in 2006 saw flashes of brilliance mixed with a few disappointing crashes, but stand-out moments included pole position in just his second race at Qatar followed by a battle to the line with Marco Melandri in Turkey where he was just pipped into second place. His performances saw the Ducati factory come knocking at the door, and since the end of 2006 his career has gone into overdrive. A maiden MotoGP victory 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, it was clear the Stoner juggernaut was rolling towards a title tilt. 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. He has been the dominant force in MotoGP this season, the only rider to score points in every round, and with four rounds still to go he seals the title with a total of 297 points, 8 wins and 11 podiums, including 5 pole positions. Birth date: 16/10/1985 (21 years) Birth place: Southport, AUS First Grand Prix: GBR 2001 – 125cc First Pole Position: ITA 2003 – 125cc First Podium: GER 2003 – 125cc First GP Victory: VAL 2003 – 125cc Grand Prix Starts: 92 Grand Prix Victories: 15 Podiums: 32 Pole Positions: 10 Race Fastest Lap: 9 World Championship Win: 1 – 2007 – MotoGP Total Points 2006: 297 *all data correct at 23/09/2007 (Japanese GP) MotoGP Career 2001: 125cc World Championship – 29th position on a Honda, 2 starts, 4 points 2002: 250cc World Championship 12th position on an Aprilia, 5 starts, 68 points 2003: 125cc World Championship 8th position on an Aprilia, 14 starts, 125 points, 1 win 2004: 125cc World Championship – 5th position on a KTM, 14 starts, 145 points, 1 win 2005: 250cc World Championship 2nd position on an Aprilia, 16 starts, 254 points, 5 wins 2006: MotoGP World Championship 7th position on a Honda, 16 starts, 119 points 2007: MotoGP World Championship 1st position on a Ducati, 15 starts, 297 points, 8 wins Some facts about Stoner’s achievement – At the age of 21 years and 342 days, Stoner becomes the second youngest rider to win the premier-class title in the 59-year history of world championship Grand Prix racing. – He is only the fifth rider in history to win eight or more premier-class races in a single season along with motorcycling greats Giacomo Agostini, Mike Hailwood, Mick Doohan and Valentino Rossi. – He wins a first MotoGP riders’ title for Ducati and it is also the first time a European manufacturer has won the title since Phil Read on an MV Agusta in1974. – Stoner is the third Australian to win the MotoGP title, after MotoGP Legends Mick Doohan and Wayne Gardner. More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: TITLE BID OVER FOR ROSSI AFTER FATEFUL DAY FOR YAMAHA IN JAPAN Weather and tyre issues brought about an end to Valentino Rossi’s slim title chances today, as he finished 13th in Motegi despite a heroic ride which saw him lead the race at one point. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards suffered similar problems in what was an extraordinary race, finishing one place behind Rossi in 14th. With the asphalt still wet after a morning of light rain, the riders started with wet-weather tyres on a fast-drying track. Rossi got a poor start from second on the grid and crossed the line for the first time in seventh place, with Edwards behind him in eighth. An outstanding ride from the seven-time World Champion then saw him fight his way back to the front, making up five seconds on the leaders and taking the lead on lap 14. The racing line by now was almost completely dry however, and behind him most riders had already opted to pit and change onto their second bikes with slick tyres. When Rossi eventually came in to change one lap later he had built up such a lead that he was able to re-join the race in second place, behind eventual winner Loris Capirossi, but Yamaha’s jubilation was short-lived as Rossi immediately ran into serious issues with his front tyre and was forced to pit again. He rejoined the race in 15th but was able to make up only two places to the finish as he struggled with grip. Edwards, who was in third place when Rossi came in for the first time, rejoined in eighth but had similar tyre problems and also dropped back through the field to cross the line two seconds behind his team-mate. Casey Stoner took sixth place, which was enough to secure him the World Championship title. Rossi remains second and 26 points clear of Dani Pedrosa, who failed to finish the race, while Edwards drops two places down the standings to ninth, with three races remaining. Valentino Rossi Position: 13th Time: +1’09.699 “It’s a great pity for us how everything has turned out this weekend, because in the dry we were faster than Stoner and we could have had a good chance. The first problem today was the weather this morning, but actually we were able to find a good setting for the bike and when the race started we were quite hopeful. I got a bad start but on the drying track I had the fastest pace and I was able to make up five seconds to the leaders. After I passed Melandri I came into the box to change and maybe this was one lap too late, but our strategy was more or less okay because I was able to come back into the race with only Loris in front of me. We had an intermediate front tyre, a slick cut which is normal in these situations, but the bike was almost impossible for me to ride and turn and it felt like there was something seriously wrong. I came back in but my mechanics could see there was nothing wrong so I went straight out again, and by then it was too late; the race was over for me and the championship was gone. After four or five laps the tyre began to work better and I was able to keep going to the end, but without this problem it would have been possible for me to be on the podium or even to fight for the win with Loris. The conditions were very unfortunate. However this is racing and now we have three more races and we will do our best to find a way to win and end the season on a high note. I’m really sorry for my fans and for everyone in the team. Congratulations to Loris but especially to Casey on becoming world champion. I am very flattered that he made a dedication to me on his victory t-shirt, if someone else has to win then I am glad it’s one of my fans! He is a great rival and I hope that we can continue this rivalry into the future.” Colin Edwards Position: 14th Time: +1’11.735 “From the beginning it was really a little bit too dry the bike felt a lot better this morning when it was wetter. To be on rain tyres on a track like that was quite limiting and as it got drier I was just conscious of needing to conserve my tyres as best I could. It was actually going okay and I made up a fair bit of ground from the start, but I think we probably came in a couple of laps too late to change bikes. In the end though it didn’t matter because the front tyre I went back out on, the cut slick, was a disaster and I had no choice but to slow right down while I tried to figure out what on earth was going on. Valentino came in because it was such a bad feeling and I nearly did the same thing, but in the end I stayed out and just tip-toed around until I could work out how to kind of ride it. I thought this morning that we had a half way decent chance today, so it’s a real pity. Thanks to all my guys and everyone in the team, they worked as hard as ever and everyone deserved a better result today. Congratulations to Casey as well, he’s ridden great all season and he deserves the title.” Davide Brivio Fiat Yamaha Team Director “In the first part of the race, with the fast-drying track, the conditions were exactly like those in which we had some problems earlier in the season. Valentino however rode an outstanding race and was able to recover almost five seconds to the top riders after a bad start. After he came into the pit to change his bike, he rejoined the race in a good position but was forced to come back to the pit again because he thought there was a technical problem in the front. Our mechanics checked quickly but found everything to be normal, so he went back out onto the track. In reality the problem was with the front tyre, which made his bike unrideable for the first few laps after the change. After he rejoined it took him several laps to “understand” the front tyre, and then was able to finish the race. Colin too had the same feeling with the front tyre after he changed bikes and he too took several laps before he was able to ride the bike as he wanted. Our strategy was almost perfect, since Valentino was able to rejoin the race in second position, but unfortunately with the slick tyres we were not able to stay on top. My congratulations to Stoner for this title, we have a great rival for the future and we hope that next year will be very exciting.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: TRIUMPHANT KAWASAKI CELEBRATE IN JAPAN An elated Kawasaki Racing Team are today celebrating Randy de Puniet’s superb second place at the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, after one of the most thrilling races in recent MotoGP history. The 26-year-old Frenchman, starting from fourth on the grid, got off to a patchy start when he dropped back to 10th place as the pack launched itself off the line. He then had to contend with a couple of trips into the gravel, and a pit stop to change bikes, but it all failed to stop him from scoring his first ever premier class podium position. What started as a wet race soon turned out to be a dry one and pit lane was a hive of frenzied activity as, one by one, riders came in to change bikes and slick tyres became the order of the day. De Puniet swapped machines at the end of lap seven and went from eighth position to 13th when he rejoined the track. From there, he made steady progress until finding himself behind eventual winner, Loris Capirossi, on lap 16, where he stayed until the end. It is a longed-for and hard-earned reward for him, his crew, the team and Bridgestone who are also celebrating: all today’s top three riders, plus new world champion, Casey Stoner, are in partnership with the Japanese tyre manufacturer. Anthony West, also rode what can only be described as an incredible race. From sixth on the grid, the Australian found himself leading by the end of the second lap but, after a jump-start, he had to complete a ride through penalty and rejoined the pack in 14th. However, the 26-year-old was in no mood to give in and continued to fight his way back until he then had to pit again, this time to change bikes. In the process, he went from seventh to 11th but still he rode hard, eventually, and against all odds, finishing the race in a magnificent seventh, equalling his previous best MotoGP performance at Laguna Seca, where he’d encountered none of today’s obstacles. Wild card rider, Akira Yanagawa, also has something to smile about. Five years after debuting the first 990cc Kawasaki MotoGP bike at Motegi, but failing to finish after a mechanical problem caused him to crash out, the 36-year-old has now completed a premier class race, taking 17th position in a field of 21. He pulled a huge wheelie over the line, much to the delight of the team who were, by this stage, clambering all over pit wall in euphoria over all three riders’ achievements. It was a particularly special race for Kawasaki: the team’s first 800cc podium, the first podium this season, West leading a MotoGP for the first time and Yanagawa finally completing a premier class race. And all at the manufacturer’s home round. Randy De Puniet #14 – Position – 2nd “I’m very happy because that was a really hard race. I chose to use a hard rain tyre but after a few laps it felt too hard and twice I ended up in the gravel, losing me a lot of time. I changed to the bike with the slicks and, when I exited the pits, I thought my race was over but I continued to push. When I saw on my pit board I was in second I was really surprised but to be on the podium in Japan for Kawasaki and Bridgestone is perfect. And I’m really grateful to my crew because they’ve worked so hard to help me get here.” Anthony West #13 – Position – 7th “I could have done so much better. It was great to lead the race but I’m angry I jump-started. The ride through lost me a lot of time and then I didn’t know about changing the bikes because I’ve never done it before. When I did come in, I stalled and that lost me even more time. I didn’t know what was going on and it was pretty nerve-wracking. But the bike felt great today and I felt strong, too, which is why I was able to get to the front. Considering I had to stop twice and stalled the bike, I guess seventh’s not too bad!” Akira Yanagawa #87 – Position – 17th “It’s not the best position but my aim was to finish and I have. Five years of waiting is over! I had a problem with the rear brake at the start so I had to come in and change my bike, which had slicks on it and, at this stage, the track was still quite wet so it was like riding on an ice rink for a few laps. But then I started to make progress and my lap times were good. I’m really glad I finished at last!” Michael Bartholemy Kawasaki Competition Manager “A great race and a good weekend. It’s our first podium since the team have gone in house, so it’s quite a big moment for us, especially as it’s come at our home race and in front of our Japanese colleagues, who have put so much time and effort into making our Ninja ZX-RR so competitive. We were leading with Anthony and yes, we had his drive through penalty, but then he came back and rode a brilliant race. Congratulations also to Akira, who finally managed to finish his home race after five years of waiting. And we’re on the podium with Randy so, unless you win, I don’t think it gets much better.” More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing Honda: PODIUM AND FASTEST LAP FOR ELIAS AT MOTEGI Melandri also takes starring role with 5th place Toni Elias splashed his way bravely through the rain and played his race tactics perfectly to finish on the podium at Motegi. The Gresini Honda rider clocked the fastest lap of the race on his way to third place, with his team-mate Marco Melandri just two positions further back. It was a Bridgestone lock-out on the podium, with Loris Capirossi taking the victory ahead of Randy De Puniet and Toni Elias. Casey Stoner finished just behind Melandri in sixth place to clinch the title. Starting from the second row, Elias got away well but made an early mistake that saw him drop all the way back to tenth. The Spaniard then set about making up positions and when the track started to dry he timed his pit-stop perfectly on the ninth lap. Once he had gathered his confidence on the slick tyres, Elias charged through to third place behind De Puniet and held off a strong challenge from Sylvain Guintoli. Melandri also produced a fantastic performance but was penalised by the fact that he led for the majority of the race and couldn’t see when other riders were entering the pits. He eventually came in eleven laps from the end but didn’t have enough time to recover his position and was forced to settle for fifth place. TONI ELIAS (3rd in the race, 11th in the championship on 87 points): “I’m really happy to be back on the podium. This is an incredible result after the accident at Assen. It’s been a tough couple of months for me and this was a nice reward. I got a good start but I lost a few positions and found myself some way back. I didn’t have anything to lose so I came in early to change bikes. It proved to be the perfect time and the perfect strategy. In general it has been a perfect day, following on from a difficult weekend and a particularly tough race.” MARCO MELANDRI (5th in the race, 6th in the championship on 148 points): “I was having a good race in the wet, my feeling with the bike was really good and I was able to take over from Stoner and build a bit of a lead. When the track started to dry it was really difficult for me because I was leading the race and it was hard to judge the right moment to come and change the bike because there were still some wet patches. When they told me from pit wall to come in I did so but it was a few laps too late to come in. It took me a couple of laps to get used to the bike with the dry setting and I made a mistake that cost me a few places. I’m disappointed because I could have fought for the win today. Unfortunately the flag to flag rule puts the race leaders at a disadvantage. The positive thing is that I’ve closed the gap to fifth and fourth in the championship, with Vermeulen now four points ahead of me and Hopkins eight.” More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: LORIS CAPIROSSI SCORES GREAT MOTEGI WIN, CASEY STONER 2007 WORLD CHAMPION The Ducati Marlboro Team enjoyed its greatest day in Japan today, Casey Stoner securing Ducati’s first MotoGP World Championship and Loris Capirossi winning the race, run in tricky conditions on a drying track. The result triggered scenes of unbridled joy in the Ducati Marlboro Team pit, in the more than one thousand fans who watched the race in the Borgo Panigale Factory with the CEO Gabriele Del Torchio among them and in all the Ducatistis around the world. Australian genius Stoner had to finish today’s race ahead of Valentino Rossi to wrap up the title with three GPs remaining, and he did that, no problem, finishing sixth after leading the early stages. The race couldn’t have been more nerve-wracking: it started on a slightly damp track, most riders choosing rain tyres, then the circuit dried out enough for riders to swap to slick-equipped bikes. Capirossi was one of the first riders to switch, at the end of lap nine, and his strategy paid rich dividends, the 2005 and 2006 Japanese GP winner going on to score a Motegi hat-trick, 10.853 seconds ahead of his closest rival. Stoner swapped bikes at the end of lap 14 and maintained his renowned cool to become the second youngest premier-class World Champion, after American legend Freddie Spencer. So far this year Stoner has won eight races, taken three further podium finished and scored five pole positions. CASEY STONER, 6th, 2007 MotoGP World Champion on 297 points “At the moment it all feels a little bit unrealistic! I’m struggling for words, I don’t think there’s any feeling that can compare to this, but I think it’s really going to sink in as the day goes on and heads into tomorrow. The race started out quite well, we were able to get up front quite early and I had a reasonably good feeling with the bike, I was in a happy position. But then my rain tyres started wearing out as the track dried, and Valentino and Dani (Pedrosa) came past. I didn’t really know whether to come in or not, then my team put ‘box’ on my pitboard, so I had a bit more confidence to come in. After I changed bikes there was something up with the steering damper, the bike wasn’t allowing me to tip into corners, so I had to slow down to unwind it. Then I started to find more of a rhythm, Valentino had a problem and we managed to finish ahead of him. I guess that was the aim of the game today. Towards the end everything was creeping into my head, so I just tried to stay focused on the job in hand, I wanted to bring it home for my team. The whole thing is a bit overwhelming, because we didn’t really expect to get the championship today, it’s come on me quite quickly. There’s a lot of people I have to thank: my parents, who have always been there for me, they’ve supported me throughout my career, my wife Adriana’s who’s been there this season and the past few and everyone else who’s helped me along the way – Ducati, my whole team, Bridgestone tyres, a big thanks to everyone who’s had anything to with my career – we finally did it!” LORIS CAPIROSSI, winner, 7th in World Championship on 130 points “We struggled a lot this weekend and only yesterday did we find a better set-up solution. When I woke this morning and saw the rain I said ‘wow, for sure this is going to be a difficult day’. We didn’t know which would be the best tyres to use, so we started with medium rain tyres. At first it was really difficult, so I decided to pit early, and for sure my tactic was the best because I won my third consecutive race here, it’s a great moment for me. It’s also a great day for Casey, for Ducati and for the team. I congratulate Casey, he’s a really strong rider, I’m very happy for him.” GABRIELE DEL TORCHIO CEO Ducati Motor Holding “This success, besides its great strategic value, is the best demonstration of Ducati excellence, is a triumph of Italian intelligence, talent, competences and the warmth that is one of our country’s most vital assets. It’s an important and remarkable achievement, 34 years after the premier-class World Championship was last won by an Italian factory. It is a dream come true. We are speaking of a great feat realised thanks to Casey’s commitment, bravery and team work, united with the work of our draughtsmen, technicians, engineers, team members, sponsors and everyone at the factory. They have all worked with great passion and great skill to obtain this championship win, a success emphasized by today’s win by Loris, to whom we say a hearty thank you for the great job he’s done these past five years. The joy and the pride of experiencing this historic championship result pay back all our efforts and can only encourage us towards even more important and remarkable goals, both in the sporting and commercial arenas.” CLAUDIO DOMENICALI, Ducati Corse CEO/Ducati Motor Holding product director “It is a dream come true – a fantastic feeling, really fantastic. I don’t have enough words to thank all the guys who have contributed to this incredible achievement, which shows that Italy is a nation whose passion and talent can succeed in a hugely technically advanced field. It’s certainly a good reason for Italians to be proud – proud about the talent of our engineers and about the quality of our universities. It is also a sign that allows Italy to look to the future and into globalization with a pinch more optimism.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: ELIAS ON PODIUM AS RAIN THROWS RACE INTO CHAOS This was the MotoGP contest that defined the season with Casey Stoner securing his World MotoGP Championship title as Loris Capirossi (both Ducati) won from Kawasaki’s Randy de Puniet with Toni Elias (Gresini Honda RC212V) third here in Japan. In damp conditions after rain throughout the morning with an ambient temperature of 21-degrees, a track at 24-degrees, and perhaps most significantly 90% humidity reducing any likelihood of the track drying quickly, this 24-lap race got underway. It was poleman Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) who rocketed into an early lead with a fast-starting Elias taking the fight to his fellow Spaniard leading the chasers with Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) third early on and Stoner fifth. Dani led lap two and Anthony West (Kawasaki), who revels in wet conditions, had now jumped up to second in the early order. The Aussie would later be penalized for a jump-start with a ride-through penalty that would wreck his chances of what looked like a possible shock win. By lap four the order was West, Stoner, the rapid Marco Melandri (Gresini Honda RC212V) now in third, Pedrosa, de Puniet and then Valentino Rossi (Yamaha). But all was to change as the rain held off and a dry line began to appear. As West entered pitlane to serve his penalty, the rest of the runners began to plan when not if they would have to do likewise to change to spare bikes shod with different rubber; either cut slick tyres (for the majority of riders) or full slick tyres for those gambling on the track to dry fully and quickly. Melandri now led the race as Carlos Checa (LCR Honda RC212V) pitted first to swap bikes. Rossi lay third 3.7 seconds behind Stoner in second and as the former World Champion set an early fastest lap of the race, Hayden and Elias pitted while the rest of the field circulated. The risk of full-wet rubber deteriorating or disintegrating under the drying conditions was now high but by lap ten neither Melandri, Stoner nor Rossi had taken the plunge and sacrificed those podium places for a bike change. Indeed, Rossi took Stoner for second and then Melandri for the lead on lap 15. Marco then pitted and so did Stoner as Dani Pedrosa crashed out of the race while on wet tyres. Capirossi who had taken the gamble of pitting early for slicks now led and the Italian man would lead all the way to the flag now. Rossi was in trouble with his brakes and pitted again before emerging once more only to experience difficulties and drop way out of contention for the podium. Capirossi would win this exciting race from De Puniet and Elias while Sylvain Guintoli (Yamaha) narrowly missed a podium in fourth as Melandri made fifth, 28 seconds off the leader. Hayden managed ninth place in the turmoil while Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda RC212V) couldn’t capitalise on the chaos and fared no better than 16th. Checa ended up 18th and Kurtis Roberts (Roberts KR212V) failed to finish, pitting permanently in the early laps. The destiny of the World Championship was concluded here in Stoner’s favour. The Aussie now has an unassailable points lead of 297 points. Dani now faces an uphill struggle to steal second overall from Rossi. Dani has 188 points to Rossi’s 214. Third-placed Elias said: “I’m really happy to be back on the podium. This is an incredible result after the accident at Assen. It’s been a tough couple of months for me and this was a nice reward. I got a good start but I lost a few positions and found myself some way back. I didn’t have anything to lose so I came in early to change bikes. It proved to be the perfect time and the perfect strategy. In general it has been a perfect day, following on from a difficult weekend and a particularly tough race.” His team-mate Melandri in fifth said: “I was having a good race in the wet, my feeling with the bike was really good and I was able to take over from Stoner and build a bit of a lead. When the track started to dry it was really difficult for me because I was leading the race and it was hard to judge the right moment to come and change the bike because there were still some wet patches. The positive thing is that I’ve closed the gap to fifth and fourth in the Championship.” Ninth-placed Nicky Hayden said: “After the weekend we were having and how we felt after qualifying yesterday, it was a shame to see it rain this morning, but the weather is what it is. Really I think we’re lucky to salvage some kind of result out of the day if it had stayed wet we could have been in even more trouble. But ninth position for Honda’s home race is not the result we’d hoped for. It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever been on cut slicks I’ve been in rain tyres or intermediates before so I did get some useful experience. We’ve still got three more races and we’ll keep fighting. Lastly, congratulations to Casey. There’s a new World Champion today and so congratulations to him and his whole team they truly deserve it.” Dani Pedrosa, now confirmed as Honda rider for another two years, said: “Well this is obviously a very disappointing finish to what had been a promising weekend until this morning. In the dry we seemed to have a very good package, but the drying track for the race turned things into a bit of a lottery. With hindsight, perhaps I should have come into the pits a little earlier, but that’s an easier call to make now than at the time. Congratulations to Casey on the championship. He has been very strong all season and really deserves the title today.” Shinya Nakano said: “I am disappointed that my home Grand Prix has ended this way. I was going to pit, but the Michelin wet tyres were working well in the drying conditions. I maybe could have pitted a couple of laps earlier, but when I eventually changed bikes there were still some damp parts of the track and I couldn’t push hard. I found it hard to get feedback from the harder compound slick tyres, which made it a difficult race for me. It’s hard to accept a result like this at my home GP, but I now have to look forward to the final three races.” Checa said “At the start I had some doubts about using wet tyres or slicks, but it was too risky not to start on wet weather tyres. When the rear began to slide too much so I stopped on lap five to change bikes. But we lost some seconds as the team was still working on a different setting because of the rapid change in track conditions. We had planned a front treaded tyre on the grid for the spare bike, and there hadn’t been time to change it. Unfortunately it was impossible to go any faster than this on a drying track in the second part of the race.” Kurtis Roberts, who suffered a DNF, said: “I just got around about five guys in the first lap and then about four corners from the end of the lap all of a sudden the thing started coming around really badly. I could tell the thing was just skip-sliding across the asphalt. And it started doing it coming in and going out, like there was oil or something getting on the tyre. I almost crashed every corner on the thing.” Mika Kallio (KTM) won his first 250cc race in his rookie season ahead of second-placed man Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Honda RS250RW) and Hector Barbera (Aprilia) in third. Perhaps of equal importance runaway series points leader Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) could only manage 11th. Poleman Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW) led into turn one, but Dovi soon took the initiative at the front of the pack in the dripping wet conditions with Hiroshi Aoyama (KTM), Kallio, Yuki Takahashi (Scot Honda RS250RW) and Julian Simon (Repsol Honda RS250RW) in close pursuit. But the field would soon spread itself out and by lap eight Dovi led Takahashi with Barbera third, with the KTM duo fourth and fifth. But not all of them would make it to the flag. The unfortunate Hiro Aoyama falling on the penultimate lap. On the final lap backmarkers marginally held up the progress of Dovizioso as he tried vainly to make up ground on the rapid Kallio. The Italian lost a third of a second on that last of 23-laps but Kallio was unlikely to be troubled by the man who knows a points finish might yet prove invaluable in his quest to catch Lorenzo for the title. Lorenzo still leads with 262 points to Dovi’s 226, but with 75 points still available in the next three rounds, Dovi has everything to ride for still, having caught Lorenzo and narrowly lost out to him in last season’s series. Dovi said: “That was a very difficult race, but at least the possibility of a World Championship is still alive. I’m happy enough now but on that last lap I really had to slow down and not risk crashing because Kallio was so fast. It seems there’s always someone in front of me at the moment but we’ll keep trying and see what happens.” Mattia Pasini won the 125cc Grand Prix in wet conditions from series points leader Gabor Talmacsi and Talmacsi’s World Championship rival Hector Faubel (all Aprilia). Honda rider Mike di Meglio (Scot Honda RS125R) was a fighting fourth having fallen and remounted while threatening to relieve Pasini of first place on lap 15. Pasini led from the off and never looked like relinquishing his lead until the flying Di Meglio began to gain on him towards the end of this 21-lap race run in soaking rain today after the searing heat of yesterday. Di Meglio was one of many fallers including the Repsol duo of Bradley Smith (Repsol Honda RS125R) and Esteve Rabat (Repsol Honda RS125R). Danny Webb (Arie Molenaar Racing Honda RS125R) scored his first ever World Championship point here after a mature ride to 13th place. Talmacsi heads the points standings still with 229 points to Faubel’s 220 with three rounds now remaining. Di Meglio said: “I got a good start and decided to take it step-by-step in the opening laps, stay quiet until I was sure of the conditions. I had a small problem with the front-end, I couldn’t hold my line and was drifting wide at some corners. When I passed Talmacsi for second place I was riding calmly. The crash was strange because I didn’t enter the corner too late or too deep. I lost the front but I managed to hold the bike to save it from serious damage but I broke the rear brake lever and from then on I had to brake early. In the circumstances I am happy with the result.” Webb said: “That was much better than anything I have done up until now my first World Championship points! We were good in the warm up and carried that over into the race. I got a good start and as the race went on I passed some riders and some crashed. Then I caught Koyama san and was in 16th place and I knew I would score points. I was 12th at one point but when Pesek came past his bike was so fast that I decided not to try to stay with him and risk a crash.” Honda rider quotes: GP Japan race. MotoGP: Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 3rd.”I’m really happy to be back on the podium. This is an incredible result after the accident at Assen. It’s been a tough couple of months for me and this was a nice reward. I got a good start but I lost a few positions and found myself some way back. I didn’t have anything to lose so I came in early to change bikes. It proved to be the perfect time and the perfect strategy. In general it has been a perfect day, following on from a difficult weekend and a particularly tough race.” Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 5th. “I was having a good race in the wet, my feeling with the bike was really good and I was able to take over from Stoner and build a bit of a lead. When the track started to dry it was really difficult for me because I was leading the race and it was hard to judge the right moment to come and change the bike because there were still some wet patches. When they told me from pit wall to come in I did so but it was a few laps too late to come in. It took me a couple of laps to get used to the bike with the dry setting and I made a mistake that cost me a few places. I’m disappointed because I could have fought for the win today. Unfortunately the flag to flag rule puts the race leaders at a disadvantage. The positive thing is that I’ve closed the gap to fifth and fourth in the championship, with Vermeulen now four points ahead of me and Hopkins eight.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 9th.”After the weekend we were having and how we felt after qualifying yesterday, it was a shame to see it rain this morning, but the weather is what it is. I went out in the warm-up this morning and it didn’t feel too bad I was fifth fastest in really wet conditions. But as soon as we started the race, basically after one lap we’re not sure what happened whether it was the tyre or something electronic but the bike became very difficult to ride and I just went backwards. I think I was the first one to come in and the track was still pretty wet but I needed to come in and switch bikes. Luckily for me the track started to dry pretty fast and after a few slow laps I was able to get rolling. Really I think we’re lucky to salvage some kind of result out of the day if it had stayed wet we could have been in even more trouble. But ninth position for Honda’s home race is not the result we’d hoped for. It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever been on cut slicks I’ve been in rain tyres or intermediates before so I did get some useful experience. We’ve still got three more races and we’ll keep fighting. Lastly, congratulations to Casey. There’s a new World Champion today and so congratulations to him and his whole team they truly deserve it.” Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 16th.”I am disappointed that my home Grand Prix has ended this way. The race started full wet, but it was soon beginning to dry and I saw some riders pitting. I was going to pit, but the Michelin wet tyres were working well in the drying conditions. I maybe could have pitted a couple of laps earlier, but when I eventually changed bikes there were still some damp parts of the track and I couldn’t push hard. I found it hard to get feedback from the harder compound slick tyres, which made it a difficult race for me. It’s hard to accept a result like this at my home GP, but I now have to look forward to the final three races.” Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 18th.”At the start I had some doubts about using wet tyres or slicks, but it was too risky not to start on wet weather tyres. When the rear began to slide too much so I stopped on lap five to change bikes. But we lost some seconds as the Team was still working on a different setting because of the rapid change in track conditions. We had planned a front treaded tyre on the grid for the spare bike, and there hadn’t been time to change it. Unfortunately it was impossible to go any faster than this on a drying track in the second part of the race.” Kurtis Roberts, KR212V: dnf handling problems.”I just got around about five guys in the first lap and then about four corners from the end of the lap all of a sudden the thing started coming around really badly. I could tell the thing was just skip-sliding across the asphalt. And it started doing it coming in and going out, like there was oil or something getting on the tire. I wanted to stay on the bike, but I didn’t know what was wrong. We were on the hard rear rain tire and it didn’t work at all. It looked like it was the soft. I just pulled in, because I didn’t know what was going on. We tried the bike with cut slicks and there was no way it was it going to work that early in the race. I almost crashed every corner on the thing. It was just too wet to give the cut slicks a chance to work. It’s unfortunate, because we could have had a good race I think. Typical luck this year.” Chuck Aksland Team Manager Team Roberts. “He got a good start, he was aggressive, he got by a couple of guys. Then he said that four or five corners in a row the thing was completely sideways. Bad enough to where he suspected an oil leak and pulled in. The other bike we had set up for cut slicks anticipating it would dry out. He went out on that; he just said he couldn’t even lean it over. It was scary. It’s a shame, because somebody missed the boat on that one. There were no mechanical problems with the first bike. We’ve been to Phillip Island down on horsepower before and still been able to achieve good lap times. The bike seems to be handling OK. I think every race we go to is down to what tires we get, really, what the choices will be, and what the conditions are.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: dnf crash.”Well this is obviously a very disappointing finish to what had been a promising weekend until this morning. In the dry we seemed to have a very good package, but the drying track for the race turned things into a bit of a lottery. Still, I made a good start and felt reasonably comfortable in the early laps of the race. I was able to catch back up to the leaders but then fell in the last chicane. I don’t really know what happened, the back just snapped around even before I had given any throttle. With hindsight, perhaps I should have come into the pits a little earlier, but that’s an easier call to make now than at the time. We can certainly take some positives from this race even though the result is disappointing for me and the team. I think we had a good chance of winning if it had stayed dry so we must just continue trying for the final races. The more worrying thing for me right now is that it feels like I have broken a bone in my left foot. I will have more x-rays and really hope I’m fit for the next race in Australia. Congratulations to Casey on the championship. He has been very strong all season and really deserves the title today.” 250cc: Andrea Dovizioso, Scot Honda: 2nd.”Today I hoped to race on dry conditions even if, for sure in these conditions, it is easer to make up for points on Lorenzo for us. Anyway, yesterday we had a really good set up and we were really fast that’s why I’d prefer the sunshine for today rather than the rain. Unfortunately these are the situations in which we can recuperate more points. Today we gained a lot of points and I’m really happy because this will help us a lot and if until now we didn’t lose hopes this will give us even more confidence.” Yuki Takahashi, Scot Honda: 4th.”I made a good start but at the beginning the rear of the bike was sliding a little. I waited a bit before pushing hard because I wanted to understand the behavior of my opponents. As soon as I saw that the pace wasn’t really fast I tried to go to the head of the group. I pushed hard until the front end of the bike started to close on me. At first I risked a fall and then I mistake at one corner and I lost some positions. I’m sorry about that, because I wanted to get on the podium at my home GP. Anyway I’m happy because it is the first time this year in which I raced always in the top positions which means, even if slowly, that I’m getting back in the same shape as last year. Now I want to round off the Championship.” Julian Simon, Repsol Honda: 6th.”The weekend in Japan has gone well. I think we worked very well, with a lot of determination, step by step. Thanks to this we managed to finish that wet race, because it is important to work with determination and method. I think that the team worked very well, we only had the warm up to set up the bike for the wet. Perhaps with more training it would have been better, obviously. The truth is that the leaders were way ahead of me but I have to be pleased with having finished the race, and for what it is worth on the first few laps I lost my pace. I think that if on the first few laps I had risked a little more, overtaking more riders and caught up with the leaders, at least I would have reduced the gap by a few seconds. In general I am pleased and I wish to thank the whole team.” Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: 8th.”From the warm up this morning I had a good feel for the bike. We had changed the suspension to soften the front and rear and also made the gearbox ratios a little longer. But from the start of the race Ii did not have the same feeling from the front tyre that I had in the warm up I could not hold my line and was running wide at many turns. I got a god start but at T1 I ran wised and Dovizioso passed me on the inside easily. It was so bad the moment I tried to go into the corner the front end felt like it was turning in I just could not adjust my riding style to handle it.” Eugene Laverty, LCR Honda: 19th.”The opening laps were great, I thought I had a chance to score points but after seven laps I couldn’t stay on the pace of the other riders. The track was really slippery and the rear grip just dropped down after seven laps, I struggled towards the end.” Ratthapark Wilairot, Thai Honda PTT-SAG: dnf crash.”I’m really angry because once again I had a poor start and I did my best to come back as soon as possible but I crashed again. I wanted to get into the top 10 in the early laps, but my plan was shattered by that crash. Today I could have managed a great result, especially for all the Thai people who came here to support me. I’m sorry about it, but it’s a hard learnt lesson and now I have to look ahead.” 125cc: Mike di Meglio, Scot Honda:4th.”I got a good start and decided to take it step by step in the opening laps, stay quiet until I was sure of the conditions. I had a small problem with the front end and couldn’t hold my line and was drifting wide at some corners. When I passed Talmacsi for second place I was riding calmly. The crash was strange because I didn’t enter the corner too late or too deep. I lost the front but I managed to hold the bike to save it from serious damage but I broke the rear brake lever and from then on I had to brake early. In the circumstances I am happy with the result.” Danny Webb, Molenaar Honda: 13th.:”That was much better than anything I have done up until now my first world championship points! We were good in the warm up and carried that over into the race. I got a good start and as the race went on I passed riders and some crashed. Then I caught Koyama san and was in 16th place and I knew I would score points I was 12th at one point but when Pesek came passed his bike was so fast that I decided not to try to stay with him and crash.” KazumaWatanabe, Dydo Miu Honda: 18th. “If I give marks for my race, I can say 75% today. Suddenly we had rain this morning so we couldn’t prepare the bike with the right set up and I was not ready to change my riding style to suit the wet conditions. However, I could move up during the race and I could finish without a crash. I’m happy about that. I think it’s very important to get out from the confusing fight at the first stage of the race but I have to think and improve my riding. I’ll sort out fruits which I learned during this GP and I want to add something to the Japanese road race championship in the future.” Alexis Masbou, FFM Honda: 21st.”I lost the front in the first left hand corner and there was nothing I could do to avoid crashing. And yet I didn’t enter that corner very fast, but the soaked racetrack was a real booby-trap. I had to take my spare machine but didn¹t have the right pace. I tried to improve on my lap times but riding on a soaked racetrack isn’t what I¹m best at. I just need to forget about this race. We must now think about the next race in Australia. I appreciate Phillip Island where I rode two years ago and I hope the week-end will be better than the one we¹ve just experienced.” Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: dnf crash.”I’m obviously so disappointed to crash out of fifth place. But on the other hand it wasn’t a bad race up until then. I have to look at the positives in previous wet races I might have been running around inside the top 20. We improved the bike in the warm for the conditions and softened up the suspension and it worked really well. I was getting signals that told m2 the two riders behind were closing slightly and I was just pushing a little to hard but I didn’t want to finish seventh when I felt I was OK with fifth. I hurt my knee in the crash but only scraped the skin off it.” Tito Rabat, Repsol Honda: dnf crash.”I made a good start and for the first three four laps I had good grip and my confidence was high. But after that I the engine began to give me problems, it would rev to 12,000 then stop then go again. It made things difficult and it was hard to keep my position. I was pushing too hard when I crashed. I was 100% prepared for this race but I did not bring that into the race. This weekend it was the rider who was not so good.” Joey Litjens, Molenaar Honda: Non-starter due to concussion sustained during practice for the Portuguese GP last weekend. More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: RAIN SPOILS HOME GRAND PRIX FOR REPSOL HONDA TEAM The Repsol Honda Team endured a disappointing Grand Prix of Japan on Sunday as wet, unpredictable track conditions prevented Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden from capitalising on their excellent qualifying display yesterday. The 24-lap race began with a wet track and Pedrosa made a lightning start from pole position, stretching a useful gap in the first few corners at the 4.801km (2.981-mile) Motegi circuit. As the track began to dry and with surface conditions changing constantly Pedrosa initially slipped to fourth before once again clawing back time on the front three. With a dry line emerging, the MotoGP riders began diving for the pits to change to machines fitted with tyres more suited to the increased levels of grip. However before making the switch to dry-weather tyres and while lying in second place, Pedrosa was unfortunate to highside his RC212V in the final chicane on lap 15, and his race was finished. It was a disappointing end to a weekend during which the 21-year-old Spaniard had been fastest in every dry session. Unfortunately for the factory Honda squad, Hayden also had a tough race today. From third on the grid, the World Champion made a decent start and was battling with the leaders when he began to detect a problem with the feeling from his RC212V. Without the confidence to fully commit in the tricky conditions, Hayden slipped through the field before deciding to enter the pits early and swap to his second RC212V fitted with cut slick tyres the first time in his career that he has ridden on this type of rubber. The 26-year-old American rejoined the race in 17th place before working his way up to ninth at the chequered flag. Today’s race was won by Loris Capirossi, with his team-mate Casey Stoner finishing in sixth position to seal the 21-year-old Australian’s first World Championship. Despite the home race disappointment the hard working Repsol Honda Team remains at Motegi for testing, though after his heavy crash Pedrosa will miss the test and return home where he will have further scans to determine if he has a fractured bone in his left foot. Nicky Hayden Position: 9th Fastest lap: 1m 52.840s World Championship position 8th 112 pts Front tyre: 16.5″ Michelin wet Rear tyre: 16.5” Michelin wet “After the weekend we were having and how we felt after qualifying yesterday, it was a shame to see it rain this morning, but the weather is what it is. I went out in the warm-up this morning and it didn’t feel too bad I was fifth fastest in really wet conditions. But as soon as we started the race, basically after one lap we’re not sure what happened whether it was the tyre or something electronic but the bike became very difficult to ride and I just went backwards. I think I was the first one to come in and the track was still pretty wet but I needed to come in and switch bikes. Luckily for me the track started to dry pretty fast and after a few slow laps I was able to get rolling. Really I think we’re lucky to salvage some kind of result out of the day if it had stayed wet we could have been in even more trouble. But ninth position for Honda’s home race is not the result we’d hoped for. It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever been on cut slicks I’ve been in rain tyres or intermediates before so I did get some useful experience. We’ve still got three more races and we’ll keep fighting. Lastly, congratulations to Casey. There’s a new World Champion today and so congratulations to him and his whole team they truly deserve it.” Dani Pedrosa Position: DNF – Fastest lap: 1m 58.519s World Championship position 3rd 188 pts Front tyre: 16.0″ Michelin wet Rear tyre: 16.5” Michelin wet “Well this is obviously a very disappointing finish to what had been a promising weekend until this morning. In the dry we seemed to have a very good package, but the drying track for the race turned things into a bit of a lottery. Still, I made a good start and felt reasonably comfortable in the early laps of the race. I was able to catch back up to the leaders but then fell in the last chicane. I don’t really know what happened, the back just snapped around even before I had given any throttle. With hindsight, perhaps I should have come into the pits a little earlier, but that’s an easier call to make now than at the time. We can certainly take some positives from this race even though the result is disappointing for me and the team. I think we had a good chance of winning if it had stayed dry so we must just continue trying for the final races. The more worrying thing for me right now is that it feels like I have broken a bone in my left foot. I will have more x-rays and really hope I’m fit for the next race in Australia. Congratulations to Casey on the championship. He has been very strong all season and really deserves the title today.” Makoto Tanaka Repsol Honda Team Manager “Well yesterday was very good but today was a bit of a disaster for us. The race started wet and I was very surprised with how fast the track dried. Dani was able to ride with a good pace from the start but Nicky had some problems and had to come into the pits and the timing of this was not bad. He changed to a cut slick tyre and the machine settings were not perfect for the conditions. Before the race it was decided with Dani that the timing of the bike change would be the rider’s choice. It was unfortunate that he crashed just before coming in and I think in the same circumstances we would bring him in earlier next time. So this was a disappointing day for us but the team will continue to fight in the final three races of the year.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Media Service: THE RAIN RUINS THE REPSOL RIDERS` HOPES IN THE JAPANESE GP Dani Pedrosa fell when he was second and Nicky Hayden finished in ninth position. Simón was sixth in 250cc, Aoyama ninth and there were falls for both Rabat and Smith in 125cc. An unlucky day for the Repsol riders in the Japanese GP, the 14th date in the 2007 World Championship. After dominating the MotoGP training sessions the whole weekend the Repsol Honda Team rider Dani Pedrosa was not able to round off this good work with a victory. After a hot start to the weekend, with sun and high temperatures, today Sunday, the day began with rain and the thermometers having fallen several degrees. This situation changed all the team`s plans, and the pole positions won by Shuhei Aoyama in 250cc and Dani Pedrosa in MotoGP came to nothing. The MotoGP race became a lottery, the bikes started in the wet and so had wet tyres on. As the track dried out all the riders were obliged to make a pit-stop to change their bike and they went out with new mixed tyres. This meant that the lead was constantly changing, with some riders not having changed bike and others climbing in the classification after their change. The race started with Dani Pedrosa setting a fast pace with the clear intention of getting away from the rest of the group. However, his time alone was short after he was neutralised by West and his Kawasaki, although later the Australian rider was penalised for overtaking at the start. Behind West came Stoner, Melandri and Rossi, who all overtook Pedrosa, who was fourth after the penalty given to West. With the pit-stops Pedrosa got into second place behind Rossi, and on the lap the two were going to change bikes lap 15 – Pedrosa had a spectacular fall, he was thrown off his machine after the rear wheel on his Honda RC212V slid. The Repsol Honda Team rider got a strong blow on the big toe of his left foot a fracture has not been ruled out and an injury on the same knee that he hurt in Malaysia last year, the right one, although without any serious consequences. His teammate Nicky Hayden did not have a good day either. The American was one of the first to make a pit-stop and when he got back on the track he was 17th, he fought back to finish in 9th position. Today Hayden discoverd who will hold his crown for the next year, none other than the Australian Casey Stoner, who this afternoon at Motegi was proclaimed World MotoGP Champion 2007. In 250cc Julián Simón was 6th in a tough race, the winner was the Finn Mika Kallio. The Spanish rider got off to a good start, and finished the first lap in 6th place. He fought with the Aoyama brothers, with De Angelis and Simoncelli throughout the race. Shuhei Aoyama was not able to confirm the good sensations he gave after winning the pole postion yesterday. The Repsol rider started well, however, some front tyre problems gradually made him drop down the field and he finished in 9th position. In the day`s first race, dominated from start to finish by the Italian Mattia Pasini, Lady luck abandoned the Repsol riders. In the lottery caused by the rain, both Esteve Rabat and Bradley Smith had to retire from the race because they fell. The Repsol riders got off to a good start, with Smith 7th and Rabat 12th after the first lap. As the race went on they managed to climb in the classification since many riders fell on the slippery track. But on the ninth lap Rabat ended up on the ground at the curve at the end of the straight, and on the following lap his teammate did the same on the curve just before the home straight. Quotes MotoGP Nicky Hayden >> 9th at 53.629 secs. “After the weekend we were having and how we felt after qualifying yesterday, it was a shame to see it rain this morning, but the weather is what it is. I went out in the warm-up this morning and it didn’t feel too bad I was fifth fastest in really wet conditions. But as soon as we started the race, basically after one lap we’re not sure what happened whether it was the tyre or something electronic but the bike became very difficult to ride and I just went backwards. I think I was the first one to come in and the track was still pretty wet but I needed to come in and switch bikes. Luckily for me the track started to dry pretty fast and after a few slow laps I was able to get rolling. Really I think we’re lucky to salvage some kind of result out of the day if it had stayed wet we could have been in even more trouble. But ninth position for Honda’s home race is not the result we’d hoped for. It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever been on cut slicks I’ve been in rain tyres or intermediates before so I did get some useful experience. We’ve still got three more races and we’ll keep fighting. Lastly, congratulations to Casey. There’s a new World Champion today and so congratulations to him and his whole team they truly deserve it.” Dani Pedrosa >> DNF “Well this is obviously a very disappointing finish to what had been a promising weekend until this morning. In the dry we seemed to have a very good package, but the drying track for the race turned things into a bit of a lottery. Still, I made a good start and felt reasonably comfortable in the early laps of the race. I was able to catch back up to the leaders but then fell in the last chicane. I don’t really know what happened, the back just snapped around even before I had given any throttle. With hindsight, perhaps I should have come into the pits a little earlier, but that’s an easier call to make now than at the time. We can certainly take some positives from this race even though the result is disappointing for me and the team. I think we had a good chance of winning if it had stayed dry so we must just continue trying for the final races. The more worrying thing for me right now is that it feels like I have broken a bone in my left foot. I will have more x-rays and really hope I’m fit for the next race in Australia . Congratulations to Casey on the championship. He has been very strong all season and really deserves the title today.” 250cc Julián Simón >> 6th at 42.264 secs. “The weekend in Japan has gone well. I think we workerd very well, with a lot of determination, step by step. Thanks to this we managed to finish the wet race, because it is important to work with determination and method. I think that the team worked very well, we only had the warm up to set up the bike for the wet. Perhaps with more training it would have been better, obviously. The truth is that the leaders were way ahead of me but I have to be pleased with having finished the race, and for what it is worth on the first few laps I lost my pace. I think that if on the first few laps I had risked a little more, overtaking more riders and caught up with the leaders, at least I would have reduced the gap by a few seconds. In general I am pleased and I wish to thank the whole team.” Shuhei Aoyama >> 9th at 1 min. 9.049 secs “This morning I felt fine on the bike, and I made some changes for the race. But when it started I felt that the front wheel was not right. There was a problem there. I think that the set up was perfect for me, and the problem was only with the tyre. I was not able to keep up with the pace set by the leaders and I started to drop back. Races are like this, but I want to apologise to my sponsors, the Japanese fans and to everybody else because yesterday we got some good results in training and today`s race was very important.” 125cc Bradley Smith >> DNF “This is disappointing. I just took a curve as always but a little faster so that I could get away from Olivé and Corsi, and I felt comfortable. Sometimes I noticed the front wheel sliding, but I managed to keep a constant pace. Then, I don`t know if it was because I was on a slope, very slippery, but when I began to slide I did not put my knee on the track to lift the bike. I fell and I was not able to restart the bike. This was a positive race in the sense that we have improved quite a lot compared to the morning and previous races in the wet, since I was not 5 seconds slower per lap, otherwise I would not have been fighting for 5th position. I will try to carry on thinking positively, although it is difficult since the trip home is very long.” Esteve Rabat >> DNF “I started well and I was in the chasing group. At the beginning I went well, but from the third lap on the wheels slid a lot and I don`t know why. Every time I braked the bike slid and I was never able to brake strongly because the bike was always sliding around. I had some problems with the engine, but the main thing this weekend is that all the time, and in spite of being physically in good conditions, I was not able to concentrate enough during the training sessions and I was not able to get the best set up on the bike. The truth is that it has been an awful weekend and I am not pleased with myself at all; I am pleased with the team because they have done all they can. I hope that for once the next race goes better.” More, from a press release issued by Michelin: DISAPPOINTEMENT FOR MICHELIN IN MOTEGI Michelin’s top MotoGP riders had every reason to look forward to winning today’s Japanese Grand Prix after comfortably dominating practice and qualifying, but the weather and some woeful bad luck ruined their hopes. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin) was firm favorite for victory after running fastest on Michelin’s latest race tires throughout practice and then securing pole position on qualifying tires, while fellow front-row starters Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) and Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin) had also run an impressive race pace during Friday and Saturday. The race started on a drying track after morning rainfall, with most riders choosing hard rain tires, Michelin riders coming on strong after the first few laps, catching the leaders because their rain tires were enduring so well on the drying tarmac. Rossi and Pedrosa were first and second on lap 14, then Rossi followed other riders into the pits to change to slick-shod bikes and Pedrosa crashed. Rossi was the next to suffer misfortune, experiencing a technical glitch that forced him into the pits once more. The Italian finished the race a luckless 13th. Michelin’s top finisher was ninth-placed 2006 MotoGP World Champion Hayden whose crown passed to Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici) at the end of the race. “We were confident for the race because our latest slick tires worked very well during practice, Dani was incredibly fast, and qualifying went well too,” said Jean-Philippe Weber, Michelin’s director of motorcycle racing. “We were very happy because it’s been a while since Michelin has monopolized the front row at Motegi. And even though the race didn’t work out like we’d expected, we are satisfied with the performance of our rain tires on the drying track. At Donington we weren’t happy with our rain tires in this conditions, so during August we developed new tires which were proven today. Valentino and Dani got faster and faster and were catching the other guys, so I have to say a big thank you to the whole development team involved in this work. We were happy until after half-distance. From a strategy point of view, maybe we should have switched to slicks earlier. Valentino rode a great race until he had a problem and it was a shame that Dani crashed when he was going so strong. Strategy is always complex in such conditions, always a bit of a gamble, but at least we can be happy with the excellent development work we’ve done in recent weeks. Finally, I would like to say congratulations to Casey, Ducati and to Bridgestone for winning the title.”