FIM MotoGP World Championship Valencia, Spain November 6 Race Results (dry with some rain at the end, all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Casey STONER, Australia (HONDA), 30 laps, 48:18.645 2. Ben SPIES, USA (YAMAHA), -0.015 second 3. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (HONDA), -5.936 seconds 4. Cal CRUTCHLOW, Great Britain (YAMAHA), -8.718 5. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), -9.321 6. Katsuyuki NAKASUGA, Japan (YAMAHA), -23.818 7. Josh HAYES, USA (YAMAHA), -33.118 8. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), -37.952, crash 9. Loris CAPIROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), -48.953 10. Toni ELIAS, Spain (HONDA), -52.501 11. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), -66.519 12. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (HONDA), -68.760 13. Randy DE PUNIET, France (DUCATI), -30 laps, DNF, crash 14. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (SUZUKI), -30 laps, DNF, crash 15. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), -30 laps, DNF, crash 16. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (DUCATI), -30 laps, DNF, crash World Championship Point Standings (after 18 of 18 races): 1. Stoner, 350 points 2. Jorge Lorenzo, 260 3. Dovizioso, 228 4. Pedrosa, 219 5. Spies, 176 6. TIE, Marco Simoncelli/Rossi, 139 8. Hayden, 132 9. Colin Edwards, 109 10. Aoyama, 98 11. Barbera, 82 12. Crutchlow, 70 13. Bautista, 67 14. Abraham, 64 15. Elias, 61 16. De Puniet, 49 17. Capirossi, 43 18. Nakasuga, 10 19. Hayes, 9 20. Kousuke Akiyoshi, 7 21. John Hopkins, 6 22. Shinichi Ito, 3 More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Stunning victory snatched at the finish line in Spain Round 18: Valencia GP Race Valencia, Sunday 6 November 2011 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium. Rear (asymmetric): Medium, Hard The final race of the season was an action-packed thriller, filled with the uncertainty of spots of rain that fell almost for the duration of the 30 laps, getting harder at times and challenging riders and tyres alike, leaving them guessing at grip level corner by corner. Every rider used the softer option rear slicks, and most switched to the softer fronts on the grid, leaving only Casey Stoner, Ben Spies, Cal Crutchlow and Karel Abraham on the harder option. Stoner took an early lead in very tricky conditions, leaping ahead by 10seconds in almost as many laps and leaving two main battles behind him: between Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa for second position and third overall in the championship with Spies also in the mix, and between Crutchlow and Abraham for ninth and Rookie of the Year. Four riders crashed out at the very first corner as contact between the rear of Dovizioso and the front of Alvaro Bautista’s bikes sent Bautista down and into Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden and Randy de Puniet. After that dampener, the race then came alive. At the midpoint, the teams started warming up the wet bikes as the rain got heavier, only to subside a few laps later. But in the closing six laps, it returned and changed the field. Stoner slower as Spies got faster, catching and passing the 2011 World Champion. Meanwhile, Pedrosa dropped back behind Crutchlow and Abraham crashed on the final lap after contact It was looking like a definite victory for Spies right until they exited the final corner, at which point Stoner dramatically snatched victory away by a mere 0.015seconds. Taka Horio General Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department “First of all I’d like to say thank you to Dorna, IRTA, the FIM and all the teams and riders for all their support of us this season. What an exciting race with which to end the championship this year, although of course I feel very sorry for the four who crashed at just the first corner. Ben rode a fantastic race and would have been a deserving winner, but congratulations of course to Casey for his dominant performance and record equalling 10th victory this season. I would also like to say a fond farewell and thank you to Loris who completed his last race today. We have worked with him for many years and he has done a great deal for Bridgestone in MotoGP and he will be missed on the track.” Tohru Ubukata General Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “The conditions all weekend and especially in the race were so tricky. In such conditions front tyre performance is so important and amid the spots of rain and low temperature even the harder option allowed Casey and Ben to push so hard until the end so I am happy about that. Congratulations to Casey who once again showed his remarkable strength this year, but also well done to Ben who made the most of the situation when the rain started getting heavier. I’d like to say thank you to all the teams and riders for their support over the whole season. Based on their dedication to our tyre development, we can take the next step from Tuesday with our 2012 spec tyres in the official test here. Finally, I want to thank Loris on his last race. He dedicated seven years to working closely with us and helping with our tyre development and contributed a great deal to Bridgestone in MotoGP.” Casey Stoner Repsol Honda Team Race Winner and 2011 World Champion “All weekend the conditions have been atrocious as when it rained it wasn’t fully wet and when it was dry it wasn’t properly dry and the race was really difficult to deal with. It was different corner by corner and you didn’t know how hard to push into each corner. Ben was looking really good and I didn’t think I’d get a chance to do anything, but we decided to take some risks on the last lap of the season and managed just to pip him on the line. Sorry to Ben, but I’m very happy to end the season like this.” More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing: CAPIREX’S LAST RACE Valencia was the last race of Loris Capirossi’s long and glorious career. The MotoGP veteran was extremely moved at the end of the race, which he finished in ninth place. Pramac Racing Team thanks Loris for all the emotions that he gave us this season. Good luck, champion! Fabiano Sterlacchini – Technical Director Pramac Racing Team “This difficult season is now finished. It was the umpeenth unfortunate race for Randy after the good results earlier in the weekend. Loris was doing well, but at the end he didn’t feel like pushing because of the rain. It was a pleasure work with him, and I wish him all the best.” Loris Capirossi – Pramac Racing Team Rider “What can I say, now it’s really finished. The race was complicated by the rain, and in the last laps I couldn’t push because I risked crashing. I wanted to end my career in a good way honoring Marco. I gave my best. Thanks to all the people that have supported me. Now I’m retired!” Randy de Puniet – Pramac Racing Team Rider “I’m angry, disappointed, and sorry. This has really been an unfortunate season. Bautista’s fall caused my crash and three other crashes. I was convinced that I would’ve had a good race. I wanted to end this season in the best way possible. It was a pleasure to be Capirex’s teammate in his final season.” More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: First corner disaster ends Rizla Suzuki’s season early Álvaro Bautista was involved in a four rider crash on the first corner during today’s Valencian Grand Prix that scuppered any chances of a successful end to the season for the Rizla Suzuki team. Bautista had looked promising and confident in all conditions leading up to today’s race and as intermittent rain fell on the track leading up to the start, tyre choice was always going to be important. Starting from fifth on the grid, Bautista got away in the pack heading for the first corner, but his front wheel was accidently touched by Andrea Dovizioso and Suzuki’s Spaniard lost control of his machine. As Bautista fell to the floor his bike slid into Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden and Randy de Puniet, leaving the four riders stranded in the gravel trap and out of the race. Bautista tried to re-mount his GSV-R, but was unable to achieve it and walked back despondently, and uninjured, to the pits. Today’s race was preceded by a tribute to Marco Simoncelli, who tragically lost his life at the Malaysian Grand Prix two weeks ago. Every bike and rider from the MotoGP, Moto2 and 125cc classes completed a parade lap and then lined up on the grid fronted by Simoncelli’s bike along with hundreds of Grand Prix personnel and guests to celebrate the Italian’s life with two minutes of fireworks and applause. This afternoon’s race was watched by 75,774 fans at trackside and the spectators that braved the horrible conditions saw World Champion Casey Stoner take his 10th victory of the season. The event also marked the final race for former Suzuki rider and triple World Champion Loris Capirossi. He is retiring after 22 seasons in top level motorcycle racing and Rizla Suzuki would like to wish Loris and his family well for the future. Álvaro Bautista: “It has been a bad way to end the year, because before the race I was expecting to be fighting for the podium! In all conditions we had been fast this weekend and I thought we would have a good race today. In the first corner we all arrived together and I was between Andrea and Valentino. Unfortunately Andrea hit my front wheel with his rear tyre and I couldn’t do anything to save the crash. The worst thing was that I hit three other riders and they crashed as well, I am sorry for them and also sorry for the team and all the fans. This year has been very tough, it didn’t start very well when I broke my left femur and although we did a good job especially in the middle of the season when I was totally fit, both mentally and physically – we haven’t finished with that many good results. I got more and more confident in the bike as the season went on and the work we have done has been amazing, we have come such a long way. Thanks to Suzuki for all they have done and thanks to my team, they work 100% in all races and I think everybody has been able to see the improvement on the track. Thanks also to everybody that has supported me and Rizla Suzuki in 2011, and now we will have to see what happens for next year.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “The bad weather that seems to have followed MotoGP this year made conditions really tricky at the start of the race, but given that we didn’t even make it around the first corner, it didn’t make a lot of difference to us! It’s obviously a very disappointing way to end the season, but frankly speaking I’m not particularly upset because all four riders involved are ok and we’ve seen recently how dangerous that type of accident can be – so we can all be very thankful that all the guys escaped unharmed. I don’t think the crash was anybody’s fault, it was just too many bikes arriving at one bit of tarmac, at differing speeds, on a slippery track it’s racing and it can happen! “Rizla Suzuki and Álvaro Bautista didn’t achieve the results we could, or should, have done in the latter part of the season, but I hope we’ve shown a lot of fighting spirit and a huge amount of performance potential. I’d like to thank Álvaro and the whole team for their consistent professionalism and enthusiasm. We’ll do some testing here at Valencia with the current bike on Tuesday and hope that we will be able to announce some positive news in the near future.” More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Fantastic fourth clinches Rookie of the Year title for Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow and the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team ended the 2011 MotoGP World Championship in fantastic fashion this afternoon, the British rider claiming a career best fourth position to win the coveted Rookie of the Year title in a dramatic race in Valencia. The 30-lap encounter started with light rain falling on the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, the unpredictable conditions posing a major challenge for Crutchlow and stand-in team-mate Josh Hayes as both quickly tried to assess grip levels on the slippery surface. Starting from 11th on the grid, Crutchlow immediately found himself elevated into the top five when he avoided a four-rider collision at the first corner. The British rider then found himself locked in an exciting and tense battle with Rookie of the Year rival Karel Abraham, who was riding an inspired race to try and deny Crutchlow from claiming the title for the second year running for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. Just one-point split the pair going into the race and they were barely a second apart for the whole race. They exchanged fifth place several times but the battle became even more nail-biting when rain started to fall heavily five laps from the end. Crutchlow brilliantly judged where he could push his YZR-M1 machine close to the limit and he took fourth place from Spaniard Dani Pedrosa with a clinical overtake on the final lap. Abraham though was refusing to lie down but as their fight intensified, he made a mistake in the braking zone at Turn 11 and crashed out. Crutchlow ended fourth to clai m his best ever result and by claiming the highest finish by a British rider in the 800cc era, his result moved him into 12th place in the final rankings as he jumped ahead of Alvaro Bautista. Hayes was another star performer in today’s race, the American showing outstanding skill to finish in a stunning seventh place in demanding conditions. The conditions couldn’t have made his MotoGP debut any tougher, but he brilliantly adapted to riding Bridgestone’s slick tyres on a greasy surface to finish in front of the some of the most experienced rider competing in the World Championship. He had already left Loris Capirossi, Hector Barbera and Hiroshi Aoyama trailing behind him when he passed Toni Elias five laps from the end to deliver a hard earned but richly deserved double top 10 for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. Cal Crutchlow 4th – 70 points: “That was a pretty dramatic way to finish the season and I am obviously thrilled to win the Rookie of the Year title. But I’m equally happy to have finished in fourth place because that was an incredibly difficult race. I’m not sure what happened at the first corner but I came out of it in sixth place and just pushed as hard as I could. It was a really intense battle with Karel right to the end and both of us were giving it everything we had. The track was so greasy it felt like you could crash so easily and when the rain started getting heavier I just got my head down again and kept pushing. I started to catch Dani really fast and I wasn’t sure if he had a problem or whether I was pushing too hard. I slowed down because of that and Karel caught me back up, so it came down to the last lap and he obviously made a small mistake. He hit me from behind but I managed to stay on and to finish t he season with my best ever result is a great way to start planning for 2012. This year has been an incredible learning experience and we have a lot to work on for next season, but I feel confident I can make the step to the next level. I can hold my held up high and now I am looking forward to getting my first experience of the Yamaha 1000cc bike on Tuesday.” Josh Hayes 7th 9 points: “It was a very exciting and difficult race but certainly an experience I will never forget. I had a joke with my crew that I should have packed up at lunch after I was fastest in the warm-up! The conditions were really difficult with the rain but riding the Yamaha YZR-M1 with the carbon brakes and Bridgestone tyres was a lot of fun and I enjoyed it. The bike felt perfect each time I went out of the pits and it is a real bonus to finish inside the top 10. It i s not exactly how I wanted to do it with so many guys going down at the first corner but I am happy with my race and how I rode. It was a successful race for me and I managed to beat a lot of experienced riders, which is something to be proud of. Riding a MotoGP is definitely something I would like to do again in my career. I want to send a big thank you to everybody who helped me be here. Yamaha US, GYTR, YES and of course Hervé Poncharal gave me a great opportunity and everybody has been so nice to me. Hopefully people enjoyed seeing me out on track, because I definitely enjoyed being out there.” Hervé Poncharal Team Manager: “Today’s race was incredibly difficult because the conditions were very tough and it was hard to understand how much grip there was. But I have to say that Cal did an amazing job and I’m really happy he ended his f irst season in MotoGP with such a positive result. It is never easy to finish so high in MotoGP in such demanding conditions, so he deserves a lot of credit. He was very fast all through the race and it was a fantastic battle with Karel right to the end. For the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team to win the Rookie of the Year title again is an achievement to be proud of, and we hope that the experience gained by Cal in 2011 will help him a lot next season. I can’t praise Josh enough either. He had a lot to cope with this weekend in learning the track and the bike and the conditions made it even more difficult. He is a fast rider but also a great professional. He didn’t make one mistake all weekend and we couldn’t have had a better replacement for Colin Edwards.Finally I would like to say goodbye and a million thanks to Colin. I hope he is recovering well at home with his family and we will see him back on track again soon. Colin has been a fantastic ambassador for Tech 3 an d without doubt the most successful rider we’ve ever had in MotoGP. We will miss him a lot and the memories he has given us will stay with us forever. We wish him all the success in the future with his new adventure.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: Dramatic GP in Valencia as Stoner wins on the line and Dovizioso seals third in the Championship World Champion Casey Stoner could not have finished the season any better, after winning the final race of the season in Valencia in spectacular fashion in a race to the line with Ben Spies. With this podium, Casey celebrates his 16th podium finish of the year, equaling the record for most podiums in a single season in the premier class, previously achieved by Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. Alongside Casey and Ben on the podium was Repsol Honda team mate Andrea Dovizioso, who finished third in the race and also wrapped up third place in the Championship. Dani Pedrosa, who was also fighting for the podium until the last five laps, crossed the finish line in fifth position and finished 2011 MotoGP World Championship in fourth place. Before the last race of the Championship, all riders across all classes in the MotoGP community paid their respects to Marco Simoncelli in a tribute lap led by MotoGP legend Kevin Schwantz riding Marco’s Gresini Honda ’58’ bike. The riders took to the grid with slick tyres and on the warm up lap some drops of rain began to appear hinting at a potentially thrilling race. Stoner pulled away from the start and at one point had an advantage of nine seconds ahead of his team mates Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa, who were jostling for position until lap 23. Then on lap 24, a new race began when it started to rain more heavily. Spies overtook Pedrosa and Dovizioso, and with two laps remaining, Stoner made a small mistake after engaging neutral instead of first gear and Spies took the lead. Stoner tracked him closely and then taking a slightly different line coming out of the last corner of the final lap, Stoner’s Honda RC212V drove him to the finish line first, just 0.015 seconds ahead of the American. Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa enjoyed a tough but clean fight however, in the final laps the Andrea adapted to the rain better taking his seventh podium of the year and with it celebrated his best Championship classification in his MotoGP career with third position. This has been a fantastic season for the Repsol Honda Team who celebrate the ‘Triple Crown’ after adding the Team Championship (with 528 points compared to Yamaha’s 446 points) to the riders’ and Constructor’s titles already won in Australia. The team will return to the Valencia track on Tuesday in the first official testing day for 2012. Riders Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner will take part in the two day test. On Tuesday, Stefan Bradl will have the opportunity to ride the World Championship winning RC212V as a gift from HRC for winning the Moto2 Championship. It was planned to invite runner-up Marc Marquez to also ride the bike, but unfortunately due to his injury sustained in Malaysia this is not possible. CASEY STONER 1st Final World Championship Position: 1st with 350 points “My heart was in my throat! We did such a good job all the race and then it started to rain heavily. Being the first one to arrive to the conditions on the track, I wasn’t sure how hard to push so I slowed up to ensure I finished the race and I thought if they come past I can stay with them. Then coming onto the back straight I made a slight mistake when I went into neutral instead of first gear and Ben came past me. I tried to stay with him but he was riding very well, fast and smooth and he looked confident in the conditions, more so than me. In the first half of the final lap he made a nice gap but I knew we were quick in the second half of the lap. I thought to myself, we haven’t been able to take any risks all season, this is the time to take one and see what we can do. I knew I had a better exit line out of the final turn and I kept my head down and went for the line. It’s amazing to win this on the finish line, I’ve had it done to me in the past a few times but I’ve never done it to anyone else! I’m sorry for Ben, he rode a great race, a big thanks to my team for all their hard work this year”. ANDREA DOVIZIOSO 3rd Final World Championship Position: 3rd with 228 points “I’m so happy with third place in the Championship, it’s a great achievement born from a lot hard work throughout the year. Before arriving here I knew I only had a few opportunities to arrive in front of Dani, because he has been always so fast here. Dani was faster than me also in this race weekend so I had to make a good strategy to beat him. Considering that I had a soft front tyre, I knew I couldn’t push hard for 30 laps, I tried to stop him when I was in front of him, then every time he overtook me, I tried to pass him immediately. It was a good battle and with the rain at coming with 7-8 laps to go, I wanted to push harder for the win because I’m good in these tricky conditions however, third position in the Championship was too important so I decided not to take any additional risks. Thanks to my team for these three years spent together, I’m very pleased to finish my career at Honda with third in the Championship, my best result so far in MotoGP. On the final lap I thought of Marco and in the end I succeeded here on a track where I have always struggled. Marco helped me in this challenging mission, Ciao Marco”. DANI PEDROSA 5th Final World Championship Position: 4th with 219 points “It wasn’t an easy race. I did my best, trying hard but I wasn’t feeling good on the bike, I was rigid and didn’t ride very well. But especially in the end with more water on the track I struggled a lot as in Australia, so this is something I will try to improve with my riding in the future. I had a good battle with Andrea and in the last laps I lost a place to Cal Crutchlow, but I couldn’t do any more. Andrea and I were on a soft front tyre and we were maybe struggling a little more than Ben or Cal who were on a hard front, but it’s not an excuse. I just want to move forward and think about next year and the test we have on Tuesday. It has been a tough year, but we will try to take the positives from here and be optimistic for the 2012”. More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: DUCATI TEAM OUT OF VALENCIA GP IN TURN 1 After a positive first two days during the final round of the 2011 MotoGP season, the Ducati Team had an unfortunate and premature end to the Valencia Grand Prix, with riders Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden both being taken out of the race in a Turn 1 racing incident. The American experienced pain and swelling in his right hand following the fall, but an X-ray in the mobile clinic didn’t reveal any fractures. Rossi and Hayden finish the season seventh and eight, respectively, in the final points standings. A post-race test will take place at the Valencia circuit on this Tuesday and Wednesday. Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) DNF “There’s really nothing to say about today, other than that I’m sorry beyond measure not to have been able to put on Sic’s T-shirt for the lap of honour. It’s truly a shame. I started well and all the conditions were in our favour for having a nice race, but we were unfortunate and received no points here either. We finish the season tied with Sic, with him ahead of me in the standings. I guess that’s my tribute to him!” Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) DNF “I felt some riders coming up the inside really fast as we approached Turn 1. Then something happened and it was just the domino effect””race over in the first corner. I’m okay other than my hand being pretty sore. It’s unfortunate. One of our bike’s strengths is generating heat in the tyres, and that’s what you need on a cold, wet track like this. Already on the warm-up lap, the bike felt good. It’s easy to say now, but I honestly feel like we could have put up a decent fight today and had some fun.” Vittoriano Guareschi (Team Manager) “Today I’m particularly sorry to have to talk about a race in which once again, we weren’t able to capitalize on our potential. In practice, both Vale and Nicky demonstrated that they were able to ride this track well in the conditions that we had for the race, but after they both started well, they really were victims of a classic first-turn crash. It happens, but it hurt Ducati worse than the others. There’s not much else to say. Now we’ll focus on the work that’s about to start for 2012.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha MotoGP Team: Yamaha Factory rider Ben Spies delivered a sensational performance today to take second in the Valencia Grand Prix. The Texan was quick to tuck in behind the fighting duo of Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa, pacing the two as they fought for position. With seven laps to go he made his move and began to close down race leader Casey Stoner. Capitalising on a small mistake by the race leader, Spies moved to the front and managed to create a small gap. Unfortunately the last corner saw Stoner fight back, charging to cross the finish line just 0.015 seconds ahead. Katsuyuki Nakasuga put in a brilliant performance today in his first ever premier class MotoGP race. The Japanese rider has faced challenging weather conditions all weekend on his first visit to the Valencia circuit. Faced with a grid of experienced GP riders and hugely changeable track conditions, Nakasuga-san delivered, holding his own and fighting through to take a very respectable sixth place finish. Today’s Grand Prix at Valencia was not only the last of the season, but also the last of the 800cc era. Although unable to ride for the last two Grand Prix, Jorge Lorenzo has amassed enough points to seal second in the Championship standings with 260. Team mate Ben Spies takes fifth place with 176 points. Ben Spies Position : 2nd Time: +0.015 “The conditions were really tough today, with the rain it was so difficult to know how hard to push so I was just concentrating on bringing the bike home. We were able to follow Dani and Dovi and get past them eventually and then get past Casey when he made a small mistake. When there’s no rider in front of you, you don’t have a judge on how slippery the track is so it’s difficult to judge speed in that last lap. When we came out of the last corner I got the paint sucked off the bike by Casey as he went past! I’m happy enough; we made a huge charge at the end and finished well. Considering how the last month has gone it’s a great way to end. We’ll focus on the test now and aim to be up there and even more competitive next year. A huge thank you to Yamaha and my crew who made sure I had a great bike to ride today. This morning we all came out to make some noise and say goodbye to Marco, I’m pretty sure he heard us and I know he would have approved!” Katsuyuki Nakasuga Position : 6th Time: +23.818 “I was really surprised with sixth position in the race! In the beginning I was very nervous because of the weather condition so my main target was to complete the race. I am used to Japanese races which only last 30 minutes so I was worried that I might not be able to keep my concentration for nearly double the time. Finally I’m very happy, the last five laps were quite risky because it wasn’t easy to go faster but I had nothing to lose so I wanted to push as hard as I could. It’s been amazing to experiment with a real Grand Prix race, not only can I use this for future development riding but I’m very pleased with the good result. The weather maybe helped me, but I am happy and enjoying the moment.” Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager “That was a very surprising race but very exciting as well! We are very happy with the results; Nakasuga-san’s sixth position is fantastic. 30 laps in dry and wet conditions are very difficult when you have to push. To finish in front of regular GP riders is very good. Ben’s podium in between those two competitors was brilliant, a shame we just got passed at the line. Overall we’ve had a great weekend, now we’re going to work hard for the next few days to prepare for 2012.” Massimo Meregalli Team Director “What a race! For sure it was a really difficult one. Ben did a fantastic job; his reactions to everything on track were great. Unfortunately we lost the race for just 0.015 seconds. It’s very important to me how we finished the Championship and this is a very good starting point for next season. Nakasuga-san achieved a great result; I don’t think we were expecting him to do so well! We have finished our 50th anniversary of Grand Prix racing in a very fitting way. We are going to have two really important testing days now on Tuesday and Wednesday, Ben’s mood is pretty high and he is focused on the test. We’ll keep pushing and working hard to be ready for the next season.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: EMOTIONAL FINAL ROUND AT VALENCIA FOR MOTOGP RIDERS AND TEAMS Valencia, 6 November: the ultimate round of 2011 season at Ricardo Tormo circuit was full of emotions for riders, teams and MotoGP fans. Nico Terol clinched the 125cc World Title and the German Stefan Bradl was finally confirmed as the 2011 Moto2 World Champion whilst this morning riders from all three categories were invited to depart from the Pit Lane as a group, and completed a lap of the track in honour of Simoncelli (the procession was led by former World Champion Kevin Schwantz on Simoncelli’s RC212V bike). The 18th round was also the ultimate race for Italian racer Loris Capirossi who concluded the final race of his 22-year career with a ninth place. LCR Honda MotoGP Team racer Toni Elias started from the 13th spot on the gird for his last race aboard the RCV212V finishing in 10th place. Stoner claimed his tenth victory of the 800cc era ahead of Spies and Dovizioso. Elias 10th: “Well”¦ First it was very tough to line up without Marco today and we will always remember him. I took an incredible start from the 13th spot and I could have gone for the fifth place but Nicky got into my way and he was involved in the crash in the first corner. From the beginning to the middle of the race we had a good pace just 1.5s slower than Casey in the front but later on, when it started to rain, I did feel safe as I started to lose rear grip in corner entry so my lap time dropped down and I managed to finish tenth. This season was very tough for me but in the mean time I learnt a lot: now I hope to start with a new challenge with more luck and the same I also wish to Lucio and the LCR Team”. Cecchinello LCR Team Manager: “First this season will be remembered for the tragic loss of Marco who will remain in our hearts forever because he was a pure talent and a charismatic guy. This season was tougher than what we expected but we learnt a lot from the difficulties and we will keep on working at 100% as always. I must thank Toni because he always tried hard to find a solution and the Team too. I wish him the best for his future career because he is a tough rider and a guy with a huge heart, a contagious smile and full of human worth”. More, from a press release issued by Honda: 2011 FIM MotoGP/Moto2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ROUND 18, SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, VALENCIA, SPAIN Weather: Cold and drizzly Temperature: Ambient 17 degrees C / Track 16 degrees C Weekend attendance: 134,535 STONER WINS 2011 FINALE WITH DAZZLING DRAG-RACE FINISH World Champion Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC212V) won a thrilling, last-gasp victory at rain-dampened Valencia this afternoon, passing rival Ben Spies (Yamaha) just one metre before the finish line to score his tenth success of the season by just 0.015s. Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V) completed the podium in third place to take third overall in the 2011 MotoGP series ahead of team-mate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) who finished the last race of MotoGP’s 800cc era in fifth position. This last weekend of the 2011 season was a sombre affair, with the entire paddock honouring the memory of MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli who lost his life at the Malaysian Grand Prix two weeks ago. Motorcycles, riding gear and team trucks all carried Simoncelli’s famous number 58 logo, and many of the tens of thousands of fans present also wore tributes to the popular Italian. Following this morning’s warm-up session all three classes MotoGP, Moto2 and 125s honoured the former 250 World Champion’s memory by riding a lap together behind 1993 500 World Champion Kevin Schwantz, one of Simoncelli’s childhood heroes. “We had all the bikes out there because Marco would’ve wanted all that noise and that’s what we wanted too,” said Schwantz who rode Simoncelli’s number 58 San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V. The race itself was run in treacherous, changeable conditions and started with a four bike pile-up at the first corner that sidelined Alvaro Bautista (Suzuki) and Ducati riders Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden and Randy de Puniet. None of the fallers sustained anything worse than bumps and bruises. Stoner who was crowned World Champion at last month’s Australian GP was out front from the moment the lights went out and kept building his advantage, despite drizzle falling around much of the track. By half distance he was already 9.9s ahead and victory seemed assured. But then the drizzle turned into rain and suddenly Stoner was being caught by Spies and Dovizioso. As leader of the race, it was more difficult for the Australian to judge the conditions than for the riders chasing him. In three laps his lead had shrunk to 2.5s and with three laps remaining he was a mere three tenths ahead of Spies. The Texan pounced on the penultimate lap when Stoner hit a neutral and it seemed like Spies was going to hold a slender advantage to the flag. But halfway through the final lap Stoner decided he wasn’t prepared to accept defeat, so he started pushing harder and taking risks. By the final corner he was right behind Spies and then used the awesome acceleration of his RC212V to out-drag his rival to the finish line. The victory was his 16th podium finish from 17 races, equalling the record held by Rossi and 2010 World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) who is still recovering from a finger injury sustained at Phillip Island three weeks ago. It has been a mostly perfect season for Stoner, whose only non-podium finish came at the soaking Spanish GP where he was taken out by Rossi. Dovizioso and Pedrosa went into today’s season finale separated by just four points in their contest for third overall in the series and spent the first two-thirds of the race disputing second place, swapping the position on numerous occasions, while Spies watched and waited just behind. Dovizioso knows that Pedrosa is faster round this track, so he did everything in his power to overtake the Spaniard and stay ahead. Their duel was finally decided when heavier rain arrived and Pedrosa eased off. Thus Dovizioso secured third overall in his final race with Honda. Pedrosa crossed the finish line in fifth spot, after Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) came past him on the final lap. The Spaniard winner of the 2007 and 2009 Valencia MotoGP races didn’t feel as comfortable as usual today, especially when the rain got heavier. He thus eased his pace to ensure a safe finish and complete the series fourth overall. Toni Elias (LCR Honda MotoGP RC212V) made a fantastic start from the fifth row of the grid and was lucky not to get involved in the first-corner pile-up. He ran a good, consistent pace throughout much of the race, but like many riders he struggled to find grip when the rain intensified. He finished his last race with the LCR team in tenth place. Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) had a challenging final race in the MotoGP class, coming home 12th and last after struggling all weekend to find confidence in the difficult conditions. Michele Pirro (Gresini Racing Moto2-Moriwaki) won the final Moto2 race of the year, also run in tricky damp conditions. It was an emotional victory for team owner Fausto Gresini, who had earlier watched Pirro’s team-mate Yuki Takahashi (Gresini Racing Moto2-Moriwaki) take the lead, only to suffer a heavy fall. The Japanese was battered and bruised in the tumble, but not seriously hurt. Pirro took over the lead when Takahashi fell on lap six and stayed in front for the rest of the race, gradually easing ahead to win by six seconds while many other riders slid off behind him. The action was typically hectic behind, with Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team-Suter), Dominique Aegerter (Technomag-CIP-Suter), Yonny Hernandez (Blusens-STX-FTR) and Xavier Simeon (Tech 3 B-Tech 3) involved in an entertaining battle for much of the race. But Hernandez and Simeon made mistakes, leaving Kallio and Aegerter to dispute second and third. Former 250 and 125 GP winner Kallio came out on top to score his first podium since moving to Moto2 at the end of last year following two seasons in MotoGP. Aegerter’s third place was his first top-three finish and won him a pre-podium haircut from his team! Anthony West (MZ) won a busy contest for fourth, crossing the line a fraction ahead of Kenny Noyes (Avintia-STX FTR), Hernandez, Mike Di Meglio (Tech 3 Racing-Tech 3) and Simeon. The foursome was separated by just over a second. Max Neukirchner (MZ), Julian Simon (Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2-Suter) and Andrea Iannone (Speed Master-Suter) finished the race with their own three-way battle for eighth place. The trio was covered by 1.6 seconds at the flag. Neither of the season’s two Moto2 title challengers featured in today’s results. Marc Marquez (Team Catalunya Caixa Repsol-Suter) was unable to ride this weekend because he is still suffering double vision, a legacy of his big tumble at Sepang two weeks ago. His withdrawal from the event immediately made Bradl World Champion, but the German wasn’t able to celebrate today with another win. Instead he too tumbled out. Incredibly, Bradl has yet to finish a race at the Spanish circuit. There is no rest for the MotoGP and Moto2 paddock. Testing for the 2012 season commences here tomorrow, with Moto2 riders taking to the track. On Tuesday and Wednesday it’s the turn of MotoGP riders, who will be riding their new 1000cc machines in preparation for next year’s new-look World Championship. MotoGP rider quotes Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: race winner “My heart was in my throat! We did such a good job all the race and then it started to rain heavily. Being the first one to arrive to the conditions on the track, I wasn’t sure how hard to push so I slowed up to ensure I finished the race and I thought if they come past I can stay with them. Then coming onto the back straight I made a slight mistake when I went into neutral instead of first gear and Ben came past me. I tried to stay with him but he was riding very well, fast and smooth and he looked confident in the conditions, more so than me. In the first half of the final lap he made a nice gap but I knew we were quick in the second half of the lap. I thought to myself, we haven’t been able to take any risks all season, this is the time to take one and see what we can do. I knew I had a better exit line out of the final turn and I kept my head down and went for the line. It’s amazing to win this on the finish line, I’ve had it done to me in the past a few times, but I’ve never done it to anyone else! I’m sorry for Ben, he rode a great race. A big thanks to my team for all their hard work this year.” Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 3rd “I’m so happy with third place in the Championship, it’s a great achievement born from a lot hard work throughout the year. Before arriving here I knew I only had a few opportunities to arrive in front of Dani, because he has been always so fast here. Dani was faster than me also in this race weekend so I had to make a good strategy to beat him. Considering that I had a soft front tyre, I knew I couldn’t push hard for 30 laps, I tried to stop him when I was in front of him, then every time he overtook me, I tried to pass him immediately. It was a good battle and with the rain at coming with seven to eight laps to go I wanted to push harder for the win because I’m good in these tricky conditions. However, third position in the Championship was too important so I decided not to take any additional risks. Thanks to my team for these three years spent together. I’m very pleased to finish my career at Honda with third in the Championship, my best result so far in MotoGP. On the final lap I thought of Marco and in the end I succeeded here on a track where I have always struggled. Marco helped me in this challenging mission, Ciao Marco.” Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V): 5th “It wasn’t an easy race. I did my best, trying hard but I wasn’t feeling good on the bike, I was rigid and didn’t ride very well. But especially in the end with more water on the track I struggled a lot as in Australia, so this is something I will try to improve with my riding in the future. I had a good battle with Andrea and in the last laps I lost a place to Cal Crutchlow, but I couldn’t do any more. Andrea and I were on a soft front tyre and we were maybe struggling a little more than Ben or Cal who were on a hard front, but it’s not an excuse. I just want to move forward and think about next year and the test we have on Tuesday. It has been a tough year, but we will try to take the positives from here and be optimistic for the 2012.” Toni Elias, LCR Honda MotoGP: 10th “Well”¦ First it was very tough to line up without Marco today and we will always remember him. I took an incredible start from 13th on the grid and I could have gone for the fifth place, but Nicky got into my way and he was involved in the crash in the first corner. From the beginning to the middle of the race we had a good pace just 1.5s slower than Casey in the front, but later on, when it started to rain, I didn’t feel safe as I started to lose rear grip in corner entry so my lap times dropped down and I managed to finish tenth. This season was very tough for me, but in the meantime I learnt a lot: now I hope to start with a new challenge with more luck and the same I also wish to Lucio and the LCR Team.” Hiroshi Aoyama, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 12th “My final race in MotoGP was another very tough one. I didn’t have confidence in the bike because of the chatter problem we have had all weekend and couldn’t push it like I wanted. It was a real shame but I just want to thank the team and the sponsors for giving me the opportunity to contest my second season in MotoGP. Obviously I would have liked to have done better but the guys in the team have worked hard and I would like to wish them a fond farewell.” Moto2 rider quotes Michele Pirro, Gresini Racing Moto2, Moriwaki: race winner “This is a special victory for me and for my team, after the tragedy of what happened to Marco at the last race. It hasn’t been an easy weekend and the race was the same a bit dry, a bit wet, a bit dry, a bit wet so it was very tough out there. But I think Marco rode with me today. I would like to dedicate this victory to Marco, to his family and to the team.” Mika Kallio, Marc VDS Racing Team, Suter: 2nd “Finally we got our first Moto2 podium. We didn’t expect this season to be so difficult. I struggled a lot in the beginning, but step by step we found a way to set up the bike and step by step I found a way to ride it. Over the last four or five races we have made real progress the results got better and my confidence improved. This weekend we made the step onto the podium. It’s an important result after the last two years when my feeling riding bikes wasn’t so good. I hope to continue like this in 2012.” Dominique Aegerter, Technomag-CIP, Suter: 3rd “I’m so happy with this first podium. We have been so close to the top guys at several races this year. This weekend was difficult in the race it rained a little less and then a little more. Anyway, I’m happy to be here and it’s a great way to end the season. Thanks to everyone and I hope we can continue with more good results next year.” Marc Marquez, Team Catalunya Caixa Repsol-Suter: DNS “I could not ride the bike this weekend because if I see double it can be dangerous for me and all the other riders. The damage is a stretched muscle inside the right eye. Sure I was unlucky at Sepang because the crash wasn’t our mistake. Of course I wanted to ride and try to win the championship, but I think I did a good job in my first year in Moto2 and the team also did a very good job. Second place isn’t so bad, but Bradl did a better job than us, so we say congratulations to him and next year we need to learn from our mistakes.” More, from another press release issued by Honda: Honda wishes fond farewell to MotoGP legend Loris Capirossi Honda Motor Co and Honda Racing Corporation would like to wish Loris Capirossi all the best on the occasion of his final race and retirement from Grand Prix racing. Capirossi is one of the most remarkable racers to have starred in the history of the World Championships. He has been a full-time Grand Prix rider for more than half his life, amassing many records along the way. No one has had a longer career in the sport and the Italian has started more GP races an astonishing 328, including today’s finale and amassed more points than any other rider. He is also the sport’s youngest-ever World Champion. “Loris has been one of the strongest riders in MotoGP for many years, it will be difficult to get used to not seeing him on the bike next year,” said Shuhei Nakamoto, HRC Vice-President. “Honda is proud to have given him the chance to win his first and second titles and many victories in all classes. Good luck to him and his wonderful family in their new life and thanks for all the passion he gave us!” Capirossi has ridden many makes of machinery but he made his GP debut at Suzuka in March 1990 and won his first GP victories and World Championship that year on a Honda. The Italian secured the title aboard his Team Pileri RS125 at the age of 17 years and 165 days and went on to retain the crown the following season. He graduated to the 250 class in 1992, aboard a Honda RS250, and won his first 250 GP the following summer aboard a NSR250, his first full-factory machine. He came very close to taking the 250 crown that year, only missing out by four points at the last race. In 1995 Capirossi graduated to the 500 category aboard a Honda NSR500, still with Team Pileri, and scored his first premier-class podium at Catalunya. He took a single 500 GP victory with Honda, at Mugello in 2000, when he was riding for Team Honda Pons. That success took his total of Honda GP wins to 19: eight on 125s, ten on 250s and that one on a 500. Honda would like to thank Capirossi for his talent, bravery and determination during a glittering career and is sure that he will make a great success of whatever path he chooses to follow once he has hung up his leathers and helmet.