Grand Prix of Valencia - Preview

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VICTORIOUS YAMAHA HEAD TO VALENCIAN SEASON FINALE FOR FINAL FAREWELL

With the Triple Crown of Riders', Teams' and Manufacturers' titles wrapped up last weekend in Estoril, the Fiat Yamaha Team heads to the traditional season finale race at Valencia in Spain this weekend for the eighteenth round of the season. For Jorge Lorenzo it will be a triumphant homecoming to race once more in front of his beloved Spanish fans, this time as World Champion, whilst for nine-time Champion Valentino Rossi it will be an emotional farewell to Yamaha after seven fantastic years.

Lorenzo returned to the top step of the podium for the first time since Brno on Sunday and the 23-year-old World Champion is excited about one final chance to race in front of his home supporters this season. He has taken seven poles, won an incredible eight races and finished off the podium only twice on the way to his first premier-class title this season and the Mallorcan now has the chance to break the record for the most premier-class points scored in a single season; a podium finish will be enough for him to surpass his team-mate's record of 373 points, set with Yamaha in 2008. Surprisingly Lorenzo has never won at Valencia and, with two Spanish wins already under his belt this season, he will be hoping to make it a hat-trick by ending the season in the best possible way this Sunday.

For Rossi and his crew this weekend marks the end of a highly successful partnership with Yamaha, which has spanned 116 races, 46 wins and four World Championships over the last seven years. After Valencia the Italian icon and Yamaha will part company but both sides are keen to make their final show together a memorable one. The 31-year-old has had six podiums at Valencia over his career including two wins, the last of which came during his inaugural Yamaha year in 2004. Last weekend's podium has elevated him back to third in the championship and a top-three finish for Rossi would surely be an outstanding accomplishment considering his injury-plagued season.

The Championship will wrap up in the usual spectacular Spanish style in front of some 130,000 race-day fans, packed into the unique stadium-style surroundings of the track. The layout is characterised by tight corners connected by short straights, whilst the final long looping left-hander and the fast entry to turn one contrast with the chicanes and slow speed corners of the infield.

Jorge Lorenzo "IT'S SPECIAL TO FINISH IN SPAIN"


"Finally the end of the season is here and for me it is so special to finish in Spain, with all of my fans. I have already celebrated in Mallorca but this will be the first time I ride in Spain as the World Champion and I am so proud to do so. It has been an incredible season for us and I was so happy to win again last weekend. We have won the Triple Crown now so our targets are complete, but I would like to make a new points record, which I can do if I finish on the podium. I have never won in Valencia so I would really like to try this weekend."
Valentino Rossi "AN EMOTIONAL WEEKEND FOR ALL"


"So here we are, my last race with Yamaha and it will be an emotional weekend for all! Of course I would really like to try to win this final race because it would be a great end to this partnership, which has had so many beautiful moments. We improved the setting of our bike again in Estoril so I hope we will be in good shape in Valencia, although it hasn't been the best track for me in the last few years. Anyway this is a special weekend so we will do everything that we can. I am third in the championship after Estoril and second is not impossible, although we know Dani is strong in Valencia and he is still 19 points ahead."

Wilco Zeelenberg "KEEP FOCUSED"


"We need to keep our focus this weekend even though it's the last race. It's not Jorge's best track but it would be great to have a good result there and make a new points record, which is possible if he finishes in the top three. It's nice to have this focus and target when everything else has been achieved!"

Davide Brivio "WE WANT TO FINISH IN THE BEST WAY"



"The last race is always a bit special but this year it will be even more so. It's the last race for Valentino with Yamaha and also for many members of our team, so we all want to do the maximum and finish this great story in the best way possible. We go there with a lot of motivation to do well and we hope to enjoy this final weekend."




Valentino Rossi : Information
Age: 31
Lives: Tavullia, Italy
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 105 (79 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 240 (180 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 59 (49 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
World Championships: 9 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 6 x MotoGP)

Jorge Lorenzo: Information
Age: 23
Lives: Barcelona, Spain
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 34 (14 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts: 145 (50 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 42 (15 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships: 3 (MotoGP 2010, 250cc, 2006/7)

Ricardo Tormo Valencia: Record Lap
C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1'32.582

Ricardo Tormo Valencia: Best Lap
V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2008, 1'31.002

Grand Prix Results: Ricardo Tormo Valencia 2009

1. D.Pedrosa (Honda) 46'47.553

2. V. Rossi (Yamaha) +2.630

3. J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) +2.913

 

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Rizla Suzuki heads for the curtain closer in Valencia

Rizla Suzuki has arrived in Spain ahead of this weekend?s traditional season ending Grand Prix at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia.

?lvaro Bautista will be competing at his fourth MotoGP race in front of his home fans this season, at a circuit where he made his riding debut for Suzuki at last year?s post-season test. Bautista is determined to end the season with a very positive performance at a track that he feels will suit the Suzuki GSV-R and his riding style.

Loris Capirossi will be looking to round the season off in style, despite still battling with the injuries that have beset the Italian for the last few races. His 13th place finish at last week?s Portuguese Grand Prix was the first time he had seen the chequered flag since the Indianapolis race in September and he is in a determined mood to improve on that dramatically in the season?s finale.

The Ricardo Tormo circuit is now firmly established as the final MotoGP on the calendar and the party atmosphere, combined with the expected huge crowds and massive firework display at the end of the race, just add to the festival feeling. The Spanish track also has the unique distinction of being the only stadium circuit that the motorcycling Grand Prix circus visits, this gives all the fans in the surrounding grandstands the opportunity to view the action no matter where they are seated.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will take to the track on Friday morning for the first free practice session, followed by further 45-minute sessions to get the Suzuki GSV-R set up for the 4,005m circuit, on Friday afternoon and the following morning. Saturday afternoon will see Bautista and Capirossi battling for the best grid positions during qualifying, as they prepare for Sunday?s 30-lap race that is scheduled to start at 14.00hrs local time (13.00hrs GMT).

?lvaro Bautista:

?I was very surprised at last week?s result because after how well we had been performing it was a bit of a shock, but I know we can put that behind us and challenge the top-six group. I have experience of riding the GSV-R at Valencia after last season?s test, so I will have some reference points and I think the circuit will suit the bike well. It is amazing having another ?home? race and I will have many fans there to celebrate the end of the season, I will certainly be trying my hardest to give them, and the whole team, a good result to remember and take forward into the winter.?

Loris Capirossi:

?I hope we can go well at Valencia because it has been a very hard season for us and we need to end the year in a more positive way. The circuit is quite good for our bike and it seems to suit the dynamics of the GSV-R well. I know it will be difficult and I?m still not 100% fit, but I firmly believe I can go well in Valencia. It is the last race and after all that has happened this year it would be good to give my crew something to smile about ? I will certainly be giving everything I?ve got to make that happen.?

 

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THE PRAMAC RACING TEAM IN SEARCH OF REDEMPTION ON VALENCIA TRACK FOR THE LAST RACE OF THE SEASON

Next Sunday will take place on Valencia's circuit, the last stage of the MotoGP World Championship season. Pramac Racing Team riders will have the opportunity to redeem the double withdraw of the last Grand Prix of Portugal which saw both white-green riders prematurely finish the seventeenth Grand Prix of the season. Aleix Espargar? has withdraw the race during the first lap due a fall. Carlos Checa has ahead finished the Portuguese appointment due to a severe pain in his forearm that did not allow him to ride the bike in the best way. The hope is that during the last Grand Prix of the season, the riders will be able to make a good performance on the track that have not reserve good results to the Pramac Racing Team. The Italian Team had, in fact, obtained a second position on the Spanish track with Biaggi in the 2004 as best result which were followed by minor placements. Last year, Mika Kallio had finished the race in ninth position, while Espargar? has finished in thirteenth position. Sunday will be the twelfth Grand Prix of Valencia that is, since 2002, the last appointment of the MotoGP World Championship. It will be absolutely a special race for both Pramac Racing Team riders, this could be the last race for Carlos Checa riding a MotoGP bike, while Aleix Espargar? is a source of pride to ride a MotoGP bike on the circuit that has marked his absolute world debut in the two wheels in the 125cc class in the 2004 when he was just fifteen years old.


Paolo Campinoti - Team Principal Pramac Racing Team

"For the third time this year we have not completed the race with both riders. The other two occasions were during the first Grand Prix of this season in Qatar and during the unlucky Grand Prix of Germany where both riders were involved in an accident. Sunday we will try to gain a good position and finish, as best as possible, a season that has not been easy for our Team. We should be able to use in the best way this last chance and try to get a good result. I hope that the weather conditions will be better than what we have found on Estoril's track in order to maximize the time available to try the bike on Valencia's track."

Aleix Espargar? - Pramac Racing Team

"The fall on the first lap of last Sunday's race was not what I was aiming. I was aiming to achieve a good result on Estoril's track and the results of Friday and Saturday free practice sessions had give me high hopes for the race. Sunday we'll return to Spain for the fourth time this year. In the other three Grands Prix on the Ibernian land of this year, I have conquered a fifteenth position in Jerez, a good tenth position in Aragon and a withdraw on Barcelona's track, a race in which I had done a very good weekend. I hope to greatly improve the position conquer in Aragon and conclude in the best way my first MotoGP season. This track has a different flavor for me, I made my debut here in the 2004 while I was riding a 125cc. "

Carlos Checa - Pramac Racing Team

"The rain during Estoril's Grand Prix have certainly not helped me. I needed to run as much as possible on the track and the weather conditions that I have found have not allowed me to do that. The feeling that I was able to develop with the bike during the weekend have not allowed me to find the right riding position on the dry track. The forearm pain after a few laps did not allow me to give to the bike the right braking and the best way to entre in the turns. My results on Valencia's track are not exciting, but I have taken some satisfaction in my long career, arriving twice in the fourth position in the 2001 and in the 2005. Even if I do not feel any pressure, I'll try to do my best to give a good result to the Pramac Racing Team which have offered me this fantastic opportunity. "

 

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PRESS RELEASE ? 1st Practice Day ? GP Valencia 2010

INTERWETTEN HONDA MotoGP TEAM ? Much work ahead for Aoyama in Valencia

The first practice day of the Grand Prix of Valencia in Spain was a teaching lesson for Hiroshi Aoyama and the Interwetten Honda MotoGP Team as they still have to get to grips with the Honda RC212V on this circuit. Until the qualifying session tomorrow the Team has to adjust a lot of settings on the bike. Aoyama, who earned his 250cc world title last year on this track, hopes he can finish in the Top 10 on Sunday in the race as he wants to finish the season 2010 in style with a good result.

Hiroshi Aoyama, 14 ? 1'34.154 (combined times FP1 and FP2):
?This morning I had not such a good feeling with the tyres and the bike. This afternoon it was better. We tried soft and hard tyres and I had the better feeling with the hard tyres, so we stuck to them. Unfortunately we still have too much power in some sections of the circuit and this caused wheelies with the bike and we have to work on that.?

 

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Edwards and Spies set fast pace in Valencia

Colin EdwardsColin Edwards was in fantastic form for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team today, the American ending the opening day of free practice for the final MotoGP race of 2010 Valencia in third position.

The 36-year-old was only 11th quickest in bright and sunny conditions this morning but a series of modifications to improve turning performance with his YZR-M1 machine helped him challenge for the top three throughout the second 45-minute session.

Edwards was also able to gain crucial information on the harder compound Bridgestone rear and set his best time of 1.33.466 on the 20th lap of his 23-lap stint in mild but cloudy conditions this afternoon.

Brave Ben Spies also had a positive first day as he produced a performance full of grit and determination today. The 26-year-old is still limping heavily after he was unfortunate to dislocate his left ankle during a crash on the sighting lap ahead of last Sunday?s Grand Prix of Portugal at the Estoril circuit.



His preparations for the final round suffered an early setback when he crashed in this morning?s session at the second corner. But he made a brilliant recovery and in the closing stages of the second session, Spies was in the top three with team-mate Edwards.

Despite the ankle injury slightly hampering him while changing gears, Spies eventually finished sixth overall and his best time 1.33.528 was just over 0.4s quicker than his time set this morning. The afternoon session was a closely contested affair with Spies only 0.062s behind Edwards and the top ten were split by less than one second.

Colin Edwards 3rd 1.33.466 ? 42 laps

?I?m really happy to have made such a good start. I was only 11th this morning but knew my guys had a handle on how to improve the bike and this afternoon it just felt so easy. All the problems I?ve had all year with the bike not turning and running wide disappeared. I could get into the corner hard on the brakes, carry lots of lean angle, open the throttle and the bike would just turn like it should do. It?s all too little too late but I didn?t feel like I was out there taking a lot of risks and I was nearly six-tenths faster this afternoon. Every lap I did was between 33.4 and 33.6 and that?s consistently over half-a-second faster than what I was able to do here last year. I kept the same hard tyre for the whole session and just switched it between the bikes and my best time was on the 20th lap, so I?m really happy with the tyre performance too and think I could be in for a really strong weekend to finish the season.?

Ben Spies 6th 1.33.528 ? 49 laps

?I?m happy with the way today ended because I?m sixth but really close to Colin in third. I felt good this morning before I crashed. I was on the soft front tyre and it is the one I don?t like so much. I was happy to make it through the whole session on it but I got a bit too greedy and lost the front going into the second corner. I knew if I?d have swallowed some pride and slowed down or come in for the hard tyre it wouldn?t have happened. At least I didn?t aggravate the ankle, which is getting better as each day passes. Earlier this week it was really painful and I?m having a couple of issues back-shifting gears. But it is not going to be a problem for the race. I?m having lots of physio and when I'm not on the bike I'm using an ice pack a lot. But after the crash in Estoril and what happened this morning, I needed to have a good session this afternoon just to build up some confidence and that?s what I managed. I?m really happy too because my fastest lap was on the 25th lap on the hard rear tyre option, so we?ve obviously got a good race setting already. Every change we made to the bike made it a bit better, so with a few more tweaks overnight we should be looking even stronger.?

 

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Rizla Suzuki looking for grip on the final Friday

Rizla Suzuki still has a lot of work to do in tomorrow?s final free practice session of the year after a challenging day today left them at the wrong end of the timesheets.

Loris Capirossi (P15, 1?34.248, 40 laps) couldn?t find the grip levels for his Suzuki GSV-R at Valencia today, despite trying both compounds of tyres to get the best performance from his machine. He will certainly be looking to improve considerably tomorrow to make sure he is in the best position for Sunday?s race.

?lvaro Bautista (P16, 1?34.296, 45 laps) was the hardest working rider out on the 4,005m track this afternoon as he completed 25 laps trying to get the optimum performance from his bike. He made a number of changes to the set-up of his GSV-R today and now has a clearer direction in which way to go tomorrow.

Today?s air temperatures just made it up to 20?C during this afternoon?s session, with track surface temperatures only getting to 26?C. The fastest time of the day was set by World Champion Jorge Lorenzo.

Tomorrow will see the last practice and qualifying sessions of the season as the riders make their final preparations for Sunday?s 30-lap Grand Prix, which will get underway at 14.00hrs local time (13.00hrs GMT).

Loris Capirossi:

?It has been quite difficult for us today because the conditions have been a bit colder than we expected. Like most times this season the day before first practice has been lovely, but then on the first day the temperature has dropped. We are struggling to get a good and constant feeling from the tyres, even though we tried both compounds. We have to try and discover something for tomorrow, the whole team is working hard to find a solution, but it is not easy. When it?s not that warm we have struggled to get the grip and that is how it has been today, so hopefully it will warm up for us tomorrow.?

?lvaro Bautista:

?This morning we tested different frame settings in the two bikes and I chose just one of them to continue with this afternoon. We tried a new spec with that setting, but the feeling was a little bit worse than this morning because I just couldn?t get the exit from the corners I was looking for with the softer tyres. It was a used tyre and had done more than 30-laps, so we tried a new harder compound in the front and rear, but the feeling stayed the same. Tomorrow morning we will do the same setting from this morning, but with a few changes and we will see if we can improve ? I certainly hope that we do.?

GP Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana Free Practice Classification:

1. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1?32.690: 2. Casey Stoner (Ducati) +0.207: 3. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +0.776: 4. Marco Simoncelli +0.778 (Honda): 5. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) +0.780: 15. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.558: 16. ?LVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1?34.296:

 

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FIRST DAY OF WORK FOR THE PRAMAC RACING DUO IN VALENCIA

Hard working day for Pramac Racing Team riders, Aleix Espargaro and Carlos Checa, who have completed the first two free sessions of the Grand Prix of Valencia. Aleix concluded with the thirteenth best lap time of the day just half a second from the front row. In fact, apart from the first two riders, Lorenzo and Stoner, from the third to thirteenth position the group is very close and tomorrow will be a battle to get the best positions on the grid of the last round of the 2010 championship. Carlos Checa has instead improved his feeling with the Ducati GP10 and tomorrow will try to improve the seventeenth position of today.


Fabiano Sterlacchini - Technical Director

"Aleix today went well, but it was a bit unfortunate because with very few thousandths of a second less would have been at least in the top ten. He wants to do well here in Spain in front of his fans to conclude his season with us in MotoGP. Is proving to be a true professional with great commitment and determination. We trust in him to get a good result this weekend. Carlos did a good job improving with every exit his feeling with the bike and thanks to his experience tomorrow and on Sunday will take some great satisfaction."

Aleix Espargar? - Pramac Racing rider - 13th best lap time in 1'33.954

"I found it quite well today. I don't like the thirteenth position but we are very close to the riders who precede us. We need to test some technical solutions that should significantly improve. I am confident that during the two sessions tomorrow we can make a significant step forward."

Carlos Checa - Pramac Racing rider - 17th best lap time in 1'34.636

"It 'hard but I don't give up. We are clothing down the gap from other riders and tomorrow I will try to join the group. We are still fun and the bike is becoming more and more suitable to my riding style. I want to do well at this very hard and technical circuit. I will give all my best."

 

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Lorenzo on top as final weekend gets underway in Valencia

The season finale at Valencia got underway this afternoon and World Champion Jorge Lorenzo ended the day well in command of proceedings, setting a blistering final lap in the second free practice session. His team-mate Valentino Rossi, in his final race weekend for Yamaha, finished the day in ninth after struggling for grip this afternoon.

After the bad weather that has blighted the two last rounds, the Valencian sunshine presented a welcome change and raised paddock spirits on this final outing of the year. Lorenzo had a strong morning practice session, coming in second behind Casey Stoner, but the 23-year-old made some significant steps this afternoon and his final lap put him into the 1'32s, two tenths ahead of Stoner in the combined standings.

Rossi was fifth in the morning but ran into a few troubles in the afternoon, lacking grip and unable to find the right setting to allow him to use the bike and tyres to their full potential. He was only able to improve his time by a tenth this afternoon but the Italian and his experienced crew will use this evening to look over the data and find a new direction for tomorrow.

Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 1stTime: 1'32.690Laps: 39
"Today was a good day. We started strongly from the first moment and I am feeling so confident, plus my bike is working very well here. We need to continue like this tomorrow and make a few small steps forward with our setting. I am so happy to be riding at home again, in front of the Spanish fans here at Cheste as the World Champion. I hope we are strong again tomorrow where I have a very special helmet to show everyone!"

Valentino Rossi - Position: 9thTime: 1'33.661Laps: 35
"This morning was not so bad but the afternoon was not great. We weren't able to improve the setting from the morning and we had a few problems; we have some work to do because at the moment we don't have enough grip and the bike is difficult to ride. The times are quite close but we are in still ninth so we need to find a way to improve tomorrow. We will have a look at the data and see what we can come up with tomorrow because for sure we need to improve the grip if we are going to be competitive this weekend. It's a very important weekend, the last for me with Yamaha, so of course we want to try to be at the maximum."

Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager
"A good practice day; the lap time is good, the position is good and Jorge's feeling with the bike is very good too. We need to focus a bit on rear grip because the temperature is quite low. Normally we have a bit of issue on the corner entry but in fact that's fine at the moment and instead we're lacking a bit of grip on the exit of the corner, so that will be our main target for tomorrow. We compared both bikes and tried some different set-ups and it's clear that one is a lot better than the other, which we're pleased about because it's the one we expected it to be. It's the right direction for the race and for 2011."

Davide Brivio - Team Manager
"This morning we tried some different geometries and settings and then in the afternoon we continued in just one way, but it's clear that we still have some work to do and we have some problems with grip. In the end we stopped a little bit early to consider the situation, and now we will look closely at the data to find the right way forward for tomorrow so that we can give Valentino a bike to allow him to ride how he wants here."

 

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THE PRAMAC RACING TEAM IN THE TWELFTH AND SIXTEENTH POSITION WITH ESPARGARO' AND CHECA IN THE LAST QUALIFYING SESSION OF THE SEASON.

There were raced today the last qualifying session of the MotoGP season on Valencia's circuit. Quite good session for the Pramac Racing Team riders that had conquered the twelfth position with Aleix Espargar? and the sixteenth with Carlos Checa. The white-green duo had a little bit of problems regarding some circuit sectors of Valencia's track, that the technicians will try to solve during tomorrow morning warm up. The gap from the first of just a little more than a second, gives good hopes for Aleix's race that will start the race from the fourth row and that will try to use in the best way the long straight before the first curve. Quite good qualifying session for Checa, that has conquer the second last position on the starting grid, in the sixth row, and that has increased his feeling with his bike. Is important to consider that Carlos has decreased his best lap time conquer during Friday morning first free practice by almost two seconds. His gap from the best rider is now just over one and a half second. This gives good feeling for tomorrow race that will be for him that is, thanks also to his great experience, always use to conquer position. The race will start at 2 pm local time.


Fabiano Sterlacchini - Direttore Tecnico

"The modify we have done on my bike had allowed u sto reduce the gap we had from the best riders. But it was not enough for Aleix to conquer a top ten position and for Carlos to not start the race from the last raw like in Estoril last week. We have some others technical solutions that we will try tomorrow morning during the warm up session and try to reduce the gap from the first. Is the last race of the season and we aim to conquer a good result to conclude in the best way this difficult season."

Aleix Espargar? - Pilota Pramac Racing Team - 12th fastest lap time in 1'33.085

"We had work this morning on the tyres condition, trying soft tyres. We have also found some very good technical solutions. But this afternoon higher temperature, have not allowed us to use them in the right way. Any way the gap I have from the first riders is not that huge, the ninth position is gust two tenths of a second from my best lap time. It will be very important to start the race in the best way so that I can take advantage since the first curve and conquer some position."

Carlos Checa - Pilota Pramac Racing Team - 16th fastest lap time in 1'33.499

"I'm very happy on how the thinks where going and for improving the feeling with my bike. Of course the position that I have conquer is not the best, but if we just look after the numbers I can say that I have reduced my gap from the first by almost one second, compare to the gap I was having Friday morning. This give me an enormous feeling and great moral for tomorrow's race in which I'll try to conquer a good position and repay the Pramac Racing Team for this two fantastic weekends."

 

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NTERWETTEN HONDA MotoGP TEAM ? Confidence for the last race

The qualifying session for the season closing Grand Prix on the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia / Spain was not really satisfying for Hiroshi Aoyama. After he finished the third free practice of this weekend this morning on 13th position he lost two places in the qualifying and will start the last Grand Prix for the Interwetten Honda MotoGP Team tomorrow from 15th place on the grid. As the lap times are very close on this circuit in general, the hope of the 29 year old Japanese to still achieve a good result remains anyway.

Hiroshi Aoyama, 15 - 1'33.343:
?I already had a good feeling with the bike at the beginning of the qualifying. We could have been much better than we did, as my lap time this morning was better. But at the end I could improve it, but unfortunately lost two places on the grid. The lap times are so close here that I still can do a good result in the race.?

 

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Rizla Suzuki looking to end the season on the front foot

Rizla Suzuki goes in to the final Grand Prix of the season looking to end the year moving forward after a tough qualifying session left the riders with plenty of work for tomorrow?s race.

Loris Capirossi (P14, 1?33.339, 25 laps) made a big step in his lap-times from Friday, but couldn?t make significant in-roads further up the grid. He will start from the fifth row tomorrow, determined to end the season with a constructive performance that will help Suzuki to take things forward into the winter test programme.

?lvaro Bautista (P17, 1?33.515, 23 laps) has so far had a weekend to forget at Valencia, as he has struggled to get the grip levels he wants to help him on the 4,005m circuit. He will work with his crew this evening to assess the data in the hope that a new setting they are planning to try in tomorrow?s warm-up will assist him for the race.

Today?s qualifying session was held in clear and dry conditions with the air temperatures reaching 22?C. The fastest lap of the day was set by Ducati?s Casey Stoner, as the Australian took his fourth pole position of the season.

Tomorrow?s 30-lap race will be the curtain closer to the 2010 season and the main event will get underway at 14.00hrs local time (13.00hrs GMT).

Loris Capirossi:

?What can I say about today? I am obviously upset that this is the last qualifying of the year and it was a very difficult one. We improved a lot from this morning, but we stayed in the same position. The weather today was a bit better and this helped the bike, but it was still tough. Tomorrow will be a hard race and that is easy to see because I am 14th and ?lvaro is last, we are close, but this is the reality of the situation. The forecast for tomorrow is to be colder and cloudy, so this might put us in the same position that we experience when the temperature drops.?

?lvaro Bautista:

?It has turned into a difficult weekend so far and I feel like I am struggling with the bike. I?m having the most problems with the exit from the corner, but we have improved the GSV-R since yesterday as we have tried to get more grip and less movement form the bike. This afternoon it was still difficult and at the end of qualifying I was only really concentrating on the exit of the corners, more than I was on making a fast entry, so this made it very hard to be competitive. I?ve improved on my best time here, but it is still not enough. In warm-up we are going to try a new setting to help me with the rear of the bike and see what happens. We must work very hard and if tomorrow morning we find something better we will certainly use it in the race. It is going to be hard, because we will start form the last position ? the only good thing about that is that I can only finish better than I start!?

GP Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana Qualifying Practice Classification:

1. Casey Stoner (Ducati) 1?31.799: 2. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) +0.331: 3. Marco Simoncelli (Honda) +0.445: 4. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +0.531: 5. Nicky Hayden (Ducati) +0.632: 14. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.540: 17. ?LVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.716:

 

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Spies and Edwards eye podium fight in Valencia finale

Ben SpiesBen Spies and Colin Edwards will start the final round of the 2010 MotoGP world championship in Valencia tomorrow from sixth and seventh on the grid respectively, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team duo confident they can battle for a podium finish.

Spies produced another heroic performance in this afternoon?s sun-drenched qualifying session, the Texan shrugging off constant discomfort from the dislocated left ankle he suffered less than a week ago in Estoril to claim sixth with a best time of 1.32.566.

Working tirelessly with his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew to improve rear stability, Spies was just over 0.3s away from the front row in a closely contested session. The 26-year-old is confident that planned overnight set-up changes will improve his YZR-M1 machine even further as he prepares for an exciting fight for sixth place in the final standings with fellow American Nicky Hayden.

It was at the Valencia circuit 12 months ago that Spies made a scintillating Yamaha YZR-M1 debut, his stunning seventh place giving MotoGP fans a taste of the all-action performances that he?s produced throughout a brilliant 2010.

And it is likely there will be more of the same tomorrow with Spies and Hayden tied on 163-points going into tomorrow?s 30-lap race, with Spies finishing just 0.144s behind the 2006 world champion this afternoon.

Just one place and 0.013s further back on the grid is Edwards, who continued his excellent form this afternoon. More modifications to the radical set-up he first experimented with yesterday further improved turning performance for the 36-year-old and he occupied a place in the top three in the second half of the session.

He clocked a best time of 1.32.579 to finish seventh and the Texan is confident the new set-up will help him fight for the rostrum in what promises to be a thrilling conclusion to the season.

Ben Spies 6th 1.32.566 ? 24 laps

"I'm not super happy because I'd like the bike to be working better but to be close to the fight for the podium is pretty good. This track doesn?t have a lot of rear grip and I?ve had some stability problems. I need the rear to be more stable for the race and I think we can achieve that. Yamaha and my Tech 3 guys will get together tonight and come up with some ideas and I know they?ll give me a good bike tomorrow. The ankle isn?t fantastic but I don't think it's losing me time. I?m not 100 per cent but I can?t say I?m losing half-a-second because of it. I can't move around on the bike as much as I?d like but the race is only 45 minutes and I?ll get through it. I definitely want to move up in the championship and claim that sixth spot but I'm going out to treat it like another race and try to beat Nicky. There?s a bit of pride at stake but I?d want to beat anybody for the top six, so it makes no difference that the fight is with Nicky.?

Colin Edwards 1.32.579 ? 23 laps

?I?ve felt good all weekend with this new setting and I want to thank my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 because as always they?ve done an awesome job. The changes we have made have really helped my confidence with the rear of the bike. I can turn much better, I don?t run wide and the new setting seems to give me better rear grip but is also good for tyre life too. I was comfortable on the hard tyre but I hadn?t used the soft tyre since yesterday morning, so I didn?t really know the potential of it. On the first tyre I was almost a second quicker, put the second tyre in and it didn?t give the same confidence for some reason. On the last one I felt better and I?m happy with the lap time but it is so tight at the top that just a couple of tenths costs you a lot of places. Seventh is not where I want to be but everybody is going fast. I think anybody from third to ninth will be thinking they can get on the podium and I?m one of them. We?ve seen though on this track that the field can spread out pretty quick and if it does I hope to be at the sharp end.?

 

[Rick448]

My brother is there, lucky sod. Hope its a great race for the end of the season and a few eras.

 

[KUCIAR666]

Simoncelli leads Honda charge for Valencia finale

Magical MotoGP rookie Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) scored his first premier-class front-row start at Valencia today to give himself the best possible chance of scoring a first MotoGP podium finish in tomorrow?s season finale.

Former 250 World Champion Simoncelli ended the 45 minute qualifying session just one tenth behind second-fastest Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) and four tenths down on pole-position man Casey Stoner (Ducati). Fourth fastest, less than a tenth behind Simoncelli, was former MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha). Simoncelli?s previous best grid position in the MotoGP class was fourth at the recent Australian GP.

One week after the weather-lashed Portuguese GP, the paddock is enjoying a sunny weekend at Valencia, with all four sessions run on a dry track. Simoncelli has been fast throughout, continuing to climb the MotoGP learning curve in impressive style. Thanks to crucial input from HRC, which recently equipped Simoncelli with upgraded electronics, the 23-year-old came within a fraction of a second of scoring his first elite-class podium at Estoril last Sunday. Tomorrow he will want to go one better than that best-ever fourth-place result.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) delivered another heroic performance this afternoon, putting himself on the third row of the grid despite suffering pain and numbness from his left shoulder injury. The Spaniard ? who broke his left collarbone at last month?s Japanese GP ? was an impressive third fastest in free practice and ended qualifying eight tenths off pole. Not surprisingly, Pedrosa?s main concern for tomorrow?s 30-lap race is physical endurance.

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V) claimed the last place on the third row, going ninth fastest on his RCV. The Italian has consistently improved his pace throughout the weekend but struggled to extract the maximum from his RCV on softer tyres. Dovizioso knows where he is losing time ? in the final two sectors of this short and sinuous track ? and he plans to work on those areas before the race.

Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) and Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) will start the final race of the year alongside each other at the head of the fourth row. Melandri once again struggled to get the best out of his RCV in qualifying. De Puniet had been hopeful of another great qualifying after completing free practice seventh quickest. He was once again competitive this afternoon until he fitted softer tyres, which didn?t give him the feeling he needed to attack at maximum pace. The Frenchman ended the outing 11th.

Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP RC212V) ended free practice 14th fastest, putting him in confident mood for this afternoon?s qualifying session. But the Japanese ? who secured the 250 World Championship here last year ? was unable to better his best time from this morning?s session and thus slipped to 15th on the grid.


HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES

Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V): 3rd, 1m 32.244s
?It has been a wonderful weekend so far, from the first session yesterday morning through to qualifying this afternoon. I was able to ride fast and consistent and I am delighted we were able to turn it into a front row start. I have unbelievable confidence with the bike just at the moment and that has been coming over the past few rounds. Right now I just hope I can stay in the same postcode as the leader tomorrow because it would be a really great end to the season for me, Honda and the team.?

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V): 8th, 1m 32.603s
?I would like to be a bit higher in the standings but considering my physical condition eighth is not so bad. This is a short track and the lap times are very close, and so two tenths means two or three positions higher or lower on the grid. This is the position we have achieved and we will deal with it. This morning we did a good job with the set-up of the bike and this afternoon we didn?t touch much in the session ? improving by a couple of tenths. Anyway we need to be ready for a very tough race, and it?s the endurance over race distance that will be the key point ? 30 laps is a lot. Now I will try to rest as much as possible, and tomorrow I will aim to make a great start and keep the rhythm in the race for as long as I can.?

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V): 9th, 1m 32.886s
?Yesterday we started well and we have improved our pace in every practice session, but this afternoon I haven?t managed to use the full potential of the bike. I?m struggling in sector three and sector four and this is affecting my lap time. More than the set-up I need to better interpret the lines I?m taking, and also to adapt my riding style. In particular I?m quite slow in two or three corners and this is what is holding me back at the moment. Our overall pace in the rest of the lap is not too far from the riders at the front, so if we improve in these corners I?m sure we can fight for the podium tomorrow. Concerning the tyre choice, if the conditions remain as today I think we will use the hard compound.?

Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V): 10th, 1m 32.917s
?It has been another negative day for us. I can't get the bike stopped or turned. The electronics don't do the job they should and it is always difficult when I open the gas. It doesn't even work correctly on the straights ? opening and closing the throttle when it wants ? and for me it is really hard to control the wheelies. I am very disappointed because I would have wanted to finish the season in a very different way.?

Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V): 11th, 1m 32.925s
?This morning went quite well and in the first part of the qualifying session we confirmed the race tyres for tomorrow. But once I came out on soft tyres to post a good flying lap for the grid I could not get the same potential and the rear started to move a lot. The bike was not stable on the throttle and I could not really improve my lap time. We have a good base in race trim which makes me confident for the race, but I must take a good start like in Estoril. I really want to end this season and my third year with LCR in the best way tomorrow.?

Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP RC212V): 15th, 1m 33.343s
?I already had a good feeling with the bike at the beginning of qualifying. We could have done much better than we did, because my lap time this morning was better. But in the end I could improve it and unfortunately that lost me one place on the grid. The lap times are so close here that I can still get a good result in the race.?

Pole position : 1m31.799s (157.060Km/h) Casey Stoner, Ducati
Circuit record lap : 1m32.582s (155.732Km/h) Casey Stoner (Ducati, 2008)
Circuit Best Lap : 1m31.002s (158.436km/h) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha, 2006)
Qualifying position
1 Casey Stoner 1m31.799s AUS DUCATI Ducati Marlboro Team
2 Jorge Lorenzo +0.331s SPA YAMAHA Fiat Yamaha Team
3 Marco Simoncelli +0.445s ITA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
4 Valentino Rossi +0.531s ITA YAMAHA Fiat Yamaha Team
5 Nicky Hayden +0.623s USA DUCATI Ducati Marlboro Team
6 Ben Spies +0.767s USA YAMAHA Tech 3 Yamaha
7 Colin Edwards +0.780s USA YAMAHA Tech 3 Yamaha
8 Dani Pedrosa +0.804s SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
9 Andrea Dovizioso +1.087s ITA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
10 Marco Melandri +1.118s ITA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
11 Randy De Puniet +1.126s FRA HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
12 Aleix Espargaro +1.286s SPA DUCATI Pramac Racing
13 Hector Barbera +1.371s SPA DUCATI Aspar Ducati
14 Loris Capirossi +1.540s ITA SUZUKI Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
15 Hiroshi Aoyama +1.544s JPN HONDA Interwetten Honda MotoGP
16 Carlos Checa +1.700s SPA DUCATI Pramac Racing
17 Alvaro Bautista +1.716s SPA SUZUKI Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
Championship standings
1 Jorge Lorenzo 358 pts SPA YAMAHA Fiat Yamaha Team
2 Dani Pedrosa 236 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
3 Valentino Rossi 217 pts ITA YAMAHA Fiat Yamaha Team
4 Casey Stoner 205 pts AUS DUCATI Ducati Marlboro Team
5 Andrea Dovizioso 195 pts ITA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
6 Nicky Hayden 163 pts USA DUCATI Ducati Marlboro Team
7 Ben Spies 163 pts USA YAMAHA Tech 3 Yamaha
8 Marco Simoncelli 115 pts ITA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
9 Randy De Puniet 110 pts FRA HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
10 Marco Melandri 100 pts ITA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
11 Colin Edwards 99 pts USA YAMAHA Tech 3 Yamaha
12 Hector Barbera 82 pts SPA DUCATI Aspar Ducati
13 Alvaro Bautista 78 pts SPA SUZUKI Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
14 Aleix Espargaro 60 pts SPA DUCATI Pramac Racing
15 Hiroshi Aoyama 51 pts JPN HONDA Interwetten Honda MotoGP
16 Loris Capirossi 45 pts ITA SUZUKI Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
17 Mika Kallio 42 pts FIN DUCATI Pramac Racing
18 Alex De Angelis 11 pts ITA HONDA Interwetten Honda MotoGP
19 Roger Lee Hayden 5 pts USA HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
20 Kousuke Akiyoshi 4 pts JPN HONDA Interwetten Honda MotoGP
21 Wataru Yoshikawa 1 pts JPN YAMAHA Fiat Yamaha Team
22 Carlos Checa 0 pts SPA DUCATI Pramac Racing

 

[KUCIAR666]

Front row for Lorenzo and Rossi improves to qualify fourth for final race

World Champion Jorge Lorenzo secured his seventeenth front-row start of the season in Valencia this afternoon, qualifying second behind Casey Stoner for the eighteenth and final round of the season. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi has struggled in all four sessions but the nine-time champion made a drastic improvement in the final stages of the session to qualify fourth for his final Yamaha appearance tomorrow.

Lorenzo, wearing a one-off crystal-encrusted helmet for his home race, was third in this morning's practice session and then spent the first half of qualifying second in the standings as he made some final set-up tweaks to his M1. Half-way through he moved into first and then put in a run of stunningly consistent fast laps, improving his time several times over. Stoner was even quicker today though and with six minutes left on the clock the Australian moved ahead of the Mallorcan and, despite Lorenzo pulling out all the stops in the final moments, pole was not to be today and he finished 0.331 seconds off Stoner in second. Lorenzo is nonetheless the season's best qualifier and will receive his prize of a new car this afternoon to add to his tally of plaudits from the year.

After yesterday's difficulties a major set-up change this morning did little for Rossi's feeling on the bike and the Italian was 10th in free practice. The early part of qualifying yielded no improvement and with five minutes to go he was still outside the top ten. A final alteration however left him feeling more confident on the bike and on his final lap the front row looked a not inconceivable target, as he was on course for second at the third split before dropping a couple of tenths in the final sector and coming home in fourth, 0.086 seconds off Marco Simoncelli.

Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 2ndTime: 1'32.130Laps: 18
"I'm really excited and proud to be on the front row in front of the Spanish crowd, at this home race. Especially racing here; the last race is always special and everyone wants to do well. I tried my best to make the pole position today but Casey was really very quick today, I couldn't beat him. Let's see if we can keep in contact with him tomorrow in the race, if we can stay with him we can challenge. We will try the maximum as always. X-Lite has honoured me with this special helmet and I am so proud of it, it looks like diamonds in the sunshine! Thanks to everyone and I hope to make a good race in it tomorrow."

Valentino Rossi - Position: 4thTime: 1'32.330Laps: 23
"It was a difficult day but luckily we were able to improve the setting right at the end of the session, giving me a bit more grip and allowing me to push for a fast time at the end. We're fourth and considering how the practices have been this really isn't too bad. We will have to see tomorrow, it's going to be very hard and we're still in a bit of trouble, while the others are very fast, but if we can improve a bit more then we can try to challenge. It's not particularly difficult to overtake at this race so the second row isn't a big problem if we have a good pace. Stoner is very fast here, it looked like he was in a different sport today, but it's my last race for Yamaha and I will do everything I can to be on the podium."

Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager
"We are happy with second because it was clear Casey had something different here today. Jorge feels fine with no problems; good pace, good lap times and good consistency. We need to decide which tyre we're going to use for the race as both options are possible for the rear so we're waiting for the weather tomorrow. It's a temperature issue, if it's hot we'll use one, if it's cooler we'll use the other. The bike feels great, an improvement on this morning's session so we are happy with the situation."

Davide Brivio - Team Manager
"This morning we tried some different geometries and settings and then in the afternoon we continued in just one way, but it's clear that we still have some work to do and we have some problems with grip. In the end we stopped a little bit early to consider the situation, and now we will look closely at the data to find the right way forward for tomorrow so that we can give Valentino a bike to allow him to ride how he wants here."

 

[KUCIAR666]

INTERWETTEN HONDA MotoGP TEAM ? Difficult last race for Aoyama

The last race of the season 2010 was not easy for Hiroshi Aoyama and the Interwetten Honda MotoGP Team. After Aoyama had a quite good start he couldn?t match the speed of the other riders. In the middle of the race he improved his speed and shared the same lap times with all the other Honda riders, but was not able to keep the speed until the end of the race and finished it in 14th position. The 29 year old Japanese, who missed two months of his first year in the MotoGP class due to a bad injury of his back earlier this year, thanks his team for the support they gave him and will announce the team he will be riding with in the coming season during the next week.

Hiroshi Aoyama, 14 - 47'23.590:
?I want to thank my team and sponsors and all the people, who helped me this year. It was a tough year and not easy. Also the last race was tough and difficult. At the end I could finish the race, but I am not satisfied with the way I did it. I almost always finished the races in the points and I had some good experience this year, in my first year in the MotoGP class and I want to thank all the staff who was involved in it.?

Tom Jojic, Chefmechaniker:
?This was a very difficult race. At the beginning it was not easy to get the necessary speed. Then Hiro could manage to ride with the same lap times as all the other Honda riders did, but he could not keep it. Of course we are not happy with the result.?

Daniel M. Epp, Team Manager:
?It was a hard year. The effects of the nasty crash and the injury of Hiro you can still feel and see until the last race. Hiro is not fit yet and he will need until the next season starts to recuperate from it. We are looking back to a comeback in 2012 in the MotoGP class.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

Battling Bautista produces his ride of the year

Rizla Suzuki?s ?lvaro Bautista produced the ride of his rookie season at Valencia today to bring his Suzuki GSV-R home in the top-10 after starting from last on the grid.

Bautista and his Crew Chief Tom O?Kane made some big changes to his machine for the morning?s warm-up session and the Spanish rider soon reaped the benefits. As the first few laps unfolded there was no evidence of what was to come as he only made up a couple of places - one of which was due to another rider crashing. By lap 19 Bautista had caught a group of four riders, all of whom were battling for eighth place and the impressive Spaniard quickly passed each one of them in the next few laps to move to the front of the pack. Bautista was then constantly challenged for his position as the riders swapped places in the closing stages, but unfortunately he just couldn?t hold off Hector Barbera in the final lap. He still managed to bring his bike home in a commendable ninth place, to the applause of the whole team.

Loris Capirossi had another torrid afternoon, as the Italian retired from the race with a mysterious problem at the end of the 13th lap. Up until that point Capirossi had battled hard to make a couple of passes and move up to 14th place, with the riders in front still well in touch. Sadly he had to come back to the pits to signal the end of the race for him, in what was his last appearance for the team. Capirossi was visibly saddened by the way the race ended, but paid tribute to all at Suzuki for three good years together.

Today?s race was held in dry but cloudy conditions with track temperatures getting up to 27?C. A crowd of 80,774 spectators were treated to a thrilling race all the way through the field, with home favourite and new World Champion Jorge Lorenzo yet again showing his dominance with another victory, his ninth of the season.

Rizla Suzuki will now stay at Valencia for a two-day test programme on Tuesday and Wednesday. This will be the only post-season test, with the winter ban due to start on the first of December and continue until the start of February next year.

?lvaro Bautista:

?After having such a difficult weekend with all the problems on Friday and Saturday, today has been a big step for us. This morning in warm-up we went back to a setting that I used in the last races and it quickly felt a little bit better, it wasn?t a big difference but I thought it would be good for the race. I wanted to give my maximum in the race and give the team the best result possible today. I had a normal start and made up one position straight away, but then I was behind Loris and I lost some time because he brakes so late and is difficult to pass. When I got past him I pushed to my limit and I got in to a good rhythm ? the best I?ve had all weekend. I caught the group fighting for eighth and I finished ninth at the end, but it was a great battle with the others because I managed to overtake them all and it was good fun. Before the race started if someone said I could finish ninth I would have signed for that, but after the battle with Hector I am disappointed because I think I could have been eighth! It is a good result for the whole team after a hard weekend, but it is not the result I expected before I came to Valencia because I came with the mental attitude to finish in the top-five. Now that we have finished the season we know we have many things that we need to improve on the bike and I also need to improve my riding style, so we have a very hard winter ahead of us ? I hope to get to the first race next season with the bike better than it was this year. I will also have more experience so I expect to improve on my results next season.

?I would like to the thank Suzuki, all the team, Rizla and all the other sponsors, because if they didn?t help us it would be impossible for us to be racing, so thank-you to all of them. Next year we will certainly be trying even harder and I really believe we can be competitive!?

Loris Capirossi:

?I really want to say thank-you to everybody because I have had three really good years here at Suzuki, the relationship is great and I am so sorry to be leaving ? I really love everybody! The luck this year didn?t really help me, we had many small problems and that showed in today?s race. I have improved a lot in myself in my time at Suzuki and although our roads are now changing direction, I will for sure have a place in my heart for Suzuki and all the people there ? thank-you for everything!?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?It seems that Loris has had a black cloud following him around all season and it came back again this afternoon. On behalf of Suzuki we thank him for maintaining an ultra positive attitude and complete professionalism. We?ll certainly miss him!

?For me ?lvaro?s ninth place was the ride of his season, from 17th ? and last ? on the grid, then to climb through the field and consistently set lap-times - that if he?d started in the top eight - would have seen him battling for fifth was just superb. Qualifying has been our Achilles heel all year, but we really didn?t have the performance in the bike on Friday and Saturday to challenge the other guys, so for ?lvaro to take a leap-of-faith today and make such massive improvements was impressive and more importantly very encouraging for 2011. We are now looking forward to the test this week with a lot more optimism, but before that he certainly deserves a beer tonight for his efforts today and I?d like to thank him and all his guys for bringing a breath of fresh air to the team this year!?

GP Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana Race Classification:

1. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 46?44.622: 2. Casey Stoner (Ducati) +4.576: 3. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +8.998: 4. Ben Spies (Yamaha) +17.643: 5. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) +19.160: 9. ?LVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +29.451: DNF. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP):

World Championship Classification:

1. Lorenzo 383: 2. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 245: 3. Rossi 233: 4. Stoner 225: 5. Dovizioso 206: 13. ?LVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 85: 16. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 44:

 

[KUCIAR666]

LAST RACE OF 2010 MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN VALENCIA

Last race of the 2010 season for the Pramac Racing Team in the last Grand Prix at Valencia. Aleix Espargaro finished the race in eleventh place in less than two seconds behind in eighth place of Barber?. Carlos Checa finished the race in fifteenth place, gaining a championship point. The race was very tight especially for Aleix that have found, over the opening laps, good competition with Edwards, De Puniet and Barbera. After a few laps Aleix began losing his very good rhythm that made him lose contact from the other riders. In the nineteenth lap was overtaken by De Puniet who has so relegated the Spaniard in eleventh position. On the Aleix was overtaken by Bautista. His pace was still good so as not to leave the group consisting of Melandri, Barbera, Bautista and De Puniet. The young Catalan concluded the race in eleventh position. Difficult race for Carlos Checa, despite a great start that saw him gain two positions, he had to give up some position to the other riders who had a better race pace than his. Carlos ompleted the full race finishing in fifteenth position.

Fabiano Sterlacchini - Pramac Racing Technical Director

"We regret not being able to fight for a better position today. Aleix had a really good rhythm this morning and we had high hopes for the race. The first few laps were really good for him, the eighth position was very close. Then, lap after lap while the others have the pace down slightly, he has not been able to approach them and overtake them. The 109 points scored this year are not much, but from this point we begin to work for better results for next year."

Aleix Espargar? - Pilota Pramac Racing Team - 11th in the race - 14th in the World Championship

"I am truly sorry for the final position. This was my last race in this Team where I found true friends and I wanted to achieve a good result. I do not have much to say about the race, I tried to overtake my rivals but my pace was not so quick to allow me to approach them. I would like to thank the Pramac Racing Team, Paolo Campinoti and all the technicians who accompanied me during this year. It's been a great experience where I learned a lot and I'm sure it will be useful for me for the rest of my career."

Carlos Checa - Pilota Pramac Racing Team - 15th in the race - 21st in the World Championship

"I wanted to finish this race in every way and I did. The result is not exceptional, but the feeling with my bike was not that strong to allow me to do better. It's a really good start, but unfortunately after six laps my pace was not fast enough for me to hold the position won. I was first passed by Bautista in the seventh round, while the next lap I passed Capirossi and Aoyama. Thank you anyway to Pramac Racing Team for allowing me to run these last two races while riding their bikes and I wish them a successful future."

 

[KUCIAR666]

Spies ends 2010 with fantastic fourth in Valencia finale

Ben Spies rounded off a memorable rookie MotoGP season in superb style in Valencia today, the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider fighting his way to a fantastic fourth position.

As well as claiming the coveted Rookie of the Year title and finishing leading non-factory rider in 2010, Spies set another personal milestone this afternoon when he secured a top six place in the overall rankings. Locked on 163-points with Nicky Hayden going into the 30-lap race, Spies' latest outstanding result earned him the distinction of finishing top American after Hayden's early mistake ruled him out of contention.

On his final appearance for the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team, Spies produced a fantastic farewell performance, overhauling Dani Pedrosa, Marco Simoncelli and Andrea Dovizioso with an inspired display of aggressive riding in the final ten laps.

Seventh until lap 20, Spies closed down what was close to a three-second deficit to the Honda trio before he move by Pedrosa on the 21st lap. Showing the overtaking prowess that has been a feature of the 26-year-old's outstanding season, he then swept by Simoncelli and Dovizioso on lap 27 before reeling off a blistering series of laps to leave the Italian duo trailing in his wake on his way to a 13th top six finish of the year.

It was a frustrating finale for Colin Edwards as he was unable to capitalise on an excellent practice and qualifying performance. Cooler and cloudier conditions this afternoon saw Edwards opt to race with the softer Bridgestone rear tyre. But the 36-year-old was hindered by a lack of acceleration grip and he slipped down to 12th.

Today's race concluded another hugely successful season for Herve Poncharal's Monster Yamaha Tech3 squad. The French outfit finished the leading non-factory team in the prestigious Team World Championship for the second successive season.

Ben Spies 4th ? 176 points

?I'm patting myself and my Monster Yamaha Tech3 crew on the back because to get sixth overall in the points is a great achievement for all of us. It was a good race and once I settled I could see the three Hondas coming back to me quite quickly. I kept them about a second in front of me and pounced when I felt confident I could pass them and pull away. They had some acceleration on me off the turns, so I knew when I made the pass it needed to be into a string of corners and not onto a straight. Once I passed Andrea and Marco I put my head down for a couple of laps and got rid of them. To finish fourth after last week's crash in Estoril is the perfect finish to what has been a great season. I said at the beginning of the season that a top five feels like a win and now this feels more like a normal result. I've had a better year than I thought I would have, so thanks to my team and all the people around me who have given me unbelievable support. I've learned a lot this season and I'm confident I will be even stronger in 2011.?

Colin Edwards 12th ? 103 points

?I wanted to finish the season on a high to reward my crew for all their hard work, but that was way below what I was expecting and to say I'm disappointed and frustrated is an understatement. Right from the start it just didn't feel like I had any grip when I accelerated. We'd set the bike up on the hard tyre for most of the weekend but we went for the soft option because the temperature was a little bit lower. But coming out of the corner I didn't have the grip to stay with anybody and it is a big pity because the changes we'd made to the bike for the hard tyre this weekend had helped me feel much more confident and comfortable. Congratulations to Ben though on getting sixth overall. He's been awesome and he's only going to get stronger.?

Herve Poncharal ? Team Manager

?There is not much else I can say about Ben because once again today he showed what an incredible talent he is. It is not easy to recover the gap like he did today, especially when you're competing in such a high calibre field. But he was patient and once he caught that group it was a pleasure to watch him in full attack mode and he deserved to be sixth in the Championship. That is an amazing achievement for a rookie and I take great pride in knowing the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team played a big part in his success. I'd like to thank Ben for everything he has done for Tech3, Yamaha and Monster in 2010. I have no doubt he has a very bright future ahead of him and it is a shame our experience together was so short. It was a privilege to have Ben in our team and we will never forget his achievements. I wish him all the best for the future. Today was not what Colin expected and I know he is very disappointed. He had looked very strong all weekend and it was a shame he could not be in the fight for the top six. Finally I'd like to congratulate Yamaha and Jorge Lorenzo because in 2010 they have been an unbeatable combination and they proved that again today."

 

[KUCIAR666]

Lorenzo wins in Valencia and Rossi takes third on Yamaha farewell

World Champion Jorge Lorenzo signed off his victorious season in style today, taking his ninth win in front of his home fans at Valencia. Valentino Rossi finished third on his 117th and final appearance for Yamaha, bringing to a close a wonderful seven-year partnership with his YZR-M1.

Lorenzo and Rossi both dropped places at the start, the Mallorcan slipping to fifth and the Italian right back to ninth in the race to the first corner. Lorenzo soon began looking for a way past Marco Simoncelli but almost crashed in the process, somehow making a spectacular save but dropping several places to ninth. Rossi meanwhile made it up to fourth by the end of the third lap and was on the hunt for third, trying to get by his determined fellow Italian Simoncelli.

On lap six Rossi moved into third and Lorenzo, who had brilliantly recovered his composure after his near-miss to gain back the places he had lost, followed him through next time around to take fourth, with Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner in front of the Yamaha pair. At one third of race distance Rossi and Lorenzo dispatched Pedrosa and then it was Lorenzo's turn to pass his team-mate, moving into second behind Stoner. Rossi tried his best to go with him but the shoulder that has plagued him all season stopped him riding at the maximum on the twisty track and he dropped off, content to at least finish on the podium for one final time with Yamaha.

Lorenzo was unstoppable by this stage and the cool-headed 23-year-old stormed ahead of Stoner on lap 23 to take a final win on home soil. His win today brings his season points-tally to 383, a new record for a rider in a premier-class season.

Rossi's final podium for Yamaha secured third place in the standings and the Italian bid an emotional farewell to his beloved M1, stopping on the cool down lap to kiss his bike in an echo of the first of his 46 Yamaha wins, at Welkom back in 2004 when the 'Yamaha and Rossi' story first began.

Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 1stTime: 46'44.622
"Coming here to Valencia I really wanted to win one more time in this fantastic season, in front of my home fans. In the practices I was fast all weekend, but it seemed like Casey was even faster. I made a good start today but in the second corner trying to pass Casey I got overtaken by three or four riders, then I had a hard fight with Simoncelli when I nearly fell! I kept calm after that and concentrated and then lap-by-lap I recovered. I had a wonderful fight with Casey at the end. Winning here in front of my home crowd at this special track is one of the happiest moments of my life. We are proud to have got the record for the most number of points with 383, I used to be known as a crazy rider who crashed too much so to demonstrate consistency in this way makes me proud. Thanks to Yamaha and everyone involved for a fantastic season - now we have time to celebrate tonight before we start working for 2011 on Tuesday. Finally I want to say goodbye and good luck to Valentino - I am looking forward to racing him next year!"

Valentino Rossi - Position: 3rdTime: +8.998
"Honestly I'm happy with this final result with Yamaha, because we had a difficult weekend here. I didn't get a good start but I realised straight away that I was much faster today and that my bike felt good. At one point I thought I might be able to win but in the later part of the race I just didn't have enough strength to stay with Lorenzo and Stoner, this is a very hard track when you're not completely fit. I started to make a few mistakes because I didn't have enough power to stop the bike so after a bit I decided it was better to slow down and keep my third place. Arriving on the podium was my way to say thank you to my bike, to Yamaha and to all the people who have worked with me in these seven seasons. It's been a great experience and I have enjoyed it so much. 46 is a great number of wins - of course I wanted more but I think I can be happy with what I have done here. We have finished the season strongly with five podiums in a row and after such a difficult season we can feel happy about how we have ended. It's been a wonderful seven years, great fun with a special atmosphere, many fantastic victories and four world championships. I stopped with my bike after the race today just like I did at Welkom when this story began, it was the right way to say goodbye to 'her'. Thank you to everyone, we have wonderful memories."

Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager
"Number 99 with nine wins in 2010 - it sounds a bit strange but we are so happy with that! I think it was the best race of the season for us. It proved that Jorge is the rightful champion because he beat everybody after slipping to ninth place, like his team-mate Valentino has done in so many races. What can I say except that we have the best rider on the best bike! Well done to Jorge and to all the team for a great job this season."

Davide Brivio - Team Manager
"I think we had a very good race with Valentino after a difficult weekend. The team worked really hard and we finally found a good setting for the race. Unfortunately Valentino's physical condition, when all the riders are on the limit, meant he had to pay the price today and couldn't fight right to the end but we were very competitive and that's what we wanted for our last race. This is the last race with Yamaha for many of us, including me; my nineteen-year experience with Yamaha finishes here. I just want to thank Yamaha and everybody who worked together with us, they have been years that I will never forget."