Valencia

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

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2011 FIM ROAD RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND PRIX ROUND 18 NOVEMBER 4/5/6, 2011 VALENCIA, SPAIN REVIEW MOTOGP AND MOTO2

SIMONCELLI TO BE HONOURED IN VALENCIA

The curtain comes down on the 2011 MotoGP World Championship this weekend in Valencia, Spain, where Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini) will be remembered, celebrated, and honoured, and his team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama will compete for the team for the final time.

“Super Sic” was a rising star in MotoGP, a charismatic 24-year-old Italian who raced his San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V with the same passion that he lived his life by. He was in fourth place on the second lap of the Malaysian Grand Prix just ten days ago when he lost his life in a tragic accident.

The much beloved bushy-haired free spirit was honoured at sporting events worldwide, including Serie A football matches in his native Italy, as well as at the Formula One Indian Grand Prix. The San Carlo Honda Gresini team will take part in the Valencia Grand Prix to honour the memory of his former 250cc championship rival.

The Honda riders arrive back on European soil having won all the major prizes. Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC212V) won the Riders Championship at his home Australian Grand Prix. Stoner’s ninth win of the season also gave Honda the Constructors Championship. And the Repsol Honda team clinched the Teams Championship when the Malaysian Grand Prix was canceled following Simoncelli’s accident.

Still, the Repsol Honda team-mates will be out for personal glory in Valencia. In his 100th grand prix in the premiere class, Stoner will be vowing to win his tenth race – it would be an 800cc class-leading 34th overall - and the final race of the 800cc era; two days after the race the 1000cc era begins with the Honda RC213V.
Andrea Dovizioso is trying to secure second in the MotoGP World Championship, while team-mate Dani Pedrosa is there to make sure that doesn’t happen, and continue his streak of finishing in the championship top three, which he’s done every year since 2007.

Stoner has had the season of a lifetime. With podium finishes in every race he’s finished, Stoner was the runaway championship winner of the final 800cc MotoGP World Championship. He also won the inaugural 800cc crown in 2007. Coming to Valencia he has nine wins, 11 poles, and seven fastest race laps. The 26-year-old Australian has been on pole in Valencia for the last three years, finishing second last year and winning the race in 2008. He also finished second here in 2007, as well as winning on a 125 in 2004.

Dovizioso and Pedrosa are separated by only four
points-212 to 208- in their battle for third overall. If Pedrosa wins the race or finishes second ahead of Dovi, he’ll come third in the championship. Otherwise, he has to finish with a cushion of four points. Of the two, Pedrosa has the more impressive record in Valencia. Pedrosa won the traditional season finale in 2009 and from the pole in 2007, giving Honda ownership of the pole position for the past four years. He also claimed a second place finish in 2008. In addition, Pedrosa has two wins here in the 250cc class and a 125cc win. Dovi has a best MotoGP finish of fourth-twice-and also finished second in his 250cc days.

Valencia marks the end of Hiroshi Aoyama’s (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) MotoGP career, for now. The likeable Japanese rider will be moving on to World Superbike to help Honda recapture the championship as a member of the successful Ten Kate Honda team. He’d like nothing more than to go out with a successful result, not only for himself, but for the team and the memory of his team-mate.

The decision to take part wasn’t an easy one for the San Carlo Honda Gresini team, but they’ll compete in both the MotoGP and Moto2 classes.

Toni Elias will be leaving the LCR Honda MotoGP team after this race and would also like to end on a high note. Elias has struggled in his return to the premier class after becoming the first ever Moto2 champion in 2010. A return to home soil, for the fourth time this year, may be the motivation he needs to come to grips with the Honda RC212V for the final time.

The Moto2 World Championship will go down to the final race, though not with the drama that the richly competitive series deserves. A serious marshaling mistake in Sepang had a profound effect on the championship. Corner marshals failed to display the proper flag notifying riders of a wet surface on the opening lap of Friday morning practice, with disastrous results.
In quick succession crashes claimed three riders, including championship contender Marc Marquez (Team CaixaCatalunya Repsol-Suter). The former 125cc World Champion suffered head and neck injuries and was ruled out of the race after a medical examination. With a patch over his left eye-he suffered vision problems-he could only watch as Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer
Racing-Kalex) nearly won the title, only to come second when the race was cut short by a red flag.

Marquez hasn’t been completely ruled out of the Valencia season-ender, though his chances of competing are slim. The young Spaniard, his team, and medical officials will wait until Friday morning to determine whether his vision has sufficiently recovered to allow him to compete.
Even if he is cleared, the odds are heavily stacked against him.

Bradl heads into the final race with a lead of 23 points, which means he has to finish 13th or better to take the Moto2 title to Germany for the first time, even if Marquez wins. It may not be as easy as it sounds. In four years of grand prix competition in Valencia, Bradl has never finished the race. In last year’s Moto2 race he completed only 11 of 27 laps, which was his most ever.
During his 125cc career, he completed eight (2009), two (2008), and one (2007) of 24 laps.
Marquez can take some comfort from that. And anyone who saw Marquez’s inspirational race from the back row to the podium at the Australian Grand Prix wouldn’t rule him out.

As in MotoGP, the battle for third overall will be determined on Sunday. Andrea Iannone (Speed Master – Suter) has a slim two point lead over Alex de Angelis (JiR Moto2 – Motobi) in the race for the final spot on the championship podium.
With three victories this season, Iannone would win any tie-breaker. Iannone finished second here last year, while de Angelis was sixth. But de Angelis has a win and a second from his 250cc days.

Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit is part of a new breed of race track that’s configured with stadium seating. The venue on the outskirts of Spain’s third largest city is surrounded by grandstands with excellent sight lines that can accommodate up to 150,000 fans, many of whom camp out in the fields lining the entrance to the track. As they enter the facility they ride past a statue of Spanish racer Ricardo Tormo, who won the 50cc World Championship in 1978 and 1981.

The layout itself is often likened to a go-kart track and with good reason. Valencia is a stop-and-go circuit which squeezes 14 corners-nine lefts, five rights-into 4Km (2.489 miles). The circuit has one long downhill straight of 876m (.544 miles), otherwise it doesn’t allow riders or tyres any rest.

Because of the predominance of left-handed corners, including the first two and the last two, the track places different demands on the asymmetric tyres, which have a soft right
shoulder and harder left side. The tight,
twisty nature of the track places an emphasis on changes of direction, edge grip, and acceleration. The challenge for the riders and technicians is to develop a well-balanced machine with engine mapping that reduces front wheel lift out of the track’s many slow corners. A number of the corners are linked one to the next, punishing riders who get out of their rhythm.

Honda has won five of the 12 premier class races at Valencia. It began with Alex Barros in 2002, then Valentino Rossi a year later, Marco Melandri in 2005 and Pedrosa in 2007 and again in 2009.

HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES

San Carlo Honda Gresini team owner Fausto Gresini says:
“The decision to participate was not an easy one, but we have made this choice as it is what Marco would have wanted. Going out on track at Valencia is definitely the best way to honour him by doing what he most loved to do: Ride and experience the world of MotoGP. This is why I believe that the best show of affection that we can make to Marco is by lining up our teams and riders for this race. ‘Super Sic’ will be present in the hearts of Hiroshi Aoyama, Michele Pirro and Yuki Takahashi, and I am sure that they will give him a most fitting tribute with their performances on Sunday.”

Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner says:
“It will be difficult to return to racing this weekend after Marco's terrible accident in Sepang, but I think it is the best thing we can do to honour him. We know we all play a risky game and, even if compared to the past the safety of our sport is much better, unfortunately these kind of events still occur. My thoughts go out to his family and I hope that they are coping through this period. The race this weekend is the final round of an incredible season for us. We worked hard all year and after clinching the title in Phillip Island we are starting to look to 2012. After the race here in Valencia we will have the two-day test on the 1000cc machine and then we can take a well deserved break and reflect on the ups and downs of a very long hard season. We will go out there this weekend and try to put on a good show for all the fans, and especially in memory of Marco.”

Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso says:
“I’m very sad for the loss of Marco. I’m going to Valencia not in the right frame of mind for a race. I will wear Marco's number 58 on the chest of my leathers, close to my heart, this is the only thing that counts. I have raced with Marco throughout my whole career. He was ‘the rival’
and now that he is no longer with us, he has left a big void and I want to convert this feeling of emptiness to determination. I hope to get a good result at Valencia, mainly because it is important for me to finish third in the championship, but I know the race will be difficult as it is not one of my favourite circuits and Dani is very strong there. Also, the GP of Valencia is my last race with Honda and I really would like to crown these ten years together with a good final race.”

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa says:
“Valencia will be a very special race for everybody. This weekend we will all have Marco in our thoughts and I hope the fans show their respect and appreciation to him, as the whole MotoGP family will do. Valencia is a track I like a lot and I'm looking forward to seeing all the fans there again. Last year I couldn't perform very well due to injury, but this time I hope to have a good race and finish the season in a good shape.” San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Hiroshi Aoyama says: “Me and my team will be in Valencia. I will do my best in the race to honour and remember Marco.”

Moto2 RIDER QUOTES

Viessmann Kiefer Racing – Kalex rider Stefan Bradl says:
“After the terrible weekend in Malaysia I took a bit of distance from the racing scene and it has done me very well. I was at home in Zahling and spent time with my friends and family. This was a very good distraction without appointments or interviews. This weekend, it's now back on and I think it's in the interest of Marco (Simoncelli) that we focus again on our sport. I think he would have even wanted it. If we then on Sunday toast a successful season we can be sure our thoughts are also with him. Despite everything, I will of course be at Valencia and I also feel like at this very special race that the inner tension from day to day is greater. That means, not that I do feel more pressure than at different races, but it's a different feeling than usual in Valencia. I was always really fast and doing well, but my last race finish was 2007 when I think I was Spanish champion. But I expect that we will fix that flaw this year. The preparation for this race is, and will be, no different than in the previous races. We will proceed according to the same plan and perform our work as usual. At the end if I can win the world title in Germany, we will know at the latest on Sunday after the race.”

Team CaixaCatalunya – Suter rider Marc Marquez says:
“It is a shame, because I was looking forward to competing in Valencia. With the injuries one can do nothing, especially being a sight problem. It is nothing serious, but we need more time. If it was the shoulder I could make an effort and run, but without perfect sight we can't take risks. If I couldn't see, even for one moment, I could put myself and other riders in danger. We can't be very optimistic, but the doctors said there's a small chance I could be better, so we'll see. If it doesn’t improve, it will be a shame to miss the last race in Valencia in front of our fans, but we will be happy anyway with the season we had. We can't do anything about it and now we should only think about improving.”

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2011 FIM MotoGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 18, SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5, VALENCIA, SPAIN

Weather: Cold and drizzly
Temperature: Ambient 17 degrees C / Track 16 degrees C

STONER AND PEDROSA SCORE ANOTHER REPSOL HONDA ONE-TWO

Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC212V) scored a brilliant pole position in tricky, drizzly conditions at Valencia this afternoon. It was the recently crowned World Champion’s 12th pole of the year, which equals the record established by Mick Doohan (Repsol Honda NSR500). Stoner’s team-mate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) was second quickest to give the Repsol Honda team yet another one-two on the grid.

Conditions were cold, damp and grey, fitting the sombre mood of the MotoGP paddock following the tragic loss of Italian Marco Simoncelli at the Malaysian Grand Prix on October 23. Simoncelli is in everyone’s minds here and indeed the event seems more like a memorial to the much-loved former 250 World Champion than a normal Grand Prix. There are tributes throughout the paddock and pit lane, with riders carrying his number 58 on their bikes, leathers and helmets. Three-time World Champion Loris Capirossi (Ducati) – who retires from the sport after tomorrow’s season-ending race – has replaced his usual number 65 with Simoncelli’s 58 as a way of honouring his fallen compatriot.

Following tomorrow morning’s warm-up sessions all three classes will congregate together to ride a lap on their MotoGP, Moto2 and 125 machines led by former 500 World Champion Kevin Schwantz who will ride Simoncelli’s San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V. Schwantz was a childhood hero of Simoncelli’s and in recent years the pair had become great friends.

Despite the mournful mood, Stoner put on another bravura qualifying performance around this short, tight racetrack. Undeterred by the intermittent drizzle that fell throughout the qualifying session, the Australian was in glorious form, painting long black lines through turn 13, the fast, curving penultimate corner. Stoner didn’t even join the session until it was already ten minutes old – his mechanics had been adjusting his motorcycle to suit the conditions – and yet within five minutes he was already the fastest man on the track. He kept increasing his pace to end the hour 1.014s ahead of local hero Pedrosa.

The Spaniard maintained a fast and consistent pace during the session, which saw several riders falling due to the treacherous conditions.
Tomorrow’s weather forecast suggests the race may also be run in the rain, but Pedrosa worked hard during the two wet and one dry free practice sessions to ensure that he is ready whatever the weather brings. He is joined on the front row by Ben Spies (Yamaha) who missed the previous two races through injury.

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V) was doing everything he could to get to the front during his last qualifying session on a Honda – he will ride a Yamaha in 2012 – but his efforts were thwarted during the final moments when he lost the front at turn four and took a heavy tumble.
The Italian had been as high as fourth fastest, but ended the day in eighth position and will start tomorrow’s race from the third row of the grid.

Toni Elias (LCR Honda MotoGP RC212V) and Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) will start their last race of 2011 from the fifth row of the grid. The Spaniard struggled in this morning’s session but made some useful improvements to his machine for qualifying and is hoping to have a good last race with LCR tomorrow. Aoyama meanwhile struggled to get a good feeling in the cool, unfriendly conditions.
Chatter was the main concern and his crew will work to try and find a solution before tomorrow’s warm-up session.

Michele Pirro (Gresini Racing Moto2-Moriwaki) topped the rain-hit Moto2 qualifying session to score his first pole position in the class. The session had got underway on a dry track, but the rain soon came, effectively terminating the battle for the final Moto2 pole of the year.
Pirro and team-mate Yuki Takahashi (Gresini Racing Moto2-Moriwaki) put on a remarkable performance in tricky conditions to secure a one-two for their grieving squad.

Their strategy was simple – with the threat of more rain on the horizon they bolted out of the pits and went as quickly as possible as soon as possible. Pirro’s pole lap was only his fourth lap and he pulled in after another lap as the rain hit home. Takahashi also set his fastest lap on his fourth time around, ending up just nine thousandths of a second behind his team-mate.
This is his sixth front-row start of the year.

Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team-Suter) was delighted to be in the top three for the first time this year, in fact for the first time since his days in the 250 class. But no one was happier than Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing-Kalex), who was proclaimed 2011 Moto2 World Champion after his only title rival Marc Marquez (Team Catalunya Caixa Repsol-Suter) announced his withdrawal from the event before this morning’s final free practice session.

Marquez, who had led the points chase at the Japanese GP, but lost it again in Australia, is unable to ride here due to injuries sustained during an FP1 crash in Malaysia, where marshals had failed to flag a wet section of track.
Marquez has suffered double vision since the accident and is still having vision problems, so he could not attempt to ride here.

Bradl enjoyed a low-key celebration in his pit at the end of qualifying, which he completed in fourth position. No doubt the young German will be aiming to finish his season with a win tomorrow, to underline his strength in the Honda-powered series. Bradl will be joined on the front row by Phillip Island winner Alex De Angelis (JIR Moto2-Motobi) and Sepang Moto2 winner Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2-Suter).

The Valencia Moto2 third row includes Dominique Aegerter (Technomag-CIP-Suter), Xavier Simeon (Tech 3 B-Tech 3) and Mike Di Meglio (Tech 3 Racing-Tech 3).

MotoGP rider quotes

Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: pole position – 1m 31.861s “Of course I’m really happy with pole position today. I’m still hungry to win and get pole positions, after all this is why I line up to go racing. Winning the Championship is the bonus at the end of the season, but I still try my best in every session and every race. I took less risks yesterday in the wet as I didn’t feel we were making any progress in the conditions. Today was also difficult, there was a little rain in all the sessions, this morning there were some wet patches on the track and it was hard to know where to push, then the same this afternoon with some rain on the track, you’re never 100% sure how far you can push. We felt comfortable though and the feeling in the bike was pretty good, with a similar setup to the test we had here last year and we put in a good lap. Now we’ll have to see what the weather does tomorrow and take it from there, but we remain confident.”

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda RC212V: 2nd – 1m 32.875s “It was tricky out there because we had a little rain by the middle of the session, we were lucky because the track stayed dry and we were able to do one more practice on slick tyres. Casey was very fast and consistent. I’m happy with second position on the grid, it’s a good place to start, but I’m not totally satisfied with the setup of the bike yet. We need to improve the front tonight with the mechanics. I want to have a good race tomorrow, it’s the last one and in front on my fans, so I’ll do my best to finish the season in the best way.”

Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 8th – 1m 33.824s “It was a strange session, complicated by the wind and the difficult track conditions. Towards the end of the session the conditions improved and I was fourth and not pushing because I didn’t want to take too many risks, but then when the other riders began to improve their lap times I saw that I needed to push. Unfortunately at turn four I lost the front and crashed. It was my mistake as the tyre was cold and turn four is the first right turn. Thankfully I haven’t broken anything, I dislocated my thumb and have heavy bruising, it is quite painful but I will have some treatment to reduce the pain. I didn’t have the perfect qualifying for the race. We are fighting for third position in the championship and starting from the third row is not ideal, but I will rest tonight and tomorrow start over and super-determined. The weather is uncertain but we will be prepared for every condition.”

Toni Elias, LCR Honda MotoGP: 13th – 1m 34.680s “This morning was tough but we have improved a lot in the afternoon session. These mixed conditions with damp surface are not my favourite, but this morning we made some adjustments on the weight balance and I felt more confident. So I kept on working on that bike even in the afternoon. The riders up in the front are too fast but I think I can take another good start and make my race in the top ten. This is going to be my last race aboard this bike with this Team so I want to make the most of this Sunday.”
Hiroshi Aoyama, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 14th – 1m 34.838s “Qualifying today did not go well, we had a chatter problem and I couldn’t get confident with the bike or push it as I wanted. I hope to find a solution tomorrow to improve the situation and recover positions

Moto2 rider quotes

Michele Pirro, Gresini Racing Moto2, Moriwaki: pole position – 1m 37.067s “I’m very happy to get my first pole position in Moto2. The conditions were not easy, it was very tricky out there with rain here and there. I think maybe Marco [Simoncelli] was pushing me and the bike. I’d like to dedicate this pole position to Marco and his family. Thanks very much to my team because I know this is a very hard weekend for everyone in the team. Tomorrow I will push very hard to do my best for the team – a good result here would be so important.”

Yuki Takahashi, Gresini Racing Moto2, Moriwaki: 2nd – 1m 37.076s “The conditions were very difficult in qualifying. We went out and tried to go as fast as possible as soon as possible because we knew that rain could come, and we were right. I’m very surprised to see that me and Michele are first and second. I think maybe Marco [Simoncelli] gave us some power today. The team is working very well, so my thanks to them.”

Mika Kallio, Marc VDS Racing Team, Suter: 3rd – 1m 37.477s "It’s been a long time since I have been up here on the front row, so it’s great to be back, a good feeling. The bike was more or less okay in the dry and the wet sessions, so I think we should be okay in the race. We can be really happy with this front row. Tomorrow I will do the best I can – get a good start and then go from there.”

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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.”

RESULTS

MOTOGP
RACE: (30 laps = 120.15 Km)
POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / KM/H / GAP
1 / Casey STONER / AUS / Repsol Honda Team / HONDA / 48'18.645 / 149.221 /
2 / Ben SPIES / USA / Yamaha Factory Racing / YAMAHA / 48'18.660 / 149.22 / 0.015
3 / Andrea DOVIZIOSO / ITA / Repsol Honda Team / HONDA / 48'24.581 / 148.916 / 5.936
4 / Cal CRUTCHLOW / GBR / Monster Yamaha Tech 3 / YAMAHA / 48'27.363 / 148.773 / 8.718
5 / Dani PEDROSA / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / HONDA / 48'27.966 / 148.743 / 9.321
6 / Katsuyuki NAKASUGA / JPN / Yamaha Factory Racing / YAMAHA / 48'42.463 / 148.005 / 23.818
7 / Josh HAYES / USA / Monster Yamaha Tech 3 / YAMAHA / 48'51.763 / 147.535 / 33.118
8 / Karel ABRAHAM / CZE / Cardion AB Motoracing / DUCATI / 48'56.597 / 147.292 / 37.952
9 / Loris CAPIROSSI / ITA / Pramac Racing Team / DUCATI / 49'07.598 / 146.743 / 48.953
10 / Toni ELIAS / SPA / LCR Honda MotoGP / HONDA / 49'11.146 / 146.566 / 52.501
11 / Hector BARBERA / SPA / Mapfre Aspar Team MotoGP / DUCATI / 49'25.164 / 145.873 / 1'06.519
12 / Hiroshi AOYAMA / JPN / San Carlo Honda Gresini / HONDA / 49'27.405 / 145.763 / 1'08.760

Pole Position: Casey STONER 1'31.861 156.954 Km/h Fastest Lap: Andrea DOVIZIOSO 1'34.167 153.110 Km/h Lap 14 Circuit Record Lap: Casey STONER 1'32.582 155.732 Km/h 2008 Circuit Best Lap: Valentino ROSSI 1'31.002 158.436 Km/h 2006

FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS:
1 STONER 350, 2 LORENZO 260, 3 DOVIZIOSO 228, 4 PEDROSA 219, 5 SPIES 176, 6 SIMONCELLI 139,
7 ROSSI 139, 8 HAYDEN 132, 9 EDWARDS 109, 10 AOYAMA 98, 11 BARBERA 82, 12 CRUTCHLOW 70,
13 BAUTISTA 67, 14 ABRAHAM 64, 15 ELIAS 61.

FINAL TEAM POSITIONS:
1 REPSOL HONDA TEAM 528, 2 YAMAHA FACTORY RACING 446, 3 DUCATI TEAM 271,
4 SAN CARLO HONDA GRESINI 232, 5 MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3 188, 6 PRAMAC RACING TEAM 92,
7 MAPFRE ASPAR TEAM MOTO 82, 8 RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP 73, 9 CARDION AB MOTORACING 64,
10 LCR HONDA MOTOGP 61.

FINAL CONSTRUCTOR POSITIONS:
1 HONDA 405, 2 YAMAHA 325, 3 DUCATI 180, 4 SUZUKI 73.

MOTO2
RACE: (27 laps = 108.135 Km)
POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / KM/H / GAP
1 / Michele PIRRO / ITA / Gresini Racing Moto2 / MORIWAKI / 46'22.205 / 139.919 /
2 / Mika KALLIO / FIN / Marc VDS Racing Team / SUTER / 46'28.355 / 139.611 / 6.15
3 / Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / Technomag-CIP / SUTER / 46'28.568 / 139.6 / 6.363
4 / Anthony WEST / AUS / MZ Racing Team / MZ-RE HONDA / 46'31.048 / 139.476 / 8.843
5 / Kenny NOYES / USA / Avintia-STX / FTR / 46'31.434 / 139.457 / 9.229
6 / Yonny HERNANDEZ / COL / Blusens-STX / FTR / 46'32.131 / 139.422 / 9.926
7 / Mike DI MEGLIO / FRA / Tech 3 Racing / TECH 3 / 46'32.320 / 139.413 / 10.115
8 / Xavier SIMEON / BEL / Tech 3 B / TECH 3 / 46'32.590 / 139.399 / 10.385
9 / Max NEUKIRCHNER / GER / MZ Racing Team / MZ-RE HONDA / 46'35.223 / 139.268 / 13.018
10 / Julian SIMON / SPA / Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 / SUTER / 46'35.890 / 139.235 / 13.685
11 / Andrea IANNONE / ITA / Speed Master / SUTER / 46'36.891 / 139.185 / 14.686
12 / Alex DE ANGELIS / RSM / JIR Moto2 / MOTOBI / 46'37.405 / 139.159 / 15.2
13 / Jules CLUZEL / FRA / NGM Forward Racing / SUTER / 46'40.633 / 138.999 / 18.428
14 / Pol ESPARGARO / SPA / HP Tuenti Speed Up / FTR / 46'41.382 / 138.962 / 19.177
15 / Claudio CORTI / ITA / Italtrans Racing Team / SUTER / 46'42.561 / 138.903 / 20.356

Pole Position: Michele PIRRO 1'37.067 148.536 Km/h Fastest Lap: Andrea IANNONE 1'39.730 144.570 Km/h Lap 21 Circuit Record Lap: Karel ABRAHAM 1'36.611 149.237 Km/h 2010 Circuit Best Lap: Toni ELIAS 1'36.141 149.967 Km/h 2010

FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS:
1 BRADL 274, 2 MARQUEZ 251, 3 IANNONE 177, 4 DE ANGELIS 174, 5 LUTHI 151, 6 CORSI 127,
7 SMITH 121, 8 AEGERTER 94, 9 PIRRO 84, 10 RABAT 79, 11 TAKAHASHI 77, 12 ESPARGARO 76,
13 ESPARGARO 75, 14 SIMON 68, 15 REDDING 63.

FINAL CONSTRUCTOR POSITIONS:
1 SUTER 384, 2 KALEX 281, 3 FTR 199, 4 MOTOBI 174, 5 TECH 3 149, 6 MORIWAKI 138,
7 PONS KALEX 77, 8 MZ-RE HONDA 61.

125cc:
RACE: (24 laps = 96.12 Km)
POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / KM/H / GAP
1 / Maverick VIÑALES / SPA / Blusens by Paris
Hilton Racing / APRILIA / 41'44.138 / 138.184 /
2 / Nicolas TEROL / SPA / Bankia Aspar Team 125cc
/ APRILIA / 41'47.354 / 138.006 / 3.216
3 / Hector FAUBEL / SPA / Bankia Aspar Team 125cc
/ APRILIA / 41'51.598 / 137.773 / 7.46
4 / Efren VAZQUEZ / SPA / Avant-AirAsia-Ajo /
DERBI / 41'58.698 / 137.385 / 14.56
5 / Jonas FOLGER / GER / Red Bull Ajo MotorSport
/ APRILIA / 42'02.589 / 137.173 / 18.451
6 / Alberto MONCAYO / SPA / Andalucia Banca
Civica / APRILIA / 42'20.610 / 136.2 / 36.472
7 / Luis SALOM / SPA / RW Racing GP / APRILIA / 42'36.752 / 135.34 / 52.614
8 / Niklas AJO / FIN / TT Motion Events Racing /
APRILIA / 42'44.276 / 134.943 / 1'00.138
9 / Luigi MORCIANO / ITA / Team Italia FMI /
APRILIA / 42'44.391 / 134.937 / 1'00.253
10 / Louis ROSSI / FRA / Matteoni Racing /
APRILIA / 42'47.396 / 134.779 / 1'03.258
11 / Manuel TATASCIORE / ITA / Phonica Racing /
APRILIA / 42'54.030 / 134.431 / 1'09.892
12 / Marcel SCHROTTER / GER / Mahindra Racing /
MAHINDRA / 42'56.879 / 134.283 / 1'12.741
13 / Alessandro TONUCCI / ITA / Team Italia FMI /
APRILIA / 43'02.475 / 133.992 / 1'18.337
14 / John McPHEE / GBR / Racing Steps Foundation
KRP / APRILIA / 43'02.572 / 133.987 / 1'18.434
15 / Giulian PEDONE / SWI / Phonica Racing /
APRILIA / 43'04.718 / 133.876 / 1'20.580

Pole Position: Danny WEBB 1'45.898 136.149 Km/h
Fastest Lap: Maverick VIÑALES 1'42.882 140.141 Km/h Lap 17
Circuit Record Lap: Hector FAUBEL 1'39.380 145.079 Km/h 2007
Circuit Best Lap: Gabor TALMACSI 1'39.029 145.593 Km/h 2007

FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS:
1 TEROL 302, 2 ZARCO 262, 3 VIÑALES 248, 4
CORTESE 225, 5 FAUBEL 177, 6 FOLGER 161,
7 VAZQUEZ 160, 8 SALOM 116, 9 GADEA 103, 10
MONCAYO 94, 11 KENT 82, 12 KORNFEIL 72,
13 MARTIN 45, 14 OLIVEIRA 44, 15 SCHROTTER 36.

FINAL CONSTRUCTORS POSITIONS:
1 APRILIA 420, 2 DERBI 284, 3 MAHINDRA 49, 4 KTM 29.

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