Valentino Rossi may have sealed the 2009 FIM MotoGP World Championship at Sepang, but there are still scores to be settled involving Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa, and a host of other riders in the final round of the season.
A ninth world title was wrapped up by Rossi in Malaysia, leaving the remainder of the MotoGP class to decide the final standings beyond first place for the 2009 season at the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana.
Rossi’s Fiat Yamaha team-mate Lorenzo pushed him the closest for the title this year, and now the 22 year-old looks primed to secure second spot in his second season in the premier class. With a 25-point margin between him and Stoner in third, it would take a non-point scoring finish from the Spaniard and a race win for the Ducati Marlboro man to dislodge Lorenzo from the runner-up position.
Far likelier for Stoner, who comes into round 17 in a rich vein of form having won his last two races at Sepang and Phillip Island, is third place to round off a season interrupted by illness. Speculation will linger as to how the final standings could have looked had the 2007 World Champion not missed Brno, Indianapolis and Misano due to fatigue, but the focus is now on preventing Pedrosa from regaining third place. With victory last year and second the season before, the 24 year-old Australian has a strong pedigree at Valencia.
Repsol Honda’s Pedrosa is 11 points adrift in fourth, and needs a strong showing at a track where he won in 2007 and finished second last time out.
The competition for fifth place is still very much alive, with just six points the difference between Andrea Dovizioso and Colin Edwards. The Italian’s crash at Sepang was not largely capitalised on by Edwards, whose 13th-placed classification means that the fight for fifth will now go down to the wire at Valencia.
Seventh place, meanwhile, is still to be decided upon between no less than six candidates. Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing), Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki), Alex de Angelis and Toni Elías (both San Carlo Honda Gresini), Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) and Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) are all separated by just seven points from positions seven to 12.
All have top-ten finishes at Valencia within the past two seasons, with Melandri’s fourth in 2007 the most notable recent result from the pack. Nicky Hayden, at a further eight points adrift of De Puniet, has an outside chance of challenging for seventh if he manages his second podium of the year and other results go his way.
Also riding at Valencia will be American star Ben Spies, who will take to the track as a wildcard for Yamaha in preparation for his first full MotoGP season with Monster Yamaha Tech 3 in 2010. In the Pramac Racing team another rider who is coming into MotoGP full-time next season will be making an additional guest appearance this weekend, as Aleix Espargaró again substitutes the injured Niccolò Canepa.
After prevailing in his epic battle with Marco Simoncelli at Sepang, Hiroshi Aoyama is within touching distance of being named the 2009 250cc World Champion in the final race of the season – and indeed the final 250cc contest in the 60-year history of Grand Prix racing before the introduction of the new Moto2 class next year.
Simoncelli had narrowed the gap at the top of the standings to just 12 points prior to Malaysia, but an enthralling ‘head-to-head’ was won by Aoyama who now heads to Spain with a 21-point cushion.
Should Simoncelli win his seventh race of the campaign at Valencia – thus surpassing his total from 2008 when he won the title – Aoyama would need to finish no lower than eleventh to still take the crown.
The Scot Honda rider has a chequered history at the circuit however, with last year’s fifth place being his best-ever finish. Prior to that, Aoyama has placed sixth and tenth and registered two DNFs, whereas Simoncelli won last year’s race having already secured the title.
Héctor Barberá in third place could mathematically catch Simoncelli in second, but would need to finish second or higher at Valencia and hope for a poor result for the Metis Gilera man. Barberá has a strong record at the track, having finished inside the top five on five occasions in the 250cc and 125cc classes.
Álvaro Bautista’s title hopes ended with his second crash in three races at Sepang, and Valencia is the only one of the three Spanish circuits on the calendar at which he has not tasted a GP victory. Fourth in the championship is safe for the Mapfre Aspar man, who could take third with a good display if Barberá falters.
Mattia Pasini in fifth is 21 points ahead of Thomas Luthi, who leads a pack which also comprises Raffaele de Rosa, Mike di Meglio, Héctor Faubel and Álex Debón. Those five riders are separated by just six points in the battle for sixth spot.
Bancaja Aspar team-mates Julián Simón and Bradley Smith have already secured first and second places respectively in the 125cc World Championship, but the duo will still look to put on strong showings at Valencia in the final race of the season.
Clinching the title at Phillip Island did not stop Simón from producing another fine display at Sepang last time out, as he took his sixth race victory of the season, and the Spaniard will hope to improve on a best previous result of sixth at Valencia in the 250cc class in 2007.
A win at the final round would make Simón the first rider to take three successive victories in the 125cc class since Alvaro Bautista in 2006.
Smith finished fourth at Valencia last year and is currently on a run of five consecutive podiums. A sixth consecutive rostrum finish would be the perfect way to round off the season for the Oxfordshire youngster, who has already achieved the best performance by a British rider since Barry Sheene was second to Kenny Roberts in the 1978 500cc title chase.
Local rider Nico Terol will attempt to secure a top-three finish for the season ahead of his compatriot Pol Espargaró, who is 15 points behind in fourth. Terol finished second at Valencia last season, just one tenth of a second behind race-winner Simone Corsi, while Espargaró’s best placement at the track is sixth, in his debut season in 2006.
| Team Previews — HRC — Honda’s Grand Prix riders are all set for the traditional Valencia season finale this weekend, with much still to play for at this hugely popular event. Last year’s Valencia GP was attended by more than 204,000 fans over the three days and a similarly vast crowd is expected this season to watch the racing and the thunderous fireworks display that always follows the MotoGP race. This Sunday it will be MotoGP star Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) and 250 ace Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Honda) who will be aiming to steal their own thunder at Valencia. Pedrosa continues his battle for the final place on the MotoGP World Championship ‘podium’ while Aoyama is fighting for nothing less than the last 250 World Championship. If Aoyama wins the title, his success will have a special historic resonance at Honda, because Honda won its first-ever World Championship in the 250 class, way back in September 1961, when Mike Hailwood secured the 250 crown aboard his four-cylinder RC162. Next year the 250 class will be replaced by the all-new Moto2 series. Pedrosa goes to Valencia lying fourth overall, 11 points behind Casey Stoner (Ducati), so the Spanish hero will need a strong weekend if he’s to displace the 2007 MotoGP World Champion for third. Their duel should be fascinating, since the pair have been one-two finishers on their last two visits to Valencia. Pedrosa beat Stoner to the win in the 2007 Valencia GP, while Stoner returned the compliment last November. Both men might have been fighting for something more than third overall if they hadn’t had their troubles during 2009. Pedrosa’s early season races were marred by injury, while Stoner missed three midseason races with a mystery illness. So far this year Pedrosa has scored one victory (at Laguna Seca) and nine further podiums, as well as nine front-row starts including two pole positions. Pedrosa’s team-mate Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) also has a battle on his hands at Valencia, the Italian disputing fifth-place overall with Colin Edwards (Yamaha). Dovizioso currently leads the American by just four points, following his DNF in the rain-lashed Malaysian GP a fortnight ago. Dovizioso, who won his maiden MotoGP victory earlier this year at Donington Park, knows he will need a good weekend to see off Edwards’ challenge. Slightly further down the championship order, team-mates Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) are currently dead equal on points in ninth place, with Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) also equal on points and Marco Melandri and Loris Capirossi just three points ahead of the trio. That’s no less than five riders contesting seventh place in the championship! De Angelis and Elias have scored podium results for Fausto Gresini’s squad this year and both men will be out to complete the year with another top-three result. Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) slid off in Malaysia and is determined to make amends for that mistake with a great end to the season at Valencia. De Puniet broke an ankle in July but is now back to full strength; just as well, because Valencia is a very physically demanding racetrack. The Frenchman lies four points behind Elias and De Angelis. Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Honda) graduated to MotoGP midway through the 2009 season, joining the class as a total rookie when his rivals were fully up to speed. It has been a baptism by fire for the former 125 World Champion who wants to sign off his rookie season with a good result at Valencia. Aoyama’s thrilling Malaysian 250 GP win (his fourth of the year) puts him 21 points ahead of Marco Simoncelli going into the final race. The mathematics are therefore straightforward – if Simoncelli wins on Sunday, Aoyama needs to be 11th or better to write himself into history as the last 250 World Champion. But the Japanese star doesn’t want to ride the percentages, he believes the best way to defend that points lead is to attack at the very front of the pack. Valencia isn’t one of Aoyama’s favourite venues – his best result at the track is his 2008 fifth-place finish – but he has full faith in his Scot crew to give him the bike he needs for the race. Team-mate Raffaele De Rosa (Scot Honda) may not be wrestling for the 250 world title, but he is fighting for the honour to be 250 rookie of the year. The young Neapolitan has had a sensational debut season in the soon-to-be-defunct 250 class, scoring 11 top-ten finishes including his first podium at Phillip Island. He currently leads fellow rookie Mike di Meglio (Aprilia) by just one point. Hector Faubel (Valencia CF-Honda SAG) had a straightforward aim for 2009 – to finish in the 250 championship top ten. In fact he is fighting for fifth overall. And Faubel couldn’t have hoped for a better place for a last-race showdown. The rider from Valencia won the 2006 and 2007 125 GPs at the track and last year scored his best 250 result there. Team-mate Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda PTT-SAG) is currently 13th overall and will be keen to score his best result of the year, bettering his fifth-place at Le Mans. Faubel and Wilairot have a third team-mate this weekend, Joan Perelló (CEV Team SAG-Castrol Honda) who makes his GP debut after securing third overall in the 250 CEV series. Shoya Tomizawa (Team CIP Honda) and Valentin Debise (Team CIP Honda) both complete their rookie GP seasons at Valencia, having already proved that they are fast learners and regular points scorers. Tomizawa is out to for his second top ten of the year while Debise wants to continue his recent run of points-scoring rides. The Frenchman has netted points at five of the last six races. Shuhei Aoyama (Racing Team Germany Honda) has been making great strides forward since his surprise return to 250 GPs in Portugal. He scored his first top ten in Malaysia and will be out for another great result at Valencia. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) says: “I always look forward to the Grand Prix here, and this year is no different. It’s a circuit I really enjoy riding at, even though it’s quite a tight layout, but what makes it really special is the way that you can feel the support from the fans all the way round the circuit. And of course, being a Spanish rider, I get a lot of positive attention here which gives you some extra motivation too. I’ve had some good results at Valencia in the past, and this weekend it would be great to finish off the year with a win – that’s what I want. It’s not been the easiest of seasons and we haven’t been able to challenge for the championship so I’m even more determined to sign off on a high note. The result at the last race, where I got on the podium for the first time in wet conditions, has given me a lot of confidence too. We know it can rain at Valencia, so we’re ready for anything this weekend.” Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) says: “The atmosphere at Valencia is always incredible and that makes it a special way to finish the season. I’m really looking forward to the race, even though this is not actually one of my favourite tracks because the layout is quite slow and twisty. The grandstands around the track are always packed and the spectators can follow the action and see all of the race, so it’s kind of like a stadium environment. I’m coming into this weekend with mixed feelings after the last race. I could have had a good result in Malaysia if I hadn’t crashed so I’m really determined to do well here, for myself and for the team. I’d like to finish the year with a good result to thank my guys, and also Honda for all the work done this year. I had a decent result here last year so I’m determined to be fighting at the front this weekend again.” Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) says: “It is a circuit where a strong engine is not fundamental, because there are few places where you hit high speeds, but you do need to have a bike that handles well in slow corners and this is an area we have struggled with this season. It is a tricky track and I remember at the start of my career I struggled to get to grips with it. However, over the last few years the situation has changed and I have been strong here, even winning the 250cc race in 2006, so hopefully that can give us a strong base to build from on Friday. It will be a sad day for me because it will be my last race with the team, which is disappointing because we have had a strong second half to the season. Anyway, we will keep fighting to the end and do everything we can to take seventh in the championship. In racing you never know what is around the corner!” Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini) says: “Australia and Malaysia were not perfect for us but the important thing is that we arrive back in Europe still in a strong position in the championship and with a good opportunity to improve on it in more ‘normal’ conditions. We have had difficulty all year with rear traction and on paper Valencia is not an ideal circuit for us but I hope my knowledge of the track and the home support can really help us. If we can make a strong start on Friday then we have every reason to be confident. It is the last race of the season and I am sure the atmosphere will be incredible, so hopefully I can give my fans and my team something to celebrate on Sunday night.” Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) says: “I could have had a good result in Malaysia if I hadn’t crashed, so I’m really determined to do well here, for myself and for the team. This track makes physical demands and I want to be in the best shape I can to give the team something to be really happy about, now that the season is about to end. I’ve had success here with a 250, so let’s hope we can repeat that on Sunday. We will try to get a good overall package for the race in every conditions and I am determined to be fighting at the front again.” Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Honda) says: “I’ve good memories of Valencia. I got good results there in the last years. I hope this can help me to conclude the current season with a good MotoGP race.” — Yamaha — The highs and lows of another stunning MotoGP season draw to a close this Sunday at the traditional season-ending finale at Valencia in Spain. The Fiat Yamaha Team of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo have swept all before them this year, dominating the season by taking ten race wins between them and putting on some of the most entertaining racing displays of recent years. Rossi clinched his ninth World Championship title last time out in Malaysia and, with the Teams’ title already in the bag and Yamaha looking odds-on to confirm the Manufacturers’ title this weekend, the Japanese marque is hoping to take its second consecutive ‘Triple Crown,’ the third since Rossi joined in 2004. A ninth world title shows that Rossi’s star shows no sign of waning yet but the 30-year-old admitted in Sepang that this season has been one of his toughest, due largely to his determined young team-mate. His six wins this year are less than he has taken in any of his other eight championship-winning seasons but he will be determined to try to increase that by one and round off the season on the highest possible note this weekend by finishing on top of the podium. The Italian hero admits that the tight and twisty track is not one of his favourites but he has two wins to his name there and a further three podiums, including third place last year. Lorenzo’s second season in MotoGP has been even more spectacular than his first, with four wins and some stunning battles with his much older and more experienced team-mate. The 22-year-old has never won at the Ricardo Tormo circuit but has some great memories from the track, having finished as runner-up in 2005 before clinching the first of his two 250cc titles there in 2006. The Mallorcan needs just one point from this last race in order to confirm second place in the championship, which he says will be more than enough of a prize for him in just his second MotoGP season, but he, too is determined to end the year on a high note and will be aiming for the podium at the very least. 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 a never-ending burst of tight corners connected by short straights, whilst the long penultimate looping left-hander and the fast entry to turn one contrast with the otherwise geometric flip-flop chicanes and slow speed corners of the infield. Valentino Rossi – “The end of a great season” Jorge Lorenzo – “An amazing place to finish” Davide Brivio – “The culmination of a lot of hard work” Daniele Romagnoli – “Prepared for a good last race” — Ducati — The Ducati Marlboro Team makes the relatively short road trip to Spain this week in preparation for the final round of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship, the “La Comunitat Valenciana GP”. In recent years the Ricardo Tormo Circuit has become the traditional venue for the championship curtain call and, at the same time, an opportunity to glimpse into the future as the teams immediately begin their winter testing programme for the season ahead. Tortuously slow and twisty, on paper Valencia looks unsuitable for the power of a MotoGP bike and in particular that of the Desmosedici, yet this is the circuit where the Ducati Marlboro Team has celebrated some of its most famous successes. Other than in 2005, with a best result of fourth, the team have been represented on the podium every season they have competed there, including a sensational one-two in 2006. Casey Stoner, who arrives in Spain on the back of consecutive victories in Australia and Malaysia, scored the first win of his career at Valencia in the 125cc in 2003 and finished second for Ducati in MotoGP in 2007, following up with a win in 2008. Nicky Hayden has been on the podium twice here before, taking second place in 2005 and third place in 2006, when he also clinched the title. CASEY STONER, Ducati Marlboro Team (3rd in the championship on 220 points) NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati Marlboro Team (13th in the championship on 93 points) LIVIO SUPPO, MotoGP Project Director — Suzuki — Rizla Suzuki has travelled back to Europe for the final instalment of the 2009 season with both riders in contention for seventh position in the World Championship. Loris Capirossi currently sits in eighth place in the championship race, but is level on points with current seventh place incumbent Marco Melandri, whilst team-mate Chris Vermeulen is only three points behind Capirossi in 11th place. With four other riders all in with a chance of seventh, the final round will certainly present a race within a race as the six will be going all out to get the best finish possible. Vermeulen will be making his final appearance for Rizla Suzuki at Valencia and is in a determined mood to leave the team on a high. He is currently the only rider in this season’s championship to have scored in every round and will want to continue with that record as he aims to give his crew, the team, Suzuki and all the fans something to remember in his last outing on the Suzuki GSV-R. Valencia is now the traditional end of season venue for MotoGP and a huge crowd can always be expected to fill the enormous grandstands that surround the only stadium track on the calendar. Situated near the village of Cheste, just outside Valencia in Spain, the 4,005m Ricardo Tormo circuit is a mix of many tight corners where every tenth-of-a-second really counts as it is one of the most intense tracks that the riders visit. Valencia is also famed for its amazing race-end firework display which is traditionally started by the race-winner and can be heard from kilometres around. Rizla Suzuki takes to the track on Friday afternoon and then Saturday morning for the two free practice sessions available to the riders. Saturday afternoon will feature an hour of qualifying to determine grid positions for Sunday’s 21-lap race. The main event gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (13.00hrs GMT) on Sunday 8th November. Loris Capirossi: “I am heading to Valencia in a totally fixed and determined state of mind. Last time at Malaysia was disappointing for the race, but the work we did in the dry leading up to race-day was very important and we will be able to use that info in Valencia. I am really confident that we can make a big impact at the last race and give the whole team something positive to take into the winter and on to 2010.” Chris Vermeulen: “I am totally focused on going out on a high at Valencia. This will be my last race in MotoGP – for at least a couple of years – and I want to make sure it is one that I can be proud of. My time with the Suzuki team has been great and my crew has worked tirelessly throughout my time here to give me the best bike they can whatever the conditions, so a good result will be as much for them as for myself. I have scored points in every race this year and want to make the last one the highest points scoring one. I will certainly be going for a podium this weekend, I know that will be tough, but that’s the target and one that I would really love to achieve!” |
