Chris Vermeulen.  Photo Courtesy Suzuki Racing

Race Results
Today’s race was watched by 132,500 fans at trackside and the partisan Spanish crowd were treated to a victory by home hero Dani Pedrosa on his factory Honda, a result that secured him second in the championship behind today’s runner-up Casey Stoner.

Valentino Rossi's hopes of securing the runner-up spot in the championship ended in the unluckiest of fashions today, when a technical issue brought the injured Italian's race to a premature end in Valencia.  His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards also had a disappointing race and finished 13th in his final race for the Factory Team, after starting from 15th.

Having broken three bones in his hand after crashing in qualifying yesterday, Rossi bravely decided to race, his 192nd consecutive start since his 125cc debut in 2006.  Forced to start from 17th after completing only five laps in qualifying, he needed to finish 15th or higher in order to secure second place in the championship from Pedrosa, who started on pole.

By mid-race distance he had gone one better, having passed Anthony West, Shinya Nakano and Makoto Tamada to take 14th.  However on lap 18 Rossi ran into unexpected problems with his bike and he was forced to retire, only able look on as Pedrosa went on to win the race and take the championship runner-up spot by just one point.

John Hopkins ended his Suzuki Grand Prix career in style by powering his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R to a fantastic third place at the final race of the season.

Starting from seventh on the grid, the Anglo-American made a fantastic start and was in fourth position by the first corner. He then passed Nicky Hayden to move in to third on lap four and pulled away from the 2006 World Champion.

Hopkins tried to chase down the two riders in front of him, but the gap was already too large and he had to settle for a race against the clock as he was never troubled by another rider for the remaining laps.  An emotional Hopkins crossed the line with his front wheel in the air to celebrate his best-ever result at Valencia, his fourth podium of the season and fourth position overall in the Riders’ Championship.

Chris Vermeulen had a good start from the fourth row but got boxed in on the first lap and found himself in 12th place after the first lap.  The aggressive nature of the Australian again came to the fore as he battled his way through the field to get up to sixth position.

He finished the race just 0.058 behind fifth place and only just over a second off fourth. His 10 points were enough to secure him sixth place in the championship and also confirm Rizla Suzuki MotoGP the third position in the Team’s Championship – missing out on second place by just one point.

Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing, commented after the race, "This final race has been a very disappointing end to a long and hard season.  I feel very sorry that our machine failed Valentino today and denied him the second place in the championship that he surely deserved.  His ride today with a broken hand showed his fighting spirit and his passion for racing."

"Colin's last race for the Yamaha Factory Team was also a disappointing end to his season.  I would like to anyway thank Colin for his commitment to Yamaha and for his great teamwork during the last three years.  We also look forward to having him in the Yamaha family as our next-door neighbor in 2008.  Last but not least I would like to thank all members of the Factory Team and the Yamaha MotoGP staff for their tireless dedication and commitment all year long.  We will now put our full focus on next year.  We have a lot of work ahead of us in order to come back stronger and faster and to return to winning ways for the 2008 MotoGP World Championship."

Valentino Rossi - Position: DNFTime: 11 Laps:  "I have no words.  For sure, after today, I can say that it's not just a matter of misfortune.  I did everything I could in order to be on the grid today, because I wanted to try and confirm my second place in the championship, which I think I deserved.  I was riding very fast, even though my bike was not perfect.  When I got into 14th place, I told myself that my task was done, but I was feeling quite good and I wanted to try to pass some more riders."

"Unfortunately however I felt that I had a problem with my bike and I was forced to come in.  Now we are checking the data to understand what happened, because at the moment it's not so clear.  I will need 20 days to fix my hand and then I will be back in Jerez to start my winter testing program.  I'd like to thank Claudio Costa and Marco Montanari, as well as everyone at the Clinica Mobile, because they made a great effort with my hand to enable me to race today."

Season Ends on a High Note for Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team
The Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team finished 2007 at the Valencia Grand Prix with its most impressive performance of the year.  Both riders secured Dunlop's best qualifying result in the premier class since 2002 as Sylvain Guintoli and Makoto Tamada started from the second row of the grid in fifth and six positions, respectively.

In the race, Sylvain created another personal best being the first Yamaha across the finish line with both riders scoring championship points as victory went to local hero Dani Pedrosa with Sylvain claiming the "Rookie of the Year" award.

Guintoli, after being as high as eighth place during the 30-lap race had to settle for 11th place after a race long duel with the factory bikes of Carlos Checa, Tony Elias and Randy De Puniet while Makoto, who celebrated his 31st birthday on the day, was also embroiled in the same battle and finished 15th.

Fiat Yamaha Team Finalizes 2008 Line-up
Following the conclusion of the 2007 season, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd and Yamaha Motor Racing Srl have confirmed the final line-up for their 2008 Factory Team.

Seven-time World Champion Valentino Rossi and two time 250cc World Champion Jorge Lorenzo will contest the 2008 MotoGP World Championship as team-mates in the Fiat Yamaha Team.

Yamaha can also confirm its plan to run Valentino Rossi on Bridgestone tires in 2008, while Jorge Lorenzo will be racing with Michelin tires.

In order to facilitate the use of both Michelin tires and Bridgestone tires within the Yamaha Factory Team and to ensure confidentiality of data for each tire company, Yamaha will organize separate rider pit boxes, but the Fiat Yamaha Team will continue to operate and race as one team.

Qualifying
Valentino Rossi put his final race of the season in doubt today, after fracturing three bones in his right hand during a crash in qualifying in Valencia.  Rossi ended up qualifying 17th and may not race tomorrow, even though he only needs one point to take second place in the 2007 championship.

Rossi's team-mate Colin Edwards meanwhile had a difficult session, failing to make much progress with the grip issues which troubled him yesterday and qualifying in 15th place.

Rossi's injuries were sustained when he crashed after exiting from turn one, just ten minutes into the session.  He was taken to the Mobile Clinic and x-rays revealed fractures to the base of his little finger and to the ulnar styloid and pyramidal bones in his right hand.

He also sustained bruising to the base of his spine but x-rays revealed there was no serious damage.  The Italian, who has never missed a race in his eleven-year career, will be keen to ride tomorrow, as he needs just one point to seal the runner-up spot from Dani Pedrosa.  A final decision will not be taken until tomorrow morning however, after his condition has been reassessed by both Dr. Costa and by the Spanish doctors.  If he is able to race he will start from 17th on the grid tomorrow.

Edwards, who finished this morning's session ninth, tried further set-up changes in a bid to improve his pace this afternoon but was unable to make any significant progress on race tires.  He used a different profile front tire in an effort to improve his pace with qualifying tires but was unable to challenge for the top spots.  15th will see him start from the outside of the fifth row tomorrow, while Dani Pedrosa will start from pole.

Colin Edwards - Position: 15th Time: 1'33.021 Laps: 28:  "We tried a different profile front tire with our qualifying tires this afternoon, similar to what we used in Le Mans and Donington when I was on pole, but I just didn't really have enough time to get used to it.  Some of the lines were a bit different and I couldn't quite find the key in the few laps available; I just wasn't able to make the most of it, which is a pity."

"On race tires we're still having some problems and I'm disappointed to be starting my last race with the Factory Team from fifteenth.  I'm determined not to end it there though so I'm going to be going for all or nothing tomorrow.  We'll have a look at the data tonight and do our best to find something radical to help me go out there and fight my way through."

Valentino Rossi - Position: 17th Time: 1'33.290 Laps: 5:  "So, I'm okay, but I was better before the crash!  I was going quite well and able to do 33.3 quite easily, but then at a certain point, when I was accelerating, I lost the rear.  I tried to get the bike back but it was too late.  After the crash I immediately realized that my hand was broken but I didn't know how bad it was.  I hit my lower back quite hard as well and actually it hurts quite a lot, but luckily there is no bad damage there."

"Tomorrow morning I will see how I am and then I will take a decision after further consideration with Claudio (Dr. Costa) and also with the Spanish doctors.  I have never missed a race in my career and I really don't want to do it tomorrow.  I remember last year in Assen the pain was more or less the same, but then I was challenging for the championship.  Tomorrow I am challenging for second place; it's not quite the same but anyway of course I will would like to be there."

Davide Brivio, Team Director:  "Valentino started in good shape but unfortunately this crash happened and ended his session.  Now we will have to wait and see how he is; he is being treated and of course we will leave the final decision about whether to race entirely up to him and the doctors.  We don't know the exact reason for the crash yet but our engineers are analyzing the data now to help us to understand what happened."

"Colin didn't have such a good session and we still have some work to do on race tires.  Unfortunately he wasn't able to make the most of his qualifying tires and he's starting from the fifth row, so we will be doing all we can to make some improvements to his package so he is in better shape for tomorrow.  It's his last race with us and we know he's determined to have a good result."

Race Preview
Completed in 1999 and hosting its first premier class race the same year, Valencia's Ricardo Tormo circuit has three optional tracks and the Grand Prix one boasts nine left handers and five rights: most of them pretty tight.

With its high grandstands and amphitheatre layout, it's a dream for fans and many thousands flock to the last round of the season to get a good look at the bikes and riders on their final outing of the year.

It should prove a great race, despite the championship itself having been decided at Motegi last month.  With the traditional, and vocal, support of the fans and every rider out to finish the season on a high, it'll be one to watch.

Randy de Puniet, #14 - 6th - Best Lap 1'33.519:  "We've improved the bike a lot, especially regarding corner entry and exit, and it's getting better all the time.  Rear grip hasn't been a particularly strong area so we've been trying a variety of different settings throughout the day.  I've been riding with a hard compound tire on the rear and, because of that, I've had quite a few slides today.  We did try a softer compound but, whilst it was better with grip, we have our doubts as to whether or not it will be long-lasting enough for the race.  The front's fine though."

"It's a tight track and it's strange to come back to this sort of layout after the circuits we've been to lately.  Certainly, compared to Malaysia, there's nothing like as much grip but tomorrow's another day and we'll see where we go.  My times haven't been bad at all but, without doubt, with some stronger tires I could definitely improve my times, raising me a few places and increasing the gap behind me."

Suzuki Team Report
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racers Chris Vermeulen and John Hopkins finished the first day of practice for the Valencian Grand Prix inside the top-10 today, with a promise of more to come.

Vermeulen (1’33.501, 54 laps) recorded the fifth fastest time at the end of the day’s practice around the 4,005m Ricardo Tormo Circuit, after spending a large amount of the afternoon session comfortably inside the top-three.  He is a big fan of the Spanish track and is convinced that tomorrow and race day will bring even greater rewards.

Hopkins (1’33.680, 57 laps) was less than two-tenths-of-a-second off team-mate Vermeulen’s time, but due to the competitive nature of MotoGP field it placed the Anglo-American in 10th.  Hopkins has already identified a few issues that he will be working on overnight in a bid to get the best result this weekend on his last appearance for Suzuki.

Valencia Ricardo Tormo Race Circuit

Comunidad Valencia: Lap Record L. Capirossi (Ducati) 2006, 1'32.924 Best Lap: V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 1'31.002 Grand Prix Results: Comunidad Valencia 2006 1. T. Bayliss (Ducati) 46'55.415 2. L. Capirossi (Ducati) +1.319 3. N. Hayden (Honda) +9.230 9. C. Edwards (USA) Yamaha +26.072 13. V. Rossi (ITA) Yamaha +38.546

Today’s practice was held in warm and sunny conditions with temperatures reaching 22°C. Newly crowned MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner recorded today’s quickest time on his Bridgestone-shod Ducati.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP has one more free practice session tomorrow morning followed by the all-important qualifying session in the afternoon, where the battle for grid positions will be very significant at this circuit where passing opportunities will be limited in Sunday’s 30-lap race, which gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (13.00hrs GMT).

Chris Vermeulen:  “It’s good to be back at Valencia, it’s a track I really enjoy and I was quite quick here last year, but I had some bad luck in the race and didn’t finish.  The team has done a good job today and have worked really hard.  The bike is in great shape and we have done a lot of laps with the same tires and the durability of the race rubber looks very good.  There are some areas we need to work on tomorrow to find that extra half-a-second to get us up the front.  We’ll try our best and see how we go, but I’m feeling fairly confident that we will be up there come Sunday!”

John Hopkins:  “Position wise we aren’t too satisfied with today’s result, but the progress we have made over the day has been quite a big step.  Everybody is so close at the moment and a couple of tenths would put us in the top-five.  There are few things we need to look at overnight.  I have a couple of riding techniques I need to check out and we have a few things to work on with the mechanics which should help us for the rest of the weekend.  The Bridgestones seem to be working really well and we will give them a thorough test for durability tomorrow. I need to qualify well tomorrow so I can be up the front from the start of Sunday’s race and stay there for my last race with Suzuki.”

Some of the facts and figures to look out for at this weekend’s final round of the season, the Gran Premio bwin.com de la Comunitat Valenciana:

• 2889:  Loris Capirossi’s total haul of Grand Prix points following the last round in Malaysia.  Only two riders have scored more points in Grand Prix racing: Valentino Rossi with 3347 and Max Biaggi with 2892.  If Capirossi finishes 12th or better in Valencia, he would move above Biaggi and become the second highest point scorer of all-time.

• 395:  The record number of points achieved in the MotoGP class Constructors' championship by Honda in 2003.  A victory for any of the Ducati riders in Valencia will take Ducati’s score in this year’s championship up to a new record score of 399.

• 385:  Aprilia’s current total points in the 125cc Constructors' championship is a new record for the category, surpassing their own previous highest score of 373 last year.

• 347:  Casey Stoner’s current points total.  Only Valentino Rossi has scored more points in a single season.  A second place finish in Valencia will see Stoner equal the record 367 points Rossi scored during the 2005 season.

• 192:  Carlos Checa will be making his 192nd start in the premier-class at Valencia.  Only Alex Barros has started more premier class Grands Prix.

• 100:  Three riders are scheduled to make their 100th appearance in the MotoGP class at the Grand Prix in Valencia, having competed in every race since the four-stroke MotoGP formula was introduced at the start of 2002; Checa, Rossi and Shinya Nakano.

• 24:  Aprilia have had twenty four Grand Prix victories so far in 2007 (11 x 250cc, 13 x 125cc) with two races still to contend.  This is the highest number of wins ever achieved by Aprilia in a single season exceeding the previous best year of 23 wins in 2003.

• 17:  Stoner’s victory in Malaysia was his 17th point scoring finish of the year, equaling the record for the number of point scoring finishes in a single season set by Colin Edwards in 2005.

• 13:  With the Valencia race still to come, Aprilia have already equaled the record for the number of wins in the 125cc class in a single season, set by Honda in 1993.

• 10:  Stoner’s Malaysian win was his 10th of the year.  With a win in Valencia he will equal the achievement of Rossi and Giacomo Agostini who have both taken 11 premier-class victories in a single season.  The record of 12 wins in a season by Mick Doohan in 1997 is safe for at least one more year.

• 9:  Jorge Lorenzo has taken nine victories in 2007, the same number of wins achieved by Biaggi, Rossi and Melandri in their most successful years in the 250cc class.  A victory at Valencia and Lorenzo will equal the achievements of Mike Hailwood and Anton Mang, who have both taken 10 250cc victories in a single season.  The record of 11 250cc wins in a season by Daijiro Kato will remain unbeaten at least for one more year.

Kawasaki Team Report
After the highs and lows of the Malaysian Grand Prix, Randy de Puniet and Anthony West of the Kawasaki Racing Team will be heading to Spain this week, for the final round of the MotoGP World Championship at Valencia.

Sunday's race will mark the end of an era for de Puniet, who leaves Kawasaki for pastures new in 2008.  This year has seen the 26-year-old develop in to one of the fastest men on the circuit and his recent results, including a second place at Motegi, illustrate how far both he and the 800cc Ninja ZX-RR have progressed throughout the season.

De Puniet has a successful history at the 4km, Ricardo Tormo track, having won the 250cc World Championship round there in 2003 and getting a third the following year, adding to a number of other top ten finishes at the venue.  Last year, on the 990cc ZX-RR, he was not so lucky, crashing out on the fifth lap, so he'll certainly want to improve on that result. Judging by his recent performances, the Frenchman will be able to do just that.

West, looking stronger on the bike at every round, hopes, this weekend, to at least equal his best MotoGP qualifying position of fifth at Sepang.  An error on the start line in Malaysia, when he positioned his bike incorrectly on the grid and received a ride-through penalty, cost him dearly.  So the 26-year-old's priority, therefore, is to avoid any more "rookie mistakes", keep his mind on the job in hand and test the Ninja to the max around Valencia's technical layout.

And, like all the MotoGP riders, he hopes for a grand finale to an incredible year, which has seen the 26-year-old Australian quit the 250cc World Championship, then ride three races (winning two) in World Supersport, before being offered the opportunity of a lifetime to join Kawasaki's factory team in MotoGP.

Yamaha Team Report
A challenging first season of 800cc Grand Prix racing comes to an end this weekend as the eighteenth and final round of the 2007 MotoGP World Championship takes place at Valencia in Spain.  The traditional season curtain call at the Ricardo Tormo circuit marks the conclusion of a difficult campaign for the Fiat Yamaha Team, although Valentino Rossi does have the chance to salvage a great deal of pride by sealing the runner-up spot with a single point in Sunday's 30-lap race.

Fifteenth place or above would leave Rossi out of reach of Dani Pedrosa, who has to win the race to maintain any chance of usurping the Italian for that coveted second spot in the final standings.  The Valencian Grand Prix is the 100th race since the new era of four-stroke MotoGP was introduced in 2002 and it marks a special landmark for Rossi, who is one of only three riders to have appeared in every single one - taking 49 victories along the way.

Two of them came at the Ricardo Tormo circuit and a repeat performance in front of his adoring Spanish fans would see the Italian become the first rider to reach the milestone of 100 podium finishes in the 58-year history of premier-class Grand Prix racing.

It will also be a special weekend for Rossi's team-mate Colin Edwards, who is set to make his final appearance for the team before joining Herve Poncharal's Yamaha Tech3 outfit in 2008.  Valencia has been something of a bogey track in the past for Edwards, who finished ninth last year after three successive eighth place finishes at a circuit that is renowned for its unique stadium-style surroundings.

The track itself is characterized by a never-ending burst of tight corners, connected by short straights.  The long penultimate looping left-hander and the fast entry to turn one contrast violently with the otherwise geometric flip-flop chicanes and slow speed corners of the infield.

A difficult campaign comes to an end for Valentino Rossi at Valencia with the sole target of sealing the runner-up spot in the championship.  The five-time MotoGP World Champion has not finished outside the top two at any level of the championship since taking ninth in his rookie 125cc season of 1996 and he is keen to maintain that run with a single point on Sunday.

Valentino Rossi:  "The last race in Malaysia was a disappointment but also very encouraging because, on race day, everything worked very well," says Rossi.  "Hopefully we can use this to start on a good note at Valencia because Sepang showed how important it is to start from the front.  Valencia has usually been a good track for me, although I don't have such great memories from last year!"

"It's been a long and hard season and now we've finally arrived at the last race and we are all hoping that we can have a good weekend.  More than anything I want to win and give everyone in the team a happy end to the season; motivation is still very high and we will be doing the best we can in Valencia.  Second place is not first but it is still important because I have not been outside the top two since 1996 and I want to keep that going."

For Colin Edwards the Valencia race marks the end of a three-year spell with the factory Yamaha team that has wielded six podium positions - a tally the Texan admits could have been much higher but for the difficulties experienced this year.  Amongst his highlights with the factory team were the teams' and constructors' titles and a new MotoGP record of 17 point-scoring finishes in 2005.  Now the former World Superbike Champion remains typically determined to sign off with his first win for the team and hold off last year's World Champion Nicky Hayden in the fight for eighth place in the championship.

Colin Edwards:  "This season hasn't really turned out exactly how we had planned, there have been some high points and some low points but all I'm thinking about now is making sure that Valencia is one of the high ones!" says Edwards.  "The last two races have been especially difficult but we're starting with a clean slate on Friday morning and we'll go from there.  Of course it is not easy to win races in this series but that's the target we start off with at every Grand Prix.

"My guys have worked so hard all season and I really want to give them something to be proud of at the last race.  It's going to be a strange race - my last with the team - but I'm really happy that I'm staying within the Yamaha family.  My wife and a few friends from home are coming over too so I hope we can make it a weekend to celebrate."

Fiat Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio insists his staff are fully focused on their objectives for this weekend although he admits that attention is now turning towards 2008.  The team will stay in Valencia for a two-day test next Tuesday and Wednesday but Brivio says the focus for the final race is to complete 2007 business with the runner-up spot in the championship for Rossi and a successful final race with the team for Colin Edwards.

"This is the last race of 2007 but we are already looking ahead to the 2008 season, which starts with testing at Valencia next Tuesday!" says Brivio.  "Already some of our work with the bike is targeted at next year but we also have one more race to contest and we want to be competitive. This circuit wasn't a good one for us last year but we will try to finish the year as well as we can.  Valentino needs one point to secure second in the championship, which is the best result we can hope for now, so our focus will be on that.

"This is Colin's final race with the factory team but he will be staying with Yamaha, which is important to us.  From our point of view he has been a great guy to work with and the combination with Valentino has been fantastic.  In 2005, during his first season with the team, we won the teams' and constructors' titles, which was a great achievement together.  That is why we are happy for him to stay in the Yamaha family and we wish him the very best for next season."

 

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