Race Results
Valentino Rossi reached another milestone in his outstanding career today by matching the all-time premier-class win record.

His 68th premier-class victory ties him with his great countryman Giacomo Agostini and the fact that he was able to do it at his home track of Misano made it all the more special for the flamboyant Italian.

His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo put the icing on the cake for Yamaha with an impressive return to the podium to make it the second one-two finish for the team this season.

Rossi had a good start but Dani Pedrosa had an even better one and the seven-time world champion was forced to ride at his maximum to pass the Spaniard back, which he did on the second lap.

Casey Stoner was by then some three seconds clear but Rossi's M1 was working well and he was gradually able to start making up some ground, setting the fastest lap of the race on lap six.  One lap eight of 28 Stoner sensationally slid out into the gravel in a carbon copy of the last race in Brno and Rossi was left in the lead.

There was no opportunity to rest however as the twisty nature of the circuit was a very different task to face alone than the flowing curves of Brno and Lorenzo, another three seconds behind, was giving Rossi no chance of a let-up.  The local hero was able to bring his M1 home safely however to the rapturous cheers of his home fans, who flooded onto the track in typical Italian fashion.

The sixth win of the season for Rossi and another non-finish for Stoner means he is now 75 points clear at the top of the championship, with a maximum of 125 points remaining from five races.  Lorenzo stays in fourth and Yamaha remain on course for a treble of Teams' and Manufacturers' championships as well.

Valentino Rossi - Position: 1; Time: 44'41.884:  "Today is a truly fantastic day and I can't believe that I have matched Agostini's record!  He was one of my heroes so it's quite incredible to have made it to 68 wins.

This was quite a difficult weekend for us from the start and there has been the added pressure of a home race, which makes it harder to concentrate because there is so much distraction!  Mugello has always been 'my' track, even though it's further away from Tavullia, but here, after the bad time last year, we haven't found it so easy.

Once again today however my team gave me a very competitive bike and I felt very confident.  I got a good start but then Dani came past me very fast and I then lost a lot of time getting past him and had to take some big risks - I had a big slide!  Once I was past him I could see Casey, although I have to admit that today I wasn't as confident as I was in Brno that I could win.

Anyway I kept pushing because it's not in my nature to ride for second place and I think it still could have been a battle; I was very fast once I found my rhythm.  Then I saw Casey slide out. I'm sorry for him once again but this is very good for our championship so I am happy for our team.

We have 75 points, which is a lot, but there are still five races and I will ride to win at every one, as I always have done throughout my career.  Thanks to my fantastic Yamaha team, to Bridgestone and of course congratulations to Jorge as well, he kept pushing me today and I wasn't able to relax even for one minute!  It is a great day for us all."

Lorenzo Returns to Podium With Stunning Second in Misano
Jorge Lorenzo made it a fantastic home-race double podium for the Fiat Yamaha Team today, finishing second behind his team-mate Valentino Rossi at Misano.  It was the rookie's first podium since the team's last one-two finish in Le Mans and it was a deserved one following the injuries that have plagued him since.

Lorenzo lost some time at the start when Dani Pedrosa passed him and then had to wait for Rossi to pass his Spanish compatriot before he could make his move, which he did on lap five. 

When Casey Stoner crashed out of the lead on lap eight, leaving Rossi in front, Lorenzo was elevated to second and he rode a strong race from then on, exerting constant pressure on his team-mate, who was unable to relax and had to keep pushing to keep the gap at about three seconds.  Lorenzo was followed home by another Spaniard, Toni Elias, who crossed the line 8.54 seconds off in third.

The 21-year-old Mallorcan's fifth podium of the season sees him consolidate his fourth place in the championship and his leading rookie status, whilst Rossi is now 75 points clear of Stoner at the top.  There are five rounds remaining with the next one coming at Indianapolis in the USA in two week's time

Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 2; Time: +3.163:  "Seeing the party Valentino's fans were making for him around the track today reminded me how much I want to start winning again, but as a start this second place is fantastic for us!

I lost some ground at the early on but then I took my rhythm, passed Dani and started to push, and then I kept pushing until the end.  To be one and two on the podium again, like in Le Mans, is wonderful and after four months of problems I am enjoying this moment very much - it's perfect.

Since the Brno test and with the improvements that Michelin have made here my confidence has being going up all the time and my riding style has improved as well, so I want to say thank you to them.  I hope the situation is the same at the next races, then we can continue to be strong like this.  Thanks to all of my team and congratulations to Valentino and Toni."

Toseland Storms to Top Six; Tough Day for Colin Edwards
A fantastic performance by British rider James Toseland saw him claim his fifth top six finish of the season at red-hot Misano this afternoon.

The Tech3 Yamaha rider was always in contention for his first top six finish since the Catalunya GP after a solid start from ninth on the grid.  At one stage though he looked on course for his best ever MotoGP finish as he held a terrific fifth having got the better of a tough battle with Andrea Dovizoso and Shinya Nakano.

He slipped to sixth place on lap 22 but then produced a heroic display to hold off intense pressure from Loris Capirossi and Dovizioso in an enthralling finale to the 28-lap encounter, which was run in punishing 35-degree heat.  Today's result moved Toseland back into the top ten in the world championship standings.

American team-mate Colin Edwards had a difficult afternoon, as any hopes he had of mounting an assault on the top six were dashed in the early stages.  He struggled with rear grip, but was able to run a consistent pace in the second half of the race to fight his way back into a hard fought tenth.
 

2008 MotoGP San Marino & Riviera di Rimini - Misano Aug 31, 2008

Circuit Length: 4060. Temp: 35. Weather: Sunny

1 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 44'41.884

2 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 0'3.163

3 Toni Elias Ducati ESP 0'11.705

4 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 0'17.470

5 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 0'23.409

6 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 0'26.208

7 Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 0'26.824

8 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 0'27.591

9 Marco Melandri Ducati ITA 0'33.169

10 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'36.529

11 Sylvain Guintoli Ducati FRA 0'42.081

12 Shinya Nakano Honda JPN 0'43.808

13 Anthony West Kawasaki AUS 0'54.874

14 John Hopkins Kawasaki USA 0'55.154

Best Lap

Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'34.904

Rider Standings as of August 31, 2008

1. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 262

2. Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 187

3. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 185

4. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 140

5. Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 118

6. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 110

7. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 108

8. Shinya Nakano Honda JPN 87

9. Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 86

10. James Toseland Yamaha GBR 85

11. Nicky Hayden Honda USA 84

12. Toni Elias Ducati ESP 82

13. Alex De Angelis Honda SMR 49

14. Marco Melandri Ducati ITA 48

15. Sylvain Guintoli Ducati FRA 47

Team Standings 31/08/2008

1. FIAT Yamaha Team 402

2. Repsol Honda Team 269

3. Ducati Marlboro Team 235

4. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 198

5. Tech3 Yamaha 193

6. Honda Gresini 136

7. Team Alice 129

8. JIR Scot Team 118

9. Kawasaki Racing Team 75

10. Honda LCR 40

Manufacturer Standings as of August 31, 2008

1. Yamaha 291

2. Ducati 228

3. Honda 223

4. Suzuki 139

5. Kawasaki 66

 Qualifying
Casey Stoner needed just two qualifying tires to put the seal on his pre-race dominance at Misano this afternoon, the Australian setting his seventh consecutive pole position to extend a record run in MotoGP.

The all-time record in the premier-class dates back to 1997, when Mick Doohan started from the front of the 500cc grid on twelve successive occasions.

The current World Champion performed today under the effects of anti-inflammatory and painkilling medication, with Doctor Costa having also fitted him with a special support designed at limiting the effects of a re-opened fracture to the scaphoid.

Marco Melandri qualified in fifteenth place and reported his satisfaction at the balance of the bike, although he was unable to move any further up the grid after struggling to improve his pace on a qualifying tire.

Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team) Pole position: 1'33.378:  "The hand wasn't too much of a problem today although I didn't want to risk working it too hard.  There is a bit of bone floating around in there and when my wrist gets into a certain position in some of the corners the nerves get trapped and I get a shooting pain up my arm. I can deal with that though and we have an important job to do this weekend. 

We found a good setting for the bike this morning but it didn't work as well in the higher temperatures this afternoon, so we had to switch back to something else and it worked much better.  We worked so hard on the race setting that we only had time to use two qualifiers at the end instead of the usual three.

With the first one I used a new front, which needed a couple of laps to get scrubbed in, so I came in to change the rear and whilst it was good, it wasn't as good as the first one.  So, the lap time could have been better but all in all I'm delighted to be on pole again. It's going to be a long, tough race tomorrow but I'm looking forward to it."

Yamaha Team Report
Valentino Rossi put his Fiat Yamaha M1 on the front row for the eighth time this season today, qualifying second behind Casey Stoner for his home Grand Prix at Misano.

The 29-year-old, who lives just 15km away in Tavullia, will be flanked by his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo tomorrow, back on the front row of the grid for the first time since race three in Portugal.

Despite admitting that the searing heat was more suited to a day at the local beach Rossi was able to steadily improve his race pace throughout the afternoon's session, although he is still looking for a few more tenths before tomorrow's 28-lap race.

In the later stages he clocked better times with each of his four Bridgestone qualifying tires and his final lap was good enough to leap-frog his team mate for second, although he was unable to catch Stoner.

Tomorrow will be the sixth time that Rossi and Stoner have shared the front row this season, with the Italian having come out on top in three out of the previous five occasions.

Valentino Rossi - Position: 2nd; Time 1'33.888; Laps: 29:  "This weather is amazing, but I think maybe it's better if you're at the beach than at the track; we're in the wrong place!  I definitely prefer this to rain though so after the recent races, when we have never been sure about the weather, this is great.

I'm happy about our work because we did a good job with the qualifying tires this afternoon and we were able to improve with each one, which is important.  In the end we couldn't match Casey's time but anyway second on the grid is good for the race.

Our race set-up is still not perfect and there are some corners where we need to be faster still, so we have to work to try to improve that tonight.  We have a lot of data now from the two days and so we will use this to try to come up with something to try in warm-up tomorrow.  I think we can definitely still improve our race setting a little bit more."

Front Row Return for Lorenzo in Misano
Jorge Lorenzo made an impressive return to the front row of the grid today, his first top-three qualification since his treble of pole positions in the opening three races of the season.

The Mallorcan qualified third on a sweltering day in Misano and his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi made it a good day for the whole garage by qualifying second, just 0.076 seconds ahead of him.

After his run of bad luck, Lorenzo has been in much better shape since first practice yesterday, with improvements to his Michelin tires giving him back his old confidence and flair.  His first run with a qualifying tire put him straight to the top of the standings and he was able to improve twice more, before being edged out by Stoner and Rossi in the closing seconds of the session.

He and his crew now hope to make some final improvements to the setting of his M1 before bidding for a podium return tomorrow when the 28-lap race gets underway at 1400 CET.

Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 3rd; Time: 1'33.964; Laps: 29:  "Straight from yesterday morning it's clear that this track is a different situation for us.  We're struggling much less and my Michelin tires are much more competitive again here, so thanks to them.

I can ride in a good, flowing rhythm once more and my tires are giving me the confidence that I need in order to go fast. It feels really good to be back on the front row again and I am very happy today.  It is clear that to stay with Stoner and Valentino is going to be very hard, but the important thing is that we have been able to compete with them today and we're in a good position to try again tomorrow.

I'm still not thinking about results but I will just do my best, try to take a good rhythm and try to put on a good race for all the fans!"

Tech 3 Yamaha Set Sights On Top Six Finish
James Toseland and Colin Edwards have targeted top six finishes in tomorrow's Misano GP, which the Tech 3 Yamaha duo will start from ninth and tenth on the grid respectively.

British rider James Toseland clocked a best lap of 1.34.652 in a baking hot qualifying session to secure his ninth top ten grid position of the season.  Toseland though believes he could have secured a place on the second row of the grid had he not lost crucial time on his last qualifying tire with a small mistake at the final corner.

The 27-year-old though has been able to run consistent times on improved Michelin tires throughout the weekend, which bodes well for a top six challenge in tomorrow's 28-lap race.

American Edwards was just 0.143s behind Toseland to finish tenth. Edwards believes he can still further improve his race set-up on his Yamaha YZR-M1 to help maintain his top six placing in the 2008 world championship standings.

Kawasaki's John Hopkins is Back
Kawasaki's John Hopkins made a return to the track at the Misano circuit today following yesterday's absence through injury, and despite struggling to play catch up in the Adriatic coastal heat, the Anglo-American is confident for tomorrow's San Marino Grand Prix.

Hopkins, who was ruled out of both of yesterday's practice sessions due to aggravating an injury to one of his intercostal muscles, suffered with front-end difficulties aboard his Ninja ZX-RR throughout both of today’s sessions.  The 25-year-old had just two hour-long stints to set his machine up for the San Marino track, which features many tight, bumpy sections.

Hopkins started the day with little data aboard his Kawasaki and this was evident as he looked to find a usable setting around the 4.20km circuit.  The soaring temperatures caused the Anglo-American further complications in this afternoon's qualifying session, when the heat exacerbated the grip issues he was encountering, and he had little time to evaluate possible race tire options for tomorrow's Grand Prix.

However, despite qualifying in 17th position, Hopkins is confident that he, along with his crew, can make further adjustments in warm-up tomorrow morning, which will put him in a stronger position for the race.

Anthony West saw a continuation of the troubles he came across in yesterday's practice and suffered with no confidence in the front-end of his machine throughout both of today's sessions.  The 27-year-old Australian racer made radical changes to the set-up of his machine to improve the feedback from the front of the bike, but this brought no real joy, leaving him in 18th position on the grid.

West, although frustrated as he hoped to replicate his career best MotoGP weekend last time out, will review data overnight with his crew and look to make improvements ahead of tomorrow's 28-lap race. 

2008 MotoGP San Marino & Riviera di Rimini - Misano August 30, 2008

Circuit Length: 4060; Weather: Dry

1 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 1'33.378

2 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'33.888

3 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 1'33.964

4 Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 1'34.236

5 Toni Elias Ducati ESP 1'34.322

6 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'34.398

7 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 1'34.461

8 Shinya Nakano Honda JPN 1'34.494

9 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 1'34.652

10 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1'34.795

11 Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 1'34.926

12 Sylvain Guintoli Ducati FRA 1'34.961

13 Alex De Angelis Honda SMR 1'35.153

14 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 1'35.381

15 Marco Melandri Ducati ITA 1'35.418