Race Results
Casey Stoner took a dominant victory in the final round of the 2008 MotoGP season to secure second place in the Constructors' World Championship for Ducati.

Today's win, at the circuit where he celebrated his debut success in the 125cc class back in 2003, was also the 150th for Australian riders in all Grand Prix classes.

Not only that, but Stoner's sixth victory of the season means that the Italian factory have taken 17 wins from 36 races since the start of the 800cc era - an average of almost 50%.

Tomorrow the Ducati Marlboro Team will be back on track to begin preparations for next season, with Casey Stoner joined for the first time by his new team-mate Nicky Hayden.

Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team) 1st:  "We couldn't really have asked for much more today.  To end a difficult season in this way is a fantastic feeling and it's a nice way to thank everybody at Ducati for their hard work. 

Once again my crew got it right, finding a good setting for the bike despite limited dry track time.  To be honest I was quite worried during qualifying yesterday because I didn't have a good feeling at all but by the time we put the softer tires on the bike was already feeling better and then the guys did a fantastic job overnight and in the warm-up this morning to iron out a few more of the problems.

This was the first time we've ridden in these conditions all weekend so there were still a few question marks before the race, so to go out and set the pace like that was a nice feeling.  Now I'm really excited about testing the new bike tomorrow. It felt good the last time I rode it and I'm sure they've made it better, so hopefully we can have a good first session and go home for the winter full of optimism about next season."

Valentino Rossi brought the curtain down on a spectacular season with a third place in Valencia, his 16th podium from 18 races in a year which saw him win his eighth world title.  The 29-year-old Italian has taken nine wins, five seconds and two thirds this year, surpassing the all-time premier class win record and the record for the most points in a season in the process.  His outstanding performances this season also helped the Fiat Yamaha Team to secure the Teams' title and Yamaha the Manufacturers' title.

Rossi had struggled to find a good set-up for his M1 during yesterday's qualifying and he started from 10th on the grid.  However some last-minute changes paid dividends and he was able to get a good start, climbing to seventh in the first lap and then making a characteristic charge through the field to move into third on lap six.

Unfortunately from then on he was unable to make a dent in the gap to second-placed Dani Pedrosa and he had to settle for the final podium position, 12 seconds off winner Casey Stoner.

His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo secured the Rookie of the Year title with eighth place today, rounding off an eventful but impressive season for the 21-year-old.  Both riders will be in action tomorrow as work for the 2009 season gets underway immediately with a two-day test at Valencia.

Valentino Rossi - Position: 3rd; Time: +12.194:  "I don't think that was so bad today!  Unfortunately we had some problems yesterday and that meant we had to start from the fourth row, which left us with a very difficult task.  As always though we found a way and my team gave me a good bike, which meant I was able to get a great start and then have some fun passing people.

Once I got to third there was no way to catch Dani and so it wasn't such an exciting race from then on.  This has been an amazing season for us and to finish with another podium, the 16th, is great and we cannot complain. 

I am so happy with what we have done this year, as I said it's definitely one of my greatest championships and I want to thank everyone once again - Yamaha, my team, the engineers, Bridgestone and everyone who helped us to get this result.  Tomorrow we will try the new bike which means we can't have as big a party as we would like, but it is important to try to find a base for it so I am looking forward to it."

Lorenzo Secures Rookie Of The Year at Season Finale
Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo took a deserved Rookie of the Year title by finishing eighth at Valencia today, his fourth position in the championship the highest finish for a premier-class newcomer since the advent of four-stroke MotoGP.

The Spaniard's first season in MotoGP has seen him win a race and take a further five podiums and four pole positions, helping Yamaha to secure the Team and Manufacturers' titles to add to his team-mate Valentino Rossi's World Championship.

After struggling for grip yesterday Lorenzo started from seventh on the grid and things got worse as the race got underway. He was unable to find a rhythm and slipped to11th until mid-race distance.  From then on he began to improve and he was able to make up three places, finishing strongly to set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap.

The team gets straight back to work tomorrow with the very first test of the 2009 season, during which Lorenzo will have his first chance to try the new prototype 2009 YZR-M1.

2008 MotoGP Valencia - Ricardo Tormo - October 26, 2008

Circuit Length: 4005. Weather: Dry.

1 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 46'46.141

2 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 0'3.390

3 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 0'12.194

4 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 0'24.159

5 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 0'26.232

6 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'32.209

7 Shinya Nakano Honda JPN 0'34.571

8 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 0'35.661

9 Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 0'38.228

10 Alex De Angelis Honda SMR 0'47.583

11 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 0'52.107

12 Sylvain Guintoli Ducati FRA 0'52.350

13 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 0'52.833

14 John Hopkins Kawasaki USA 0'53.227

15 Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 0'53.411

Best Lap:  Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 1'32.582

Final Rider Standings for the 2008 MotoGP Season

1. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 373

2. Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 280

3. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 249

4. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 190

5. Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 174

6. Nicky Hayden Honda USA 155

7. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 144

8. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 128

9. Shinya Nakano Honda JPN 126

10. Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 118

11. James Toseland Yamaha GBR 105

12. Toni Elias Ducati ESP 92

13. Sylvain Guintoli Ducati FRA 67

14. Alex De Angelis Honda SMR 63

15. Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 61

Final Team Standings for the 2008 MotoGP Season

1. FIAT Yamaha Team 563

2. Repsol Honda Team 404

3. Ducati Marlboro Team 331

4. Tech3 Yamaha 249

5. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 248

6. Honda Gresini 189

7. JIR Scot Team 174

8. Team Alice 159

9. Kawasaki Racing Team 107

10. Honda LCR 61

Final Manufacturer Standings for the 2008 MotoGP Season

1. Yamaha 402

2. Ducati 321

3. Honda 315

4. Suzuki 181

5. Kawasaki 88

Race Preview
A record-breaking season for Fiat Yamaha reaches its finale this weekend as the Grand Prix of Valencia brings the curtain down on the 2008 MotoGP World Championship.

The traditional season-ending Spanish fiesta sees Valentino Rossi arrive with the title already in his pocket and the all-time points record for a season within his sights, whilst Jorge Lorenzo will become the highest-placed rookie in four-stroke MotoGP history by scoring just four points.

In a season that has seen Rossi become MotoGP World Champion for the sixth time, breaking the record number of wins in the class and scoring his 150th Grand Prix podium on the way, he now needs just eleven points to break the record for the highest tally in a season.

He currently stands on 357 points, meaning fifth place or above would take him above the benchmark he set in 2005, which was equaled by Casey Stoner last year.

Lorenzo currently lies fourth in the championship and whilst third is now a mathematically impossibility, Andrea Dovizioso would have to win the race and hope the Spaniard finishes no higher than twelfth to dislodge him.  Dovizioso is also the only rider with any chance of denying Lorenzo the title of Rookie of the Year. It is a familiar scenario for the old rivals, who entered the final round of the 2006 season at Valencia battling for the 250cc title, which Lorenzo won with fourth place as the Italian finished seventh.

The 21-year-old from Mallorca has never won at the Ricardo Tormo circuit although he will be looking to set that record straight this weekend in front of the 130,000 race-day fans that will pack into the unique stadium-style surroundings of the track.

The layout 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.

Valentino Rossi - "I have had two bad years at Valencia and I have some memories I would like to forget with a good result there this year - I have an account to settle!  In 2006 I crashed and lost the championship and then last year I broke my hand and lost second place in the championship!

It's not the best track for us but I won there with Yamaha in my first year with them and I would like to do the same again this weekend.  It's been a fantastic season and the win on Sunday in Malaysia was great, but I am not finished yet and I want to reward my team, Yamaha and Bridgestone for a fantastic season with the best possible result on Sunday.  Then we can all celebrate with a big party!"

Comunidad Valencia: Record Lap
D.Pedrosa (Honda) 2007, 1'32.748

Comunidad Valencia: Best Lap
V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 1'31.002

Grand Prix Results: Comunidad Valencia 2007
1. D.Pedrosa (Honda) 46'43.533
2. C.Stoner (Honda) +5.447
3. J.Hopkins (Suzuki) +20.404
. V. Rossi (ITA) Yamaha DNF