Factory Yamaha MotoGP Test Wrap Up

Valencia MotoGP Test

Unlike Tuesday's testing, the next year's MotoGP grid didn't have to deal with rain on Wednesday, making for a longer session.

And the factory Fiat Yamaha team of Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies took full advantage of the situation, staying in the top three on the time sheets as they did on Tuesday.

Lorenzo and Spies completed all Yamaha test requirements earlier in the day, and both were able to then evaluate some different Bridgestone tires ahead of the 2011 MotoGP season.

The 2010 MotoGP Champion came out strong like he did on Tuesday, but was beat by 0.054 of a second for the day by Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner. Although Lorenzo was a bit slower Wednesday on the prototype Yamaha M1, his time of 1:32.012 from Tuesday was still the fastest time out of both days of the traditional post-season MotoGP testing.

Lorenzo and his Yamaha Crew Chief Ramon Forcada both commented on the performance at the final day of Valencia testing.

Jorge Lorenzo says: "Basically we tried some new tires from Bridgestone today, they had quite a different feeling, but there wasn't a big difference in general performance. We also reconfirmed the settings we tried yesterday so we've given Yamaha some good data to work with over the winter. I'm very happy with how the test has gone; I'm quite tired so I'm looking forward to having some rest now and coming back strong to start again."

Ramon Forcada says: "Today we finished the testing plan we made. There weren't so many things to try as we did a really good job yesterday. We finished the Yamaha test plan so this morning we evaluated some tires and provided some good information to Bridgestone for their development."

"We've finished early as we tested everything we needed to and Jorge felt good about all the results. It's been a long season and after the emotions of the last Grand Prix races it's time to let him go and have a rest! The new bike has the same feeling as the 2010 machine but with improvements, allowing us to be faster and perform better in a number of areas."

The 2010 MotoGP Rookie of the Year Spies remained consistent throughout both days of testing on his new factory ride, taking third fastest on both days. After his impressive, initial performance on the Yamaha M1, Spies will return home to America before starting off his second season in the MotoGP Championship on a factory ride.

Spies and his Yamaha Crew Chief Tom Houseworth both responded to the Valencia testing performances.

Ben Spies says: "We've had another good day and another day of learning. We messed with the bike a bit, changed some settings and went in a positive direction. So another good session working with the new crew again, I'm very happy with it."

"I read some comments from Jorge about the new engine for next year, he seemed to be happy with the way that was going so I look forward to seeing that in Malaysia. I'm looking forward to now having a couple of months of then getting back to it!"

Tom Houseworth says: "We tested the prototype again this morning, we collected the data from yesterday and following a meeting last night made some setting changes for today which we tested with very positive results."

"Once we had achieved these we went ahead and tested the Bridgestone tires, testing three options, one of which Ben really liked a lot. The test has been very productive and very promising for the future on the new bike. Ben is really optimistic and looking forward to continuing at Sepang."

The Fiat Yamaha MotoGP riders will not take a three-month Winter break before official MotoGP testing resumes at Sepang Feb. 1-3.

MotoGP: Ducati and Rossi Day 2 Report

MotoGP Valencia Test

With all the energy and excitement surrounding the news of Valentino Rossi testing the new Ducati at Valencia for the traditional two days of post-season MotoGP testing, the results were anything but spectacular.

During Tuesday's testing, Rossi was 10th fastest, his Valencia results almost two seconds slower than his former teammate, the 2010 MotoGP Champion Jorge Lorenzo.

And Wednesday's testing didn't show any improvements; the nine-time World Champion was 15th fastest out of 17 riders, 1.659 of a second slower than the fastest man on the track, which is also who Rossi replaced, Casey Stoner.

Just like stated yesterday, the General Manager of Ducati Corse Filippo Preziosi said the two days of testing for the 2011 MotoGP season were not about fastest lap times, but more importantly, deciding what engine configuration to progress with, either the "Big Bang" or the "Screamer."

After completing most of his 56 laps aboard the Ducati GP11 with the "Big-Bang" engine on Tuesday, Rossi was scheduled to do additional laps with the "Screamer" on Wednesday. But instead, Rossi completed 70 laps with the "Big Bang" while working closely with Preziosi.

Due to amount of emphasis the latter received during the MotoGP testing, the "Big Bang" is likely the configuration that the 2011 Ducati Team of Rossi and Nicky Hayden will use next season. This is the same engine Hayden and his former teammate Casey Stoner used throughout the 2010 MotoGP season.

After spending seven years with Yamaha, Rossi has much work to do in adapting to the Ducati GP11, and Preziosi says this will be the objective of Ducati - to match the bike to Rossi's riding style, allowing Rossi to ride like Rossi.

Filippo Preziosi says: "After these two days of tests we will go back to Ducati for a meeting, where we will decide which path to take between the two engines, the big bang and the screamer, although the information we have is pointing towards the former. It will be a decision we will make by analyzing the data in depth as well as planning the way forward around all the other things we learnt at the test."

"The objective is clearly to allow Valentino to ride like Valentino! We know we have to improve the bike in order to achieve this, especially the front end. He has given us some very precise information and now it is down to us to use it."

"We would obviously have liked to give him the opportunity to go faster today but even though that wasn't the case he has impressed everybody over the last two days with the way he works, his calm approach and his positive attitude towards everything."

Rossi's teammate completed 91 laps on Wednesday, the most of any rider. He tested both the "Screamer" and "Big Bang," and was quicker on the latter, eventually posting the sixth-fastest time.

Filippo Preziosi says: "Nicky also worked very hard, as usual, and set a good lap time on the new Bridgestones as well as the ones we were already using, which is another big positive. Now we have to work to give them both a more competitive bike for the next test."

Next, Preziosi will meet with the engineers and technicians in Ducati Corse headquarters, and likely decide on what engine to proceed with for the 2011 MotoGP season, and the "Big Bang" is the likely candidate.

Both Rossi and Hayden will return home now for a Winter break before the next official test at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia from Feb. 1-3, 2011.

MotoGP Valencia Test: Spies Day 1 Report

Factory Yamaha Valencia Test Results

After a very successful season as a satellite Yamaha rider, Ben Spies graduated to the factory Yamaha team, where he will compete in 2011 with teammate and 2010 MotoGP Champion Jorge Lorenzo.

And the Texan who achieved the MotoGP Rookie of the Year award got his first taste of the factory Yamaha YZR-M1 on Tuesday as teams took to the Valencia circuit once again for the traditional post-season tests at the Spanish venue.

Spies, who finished fourth during the final 2010 MotoGP round at Valencia on Sunday, managed the third-fastest time during the first of two days of testing. Spies posted a 1:32.878, only 0.103 of a second slower than the new Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner, and 0.866 of a second behind his teammate on the other Yamaha, Lorenzo.

Spies spent the majority of Tuesday afternoon aboard the 2011 prototype Yamaha M1, tweaking chassis settings that progressively made the No. 11 rider faster.

Ben Spies says: "For the first day of testing I'm super happy with the team, a lot of things are new including obviously riding the prototype Yamaha bike. There are a lot of subtle changes from last year so I spent some time getting used to it along with working with a new Japanese engineer who is very, very good."

"I had a couple of new mechanics who were learning the ropes as well so it was a lot of learning today. I'm really happy, I can feel the potential of the bike and I think there's quite a bit more to come."

Spies' new MotoGP team manager, Massimo Meregalli, also commented on the American's performance during Day 1 of Valencia MotoGP testing.

Massimo Meregalli says: "As a first day, I think Ben's crew worked really well. He was very satisfied with the new 2011 prototype YZR-M1 bike which is a good sign. We didn't make many changes to the setup in the session so it's clear that we have a good base to work with. Tomorrow we will start to test the 2011 tires as today Ben used the same ones as he ran for Sunday's race."

Not a surprise, Spies new MotoGP Yamaha teammate was the fastest man on Tuesday. Lorenzo, who also won the final round of the 2010 MotoGP Championship at Valencia on Sunday, only needed five warm-up laps before he became the quickest rider.

Lorenzo split his riding time between the 2011 prototype YZR-M1 and an updated version of his 2010 MotoGP machine.

Jorge Lorenzo says: "Today we tried the new chassis on the 2011 M1 which felt good, although it is still to early to say too much about it. We also tried the new Ohlins suspension which felt better to me on the track. The new engine seems to have less wheelie but we will see more tomorrow in the next session."

Wilco Zeelenberg (Lorenzo's Team Manager) says: "2011 has started I would say! We finished the session on top so I think everything went quite well. Our lap times were good and we improved on our qualification time from Sunday's race. We managed to test everything we wanted to today so tomorrow we will continue with more and see how far Jorge can go."

The Fiat Yamaha team will return to Valencia circuit Wednesday morning for the final day of post-season MotoGP testing.

Rossi Throttles Ducati, First MotoGP Test

MotoGP Valencia Test

Once Ducati confirmed that Valentino Rossi would join for 2011, the anticipation to see the Italian on an Italian machine immediately began.

And on Tuesday, the official relationship was ignited with the first appearance of nine-time World Champion Rossi aboard the Ducati Desmosedici, Rossi wearing black Dainese leathers with the typical radiant yellow stripes and 46 showing on his back.

Many MotoGP and Rossi fans will likely dish out negative responses to Rossi's lap times on the first of two days of testing at Valencia, considering he was 10th fastest with a 1:33.882, almost two seconds slower than his former teammate Jorge Lorenzo.

But today and tomorrow's traditional post-Valencia MotoGP tests have nothing to do with who's quickest. General Manager of Ducati Corse Filippo Preziosi says the main agenda during the Valencia MotoGP tests will be deciding which engine type to progress with for the 2011 MotoGP season: the "Big Bang" or the "Screamer."

With this in mind, Rossi went to work with Ducati, joined on the Ducati Team by his former Yamaha chief mechanic Jeremy Burgess and a number of his former Yamaha crew.

For most of Tuesday, Rossi tested a black, carbon-colored Ducati GP11 with the calmer "Big Bang" engine; this is the same engine that his teammate Nicky Hayden and former Ducati Team rider Casey Stoner used during the 2010 MotoGP season.

While testing the "Big Bang" GP11, Rossi tested various chassis geometry, forks, fairings and other settings. And VR 46's initial reactions were positive.

Filippo Preziosi says: "It has been an exciting day for sure. The main thing that hit me today was Vale's positive feedback and his capacity for analysis. Today he tested the GP11 with the 'big bang' engine on a standard setting, which he modified step by step to adapt it to his riding style."

"His first comment when he lifted his visor up was a positive one about the power delivery and then he gave some impressive technical details. We certainly have a lot to do to adapt the bike to his riding style but it is really nice and very interesting to work in this way."

"We worked on the geometry and setting today to see how the bike responded and to get a bit of experience working with both Vale and Jeremy (Burgess). At the end of the session he went out on the screamer version but we will make more of an analysis between the two engines tomorrow because they deliver the power in very different ways - the big bang has a more regular power curve whereas the screamer is more aggressive but also more powerful."

After both days of testing, the data and Rossi and Hayden's input will be analyzed, and Preziosi and the Ducati crew should be able to make the decision of what motor to progress with for the 2011 season.

The more powerful "Screamer" sounds like it'd be the logical choice, but power doesn't necessarily equal speed in MotoGP. It's all about how much of this power can be channeled through the GP11's carbon (very still) frame and chassis. Each rider has their own preferences, and after Tuesday's post-season testing, Ducati is starting to get a feel for what Rossi likes.

Rossi did make one run with the more powerful "Screamer" engine towards the end of the test, but there wasn't enough seat time to make accurate impressions.

The team will continue testing the GP11 with this more aggressive "Screamer" configuration on Wednesday.

Valencia MotoGP: Qualifying Results

MotoGP Finale

During Saturday's morning practice session for Valencia MotoGP, nobody could catch Casey Stoner. And the Australian carried this momentum through qualifying, Stoner placing his Ducati Team GP10 on the pole.

Joining him on the front row at the Spanish circuit are this year's MotoGP Champ Jorge Lorenzo and the rookie Marco Simoncelli aboard the San Carlo Gresini Honda.

Casey Stoner says: "This morning we were struggling a little bit with the front because you have to spend a lot of time at this circuit with the bike leaned over so this afternoon we tried a lot of different things without really finding the right feeling. When I went out on a soft tire I didn't think I'd be able to beat Jorge (Lorenzo) or Marco (Simoncelli) but it gave me the confidence I needed to go much faster and I set a lap time I was very happy with."

"I actually made a couple of mistakes on my last two laps otherwise I think I could have improved it but the important thing is that I was able to give Ducati another pole position before I sign off. There are a couple of sections where we need to improve for tomorrow but other sections that remind me of Phillip Island in the way I can attack them so overall I am comfortable and confident. It will be an emotional day I'm sure tomorrow but for now my job is to focus on the race and achieving the best result possible."

Stoner was the only rider to post under the 1:32 mark during all three-practice sessions and qualifying for the final round of the 2010 MotoGP Championship at Valencia. His blistering time of 1:31.799 was 0.331 of a second faster than Fiat Yamaha M1 rider Lorenzo.

Lorenzo, who donned a crystal-encrusted helmet for his home race, led most of the 45-minute qualifying session, but Stoner began dominating during the final six minutes.

Jorge Lorenzo says: "I'm really excited and proud to be on the front row in front of the Spanish crowd, at this home race. Especially racing here; the last race is always special and everyone wants to do well. I tried my best to make the pole position today but Casey was really very quick today, I couldn't beat him. Let's see if we can keep in contact with him tomorrow in the race, if we can stay with him we can challenge."

"We will try the maximum as always. X-Lite has honored me with this special helmet and I am so proud of it, it looks like diamonds in the sunshine! Thanks to everyone and I hope to make a good race in it tomorrow."

Simoncelli has progressively gone faster during his rookie season, and his 1:32.144 lap time earned him his first front-row start in the premier class. The Italian will be seeking to better his best results of the season, which was fourth at Estoril last weekend. Simoncelli was just over a tenth of a second slower than Lorenzo at Valencia qualifying.

Marco Simoncelli says: "It 's been a beautiful day but to be honest the whole weekend was beautiful, from the first qualifying session for this afternoon with qualifying for the race tomorrow. I managed to be always fast and consistent so I am very happy to be successful in this endeavor to position themselves in the front row on the grid."

"With the bike now is a confidence and this is extraordinary for several races. At this point I hope to go to the ‘fence' of the best tomorrow, because it would be a really good season finale for me, for my team and Honda."

Leading the pack on the second row is nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi. The Italian was over a half of second slower than Stoner, and is seeking a victory during his last race on the Yamaha M1 before moving to Ducati next year.

Valentino Rossi says: "It was a difficult day but luckily we were able to improve the setting right at the end of the session, giving me a bit more grip and allowing me to push for a fast time at the end. We're fourth and considering how the practices have been this really isn't too bad."

"We will have to see tomorrow, it's going to be very hard and we're still in a bit of trouble, while the others are very fast, but if we can improve a bit more then we can try to challenge. It's not particularly difficult to overtake at this race so the second row isn't a big problem if we have a good pace. Stoner is very fast here, it looked like he was in a different sport today, but it's my last race for Yamaha and I will do everything I can to be on the podium."

Joining Rossi on the second row are two Americans, Ducati Team rider Nicky Hayden and Monster Tech 3 Yamaha rider Ben Spies. Hayden's fifth-place position is his fourth-consecutive start within the two front rows.

Nicky Hayden says: "The middle of the second row isn't a disaster. The track seemed to really come in this afternoon and immediately on hard tires we were a lot faster than we've been all weekend. Tomorrow ain't going to be cake, I know that, but I want to finish the year with a strong result and I'm looking forward to it."

Completing the top ten were Spies teammate Colin Edwards, Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso, and the other San Carlo Gresini Honda rider, Marco Melandri.

Sunday's season-ending Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana begins at 2 p.m. local time. SPEED will broadcast the race at 8 a.m. (EST) Sunday morning, and then again at 6 p.m.

2010 Valencia MotoGP Qualifying Results:

Pos.	Num.	Rider	Nation	Team	Bike	Km/h	Time	Gap 1st/Prev.
1.	27	Casey STONER	AUS	Ducati Team	Ducati	310.3	1'31.799
2.	99	Jorge LORENZO	SPA	Fiat Yamaha Team	Yamaha	305.5	1'32.130	0.331 / 0.331
3.	58	Marco SIMONCELLI	ITA	San Carlo Honda Gresini	Honda	303.7	1'32.244	0.445 / 0.114
4.	46	Valentino ROSSI	ITA	Fiat Yamaha Team	Yamaha	305.4	1'32.330	0.531 / 0.086
5.	69	Nicky HAYDEN	USA	Ducati Team	Ducati	305.7	1'32.422	0.623 / 0.092
6.	11	Ben SPIES	USA	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	305.1	1'32.566	0.767 / 0.144
7.	5	Colin EDWARDS	USA	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	305.3	1'32.579	0.780 / 0.013
8.	26	Dani PEDROSA	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	312.4	1'32.603	0.804 / 0.024
9.	4	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	ITA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	311.3	1'32.886	1.087 / 0.283
10.	33	Marco MELANDRI	ITA	San Carlo Honda Gresini	Honda	308.7	1'32.917	1.118 / 0.031
11.	14	Randy DE PUNIET	FRA	LCR Honda MotoGP	Honda	307.1	1'32.925	1.126 / 0.008
12.	41	Aleix ESPARGARO	SPA	Pramac Racing Team	Ducati	303.1	1'33.085	1.286 / 0.160
13.	40	Hector BARBERA	SPA	Paginas Amarillas Aspar	Ducati	311.0	1'33.170	1.371 / 0.085
14.	65	Loris CAPIROSSI	ITA	Rizla Suzuki MotoGP	Suzuki	306.5	1'33.339	1.540 / 0.169
15.	7	Hiroshi AOYAMA	JPN	Interwetten Honda MotoGP	Honda	308.3	1'33.343	1.544 / 0.004
16.	71	Carlos CHECA	SPA	Pramac Racing Team	Ducati	305.3	1'33.499	1.700 / 0.156
17.	19	Alvaro BAUTISTA	SPA	Rizla Suzuki MotoGP	Suzuki	305.9	1'33.515	1.716 / 0.016

MV Agusta F3 takes Motociclismo Award

EICMA Bike Show

The 68th International Motorcycle Exposition, the most important motorcycle show in the world, has come to a close and all votes have been counted for the traditional "Most Beautiful Bike" Award.

All of the votes have been cast and the new 2011 MV Agusta F3 triple has earned the title "Most Beautiful Bike" of the EICMA motorcycle show. Motociclismo magazine, one of the more important and informed motorcycle magazines in Italy, organized the motorcycle election and EICMA award.

The new MV Agusta F3 dominated the motorcycle vote tally during the entire period of the show capturing a total of 38.5% of over 12.000 votes cast. Behind the F3, with 20.6% of the votes, was the Ducati Diavel and occupying the third place on the podium was the Kawasaki ZX-10R with 8.5% of the votes.

The motorcycle magazine award ceremony was held during the conclusion of the EICMA Show at the Motociclismo stand with Giovanni Castiglioni, the Managing Director of MV Agusta, Corrado Capelli, the President of Confindustria ANCMA and EICMA along with Piero Bacchetti, the President of Edisport Editorial all in attendance.

The award ceremony was the final act of an intense week of expositions and motorcycle events, which saw more than 500,000 motorcycling visitors flock to the conference halls at the Fiera di Milano in Milan, Italy.

The F3, a true work of art on two wheels, dominated the scene with the attendants waiting in line for a view of the new masterpiece. The latest creation by MV Agusta has redefined motorcycle style and performance.

Light weight, powerful and with the latest electronic controls all working together in harmony has come to redefine perfection. The new F3 has taken the concept of supersport to the extreme and has become the new reference point for all others to follow.

The unmistakable lines of the new MV Agusta F3, as with its big brother the F4, are unique and continue to stand out in the crowd.

The new middleweight MV builds upon the already consolidated concepts continually applied on all MV Agusta motorcycles and pushes the limits even further with an attention to detail never before seen on a superbike.

The triple side exit exhaust system is only a single example of the unique application of form and function on this new motorcycle masterpiece.

For the historical manufacturer from Italy, this is a further recognition of the immense amount of energy and resources that MV Agusta is dedicating to the constant development of their new products, especially after being released from Harley-Davidson ownership.

The 2011 F3, at its first EICMA public debut, has been confirmed the new MV is set inspire motorcyclists around the world.

Valencia MotoGP: Sunday Racer Quotes

MotoGP Final

With the 2010 MotoGP Championship now in the moto-racing history books, the riders had much to say Sunday after the final round at Valencia.

In the following quotes, the grid discusses not only the race at Valencia, but also their thoughts on the overall season. And what a race it was on Sunday.

Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo won his ninth race of the season, and acquired the highest amount of points (338) for a MotoGP season, breaking nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi's record.

Starting from second on the grid, Lorenzo fell back to seventh after he had some contact with San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli, almost losing the Yamah. Lorenzo's save was one of the most impressive saves of the 2010 season, and allowed him to come back and take the win.

It wasn't an easy win, though, as he didn't pass Ducati Team rider Casey Stoner until eight laps remained. Stoner would take second place, with Rossi filling the final spot on the podium during his last race aboard the factory Yamaha before moving to Ducati for 2011.

Here's what the riders were saying after Sunday's final round of the 2010 MotoGP Championship at Valencia in Spain.

Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha M1) says: "Coming here to Valencia I really wanted to win one more time in this fantastic season, in front of my home fans. In the practices I was fast all weekend, but it seemed like Casey was even faster. I made a good start today but in the second corner trying to pass Casey I got overtaken by three or four riders, then I had a hard fight with Simoncelli when I nearly fell! I kept calm after that and concentrated and then lap-by-lap I recovered."

"I had a wonderful fight with Casey at the end. Winning here in front of my home crowd at this special track is one of the happiest moments of my life. We are proud to have got the record for the most number of points with 383, I used to be known as a crazy rider who crashed too much so to demonstrate consistency in this way makes me proud."

"Thanks to Yamaha and everyone involved for a fantastic season - now we have time to celebrate tonight before we start working for 2011 on Tuesday. Finally I want to say goodbye and good luck to Valentino - I am looking forward to racing him next year!"

Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha M1) says: "Honestly I'm happy with this final result with Yamaha, because we had a difficult weekend here. I didn't get a good start but I realized straight away that I was much faster today and that my bike felt good. At one point I thought I might be able to win but in the later part of the race I just didn't have enough strength to stay with Lorenzo and Stoner, this is a very hard track when you're not completely fit."

"I started to make a few mistakes because I didn't have enough power to stop the bike so after a bit I decided it was better to slow down and keep my third place. Arriving on the podium was my way to say thank you to my bike, to Yamaha and to all the people who have worked with me in these seven seasons. It's been a great experience and I have enjoyed it so much."

"Forty six is a great number of wins - of course I wanted more but I think I can be happy with what I have done here. We have finished the season strongly with five podiums in a row and after such a difficult season we can feel happy about how we have ended. It's been a wonderful seven years, great fun with a special atmosphere, many fantastic victories and four world championships. I stopped with my bike after the race today just like I did at Welkom when this story began, it was the right way to say goodbye to 'her'. Thank you to everyone, we have wonderful memories."

Casey Stoner (Ducati Team GP10) says: "We had a big decision to make in terms of the tire choice today but we went for the hard compound and maybe in hindsight it cost us. It is difficult to say because maybe the softer option wouldn't have worked as well in the final stages so we could have ended up second either way."

"At the end of the day Jorge had a better pace than us today and there wasn't much more we could have done. It is nice to bring this era to a close on the podium and I think that is fitting. I have so many great memories of these past few years with Ducati, from my first win at Qatar in 2007 and that race in Barcelona the same year, to the title success at Motegi and my wins at Phillip Island."

"I also especially remember my return to action in Portugal last year. I have enjoyed every single victory on the Ducati so much and I want to thank them for so many great years together. I leave behind a lot of people that I will miss, like Filippo, Vitto and the others but even though we will be rivals on the track from now on our personal relationship will stay the same. I also want to thank all the Ducati fans for their support over these past four years."

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team GP10) says: "I am bitterly disappointed with the result today. After the warm-up this morning when I set the fastest time I really felt confident we could get a good result today and I pushed hard from the start. The bike felt good and I was able to make up a few positions into the first turn, then pass Dani for second place."

"To crash just a couple of laps later is frustrating because I had the pace to be fighting for the podium out there. It is definitely not the way I wanted to end the season and my guys deserved more after another great job this weekend. We had our problems with the bike on Friday but we pulled something out of the bag and I had a competitive bike here. Overall over the past few races we have ended the season quite strongly and I am looking forward to taking that into winter testing and hopefully coming out with an even more competitive package next year."

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) says: "This was the one of the hardest races of my life and also one of the ones I can feel most proud of. Honestly I was not sure at all before the start that I could do 30 laps today, but I managed to do it and I'm very happy now, and also exhausted."

"I made a good start and to stay with Stoner in the early laps was amazing for me. I fought as hard as possible to maintain the pace for as long as I could and it was during this period that I set the fastest lap of the race."

"But of course my strength was ebbing away little by little and I was caught by the group behind me. From then on I just concentrated on staying on the bike and finishing the race - I was counting down the laps. To finish second in the championship was not our goal at the beginning of the season of course, but only we know how hard it has been to keep second place after the crash in Japan. We will take our time to recover after this race and we can also have a useful test on Tuesday and Wednesday in preparation for next year."

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V) says: "We have done a good job here at Valencia and we can be happy that we were the first Honda rider home today. Our pace wasn't enough to compete for the win so we can't be totally satisfied of course, but overall we've had a positive end to the season."

"I was missing some speed in the middle of the corners today which is an area to work on in future, as is improving the stability under braking. I'm disappointed I couldn't re-pass Spies, but my tires were very worn by the end and I couldn't fight in the last laps because the grip was dropping off quite a lot and it was difficult to maintain the pace from the first part of the race."

"Anyway it was a good battle with Simoncelli again and I hope there will be more like this next year - it shows that pocket bikes was a good training ground! Overall we have to be satisfied with the job done by Honda, the team and myself throughout the year and I'd like to thank all those involved. The package has improved a lot and, whereas last year we were struggling, this year I've been consistently faster. We still have some fine tuning to do for next year - and that can start here in the test on Tuesday."

Ben Spies (Monster Tech 3 Yamaha) says: "I'm patting myself and my Monster Yamaha Tech3 crew on the back because to get sixth overall in the points is a great achievement for all of us. It was a good race and once I settled I could see the three Hondas coming back to me quite quickly."

"I kept them about a second in front of me and pounced when I felt confident I could pass them and pull away. They had some acceleration on me off the turns, so I knew when I made the pass it needed to be into a string of corners and not onto a straight. Once I passed Andrea and Marco I put my head down for a couple of laps and got rid of them."

"To finish fourth after last week's crash in Estoril is the perfect finish to what has been a great season. I said at the beginning of the season that a top five feels like a win and now this feels more like a normal result. I've had a better year than I thought I would have, so thanks to my team and all the people around me who have given me unbelievable support. I've learned a lot this season and I'm confident I will be even stronger in 2011."

Colin Edwards (Monster Tech 3 Yamaha M1) says: "I wanted to finish the season on a high to reward my crew for all their hard work, but that was way below what I was expecting and to say I'm disappointed and frustrated is an understatement. Right from the start it just didn't feel like I had any grip when I accelerated."

"We'd set the bike up on the hard tire for most of the weekend but we went for the soft option because the temperature was a little bit lower. But coming out of the corner I didn't have the grip to stay with anybody and it is a big pity because the changes we'd made to the bike for the hard tire this weekend had helped me feel much more confident and comfortable. Congratulations to Ben though on getting sixth overall. He's been awesome and he's only going to get stronger."

Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) says: "Well... to start from the fourth row on the grid was a bit difficult for me but I immediately set my pace trying to catch the guys up there. In the last two days we worked mainly on traction control and our overall package was quite good. Maybe we have been too cautious working on engine mapping and rear tire life so when I was stuck in the second group I had not enough speed in the corners and I was not able to overtake my competitors."

"Honestly I aimed to finish in the top six but this is racing and I am satisfied about my final position in the standing considering the bad accident I suffered in the middle of the season. I want to thank Lucio and the Team for the five years together (two in 250cc class and three in the premier one). We shared good and bad moments and this period was an important part of my career".

Alvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki GSVR) says: "After having such a difficult weekend with all the problems on Friday and Saturday, today has been a big step for us. This morning in warm-up we went back to a setting that I used in the last races and it quickly felt a little bit better, it wasn't a big difference but I thought it would be good for the race."

"I wanted to give my maximum in the race and give the team the best result possible today. I had a normal start and made up one position straight away, but then I was behind Loris and I lost some time because he brakes so late and is difficult to pass. When I got past him I pushed to my limit and I got in to a good rhythm - the best I've had all weekend. I caught the group fighting for eighth and I finished ninth at the end, but it was a great battle with the others because I managed to overtake them all and it was good fun."

"Before the race started if someone said I could finish ninth I would have signed for that, but after the battle with Hector I am disappointed because I think I could have been eighth! It is a good result for the whole team after a hard weekend, but it is not the result I expected before I came to Valencia because I came with the mental attitude to finish in the top-five."

"Now that we have finished the season we know we have many things that we need to improve on the bike and I also need to improve my riding style, so we have a very hard winter ahead of us - I hope to get to the first race next season with the bike better than it was this year. I will also have more experience so I expect to improve on my results next season.

"I would like to the thank Suzuki, all the team, Rizla and all the other sponsors, because if they didn't help us it would be impossible for us to be racing, so thank-you to all of them. Next year we will certainly be trying even harder and I really believe we can be competitive!"

Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki GSV-R) says: "I really want to say thank-you to everybody because I have had three really good years here at Suzuki, the relationship is great and I am so sorry to be leaving - I really love everybody! The luck this year didn't really help me, we had many small problems and that showed in today's race."

"I have improved a lot in myself in my time at Suzuki and although our roads are now changing direction, I will for sure have a place in my heart for Suzuki and all the people there - thank-you for everything!"

Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini) says: "I was hoping for a better result than this to be honest but I am still satisfied because I gave it my best shot. I struggled a little bit to set the same lap times as yesterday and stay with the front guys. I was losing the rear in a few places and maybe with the conditions today we should have gone with the soft tire."

"Even though it had less grip yesterday I felt more confident with the hard so we stuck with it because I thought it would help me stay consistent to the end of the race but it was sliding around a lot. In any case I kept going and I am happy with my performance."

Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini) says: "I don't want to talk about the race. I would rather look to the future because I think we have seen today that the right choice right now for me is to end this story and start a new one. Having said that it has been a big part of my life and I am the person I am today partly because of MotoGP."

"I want to thank all the people who have stayed close to me and also those who have been against me because they have helped me to grow. Thanks to all the sponsors who have accompanied me over these years and everybody who has worked with me, my family and my fans, who I will see again next year in another championship."

Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda) says: "I want to thank my team and sponsors and all the people, who helped me this year. It was a tough year and not easy. Also the last race was tough and difficult. At the end I could finish the race, but I am not satisfied with the way I did it. I almost always finished the races in the points and I had some good experience this year, in my first year in the MotoGP class and I want to thank all the staff who was involved in it."

Aleix Espargaro (Pilota Pramac Racing Team Ducati) says: "I am truly sorry for the final position. This was my last race in this Team where I found true friends and I wanted to achieve a good result. I do not have much to say about the race, I tried to overtake my rivals but my pace was not so quick to allow me to approach them."

"I would like to thank the Pramac Racing Team, Paolo Campinoti and all the technicians who accompanied me during this year. It's been a great experience where I learned a lot and I'm sure it will be useful for me for the rest of my career."

Carlos Checa (Pilota Pramac Racing Team Ducati) says: "I wanted to finish this race in every way and I did. The result is not exceptional, but the feeling with my bike was not that strong to allow me to do better. It's a really good start, but unfortunately after six laps my pace was not fast enough for me to hold the position won."

"I was first passed by Bautista in the seventh round, while the next lap I passed Capirossi and Aoyama. Thank you anyway to Pramac Racing Team for allowing me to run these last two races while riding their bikes and I wish them a successful future."

MotoGP: Rossi Set for First Ducati Test

Valencia Post-Season MotoGP Tests

For the final time this past Sunday, Valentino Rossi and the Factory Yamaha M1 were a pair, the Italian signing off with a podium finish at Valencia, the concluding round of the 2010 MotoGP Championship.

And now that Rossi has said farewell to Yamaha, the nine-time World Champion has much work in store while preparing the Ducati Team GP11 for the 2011 MotoGP season.

Rossi's first taste of the Ducati Desmosedici will be this Tuesday and Wednesday for the traditional post-Valencia MotoGP tests when riders plunge into work for their respective 2011 teams.

Initially, it was unknown if Yamaha would allow Rossi to test on the Ducati since his contract isn't officially up until the end of the 2010 year, but Yamaha allowed the tests to proceed, confirming this (quite late) during the week of the Australian Grand Prix in October.

Although Yamaha gave the go-ahead, Rossi was under order to not discuss the post-Valencia tests with Ducati. But Rossi's antics speak more than words, and his farewell kiss to the Yamaha M1 display that Rossi is more than set to say goodbye and begin a new moto-affair with Ducati.

This relationship will start this week; he and his teammate Nicky Hayden will get some track time at Valencia using three different Ducati engine configurations: the big-bang GP10 (used in the 2010 season by Hayden and former teammate Casey Stoner), the big-bang GP11 and the screamer GP11.

Both Rossi and Hayden will have to decide which engine to use in the GP11 for the 2011 MotoGP season, either the big bang or the screamer.

When this decision arrived last year for Hayden and Stoner, Hayden initially wanted to go with the Screamer, but the team and riders decided on the more-tame big-bang motor due to the Ducati's chassis not being able to handle the raw power of the screamer; there was just no grip with the screamer engine.

These traction issues became apparent when Ducati originally moved to the stiff, carbon chassis on the GP09 two seasons ago. Before the GP09, the Ducatis featured the signature trellis chassis, which provided more flex, therefore more feedback to the rider.

Throughout 09 and this year's MotoGP seasons, the Ducati team had grip issues, although they have progressively improved, but only slightly. It appeared Stoner and Hayden weren't getting much feedback from the stiff chassis, especially when the tires began to wear.

And this same, stiff chassis will be carried over to the GP11 Ducati, the bike that Rossi will compete on.

Rossi, though, has much success in forwarding the progress of not-so-capable machines, such as his genius work with Yamaha that progressed from the time he joined in 2004 up until Sunday's race at Valencia. And four MotoGP titles within seven years attest to that.

But will Rossi have as much luck with Ducati, helping his native manufacturer beat the amazingly well-suited Yamaha M1 of the 2010 MotoGP Champion Jorge Lorenzo, or the very capable three Repsol Honda machines piloted by Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso?

The insights will start arriving this Tuesday, as Rossi gets his first experience on the Ducati at Valencia.

Stay tuned to UltimateMotorCycling.com for full MotoGP updates.

MotoGP: Repsol Renews Honda Contract

Honda MotoGP News

Since 1995, the Spanish oil company Repsol has been the main sponsor for the Honda team in MotoGP. This collaboration between Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) and Repsol has resulted in eight World Championship titles, 90 Grand Prix victories and 252 podiums, and has turned the Repsol Honda Team machines into "icons that are immediately recognized by motorcycling fans worldwide."

And on Monday, it was confirmed that this relationship will continue, as HRC and Repsol have renewed their contract for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Repsol will continue as the main sponsor, and also continue supplying fuel and lubricants to the Repsol Honda Team.

And the team will be very competitive as well, considering Repsol Honda will field three riders for the 2011 season: Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso and the new comer who left the Ducati Team, Casey Stoner.

With the 2007 World Champion Stoner joining the Spaniard Pedrosa and the Italian Dovizioso, the Repsol Honda MotoGP team will present a very powerful squad that's more than capable of reclaiming the MotoGP World Championship; the last time Repsol Honda took the championship title in the premier class was 2006 with Nicky Hayden.

Over the next two years, Repsol will continue to be the official supplier of competition fuel and lubricants to the Repsol Honda Team. The specific fuel that the team uses is developed by the Repsol Technology Center (RTC), located in Móstoles (Madrid).

Repsol, which has been in the world of competition for 40 years - an unbeatable test bench for its products -, has gathered extensive experience in developing and manufacturing fuels and lubricants for the main racing competitions.

Begona Elices (Corporate Director for Communications and Chairman's Office at Repsol) says: "Repsol is extremely satisfied to be able to extend for another two seasons such a successful relationship with HRC, which will reach 18 years and during which we have achieved ninety victories in the premier class of motorcycle racing. The combination of a reference manufacturer like Honda and three riders like Dani, Andrea and Casey, guarantees us a permanent hope for the whole championship as well as a place in the leading positions of the standings."

"Competing in the top class is intrinsic to Repsol; it is part of the corporate philosophy and strategy of our company. Top competition gives us the opportunity to be leaders in research and development of new fuels and lubricants while allowing us to maintain a much closer relationship with our customers."

Tetsuo Suzuki (HRC President) says:"We are delighted to announce that our valued partners at Repsol will once again join us in our quest for the MotoGP World Championship next year. Honda's partnership with Repsol has been long and successful and we are very proud to be together again for this challenge into the future."

"We are also very pleased to expand the Repsol Honda Team to once again include three riders next year. Our current riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso will be joined by Casey Stoner in Repsol Honda colors to form a truly formidable line-up that we believe can fight for victory at every race and achieve our joint goals: recapturing all three MotoGP World Championship titles."

MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa Pain in Spain

MotoGP Valencia

Dani Pedrosa ends the 2010 MotoGP season with the fastest lap of the race at Valencia in Spain. And Pedrosa was able to overcome his physical pain to defend his second place in the final championship standings from the attack of Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha).

With his seventh place Valencia finish, after reaching as high as second, the Repsol Honda Team rider secured second place in the MotoGP World Championship, with a 12-point advantage over the Italian rider.

Pedrosa got off to another spectacular start, climbing from eighth on the starting grid to second in just two turns. Just two laps later, the American Nicky Hayden crashed his ducati motorcycle while the Repsol rider closed the gap on Casey Stoner, on his final ride with Ducati.

Pedrosa was wheel to wheel with the Australian in the eighth lap, but his battered left shoulder and loss of strength affected him and little by little he started to lose pace while Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo closed in on him, until they finally passed him in the tenth lap.

Pedrosa could do little to defend his position because as the laps passed his pain increased and he lost strength in his left hand. Andrea Dovizioso, who was riding in fifth in a fierce battle with fellow Italian Marco Simoncelli, caught the Spanish rider eleven laps from the end and both he and Simoncelli also passed Pedrosa. Dani kept trying, overtaking them, but he could do little to prevent being passed again.

Dovizioso and Simoncelli rapidly broke away from Pedrosa, who set himself the objective of finishing the race in the highest position possible in order to defend his second place in the championship standings.

Riding in sixth, Spies came from behind at a fast pace and knocked Pedrosa down to seventh. The Spanish rider received a round of applause from his team when he returned to the garage after his brave performance. And as a personal mark, Pedrosa ended the 2010 season with the fastest lap of the race - lap 5 -, despite his physical problems.

The 2010 season has ended in Valencia today with Dani Pedrosa second in the final championship standings and teammate Andrea Dovizioso fifth.

Dani Pedrosa says: "This was the one of the hardest races of my life and also one of the ones I can feel most proud of. Honestly I was not sure at all before the start that I could do 30 laps today, but I managed to do it and I'm very happy now, and also exhausted."

"To finish second in the championship was not our goal at the beginning of the season of course, but only we know how hard it has been to keep second place after the crash in Japan. We will take our time to recover after this race and we can also have a useful test on Tuesday and Wednesday in preparation for next year."