Posted by Administrator on 10-30-2006 at 02:10 pm
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Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi slid out of the Grand Prix of Valencia today and lost his grip on the MotoGP World Championship for the first time in six years on the final day of an implausibly dramatic season. Nicky Hayden (Honda) lifted the title after claiming third place behind surprise winner Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi (both Ducati), with Rossi recovering to cross the line in 13th place but missing out on the title by just five points.
The fifth lap mishap came after a bad start from Rossi, who looked to be in perfect shape to defend his eight-point advantage going into the race after qualifying on pole position. However, the bad luck that followed the Italian throughout the first half of the season returned to strike its final, decisive blow when the front end of Rossi’s YZR-M1 tucked under braking and sent him spinning into the gravel. Another heroic charge from the defending champion saw him recover seven places and brought him back into the points but it wasn’t enough to hold off Hayden.
The last ever MotoGP race of the 990cc era, before maximum engine capacity is reduced to 800cc in 2007, also proved to be a let-down for Rossi’s Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards. The Texan had shown good pace throughout the weekend but higher track temperatures reaching 43ºC this afternoon did not suit the set-up of his machine and he was unable to reproduce that practice form. After starting tenth on the grid he made up one place to finish ninth, a result that lifted him to seventh in the final championship standings.
Colin Edwards (9th; +26.072)
“Well, obviously that was a disaster from all angles! After two or three laps I lost the front a couple of times but I’m not really sure why. We chose a soft front here but it was the same one as in Motegi and Estoril and it had worked great all weekend here. Today it was quite a lot hotter so maybe that’s what did for us. Basically from then on I couldn’t turn it properly, I had to put it all on the knee and slow right down to turn, otherwise I was going straight on. I was really feeling that I might crash any minute and I had to follow Hopkins for the whole race; without any corner speed I just couldn’t get the jump to pass him. It’s a disappointing end to a difficult season for me. I want to say a huge thank you to my team and everyone at Yamaha for all their work throughout the year; they’ve never given up and I’m sorry that we couldn’t finish on a better note. Bad luck to Valentino, he’s shown once again how good he is this season and I’m sorry for him and for the whole team. It’s all over for another year but we’ll both be back in March with the new bike, ready to get some serious revenge!”
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Valentino Rossi (13th; +38.546)
“Of course this is a big disappointment for me because to arrive at the final race with an eight-point advantage and then not win the title is a disaster. Basically I made two mistakes today – one was at the start and then the second one was the crash. It has been a very emotional season, with some great moments, some bad luck and now some mistakes. But this is racing. All I can say now is a big ‘congratulations’ to Nicky because he is a great guy, a great rider and he is the World Champion because he has been the best this year. I have known him a long time, I know his family well and even though I am disappointed I am also very happy for them. It has been a great fight with him this year – not like in the past with other riders when there have always been some polemics – and we have great respect for each other. I want to say a huge thank you to Yamaha, to all my team and engineers and to everyone else involved, they’ve done an amazing job this year and now I am looking forward to working towards next season with the 800; I am sure it will be another exciting season and another big battle!”
Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director
“It is normal that the feeling now within the team is one of disappointment but we are also proud that we brought this fight to the final round after all the bad luck we had in the first half of the season. Valentino has worked incredibly hard and shown on several occasions why he has been such a great World Champion – even today he kept on fighting to the very end. It is a sad day for us but we are already looking to the future with great excitement about the new 800cc era and the chance to win the title back in 2007. I want to thank all our riders, team staff, sponsors and technical partners for their excellent work this season and, from our behalf, congratulations to Nicky Hayden.”
Checa ends his tenure with Tech 3 Yamaha Team scoring another top 10 result
It was a fitting result for the current Tech 3 Yamaha Team as Carlos Checa, in his swansong for the team brought his Yamaha home in 10th place after a hard fought tussle at the Grand Prix of Valencia at the Ricardo Tormo circuit won by Australian, Troy Bayliss on a Ducati. After starting from 16th position on the grid Carlos battled his way through a number of other factory machines showing the determination that has attracted the appreciation of many in the Grand Prix world and again demonstrating the impressive improved performance of the Dunlop tyres the team has used this year. Carlos came close to being the first Yamaha home as he followed Colin Edwards home by less than two seconds after defending world champion, Valentino Rossi made a very rare mistake when he crashed although he remounted to finish in 13th position Team mate James Ellison finished his time with the Tech 3 team in the points finishing in 14th position after battling handling problems with his machine.
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Carlos Checa (10th, Fastest lap 1’33.944)
It was a very good race. I got a start that was not so bad and I was with a group fighting for 10th to 15th position then Valentino crashed. I feel sorry for them because they lost the championship. Finally, I finished in the top 10 but it wasn’t easy at the beginning. I was extremely happy with the performance of the tyre as it stayed very stable and this gave me the opportunity to pass some riders and I ended up quite close to Colin. This will give the team a good reference for us considering Colin’s team is using another tyre brand and it shows how much Dunlop has improved. I feel very close to Yamaha but very sad as it is the day I leave this team, Dunlop and Yamaha and after this year I feel so very satisfied as we always fought to improve as it was never easy to get better to bring the bikes and tyres as good as possible. I feel that this is one of my best seasons considering how the season started as it was quite difficult an intense. This team gave me the chance to continue competing to learn more about tyre, and in the human aspects we had a very close relationship with many positive things. We must be very satisfied now. It is something hard to explain at this moment why I am leaving because I want to challenge for a better position in races and I know if they continue here I need more time to develop to get into a more competitive position. At least I left something very important, some progress, some results and some improvements so they can keep working and growing. This is the kind of year I will not forget for sureas like I said it has probably been my most satisfying in al the years I have spent in the Grand Prix. I’d like to thank Herve, Yamaha, Dunlop and the entire team for allowing me to learn more about riding, development and about myself and know that we will part as good friends.”
James Ellison (14th, Fastest lap 1’35.311)
“For me the race was pretty disappointing as the chatter problem was still with us. All year it has been much the same. We ran the same tyre as Carlos but I’ve been running a different spec Yamaha all year to what Carlos runs. Getting the setup has been very, very difficult. No matter what we run the chatter problems has been persisting. After four laps the chattering is there. It’s either a case of ride with it or if I try to ride through it. If I try and ride though it I will crash like happened in Assen and yesterday during qualifying. When things go well and the bike is working I know I can run the times but when I’m riding something that is chattering every corner and it is so close to the limit all the time it makes this impossible. After today I’m wrecked trying to hang onto it. But saying that, I’d like to say I really appreciate the work and the effort Herve and the team have put in. Truthfully the team has been unbelievable all year. I only wish that there were a few things that were different that may have given me the chance of scoring some results I know I’m capable of. I would love to be staying with the team as well to continue the hard work we have all put in but that isn’t possible, so I’d just like to say thanks to them all and hope that one day I can return to the MotoGP paddock.”
Herve Poncharal – Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director
”It was an incredible day today. Firstly, I feel sorry for Yamaha and Valentino who lost the championship today but that is racing. I am very sorry about that. I am very happy for our last race with Carlos as he showed much fighting spirit because he started 16th and he passed a lot of guys. His pace was very close to that of the leaders for a lot of the race and he caught many riders on other tyres. He eventually passed Hopkins and was closing on Colin to be just two seconds away at the end so we went close to being the first Yamaha – and on Dunlop. That says a lot. We have definitely improved so much during the year but we still have to concentrate on qualifying tyres but if you look at the last few races – apart from Motegi – the second part of the season really showed consistency and a big improvement. Thank you to Carlos and well done Dunlop. We go again with Dunlop next year and together with the new tyre rule and the 800cc capacity everything is much more open and we are very positive so it’s good to end up with a race like this. The only sad thing for us is that we say goodbye to Carlos as he has done so much for us. I want to wish him all the best and good luck for what he is doing and thanks again for what he has done. I would also like to say thanks to James as well. I know that he tried very hard all year to come to grips with the bike and the tyres but unfortunately it didn’t work out. Like Carlos I would like to wish him the best for anything he does in the future.”
Posted by Administrator on 10-29-2006 at 12:10 pm
These are the top-ten 2006 MotoGP World Championship standings after the 17th and final round at Valencia, Spain.
1. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team 252
2. Valentino Rossi ITA Camel Yamaha Team 247
3. Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Marlboro Team 229
4. Marco Melandri ITA Fortuna Honda 228
5. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team 215
6. Kenny Roberts Jr USA Team Roberts 134
7. Colin Edwards USA Camel Yamaha Team 124
8. Casey Stoner AUS Honda LCR 119
9. Toni Elias SPA Fortuna Honda 116
10. John Hopkins USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 116
11. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 98
12. Makoto Tamada JPN Konica Minolta Honda 96
Posted by Administrator on 10-29-2006 at 12:10 pm
Full MotoGP race results from the Valencian Grand Prix, the 17th and final round of the 2006 world championship.
Hayden wins the title by five points!
1. Troy Bayliss AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 46min 55.415 secs
2. Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Marlboro Team 46min 56.734 secs
3. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team 47min 4.645 secs
4. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team 47min 7.480 secs
5. Marco Melandri ITA Fortuna Honda 47min 11.721 secs
6. Toni Elias SPA Fortuna Honda 47min 12.805 secs
7. Shinya Nakano JPN Kawasaki Racing Team 47min 14.744 secs
8. Kenny Roberts Jr USA Team Roberts 47min 18.589 secs
9. Colin Edwards USA Camel Yamaha Team 47min 21.487 secs
10. Carlos Checa SPA Tech 3 Yamaha 47min 23.609 secs
11. John Hopkins USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 47min 24.779 secs
12. Makoto Tamada JPN Konica Minolta Honda 47min 25.122 secs
13. Valentino Rossi ITA Camel Yamaha Team 47min 33.961 secs
14. James Ellison GBR Tech 3 Yamaha 48min 15.428 secs
15. Garry McCoy AUS Ilmor SRT (800cc) 47min 10.246 secs
DNF:
Casey Stoner AUS Honda LCR 36min 5.789 secs
Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 34min 53.343 secs
Jose Luis Cardoso SPA Pramac d’Antin MotoGP 27min 32.925 secs
Alex Hofmann GER Pramac d’Antin MotoGP 14min 26.546 secs
Randy de Puniet FRA Kawasaki Racing Team 7min 58.767 secs
Posted by Administrator on 10-28-2006 at 09:10 am
Full MotoGP qualifying times from the Valencian Grand Prix, the 17th and final round of the 2006 world championship.
1. Valentino Rossi ITA Camel Yamaha Team 1min 31.002 secs
2. Troy Bayliss AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 1min 31.210 secs
3. Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Marlboro Team 1min 31.307 secs
4. Shinya Nakano JPN Kawasaki Racing Team 1min 31.341 secs
5. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team 1min 31.378 secs
6. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team 1min 31.385 secs
7. Casey Stoner AUS Honda LCR 1min 31.470 secs
8. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1min 31.606 secs
9. John Hopkins USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1min 31.663 secs
10. Colin Edwards USA Camel Yamaha Team 1min 31.711 secs
11. Randy de Puniet FRA Kawasaki Racing Team 1min 31.892 secs
12. Marco Melandri ITA Fortuna Honda 1min 32.062 secs
13. Toni Elias SPA Fortuna Honda 1min 32.144 secs
14. Kenny Roberts Jr USA Team Roberts 1min 32.358 secs
15. Makoto Tamada JPN Konica Minolta Honda 1min 32.467 secs
16. Carlos Checa SPA Tech 3 Yamaha 1min 32.747 secs
17. Alex Hofmann GER Pramac d’Antin MotoGP 1min 33.289 secs
18. Jose Luis Cardoso SPA Pramac d’Antin MotoGP 1min 33.755 secs
19. James Ellison GBR Tech 3 Yamaha 1min 33.953 secs
20. Garry McCoy AUS Ilmor SRT (800cc) 1min 34.811 secs
2006 Valencian Grand Prix:
Fastest free practice time: Valentino Rossi ITA Camel Yamaha 1min 31.817secs
2005 Valencian Grand Prix – 6/11/2005:
Pole position: Sete Gibernau SPA Movistar Honda 1min 31.874secs
Fastest lap: Marco Melandri ITA Movistar Honda 1min 33.043secs
Posted by Administrator on 10-25-2006 at 04:10 pm
One of the most exciting seasons in the history of the MotoGP World Championship reaches an intense climax next weekend as Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden (Honda) go head-to-head for the title in a final-round shootout at Valencia. The amphitheatre-style surroundings of the Ricardo Tormo circuit on the outskirts of the Spanish city provide the perfect stage for the ultimate instalment of a 17-round epic that began on the Iberian peninsular in less than perfect fashion for Camel Yamaha rider Rossi nine months ago.
Since being knocked from his bike in the first corner of the first race at Jerez, the Italian has been through virtually every emotion known to a motorcycle racer. A dramatically unpredictable season of twists and turns has seen Rossi visit the gravel traps, the hospital and the top step of the podium in almost equal measures, with technical problems also robbing him of vital points in the first half of the season. However, since finding himself a massive 51 points behind Hayden after round eleven at Laguna Seca, the five-time World Champion has shown his true colours with a string of five consecutive podium finishes.
His latest, second place in the Grand Prix of Portugal at Estoril, coupled with a crash for Hayden, finally lifted him above the American to the top of the standings for the first time this season and opened up an eight-point gap between the pair with one round to go. It means that for the first time in fourteen seasons the destiny of the MotoGP World Championship will be decided in the final round, with the drama set to unfold in front of a sell-out crowd in excess of 120,000 people in the firecracker atmosphere of Cheste.
Colin Edwards will once again be looking to play the role of good team-mate after his star performance at Estoril just over a week ago. The Texan was back to his best form in Portugal, qualifying second on the grid and providing a crucial helping hand to Rossi in the early stages of the race – only to narrowly miss out on his second rostrum of the season as he took fourth place at the line. This weekend Edwards’ clear objective is to go at least one position better and make sure he is celebrating alongside Rossi on Sunday evening.
Valentino Rossi: My one chance
Valentino Rossi travels to Spain this week knowing that he cannot afford to let this incredible opportunity slip after admitting that a fifth title defence was effectively out of his hands just five rounds ago. Hayden’s well-publicised misfortune in Portugal has perhaps overshadowed the fact that it is Rossi’s own form – a run of nine top-three finishes from the last eleven races – that has propelled him to the top of the standings and fulfilled his target of arriving at the final round with a sixth consecutive premier-class title in sight.
“Things went very well for us in Estoril - we’ve achieved our goal of coming here still fighting for the championship and for this I have to thank everyone in the team so much,” says Rossi. “Each person has worked at 100% to bring us back to this position and now we’re all very excited about this final race. Of course it’s not going to be like other times, when I have won the championship with some races to spare and less pressure. Now I only have one chance. It’s a big pressure for everyone but it’s great for the show.
“Valencia isn’t one of my best tracks and we also know that Hayden is really strong there, so it’s definitely not going to be easy. On the other hand we know that the M1 works quite well there and in the race last year it was very good in the second half of the race especially. If we can start from the front then I think we can try for the win, but whatever happens it’s going to be a really exciting race. Hopefully Colin and I can be at the front together like in Estoril and we’ll just see what we can do!”
Colin Edwards: A team player
Colin Edwards says his number one aim this weekend is to help out his great friend and team-mate Valentino Rossi in his quest to win the title. The best way to do that, of course, is for the Texan to keep his excellent form going and continue with the recent progress the pair have made with the set-up of their YZR-M1 machines. Edwards’ attitude is a reflection of a tight team ethic at Camel Yamaha and it is something he hopes will pay dividends when the chequered flag greets the 2006 MotoGP World Champion on Sunday.
“I’m pretty excited about the last race of the season, it’s going to be pretty close I reckon,” says Edwards. “Estoril worked out well for the team and I was able to help Valentino out, which was the number one aim. Obviously I was disappointed not to be on the podium but my bike worked great and I think that we’re in good shape to do it all again at Valencia."
“I’ve raced at Valencia for years so I know it really well and I know I am quite fast there. Like in Estoril, the aim is going to be to get on the front row alongside Valentino and then just to help him out in the race as much as possible. Of course this time out I want to be on the podium too, a Yamaha one-two would be the perfect end to the season!”
Davide Brivio: The final push
For Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio the Grand Prix of Portugal epitomised the togetherness and spirit shown by his riders and staff since bouncing back from the brink of failure midway through the season. With just one round remaining the Italian is asking for one final, definitive push before a well-earned break and the start of the new 800cc era in 2007.
“Since the summer break we have just taken the races one-by-one, working our hardest and keeping our focus, and the results have been excellent,” reflects Brivio. “Our objective from Brno onwards was to keep fighting until the end of the season and try to get to the last round with a mathematical chance of winning the title. After Portugal that mathematical chance is a lot stronger than we expected but it is not over yet and, as we all know from our experience this season, anything can still happen.
“It looks like being another dramatic weekend but from our point of view the objective is just the same as it has been for the last five or six races – to keep our heads down, work hard and stay focused on the job of giving our riders the best possible package for Sunday. If we can do that then I’m sure Valentino and Colin will do their part too, and hopefully we can celebrate together on Sunday.”
Technically speaking: Valencia according to Jeremy Burgess
With its unique stadium-style surroundings the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia is a spectacular, if somewhat cramped facility characterised 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.
“Valencia isn’t one of Valentino’s favourite tracks because it is so tight and twisty, but we won there in 2004 and finished third last year after starting well down the grid, so we know the M1 works well,” says Jeremy Burgess, Chief Engineer to Valentino Rossi. “One of the big lessons we have learnt this season is that if you want to win in this class nowadays then you really have to start from the front so we will again be using the free practice sessions to make sure we have the right bike settings for both qualifying and the race.
“Technically there is not much to say about Valencia other than the obvious fact that it has a lot of low gear usage and very little throttle – with the back straight and the start-finish straight being the only two high speed sections. The last long left is different to any other corner in the world and it can be crucial to the outcome of the race so for that reason it requires special attention when setting the bike up to make sure you have the speed coming towards the line. The rest is slow and anti-clockwise – there’s not much else to say about it really!”
Valentino Rossi: Information
Age: 27
Lives: London, UK
Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1
GP victories: 84 (57 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 172 (113 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 44
World Championships – 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP)
Colin Edwards: Information
Age: 32
Lives: Conroe, Texas
Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1
First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP)
GP starts: 65 x MotoGP
World Championships - 2 World Superbike
Valencia Lap Record: Marco Melandri (Honda) 2004, 1’33.043
Valencia Best Lap: Sete Gibernau (Honda) 2005, 1’31.874
2005 Valencia Grand Prix Results:
1. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda, 46’58.152
2. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda, +0.097
3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha +2.959
8. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha, +25.678
