History was made here at Phillip Island today when Dani Pedrosa (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) notched up his second 250cc World Championship with his seventh win of the season so far and Honda’s historic 600th in all classes.

The factory’s first win was in the 125cc class in 1961 when Aussie Tom Phillis won from Ernst Degner on an MZ. Honda has won more races than any other manufacturer and it was fitting that Dani should clinch the 600th in the country of Phillis’ birth.

In the MotoGP race Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) pressed winner Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) all the way to the flag to take second place, Carlos Checa (Ducati) was third.

In bright conditions the 27-lap contest got underway with pole man Nicky swift off the line into the rapid downhill turn one. But Checa judged the lights well too and tried to force his machine up the inside of Nicky but was then badly placed for the next turn, so Hayden nosed in front.

Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V) did not last the lap. He crashed at turn four when the rear of his machine stepped out under braking. Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V) was another non-finisher when he crashed at the high-speed Hayshed turn in the closing stages of the race while lying sixth. He was winded and badly bruised but apart from that the Brazilian was uninjured.

On lap three Rossi took the lead from Nicky while Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) edged past Checa into third place. On the next lap Marco also relieved Hayden of second and it looked as if the crowd could have been in for another epic Rossi/Melandri showdown as seen at Qatar.

But Melandri could not sustain his initial sprint and as Rossi pulled clear, Hayden had to set to work passing the Movistar man so he could try to get back on terms with the leader. The American wasted no time and in three laps he was working on Rossi for the lead.

The first five riders; Rossi, Hayden, Melandri, Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) and Checa were now well clear of the field and the Rossi/Hayden duel was itself drawing clear of the fight for third between Melandri and Checa. But it would soon drift back into their orbit as Rossi dropped the pace to upset Hayden’s rhythm and let the chasers interfere with his progress.

Sure enough, Melandri relieved Hayden of second within two laps, and Rossi then set about building a lead. While he did that, Hayden had to squeeze past a typically determined Melandri and try as he did, he could never then recover the one second advantage held by Rossi.

He shaved it down to 0.85 seconds in the closing laps but it was 1.007 second at the flag. Checa just stole third from Melandri over the line after the pair had swapped places twice in the closing laps. Gibernau faded to finish fifth.

Nicky said, “That was a tough race and I enjoyed it. Valentino was setting a good pace so I just sat there. It all felt good running at that speed – just nice and comfortable. A couple of times Rossi picked up the pace and I could respond. Then the others caught up and me and Marco battled a bit and just gave a slight advantage to Valentino. You can’t give a guy like him a one-second lead round here with a few laps to go.

“It’s been a really nice race,” said Melandri. “I fought hard until the end and I was hoping to finish on the podium. I thought I had Checa under control but he passed me in the slipstream. Despite that I am satisfied – it has been a difficult weekend but this morning the team did a great job and the bike was working really well. I gave my maximum and I am happy. I arrived here two points behind Max Biaggi and now I am level with Nicky Hayden in second place.”

Gibernau said, “We’ve struggled all weekend. This morning I thought we took a step forward in the warm up but in the race I had a lot of problems. The bike was sliding around and I couldn’t finish any higher.”

Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) finished eighth and said, “I lost feeling with the front tyre. I couldn’t push as I did in the warm-up, particularly in the left turns. In the last laps it has been very hard to remain with Toni and Shinya. From Istanbul I really hope to do better. I know that thanks to the technical package at our disposal and my qualities, we can do more.”

Chris Vermeulen, standing in for the injured Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V), finished 11th on his first RCV ride. The Aussie said, “It was an okay race, nothing more as far as I’m concerned. I wanted to get into the top ten, but I got boxed in at the start and took the first lap cautiously.
Then I picked up the pace, I felt good and passed Jacque, Xaus and Hopkins. They’re all riders with experience and as I followed them before attacking, especially John, I learnt so many things about race management.”

Max said, “It is very hard to explain my disappointment. To sit back in the garage after crashing out of the race so early and watch the race on TV is so hard when I know I could have been up at the front fighting with the leaders. One moment I was braking for the corner the next moment the bike was on its side. That’s as much as I can say.”

A battered Barros said, “At the moment I’m in a lot of pain even though they’ve given me some painkillers. I took a big hit to my side but everything’s hurting at the moment. I was riding well, keeping my rhythm going without pushing too hard but then I suddenly lost control of the front. It would have all been okay if I had just slid out and travelled along the ground, but when I hit the gravel trap the sudden deceleration flipped me up into the air.”

Nicky and Marco are now locked together on 170 points each as they strive to pick up the runner-up spot in the World Championship with two races and 50 points available.

Dani Pedrosa (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) won his second consecutive 250cc World Championship in style here with a last gasp draught of Sebastian Porto (Aprilia) over the line. Jorge Lorenzo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) finished a distant third.

Porto has won here before and his second place on the grid was testament to the Argentine’s competitiveness here, but Casey Stoner (Aprilia) on pole was the man many feared might dent Dani’s World Championship ambitions. He had won the last two races and was now riding at his ‘home’ track.

But Stoner’s outside chance of denying Dani his title came to grief when he crashed on lap four while leading. If Dani won the race the 250cc crown would be his, but the veteran Porto is never easy to beat and so it proved. A momentary lack of traction from the Argentine in the long left-hand turns onto the start/finish straight was all it took for Dani to seize his moment and dart out the slipstream to take the win.

It’s a doubly sweet win for Dani. It was here that he badly broke both his ankles in 2003. So to take his third World title and second 250cc title here in such style and to secure Honda’s 600th Grand Prix before he moves up to the MotoGP class next season as a Honda rider is no more than he deserves.

Dani said, “That was difficult because qualifying was hard, but I started well and pushed hard on cold tyres to stay with Stoner until he crashed. Then I stayed with Porto and he was good in the turns but my engine was strong today. I couldn’t have done this without the work of my team so thanks to them.”

Lorenzo said, “I’m not happy with third because I was half a second a lap away from the leaders on every lap and that’s too far away. I wasn’t really in the same race.”

Hector Barbera (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) had his best result of the season with a fourth in his rookie year. He said, “This is the first time this year I’m happy – now that I’ve had a good bike for the whole weekend. Fourth is not a dream result but now I have the confidence to expect more in Turkey next weekend.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) was fifth and said, “During the whole weekend we had setting problems we were not able to solve. As a consequence, after three laps, my rear tyre was finished. It was very difficult to ride in those conditions. I just tried to get as many championship points as possible.”

Honda’s chances in the constructors’ World Championship were given a welcome boost here with five Honda’s filling the first six places. Honda now has 304 points to Aprilia’s 298.

Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) stole back the advantage in his fight for the World 125cc Championship with a strong pole to flag victory where no one, not even his title rival Kallio (KTM), who finished fifth, came close.

Luthi had a lead of 1.3 seconds even by the end of the second lap, and by mid-race it was 3.6 seconds over the then second placeman Marco Simoncelli (Aprilia). But behind Luthi it was hard going in a pack of seven riders.

Kallio, who was in the group, looked to have gone clear in second place with two laps to go, but the group swallowed up and spat him out in fifth, damaging his title hopes, although not irretrievably.

Tomoyoshi Koyama (Ajo Motorsport Honda RS125R) finished second for his first Grand Prix podium in a mad dash for then line with Simoncelli third and Mattia Pasini (Aprilia) fourth. The trio were separated just ten thousandths of a second.

Luthi said, “A great race for me. The team did well to get me on pole and give me a bike to win with. This is a hard track to have to get out front and win on, you have to really concentrate here, but it worked out OK.”

Koyama said, “I was confident in the fight because I knew that if I was with the top group on the last lap I had a chance of getting a good result – and I got second which is great for me and my team.”

Luthi now leads the World Championship from Kallio by 12 points with two rounds remaining. In the Manufacturer’s World Championship KTM has 294 points, Honda 269 and Aprilia 260.

Honda Team Quotes:
MotoGP:
Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 2nd: “That was a tough race and I enjoyed it. Valentino was setting a good pace so I just sat there. It all felt good running at that speed – just nice and comfortable. A couple of times Rossi picked up the pace and I could respond. Then the others caught up and me and Marco battled a bit and just gave a slight advantage to Valentino. You can’t give a guy like him a one-second lead round here with a few laps to go. The team gave me a great bike today. It was really comfortable to ride. I wanted more today. The way things were going it felt like a win wasn’t out of the question. We’ve got two more cracks at it. The season’s almost over and I want another win.”

Marco Melandri, MoviStar Honda: 4th: “It’s been a really nice race – I fought hard until the end and I was hoping to finish on the podium so it is a shame. I thought I had Checa under control but he passed me in the slipstream. Despite that I am satisfied – it has been a difficult weekend but this morning the team did a great job and the bike was working really well. I gave my maximum and I am happy. I arrived here two points behind Max Biaggi and now I am level with Nicky Hayden in second place. It will be important to do well in the final two races if I want to finish as runner-up in the championship.”

Sete Gibernau, MoviStar Honda: 5th:: “We’ve struggled all weekend. This morning I thought we took a step forward in the warm up but in the race I had a lot of problems. The bike was sliding around and I couldn’t finish any higher.”

Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 8th.: “I was satisfied by my start, but at a certain point a lost the optimal feeling with the front tyre. I didn’t make it to push as I did in the warm up, particularly in the left turns. In the last laps it has been very hard to remain with Toni and Shinya. At the end, for how things went, the eight position conquered at the photo finish is good, but from Istanbul I really hope to do better. I know that thanks to the technical package at our disposal and my qualities, we can do more.”

Chris Vermeulen, replacement rider for Troy Bayliss at Camel Honda: 11th: “It was an okay race, nothing more as far as I’m concerned. I wanted to get into the top ten, but I got boxed in at the start and took the first lap cautiously. Then I picked up the pace, I felt good and passed Jacque, Xaus and Hopkins. They’re all riders with experience and as I followed them before attacking, especially John, I learnt so many things about race management. This one was longer than the ones I’m used to, and the last five laps are crucial. By the end my tyres were well worn, too much to think about Nakano ahead, as I had planned. It was my mistake, I had used them up too much at the beginning and on the last lap Hopkins got back past me. Inexperience, but it’s a lesson for the next race. Working with this vastly experienced team is teaching me so much so quickly.”

Max Baggi, Repsol Honda: dnf - crash: Alex Barros, Camel Honda: dnf – crash: “At the moment I’m in a lot of pain even though they’ve given me some painkillers. I took a big hit to my side but everything’s hurting at the moment. I was riding well, keeping my rhythm going without pushing too hard but then I suddenly lost control of the front. It would have all been okay if I had just slid out and travelled along the ground, but when I hit the gravel trap the sudden deceleration flipped me up into the air. In any case now I must try and rest as much as possible before we decide what to do in Turkey.”

250cc:
Dani Pedrosa, MoviStar Honda: 1st. “Well, I wasn’t thinking about winning the World Championship when I got up this morning all I wanted was to have a good race. I don’t like this track and we had struggled with the set up in practice. In the opening laps I was a little worried about the front tyre. Stoner’s crash also put De Angelis out and Lorenzo led but Porto passed him so I had went with him because I knew Porto would push hard all the way. I got onto his rear wheel to follow him and stayed there I thought that for sure with the 20-points for second place it would make it impossible for Stoner in the championship. Coming onto the last straight I caught Porto’s slipstream and passed him before the line. This title is very special because it was a tough championship. My crash in practice at Motegi left me with a cracked bone in my shoulder I saw it on the photo but I didn’t say anything to the team because they might not have let me race, or worried about me. It was difficult to race in Malaysia and Qatar but I flew home to Barcelona for treatment and arrived here in better shape. The press and some other riders criticised me for my performances and that made me angry. So I am especially pleased with this title.”

Alberto Puig, Team manager MoviStar Honda: “These last few weeks have been a little bit stressful for us but we never doubted Dani at any time. It was an exceptional day for us. Even in the closing stages of the race I thought Dani would clinch the title. It’s difficult to say if this is the best championship title of the three the team have won but it is very special.”

Jorge Lorenzo, Fortuna Honda: 3rd: : “In the race things didn’t feel too good, the rear tyre wasn’t in good shape and even on the sighting lap it felt strange. They got away from me at the front and in the end I couldn’t do anything. I hope to do better in Turkey, and win if I can. I could tell that the last sector was hard for me in practice, and this continued in the race. It’s positive to be on the podium though, but I want to win, let’s hope I can in Turkey or Valencia.”

Hector Barbera, Fortuna Honda: 4th: “It’s the first race this year that I’m really satisfied with, having given my all. The bike is in good shape at the moment. I enjoyed myself all weekend, and I’ve got a monkey off my back a little. I crossed the line with a smile on my face, now I’m enjoying things. It’s true that everything went our way this weekend. Fourth place isn’t what would really satisfy me, because I couldn’t fight it out in the front group. I’m confident in the bike now though, having finished three races in a row, and I hope that in Turkey we can make another step forward.”

Andrea Dovizioso, Scot Honda: 5th. “During the whole weekend we had setting problems we were not able to solve. As a consequence, after three laps, my rear tyre was finished. It was very difficult to ride in those conditions. I just tried to get as many championship points as possible.”

Hiroshi Aoyama, MoviStar Honda: 6th: "I can't be happy with the way I raced today. This is a very difficult circuit and I haven't managed to get the better of it all weekend. I wasn't able to make up any positions at the start and it was impossible to follow the pace of the front group. I'm a little disappointed because I expected to do better today but I also feel happy for Dani. It was difficult for him but once again he showed what he is capable of."

Alex Debon, Wurth Honda BQR: 9th. “Great race today the result is a good for the team. The bike was perfect today great set up and the engine was very strong the only small problem was the front tyre wear late in the race but that was the same for all riders. I’m very happy for the team for the return we got from this race. Now we have to continue on this way in Turkey and at Valencia and try for the best private rider trophy.”

Dirk Heidolf, Kiefer Castrol Honda: 12th. “I didn’t get a very good start because we fitted a new clutch before the race. In the beginning of the race I was battling with Giansanti and couldn’t go as fast as the riders in front o him. Then I went better, faster than in qualifying and caught the group in front of me. I passed them one by one. I’m mega-proud after the difficulties we had in practice. The bike was much, much better than in qualifying it was no problem to pass the other riders I was racing with.”

Jakub Smrz, Molenaar Honda: 13th. “Really satisfying race for me. I got a good start for a change and didn’t lose any positions. The only difficulty I had came after half way when the tyres started sliding. I was racing with Heidolf for 12th place right up to the line. Coming of the last corner I tried to use his slipstream to pass him before the line but I just couldn’t get passed him.”

Arturo Tizon, replacement rider for Radomil Rous at Wurth Honda BQR: 19th. “That was a very boring race for me as I was all alone for most of the time. I crashed in the morning warm, at 220 km/h, I was trying to follow a fast rider. For the race I ran a harder construction front tyre and it was perfect. I’m very happy with my first GP race.”

Yuki Takahashi, Scot Honda: dnf – retired. “I made contact with Sekiguchi on the first lap and I lost a lot of time. I started again among the last riders but I wasn’t able to find my rhythm. In these conditions my team preferred to stop me.”

125cc:
Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: 1st. “The engine and set up was perfect for me today. We changed the engine settings a little after warm up because of the wind and it was a good decision. I got a good start but Talmacsi tried to push me wide at the first corner, I was on the run off strip but I passed him and decided to push as hard as I could to get away and it worked. I was consistent for the first few laps and made a gap but the tyres started to move about very early in the race and at mid-race I eased of a little because of front wheel slides. Maybe that was my best race everything went to plan and I have to thank my team, my bike is very, very fast!”

Tomoyoshi Koyama, Ajo Motorsport Honda: 2nd. “That was a very, very good race me. It was a very good race and I enjoyed it a lot, I really like racing on this track. Before the race I changed the gearbox ratios a little to make it shorter because of the wind we had in the warm up, while some riders made theirs longer. My machine set up has been very good all weekend and the engine very fast, so finally in the race I could pass them coming off the last corner. I have had a good year and finally I could take a podium place, I am very happy.”

Mike Di Meglio, Kopron Racing World Honda: 7th. “After the bad crash in the warm up my technicians worked hard in order to put my bike back together. Without the possibility to test anything I just wasn’t competitive in the race.”

Fabrizio Lai, Kopron Racing World Honda: 9th. “A good start for a nasty race for me. My bike wasn’t at its best and me too. I was not able to make the most of my chances today.”

Alexis Masbou, Ajo Motorsport Honda: 10th. “The engine was very fast today but because we had problems in qualifying I did not get the set up right for the race. But I enjoyed today and had a great fight with Gadea for ninth place but he just beat me to the line.”

Alvaro Bautista, Seedorf RC3 Tiempo Holidays Honda: 16th. I started well but I quickly realised it was not possible for me to follow the leading group. The engine was not fast today I could not use the other riders slipstream to pass. Also my suspension was not perfect so it was always going to be difficult. This has been a very disappointing year for me so far.”

Aleix Espargaro, Seedorf RC3 Tiempo Holidays Honda: 17th. “Not a very good race for me today. The bike was better yesterday I had a lot of problems with tyres and some pain from my injured leg – I had to keep stretching it during the race. After the middle of the race I was not fast. It not my best race of the season.”

Sandro Cortese, Kiefer-Bos-Castrol Honda: 19th. “At the second corner of the first lap Espargaro came underneath me that was OK but then Terol went under both of us too fast and we had to stand the bikes up. That cost us some places. The bike was good today but I could not pass the Derbi down the straight but I could pass him in most of the corners.”

Tomoyoshi Koyama, Ajo Motorsport Honda: 2nd. “That was a very, very good race me. It was a very good race and I enjoyed it a lot, I really like racing on this track. Before the race I changed the gearbox ratios a little to make it shorter because of the wind we had in the warm up, while some riders made their’s longer. My machine set up has been very good all weekend and the engine very fast, so finally in the race I could pass them coming off the last corner. I have had a good year and finally I could take a podium place, I am very happy.”

Sacha Hommel, Molenaar Honda: dnf-crash. “My start was not so bad but at the second corner somebody hit me and put me on the grass and I crashed. I’m very disappointed because in the warm up the same thing happened to me when Abraham suddenly stopped in front of a group of us. ”