MotoGP 2011 – Round 18 – Valencia
2011 season to wrap up in Valencia with Lorenzo absent
The 2011 MotoGP season will come to a conclusion this weekend with the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana, when the final round of the campaign will take place at the famous Ricardo Tormo circuit.
Primarily the thoughts of the entire MotoGP community remain with the family and friends of Marco Simoncelli, whose funeral took place last week in the Italian rider’s hometown of Coriano. The Gresini Team has confirmed it will be present at this weekend’s Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana with the team garage set up and displaying Simoncelli’s bike in tribute.
As the riders refocus on riding once again and with Casey Stoner already having been crowned World Champion, there still remain a number of positions to be decided in the final standings.
Jorge Lorenzo will not ride this weekend as he continues to recover from surgery to a finger injury he received following a crash in Phillip Island. The Yamaha Factory racing rider is assured of runner-up spot in the overall classification regardless of the results of others at Valencia, and Japanese rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga will stand in for the Spaniard as he did in Malaysia. The Mallorcan´s participation in next week’s Official MotoGP test is still to be determined.
Third place remains a closely contested position with Repsol Honda team-mates Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa just four points apart. The Italian will be keen to sign off from his time in the factory Honda outfit with a strong result and final classification, before he moves onto the Tech 3 team in 2012.
Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing) will expect to be back to full fitness after a tough weekend at Sepang, and the American looks set to seal fifth in the standings, although Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) can still challenge him. Rossi’s team-mate Nicky Hayden could also still finish ahead of his Ducati colleague.
Colin Edwards will be absent this weekend as he continues to recover from the injuries he sustained in Malaysia, and will be replaced in Valencia by American superbike champion Josh Hayes. Edwards’ fellow American will also remain in Valencia for the Test on Tuesday and Wednesday. Cal Crutchlow, on the second Tech 3 machine, leads Karel Abraham (Cardion ab Motoracing) by a single point in the race for the Rookie of the Year title.
This weekend will also see Loris Capirossi take part in his final Grand Prix, bringing to an end his illustrious 22-year World Championship career which will have spanned 328 race starts by the time the Italian takes to the starting grid for Sunday’s race.
Preparations for the 2012 season will continue on Tuesday, as the traditional Valencia Test takes place with manufacturers pushing on with the development of their prototypes ahead of the introduction of the new 1000cc engine capacity limit next season.
Stefan Bradl is poised to take the Moto2 World Championship crown this weekend, and a result of 13th place or better will deliver the German rider his first title.
Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing) leads Marc Márquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol) by 23 points going into the final round of the campaign, and knows that barring any major mishaps he will collect the intermediate class title.
Márquez’s bad luck in crashing in FP1 at Sepang ruled the Spaniard out of the race as he suffered from vision problems due to a heavy knock to the head in the fall, and his participation this weekend is still pending confirmation as he continues to recover at home close to Barcelona.
With the title to be decided between those two, third place in the final standings remains wide open with Andrea Iannone (Speed Master) leading Alex de Angelis (JiR Moto2) by just two points. Thomas Lüthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2) could catch the pair and comes into this weekend off the back of his first ever intermediate win (at Sepang), but is 19 points adrift of De Angelis.
Simone Corsi (Ioda Racing Project) looks set to take sixth place in the final standings, and Bradley Smith’s (Tech 3 Racing) fitness will undergo a last-minute assessment as he recovers from a cracked collarbone which he picked up in a crash at the same spot as Márquez in the opening practice session in Malaysia.
Esteve Rabat (Blusens-STX), Dominique Aegerter (Technomag-CIP), Yuki Takahashi (Gresini Racing) Aleix Espargaró (Pons HP 40) and Pol Espargaró (HP Tuenti Speed Up) are all separated by just six points as all five riders battle for the last three positions inside the top ten.
Ricky Cardús (QMMF Racing Team) will be replaced by Nasser Al Malki this weekend after picking up an injury in Malaysia, and there will be two Spanish wildcard riders. Elena Rosell will again ride for the Mapfre Aspar team and Oscar Climent will ride under the Team Climent banner.
Nico Terol heads into this weekend the firm favourite to clinch the last-ever 125cc World Championship title, as the final edition of the two-stroke category is decided in the last round of the 2011 season.
The Spaniard leads Frenchman Johann Zarco by 20 points at the top of the standings, and knows that a finish of 11th or higher in Valencia will deliver him his first World title. This is the fifth time that the 125cc title will have been settled at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia since the track became the final venue on the calendar back in 2002.
Zarco’s impressive ride from 15th on the grid to third in the race in the previous round in Malaysia ensured that, with Terol placing fifth at Sepang, the fight for the crown would go to the bitter end, but it appears the Avant-AirAsia-Ajo rider will now have to settle for runner-up spot behind his Bankia Aspar rival who stepped on the podium in last year’s Valencia race.
If the battle for first and second looks almost done and dusted, the scrap for third is extremely close. Sandro Cortese (Intact Racing Team Germany) currently leads rookie Maverick Viñales (Blusens by Paris Hilton Racing) by just two points, and the pair will be steeled for strong displays. Viñales’ win at Sepang, his third of his debut year, was Aprilia’s 15th of the year in the 125cc class – a new record for most wins in the category by a manufacturer. Viñales will also pick up the Michel Metraux Trophy on Sunday evening having been voted the best performer in the class by his fellow riders.
Héctor Faubel (Bankia Aspar) will aim for a strong sign off to the season in his home race, which he has twice won before in the 125cc class, and Jonas Folger (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport) still holds a slim chance of taking the Spaniard’s top-five spot in the overall classification with a strong result.
Efrén Vázquez (Avant-AirAsia-Ajo) and Luis Salom (RW Racing GP) are both assured of top-ten finishes this season, whilst Alberto Moncayo (Andalucia Banca Civica) and Danny Kent (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport) will contest the final spot within the top ten.
Manuel Tatasciore (Phonica Racing) continues in the place of the injured Simone Grotzkyj, and there will be five wildcard riders on track this weekend. Danish youngster Emil Meyer Petersen (Nordgren Racing), Spaniards Daniel Ruiz (Larresport) and Juan F Guevara (Team Murcia Pramac), Brit John McPhee (Racing Steps Foundation KRP) and German Kevin Hanus (Team Hanusch) will all gain valuable World Championship experience.
– Yamaha Preview
It is with mixed emotions that Yamaha Factory Racing arrives in Valencia this weekend for the final Grand Prix of the 2011 season. MotoGP’s tragic loss of rising star Marco Simoncelli in Sepang two weeks ago has left all with heavy hearts but determined to put on a good show in honour of their fallen competitor. The race is the last in Yamaha’s 50th anniversary of Grand Prix racing so the team will wear the red and white YZR-M1 WGP50th Anniversary Edition livery for the last time. 2010 World Champion Jorge Lorenzo continues to recover from surgery to his hand following his injury sustained in Australia. As a result he will not participate in this weekend’s Grand Prix and will be replaced by Japanese Yamaha test rider and All Japan Superbike competitor Katsuyuki Nakasuga.
Yamaha Factory rider Ben Spies arrives for the last race of season committed to racing although still recovering from injuries sustained in Phillip Island. The Texan was also recovering from injury for the 2010 season finale at Valencia. Despite the pain he impressed, qualifying sixth and finishing just off the podium in fourth.
Ben Spies – “I can’t believe I won’t be battling Marco on the track this weekend, it’s an incredibly sad way to finish the season. I’m going to honour him in the best way I know how, on the track. As with last year I arrive in Valencia recovering from injuries, but will of course give 100% of my efforts into performing to the best of my ability.”
Katsuyuki Nakasuga – “It was a great honour to be chosen to ride for Jorge at Sepang and here at Valencia. Due to the tragic loss of Marco Simoncelli in Malaysia the race was cancelled. This weekend the track will be new for me but I will try as hard as I can to deliver good results.”
Wilco Zeelenberg – “This is the last round of the season, looking to the condition of the Championship and riders, and more significantly the tragedy in Sepang it’s good that we can now wrap it up. The feeling of the crew, like all those in the paddock has been affected deeply by what happened, we intend to honour Marco through our actions this weekend. Jorge continues to recover well from his surgery but unfortunately not quickly enough to ride to his potential this weekend. We look forward to having him with us on Saturday and Sunday to provide support for our replacement rider. The team are ready to give Nakasuga-san all the help he needs to get to grips with the Valencia circuit as quickly as possible.”
Massimo Meregalli – “This is going to be a difficult and challenging weekend for many reasons. Everyone is affected by the sad passing of Marco Simoncelli. This last race of the season would usually be marked by a party to celebrate our year but this is not now in keeping with the mood and feeling of the team. As such we will wrap up with our yearly technical presentation and a quiet team dinner. We have Nakasuga-san with us having to learn the Valencia circuit for the first time, and Ben still not 100% after his crash in Australia. Despite this we will give our maximum effort to mark the final race of our 50th anniversary year and to honour the memory of Marco Simoncelli.”
– Repsol Honda Preview
The Repsol Honda Team heads to Valencia for the last round of the MotoGP World Championship 2011 with mixed feelings. In one hand, sadness for the recent loss of Italian rider Marco Simoncelli, who passed away on October 23rd in a tragic accident at the Malaysian Grand Prix; and in the other hand, a desire to put on a good show as a tribute to Marco.
With Stoner already crowned World Champion and second place mathematically confirmed by Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa are involved in the fight for third place in the overall standings, being third and fourth respectively, with a narrow gap of only four points.
Dani has the best record at the Valencia circuit, with 5 victories (2 in MotoGP, 2 in 250cc, and 1 in 125cc) and 7 podium finishes in 9 participations, while Andrea’s best results are second place on his Honda 125cc in 2004 and a fourth position in MotoGP in 2008. Casey has 2 wins (2008 in MotoGP, 2003 in 125cc) and 5 podium finishes.
The three Repsol Honda riders will all have a different motivation this weekend: Casey, will look to sign off the year of his second MotoGP World Championship with a victory, Dani, who has experienced a difficult season due to injury will want to finish in the top three in the MotoGP standings, as he always has done since 2007, and Andrea, who has enjoyed his most successful season in the top class, will want to leave Honda an a high note before taking on a new challenge in 2012 with Yamaha Tech 3.
CASEY STONER – World Championship Position: 1st with 325 points
“It will be difficult to return to racing this weekend after Marco’s terrible accident in Sepang but I think it is the best thing we can do to honour him. We know we all play a risky game and, even if compared to the past the safety of our sport is much better, unfortunately these kind of events still occur. My thoughts go out to his family and I hope that they are coping through this period. The race this weekend is the final round of an incredible season for us, we worked hard all year and after clinching the title in Phillip Island we are starting to look to 2012. After the race here in Valencia we will have the two day test on the 1000cc machine and then we can take a well deserved break and reflect on the ups and downs of a very long hard season. We will go out there this weekend and try to put on a good show for all the fans and especially in memory of Marco”.
ANDREA DOVIZIOSO – World Championship Position: 3rd with 212 points
“I’m very sad for the loss of Marco. I’m going to Valencia not in the right frame of mind for a race. I will wear Marco’s number 58 on the chest of my leathers, close to my heart, this is the only thing that counts. I have raced with Marco throughout my whole career, he was “the rival” and now that he is no longer with us, he has left a big void and I want to convert this feeling of emptiness to determination. I hope to get a good result at Valencia mainly because it is important for me to finish third in the Championship but I know the race will be difficult as it is not one of my favourite circuits and Dani is very strong there. Also, the GP of Valencia is my last race with Honda and I really would like to crown these ten years together with a good final race”.
DANI PEDROSA – World Championship Position: 4th with 208 points
“Valencia will be a very special race for everybody. This weekend we will all have Marco in our thoughts and I hope the fans show their respect and appreciation to him, as the whole MotoGP family will do. Valencia is a track I like a lot and I’m looking forward to seeing all the fans there again. Last year I couldn’t perform very well due to injury, but this time I hope to have a good race and finish the season in a good shape”.
– Ducati Preview
The Ducati Team is headed for Valencia, where the 2011 MotoGP championship will conclude on Sunday. The weekend’s usual track activities will be touched by the memory of Marco Simoncelli, whose absence will surely weigh heavily on the minds of the paddock regulars and fans. On the other hand, Marco was also emblematic of the great joy and love for this sport that we all share.
It is with this spirit that everyone on the Ducati Team will work as they do their best to prepare for this race on the small, twisty Spanish circuit, which will also host a two-day test on 8-9 October.
VITTORIANO GUARESCHI, Team Manager – “The Valencia Grand Prix will have a different atmosphere than normal because we’ve been thinking about Marco since Malaysia. He’ll be with us in Spain and beyond, but I think there will also be positive feelings in the paddock, because for Marco, racing equalled happiness, which is a concept that I understand very well. That being the case, we’ll do what we always have and do our best to provide Vale and Nicky with what they need to have a nice race. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday we’ll take part in the test, and we’ll see the new-generation bikes together for the first time.”
– Suzuki Preview
Rizla Suzuki and the MotoGP circus will re-group at Valencia in Spain this weekend for what promises to an emotional final race of 2011.
The whole paddock will be united in its grief as the teams all meet for the first time since the tragic accident that saw Marco Simoncelli lose his life during the Malaysian Grand Prix. Álvaro Bautista was battling with Simoncelli in the moments before the accident happened at Sepang and Suzuki’s Spanish star is determined to put on a good show in honour of his late adversary. Bautista and the Suzuki GSV-R have shown continued potential over recent events and the pair looked like pushing for a podium place in the last race before the event was cancelled. The Rizla Suzuki team will be aiming to continue with impressive recent performances and hoping to end the season on a positive note.
The 4,005m Ricardo Tormo circuit near the village of Cheste, close to Valencia, is the traditional end of season venue for MotoGP. It is usually a huge event with big crowds filling the enormous grandstands that enclose the only stadium track on the calendar. The mix of many tight corners and the close proximity of the fans makes the circuit one of the most intense tracks that the riders visit. This weekend will obviously be overshadowed by recent events, but the unique Valencian crowd will undoubtedly show respect as well as making the race a celebration.
Rizla Suzuki takes to the track on Friday for the two of the three free practice sessions available to the riders; the third is on the following morning. Saturday afternoon will feature an hour of qualifying to determine grid positions for Sunday’s 30-lap race, with the main event getting underway at 14.00hrs local time (13.00hrs GMT) on Sunday 6th November.
Álvaro Bautista: “I am really looking forward to going to the Valencia race. It has been a tough time for all of us since Sepang, but I am ready for the last race and the fact that it is in my home country always makes it a special occasion. I have done well in the last few races, and my Suzuki has felt great, but the results have not arrived so we need to put that right. My target for the weekend is to fight to the maximum, finish the race with a good result and dedicate it to Marco. We had so many huge battles together – I will use these memories positively in Valencia.”
– Bridgestone Preview
Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium. Rear (asymmetric): Medium, Hard
The Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia plays host to the final round of the season on 6 November and the MotoGP community travels there to honour and pay tribute to the memory of Marco Simoncelli.
The traditional season finale is a tight and twisty affair that does not give the tyres much rest during a lap, so it is very important that teams get their bikes setup to use them most efficiently. With little chance during a lap to cool down, excess sliding can easily generate excess tyre temperature and accelerate tyre wear. With one of the longest total race distances of the year, the tyres have 420 corners to contend with during the 30 laps.
Despite this, warm-up performance is crucial in the cooler European climes. In past seasons the temperature has fluctuated significantly year-on-year, so the conditions will play an important role in riders’ tyre compound choices. In preparation for the cold, Bridgestone have selected the soft and medium compound front slicks and the medium and hard rears, the same as used last year. The softer option rear also features the extra soft compound rubber in the lesser-used right shoulder to maximise warm-up performance opening laps.
Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
“It is with heavy hearts that we travel to Valencia this week for the final round of the season, but that we continue racing is in itself a fitting tribute to Marco. He never gave up, so nor shall we. Marco will be with us all in our hearts and minds, and no doubt watching every step and at every corner, and I’m sure that the MotoGP family will honour Marco’s colourful and vibrant life suitably and appropriately, remembering the good times we all shared with him.”
Hirohide Hamashima – Assistant to Director, Motorsport Tyre Development Division
“Valencia is a slippery and technically complex circuit with a slow, twisty asymmetric layout. It’s what we could call a busy circuit because the number and layout of corners means that the tyres are always working and have very little respite. If a bike’s setup isn’t optimised, it is easy to generate excess tyre temperature because of this, especially as softer compounds are generally required because of the cool ambient conditions.
“We will use the soft and medium front compounds but the front tyre must be strong to cope with the heavy braking loads into the first corner. With the low track temperature softer rear compounds are also required to provide good grip but a harder compound is needed in the left shoulder of the rear tyres because of the asymmetric layout and the tyre temperature generated by the long left-handed last corner. There are only a few tight right-handers so warm-up performance in the right shoulders is important, and this is why we are again using our extra soft compound in our softer option asymmetric rear tyres in Valencia.”