From a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

Grand Prix of Community of Valencia, October 29, 30, 31 2004

RIDERS REV UP FOR FULL-ON END OF SEASON FINALE

All three World Championship titles have now been wrapped up, with the 125cc and 250cc crowns belonging to Honda men Andrea Dovizioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) and Dani Pedrosa (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW). The MotoGP title fell to Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) after the season-long challenge of Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) ended in typically determined fashion at Phillip Island two weeks ago.

With some contracts yet to be finalised every rider now wants to finish the season strongly and remind manufacturers and teams of their potential for the year to come. The Grand Prix of the Community of Valencia thus assumes far more significance than that of a mere end of season parade.

Two manufacturers titles are still in the balance too. Honda has won the major MotoGP title, the 250cc manufacturers award hangs on a knife-edge with Honda ahead of Aprilia by just a solitary point. Aprilia has a points advantage of 23 in the 125cc manufacturers title – but even that significant lead is under threat if in-form World Champion Dovi can win and the Derbis and KTMs can deprive Aprilia of the necessary points to wrap it up.

With a heavy winter test schedule to come riders need to carry confidence into the looming weeks of hard work, and into next year – the old adage that you’re only as good as your last race always holds true.

The 4.005km Ricardo Tormo track was designed almost as an amphitheatre, so that the huge, 150,000 plus, crowds can track the progress of riders almost all the way round a full lap. With 14 turns packed into this tight space, and only a short 876m straight, it’s ideal for spectators – but hard work for riders.

There is no time to rest here. With loads of turns in quick succession and only the short chute on which to ‘relax’, the ‘Cheste’ track is punishing. Despite a slow average lap time at around a 150km/h average speed, the second slowest on the calendar next to Estoril, the bikes are on the edge of their tyres for long periods – precisely where riders need to apply maximum concentration.

The two fast turns at either end of main straight are hard on rubber too, so set-up means making the most of available grip and having a machine that turns easily without too much physical effort from the pilot. Progressive acceleration out of the turns is vital too.

Last year in the MotoGP class Rossi won on an RC211V with Gibernau second and Loris Capirossi (Ducati) third. In 2002 Barros won – again on the all-conquering RC211V, with Rossi second and Biaggi third. Sete won in 2001 and the Spanish star, who has now finished World Championship runner-up for the second successive season, is aiming for a repeat of that win this weekend.

“I would obviously like to be arriving in Valencia with the title still up for grabs – let’s not kid ourselves,” said Sete. “But even though Valentino has won, the season is not over for me. I will go for it at Cheste, we will give our very best as we have done in every Grand Prix this season. Racing at Valencia is always special because it is the last race of the season and it is always packed out. As a Spanish rider it’s fantastic to compete here because you can hear the fans pushing you on – the atmosphere is incredible.”

His team-mate Colin Edwards (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) said, “I’m just going to go for it in Valencia. It’s the last race of the season and you’ve got to give it everything. Also, I want to say goodbye to the team in the best possible way. I want to say thanks to Fausto Gresini and the rest of the team for the help they have given me this season. It is a fantastic team – very professional and well organised. All the boys have this massive passion for bikes, and for racing, and that is something not all of the teams have.”

For Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V), this is the end of a season that promised much, “I still have a great belief in my ability and I go to every race believing I can win,” said the Brazilian. “I well remember the last race of the season two years ago when we had a fantastic battle with Valentino and won the race. I still have the same feeing and the same hunger to go out and win. We have been trying to do this all season but without success. I like the layout of the track at Valencia and it is great to race in front of such a huge crowd – a real festival atmosphere.”

Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) is another rider who needs a big result here too, “I can’t really believe that the last race of the season is here,” said the young American. “I just don’t know where this year has gone, it’s clicked by so fast. It really doesn’t seem that long ago we were all at Valencia last year. I have real good and bad memories about the weekend – good as it was the first front row start I took in MotoGP but bad as I crashed in the race pretty early on which ended any hope I had of getting some good points. This year hasn’t really gone to plan. A racer always wants to go better every year and this year has been real tough.”

Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) is another rider who’s season seemed plagued by misfortune, but the Roman contender is as ready as ever, “Ricardo Tormo is not among my favourite tracks,” he said. “It’s too slow and twisty. Next year they should be making it faster and this is good because even if the track doesn’t excite me, the atmosphere certainly does, with a brilliant crowd who can follow you over the whole lap. Racing in Spain is always special because of the passion among the fans here. The last races over the intercontinental trip weren’t brilliant and now I want to get a top result.”

Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V), riding on Bridgestone tyres, is equally set for glory in this final 2004 round, “I really like the fast circuits, with the long bends and quick changes of direction,” he said. “But Valencia is quite different to all of that. I don’t particularly dislike it, perhaps because in the winter tests I went quite well. The last two races haven’t gone as I expected, so I really want to prove myself now. Both the Malaysian and the Australian GPs saw me having to recover positions on the early laps. You have to qualify well and make a good start here. I’m hoping for both!”

Dani Pedrosa comes to Valencia as the youngest ever 250cc World Champion, the youngest rider to have achieved back-to-back World titles, and the first rider since Carlo Ubbiali in 1960 to win the 125cc and then 250cc World Championships in consecutive years. Some achievement for a 19-year-old.

He makes this homecoming under happier circumstances than last year too. Last year he broke both ankles at Phillip Island having wrapped up the 125cc title at Sepang a week before. He was paraded around the Cheste track in an open top car. This year he races – and that means a great deal to this intense competitor.

“I know that Valencia will be a very special race for us,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to getting there because last season I missed out through injury. To go back as World Champion is fantastic but I don’t want to relax just yet. I was really happy in Australia because we won the title, something unthinkable at the start of the season, but the one thing I wasn’t too satisfied with was fourth place. So, in Valencia we have to really concentrate, do well in the practice sessions, and try and get the best possible result in the race to cap off a dream season.”

Dani’s team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW) is equally focussed, “We’re back in Spain and I am pleased about that,” he said. “The atmosphere is really impressive and I’m sure that the people will be excited about welcoming Dani home. I’m happy with our season – I’ve learnt a lot from the team over the course of the season and I want to end it well. I’d love to be back on the podium.”

Tony Elias (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) said, “It’s the last race of the World Championship and I want to end my season with a good result. The last race was a bad one for us and we have to forget that. The bike was really good at the pre-season test at Valencia but we have made many changes since then. If we find a good base set up in the first free practice we have to build on that for the race.”

In the 125cc race Dovi has now cast off the pressure of World title aspiration having already secured his first World Championship. This is a race he wants to win for the sake of finishing his season in style and battling to achieve a World Manufacturers’ title for Honda – against the odds.

He said, “The Valencia circuit has never been easy for me. I find slow tracks difficult. I prefer long fast corners at circuits like Phillip Island, Barcelona and Assen. Still I’m going to Valencia with the intention of winning the race. I’m in very good form and the bike is really strong now so it would be a good way to end my 125cc career if I could take back-to-back wins. I’d be the first rider to do it for two years.”

More, from a press release issued by d’Antin Ducati:

A FESTIVAL FINISH IN VALENCIA

The World Championships come to a close this weekend at the Valencia circuit, the very same track where the d´Antin MotoGP riders got their first opportunity to test their Ducati Desmosedici virtually one year ago.

It’s a circuit that Xaus and Hodgson know well, and both the Spaniard and the Briton are determined to close the year on a high. The charismatic Spanish rider already has the Rookie of the Year trophy tucked under his belt, after a year in which he didn’t just stand out amongst the new-boys, but he also took a podium finish and is currently in tenth position in the championship.

Things have been slightly more complicated for Neil, but the British rider is not throwing in the towel and hopes to get the kind of result in Valencia that he has worked so hard for all year.

RUBEN XAUS : “It’s a tough circuit for MotoGP because the bikes have so much power and at Cheste the kind of bends you come across and the relatively short straight sections mean you lose grip and the front tyre comes off the ground very easily indeed. You’re always sliding around and it is quite difficult to overtake, so the races are generally in a group. The most important thing of all is that it is a home race for me, and you can feel the crowd supporting you and giving you a boost; that’s very important because I’d love to finish in tenth place in the championship. It’s the last race of the year, and it’s time to forget about everything and just go out on a high.”

NEIL HODGSON : “It seems like just yesterday that I tested the Desmosedici in Valencia! It’s honestly been a tough year, but we mustn’t lose our spirit. I know this track well, although to be fair it’s always been hard for me because it’s as twisty on the Superbike as it is on the MotoGP bike, but at least we have some basic references and we will try and get everything going right. It’s the last race of the year and the atmosphere created by the Spanish public is incredible, so I’m confident of having a good race and finishing the season with at least some satisfaction.”