Updated Post: Barros Wins Gran Premio Marlboro De La Comunitat Valenciana

Updated Post: Barros Wins Gran Premio Marlboro De La Comunitat Valenciana

© 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

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Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP Race Results:

1. Alex Barros, Honda RC211V, 30 laps, 47:22.404
2. Valentino Rossi, Honda RC211V, -0.230 second
3. Max Biaggi, Yamaha YZR-M1, -15.213 seconds
4. Daijiro Kato, Honda RC211V, -22.504 seconds
5. Tohru Ukawa, Honda RC211V, -35.165 seconds
6. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha YZR-M1, -50.169 seconds
7. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Honda NSR500, -63.814 seconds
8. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton KR3, -65.079 seconds
9. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha YZR-M1, -68.312 seconds
10. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZR-M1, -68.312 seconds
11. John Hopkins, Yamaha YZR500, -86.241 seconds
12. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki ZX-RR, -87.427 seconds
13. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki GSV-R, -1 lap
14. Tetsuya Harada, Honda NSR500, -1 lap
15. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki GSV-R, -6 laps, DNF, mechanical
16. Loris Capirossi, Honda NSR500, -11 laps, DNF, crash
17. David Garcia, Proton KR3, -17 laps, DNF, mechanical
18. Garry McCoy, Yamaha YZR500, -24 laps, DNF, crash
19. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR3, -29 laps, DNF, crash
20. Regis Laconi, Aprilia RS3, -29 laps, DNF, mechanical
21. Jose Luis Cardoso, Yamaha YZR500, -30 laps, DNF, crash
22. Carlos Checa, Yamaha YZR-M1, -30 laps, DNF, crash


MotoGP Final Championship Point Standings:

1. Rossi, 355 points
2. Biaggi, 215 points
3. Ukawa, 209 points
4. Barros, 204 points
5. Checa, 141 points
6. Abe, 129 points
7. Kato, 117 points
8. Capirossi, 109 points
9. Roberts, 99 points
10. Jacque, 81 points
11. Nakano, 68 points
12. Aoki, 63 points
13. Goorbergh, 60 points
14. McWilliams, 59 points
15. Hopkins, 58 points
16. Gibernau, 51 points
17. Harada, 47 points
18. Akira Ryo, 41 points
19. Laconi, 33 points
20. McCoy, 33 points
21. Shinichi Itoh, 13 points
22. Alex Hofmann, 11 points
23. Cardoso, 9 points
24. Jean-Michel Bayle, 5 points
25. Wataru Yoshikawa, 4 points
26. Pitt, 4 points
27. Pere Riba, 4 points


Final Constructor Championship Point Standings:

1. Honda, 390 points
2. Yamaha, 272 points
3. Suzuki, 143 points
4. Proton KR, 96 points
5. Aprilia, 33 points
6. Kawasaki, 4 points


Final Team Championship Point Standings:

1. Repsol Honda, 564 points
2. Marlboro Yamaha, 356 points
3. West Honda Pons, 319 points
4. Telefonica Movistar Suzuki, 150 points
5. Gauloises Yamaha Tech 3, 149 points
6. Antena 3 Yamaha D’Antin, 142 points
7. Proton Team KR, 122 points
8. Fortuna Honda Gresini, 117 points
9. Red Bull Yamaha WCM, 101 points
10. Kanemoto Racing, 60 points
11. Pramac Honda Racing Team, 47 points
12. MS Aprilia Racing, 33 points


More, from a press release issued by Red Bull Yamaha:

Red Bull Yamaha – Valencia MotoGP

RED BULL Yamaha rider Garry McCoy ended his 2002 season in eventful fashion at today’s historic Valencia GP that saw a distinguished era for two-stroke 500 machines draw to a conclusion.

The 30-year-old Australian was penalised for jumping the start, and after returning to the track in last place on lap five, he crashed out just two laps later while trying to fight his way back into the points. McCoy, who has the distinction of being the last rider to qualify a two-stroke on the front row for a MotoGP after a superb display in yesterday’s qualifying session, knew his only hope of challenging the superior 900cc four-stroke machines was to make a lightning start.

Having studied the lights at the beginning of the earlier 125 and 250 races, McCoy gambled on a all-out attack policy to try and out drag the four-strokes to the first corner. Unfortunately, he launched his YZR500 a fraction too early, and was forced to pit for a mandatory 10-second stop/go penalty. With the long run in through the pits though, McCoy’s gamble actually cost him well over 30 seconds.

Red Bull team-mate John Hopkins showed his growing maturity on the world stage as he adapted his riding style in the second third of the race to cope with changing grip levels in the tough 30-lap battle. The American, who has enjoyed a fantastic rookie season scoring points in all but four of the 16 races, finished in 11th position.

This afternoon’s race, run in front of a passionate Spanish crowd of almost 120,000, saw the last race for the two-stroke 500 machines. Next year’s MotoGP grid will be up of entirely 990cc four-stroke machines, heralding another new dawn for the premier class.

JOHN HOPKINS,­ 11th, World Championship 15th, 58 points
“I had to change my riding style in the race to cope with the way the bike was behaving as the tyres started to lose some grip. I was basically struggling with edge grip. I’d just rush into a corner, park it in the middle, stand it up and then drive. I started to lose grip after about ten laps and that’s when I had to think about adapting my style. The race was a lot of fun and it was a pleasure to have been one of the last riders to complete a full season on a 500. This season, my first in MotoGP, has been a huge learning experience. All in all, it’s been fantastic and I’m looking forward to next year and putting that experience I’ve gained to good use. At least I’ll know all the tracks next year.”

GARRY McCOY ,­ DNF, World Championship ­ 20th, 33 points
“I had no choice but to go all-out. It was the last race for the 500 two-strokes and I put one on the front row at a track I really like. I was keen to get the holeshot and maybe try and hold the four-strokes up for a while and make a race of it. I had watched the 125 and 250 starts and the red lights were being held a little longer than normal and I figured I had counted the extra time fine. I waited a bit longer but it was a fraction too early. It is a bit disappointing but I had to risk it. It’s all over for the 500s now, the end of an era, the 500s are gone but not forgotten. When I re-joined the race I was not really pushing but we tried some set-up changes for the bumps here. I was just on the brakes and bouncing a little on a bump when I lost the front end.”


PETER CLIFFORD ­ DIRECTOR OF RACING
“That was a fairly unfortunate end to what has been a very varied season. Nobody could say that Garry was not trying and he knew he had to make a superb start if he was going to make it first into the first corner. It was another good ride from John and I’m sure he’s looking forward to better things next season.”


More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

FIRST POINTS FOR NEW KAWASAKI IN VALENCIA

Valencia – Sunday, November 3, 2002: Kawasaki rider Andrew Pitt claimed his and the all-new Ninja ZX-RR prototype’s first World Championship points in today’s last GP of the 2002 season, with a steady ride to 12th in a race of attrition, and a reward of four points.

The Australian former World Supersport champion had qualified in 18th, his best-yet grid position since he first rode the new lime-green Kawasaki two races ago. Pitt took over from factory tester Akira Yanagawa, sidelined by injury in a crash in the machine’s debut race at Motegi in Japan.

The race went smoothly for Pitt, who managed to avoid a start-line melee, then circulated steadily to move up into the points by the sixth of 30 laps of the 4.005km Ricardo Tormo circuit at Valencia.

Today’s race brings to close the first phase of development of the new 990cc prototype Ninja – a four-race shake-down program to precede winter testing, to prepare the new Kawasaki for its full-time GP return next year.

Andrew Pitt – 12th:
I’m really happy. We’ve been trying for three races to get some points, and we finally got some, for the hard work everybody has put in. It’s great for me and the team. Half way through the race I saw that I was 14th and in the point rankings, and to gain even a couple of places more in the end was good. My other aim was to be able to fight with the others which was fun also. Only at the beginning it was a bit frustrating at the start because the two guys I was fighting with were going much slower than I felt I could be going. Once I got past, I pulled away a bit. That was good, really. I now know how to ride the bike, and I just need to concentrate on doing it right every lap, and not to fall back into the old habits. Of course I made a few little mistakes in the race, and without these I probably could have gotten Hopkins in the end. But that’s the way it went. The two-strokes I was riding with were a little bit faster in the turns but not as fast as I thought they would be. A couple of times I was almost tripping over them.

Harald Eckl – Team Manager:
It’s good that we took our first world championship points even though it was just twelfth place. I am happy for Andrew, and for Kawasaki, that we reached the chequered flag in all three races with Andrew without any technical problems. That’s the first small success. Andrew has learnt a lot in the past three races, and we have also learnt a lot as far as our motorcycle and the set-up go. The new season starts for us right now, with our tests on Tuesday. It definitely was the right decision to take on the challenge of these first races, rather than test by ourselves secluded from our competitors. It might not have been the appearance people expected from Kawasaki, but we as a team are satisfied and we are looking forward to the next season with confidence.


More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Yamaha:

MARLBORO VALENCIA GRAND PRIX, VALENCIA
Race Day, Sunday November 3, 2002

MARLBORO YAMAHA SECURE SECOND OVERALL
Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR-M1 rider Max Biaggi finished a hard-ridden third in today’s season-ending Marlboro Valencia Grand Prix to secure second overall in the inaugural four-stroke-based MotoGP World Championship. Team-mate Checa had a less successful day, riding only a few metres before he was taken out of the race in a start-line collision. Although Biaggi’s runner-up championship performance was great news for the team, the Italian was a little disappointed with today’s race result because he had started the 30-lap event from pole position with every hope of another victory.

“Max couldn’t quite make the front-running pace today, we didn’t seem to have the advantage we had yesterday,” commented M1 project leader Ichiro Yoda. “But he made sure of second overall, and that was his real aim today. Poor Carlos, it looked like the engine stalled but we’ve checked the data and haven’t found anything wrong or strange. We will make further checks tomorrow, but right now we’re just happy he is okay after the collision.

“Looking back over the whole season, I can say that I really appreciate the efforts of both riders, the team and all our engineers. The first few months were tough but we tried hard and got some results, so my thanks to everyone. We aim to continue improving in 2003 when we will go for the best!”

BIAGGI THIRD TODAY, SECOND OVERALL
Max Biaggi had high expectations for this afternoon’s race after a devastatingly effective ride to pole position in yesterday’s final qualifying session. But the Marlboro Yamaha Team man couldn’t run with race leaders Alex Barros (Honda) and Valentino Rossi (Honda), so he had to settle for a lonely ride to third, good enough to secure second overall behind Rossi and ahead of the World Champion’s team-mate Tohru Ukawa.

“We couldn’t do the lap times today and I don’t know why, it was the same in warm-up,” explained Biaggi, who completed the first lap in second place. “The other guys passed me and were immediately half a second faster than me, so there was nothing I could do. But I’m very happy to have consolidated second overall, that was my main goal here. Second best isn’t a phrase I like because we wanted to be the best, but second in this championship isn’t so bad. At the start of this season there was no way we could think of being runners-up, but the bike improved step by step and we won a couple of Grands Prix, so I think this was a great result for me and Yamaha.”

CHECA UNHURT IN START-LINE SHUNT
Carlos Checa escaped injury in a nasty start-line shunt at Valencia today. The Marlboro Yamaha Team man, who was starting from the second row after qualifying a close-run fifth quickest yesterday, stalled his YZR-M1 as the pack roared away from the grid. Then, as he rolled forward at walking pace, Jose Luis Cardoso (Yamaha) rammed him at speed, after starting from the back of the grid. Amazingly, neither rider was hurt in the high-speed collision.

“I started as normal, but the revs dropped and I wasn’t expecting that,” said a bitterly disappointed Checa, who is due to test here on Tuesday. “I went forward a few metres and just stopped. It’s a shame to finish the season this way, especially because I thought we had a good chance to do well here.”

BARROS BEATS ROSSI AGAIN
Alex Barros won an ultra-tight duel with Valentino Rossi, winning his second race of the year by just 0.594 seconds. “He passed me on the last lap but I braked as late as I dared and kept the lead,” said Barros. “I tried 110 percent,” added Rossi. “And when I got inside him I had a chance to win, but he braked ten metres later than normal, so he got back in front.”


SEASON-CLOSING COMMENT FROM LIN JARVIS, MANAGING DIRECTOR, YAMAHA MOTOR RACING B.V.

“Today’s Valencia GP brings to a close the 2002 MotoGP season and is also our last race with Marlboro, who have been our partner and title sponsor for the last four years.

“Max’s third-place finish here gives the Marlboro Yamaha Team second overall in the premier-class riders’ World Championship for the second successive year, as well as helping us to second in the inaugural MotoGP Teams’ World Championship.

“I would like to take this opportunity to express Yamaha’s sincere thanks to Marlboro for having supported our top racing programme. We have enjoyed many unique and rewarding experiences with Marlboro, and we believe that our project has thrilled and entertained millions of race fans around the world. We wish Marlboro all the best in the future and we look forward to maintaining our friendship for years to come.

“Today also marks the end of an era, with the end of the Max Biaggi/Yamaha partnership. Yamaha would like to express our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for Max’s great contribution over the last four seasons, which have seen him achieve two MotoGP victories and six 500 wins, as well as a great run of championship results – fourth, third and twice second.

“Yamaha have the greatest respect for Max’s ability as a motorcycle racer and we wish him continued success in the future, albeit as a competitor. Finally I would like to thank every other member of the team, both past and present, for all their tremendous efforts. The Marlboro Yamaha Team has been a special project of which we can all be proud.”

An announcement confirming Yamaha’s 2003 MotoGP plans is expected tomorrow.


More, from a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

McWILLIAMS TAKES TWO-STROKE PROTON’S LAST TOP TEN

Round 16: Valencia GP, Ricardo Tormo Circuit
Race: Sunday, November 3, 2002

Jeremy McWilliams: Eighth
Nobuatsu Aoki: Crash, did not finish
David Garcia: Retired

Proton Team KR rider Jeremy McWilliams claimed his seventh top ten finish of the season at today’s Valencia GP, and narrowly missed being top two-stroke after a bitter struggle in the last laps with sliding tyres and four-cylinder two-stroke Honda rider Jurgen van den Goorbergh.

Team-mate Nobuatsu Aoki was denied his chance of claiming his eighth top ten finish of the year when he was knocked flying on only the second of 30 laps of the 4.005km Ricardo Tormo circuit outside Valencia. He was circulating with McWilliams at the time after a good start.

Close behind, wild card entry David Garcia avoided the melee and was running strongly in the championship points when an arm-pump problem struck on the 14th lap. Unable to operate the controls properly or ride safely the 24-year-old Spaniard was forced to retire.

Today’s race, watched by a crowd of 120,000 Spanish fans, was the last in this season’s new MotoGP championship, which opened the premier racing class to a new generation of powerful 990cc four-strokes, up against 500cc two-strokes like the lightweight three-cylinder Proton KR3.

It was also the last race for the KR3, after the machine’s best ever season in six years of development. Nobuatsu Aoki’s non-finish meant that he lost 11th place overall by just five points, but 12th was still the machine’s best position yet, while McWilliams claimed the KR3’s first pole position and several fastest-ever two-stroke laps during the year.

Next season, Proton Team KR return with the same outstanding pair of riders and an all-new 990cc four-stroke of their own … and exciting V5 design that is already nearing completion for bench and track testing before the end of the year.

JEREMY McWILLIAMS: That was as hard as I can push, but I lost so much traction in the last couple of laps that I had to back off, otherwise I would probably not have finished. As a result, I lost the top two-stroke position, which was disappointing. But I was having major chatter problems, and on the few fast corners where I had really been making up a lot of time I had to slow down and just ride around. It’s still encouraging to finish in the top ten, on tyres that raced for the first time in this class at the beginning of the year, and on a bike with a top speed deficit of 25km/h or so.

NOBUATSU AOKI: Not much to say. I got a good start and I was right with Jeremy at the start of the second lap when I felt a huge bang from behind and I was crashing in the gravel. Regis Laconi’s Aprilia ran into me, and I didn’t have a chance. What a pity.

DAVID GARCIA: I am so disappointed. I really wanted to finish. I got a good start – my first racing start on this bike, and I was behind the other two Protons at first. Later I was able to repass Harada and Pitt on the Kawasaki, and I was looking ahead to catch and pass Hopkins when my left arm seized up. I had the problem a little in the 250 GP I raced at Brno, and a little in races since then – but today it was impossible to ride. I will have medical tests in two days to see if I need surgery.

CHUCK AKSLAND – Team Manager: Jeremy really rode hard today. Unfortunately Nobu was knocked off and didn’t have a chance, then David ran into the arm problem. We still got one top ten finish in the bike’s last race. I’d like to thank all the staff who helped with this project. There’s been a lot of work over the past five years to get it here for this final year, with a lot of people involved. Now it’s time to look forward to our new project, and dedicate ourselves to that.



More, from a press release issued by Michelin:

BARROS BEATS ROSSI IN SEASON-CLOSING THRILLER
Brazilian maintains Michelin’s unbeaten MotoGP run and shatters race record by 65 seconds

Alex Barros (West Honda Pons RC211V-Michelin) ended the 2002 MotoGP season with a brilliant half-second victory over World Champion Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin) at Valencia this afternoon. The pair dominated the race from start to finish, thrilling the 120,000 fans and setting a blazing pace that demolished the previous Valencia race record by an astonishing 65 seconds.

Records have been destroyed throughout the inaugural four-stroke-based MotoGP season but today’s pace was something very special – over two seconds a lap quicker than the previous fastest Valencia GP, run two years ago. And all these records have been established by Michelin riders, who have taken victory and fastest laps at every one of the year’s 16 races. Not only that, Michelin men have dominated in depth, monopolising the top-three podium at 15 races and taking the top 11 places in the World Championship.

“Today’s race was very, very fast – a great way for us to end the season,” said Michelin Grand Prix manager Emmanuel Fournier. “This is one of the toughest tracks but our top three guys were fast and consistent throughout, and the first non-Michelin rider finished more than a minute behind them. I think our tyres give a really useful advantage in acceleration traction, which, of course, was the main concept of our S4 profile rear that we developed for the high-powered four-strokes. Now we have a nice off-season break – one day off – before we commence testing here with Yamaha, then Ducati!”

Barros and Rossi dominated the race from the second lap, pulling well clear of third-finisher Max Biaggi (Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin). Barros did most of the work out front, Rossi working hard to stay with the Brazilian at one of his least favourite tracks. The Italian got ahead just twice, once when Barros let him through mid-race and once on the final lap, when he sneaked ahead into turn two, only for Barros to shut the door and hold onto first place.

“I pushed hard from the first laps but Valentino came with me,” explained Barros after his second win of the year. “So I let him past at one point, just so I could take a look at him. Then I decided I should push harder again, because I didn’t want the race to work out like Phillip Island (two weeks ago, where Barros ran wide on the final lap, handing victory to Rossi). When he passed me on the last lap, I braked as late as I dared and was able to retake first and defend my position.”

Rossi, winner of 11 races this season, was at least happy to have scored his first podium finish at Valencia. “I tried 110 per cent but Alex was faster today,” he admitted. “When I got inside him I had a chance to win, but he braked ten metres later than normal, so he got back in front. Anyway, it’s been a fantastic season, we’ve all worked very hard – myself, my team, Honda, Michelin, everyone – and now we must start preparing for a harder battle in 2003.”

Pole-sitter Biaggi was unable to reproduce his stunning speed in yesterday’s final qualifying session and settled for a lonely ride to third which gave him second overall in the World Championship. “We couldn’t do the lap times today and I don’t know why,” explained the Italian. “The other guys passed me and were immediately half a second faster, so there was nothing I could do. But I’m very happy to have consolidated second overall, that was my main goal here.”

Daijiro Kato (Fortuna Honda Gresini RC211V-Michelin) took fourth today, comfortably ahead of Tohru Ukawa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin), to win the MotoGP Rookie of the Year prize. “I couldn’t run with the leaders today but I improved my feeling for the RCV,” said Kato.

Third Japanese Shinya Nakano (Gauloises Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin) finished sixth. Next year MotoGP goes all four-stroke, with Michelin aiming to continue its dominance of the world’s premier bike series after another hectic off-season of development.



More, from a press release issued by Honda:

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

MotoGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2002
COMUNITAT VALENCIA GRAND PRIX, SPAIN
Race Report, Sunday November 3rd


BARROS TAKES FINAL 2002 SEASON RACE WIN
A massive 120,000 spectators witnessed the final chapter of Honda’s 2002 season domination at Valencia, with Alex Barros (West Honda Pons RC211V) winning a high-speed game of cat and mouse from challenger Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda Team RC211V).

After catching long-term leader Barros, and being waved past by the Brazilian at mid-race an offer Rossi refused the Italian held station in Barros’ slipstream until the tense last lap, during which Barros outbraked himself at the first corner. This put Rossi temporarily alongside the Brazilian but at the very next curve Barros re-asserted himself and hung on to take his second win of the year on the RC211V four-stroke. The race was fully a minute and five seconds faster than the previous fastest Valencia race, in 2000.

Rossi, Barros and Tohru Ukawa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V) have all taken wins on the new V5 Honda during 2002, with 14 of the 16 MotoGP races won on Hondas, and all 16 races taken by the new breed of 990cc four-stroke machines.

A start-line collision between Yamaha riders Carlos Checa and Jose Luis Cardoso looked severe enough to call a temporary halt to the 30-lap race but Checa escaped injury and Cardoso suffered only a severely contused abdomen. The race itself proved to be a somewhat destructive affair for many other teams, however, with a further six riders failing to cross the finish line, but only one Honda numbered among them.

Out front from the start, Barros was unaware of the early dramas being played out behind and his win was a vindication of his general 2002 season form. Usually the fastest two-stroke rider when in charge of his early season NSR500, and then a force to be reckoned with at each race since he took delivery of his four-stroke machine, Barros has proved a match for even Rossi in the last few races.

“It is so special to win this race in Spain because I have been made to feel very at home here,” said the Brazilian. “I have ridden for this team for four years and it was nice to make my last ride for the team a winning one. In the race I tried to push hard but I saw Valentino was right behind me at half race distance. I made a mistake in the last lap and Valentino went past but I stole the next corner and defended my position to take the win.”

Disappointed not to equal Michael Doohan’s record of 12 premier class wins in a season, Rossi nonetheless attained a new record championship points total, 355.

“Today Alex was faster than me,” said a disarmingly honest world champion after another top class ride. “Every time I ride with Alex I have to go at 110% for all the race and I only get a chance to win if he makes a mistake. I was at the limit today. On the last lap I went past Alex only to find that he braked 50 meters later than me for the next corner to take the lead again. In the end I am happy to make the podium in Valencia, something I have never done before, and to take the points record.”

Daijiro Kato (Fortuna Honda Gresini RC211V) scored a fourth place finish on his four-stroke, taking the IRTA Rookie of the Year prize for being the best new rider of the season along the way. In contention for a podium finish early on but inexorably slipping back as the race continued, Kato experienced some issues with rear traction.

“Today the bike was sliding a little at the rear and I could not run the same pace as the leaders,” explained Kato. “My finishing position helped me in the championship and to improve my feeling with the RCV. I’m really happy to be the best newcomer. Anyway my objective for next year is to improve even more.”

Third place for Max Biaggi (Yamaha) at Valencia deprived Ukawa of second place overall in the championship battle, although Ukawa’s season was affected somewhat by injuries picked up at Donington. Finishing fifth at Valencia, Ukawa explained his final race of the year.

“All in all a pretty disappointing weekend,” he said in summation. “I never felt particularly comfortable with the bike’s set-up. We made some changes to the bike for the race after warm-up, which was a bit of a gamble, but we had nothing to lose. I had to beat Biaggi to regain second place in the championship. The gamble didn’t pay off and I had to settle for third.”

Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Kanemoto Racing Honda NSR500) had another excellent race result after his occasionally tough season, scoring seventh place and the status of top two-stroke at Valencia.

“This has been a hard weekend for us because we started at the bottom but worked ourselves up to this position,” said an enthused van den Goorbergh. “When we got to the ten laps to go mark I knew I had the energy and the tyres for it and we were the top two-stroke team again.”

Tetsuya Harada (Pramac Honda NSR500) had a difficult last race of his career, entering the pits on lap nine but rejoining the fray shortly thereafter, scoring two points for his 14th and last place.

Loris Capirossi (West Honda Pons NSR500) suffered the misfortune of a crash in his final ride for his current team, running out of track on lap 19. Capirossi nonetheless took the unofficial honour of top two-stroke rider throughout the season, placing eighth overall in the championship table.

“I was really enjoying that but I was riding way too fast and I crashed!” said Capirossi. “I went into the corner too hot and lost the front end. But it was really good fun out there today.”

Italian firebrand Robby Rolfo (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR250) scored second place at Valencia, his fifth such runner-up position of the year. Sitting third and fourth until lap 19, Rolfo and Alzamora eventually finished four seconds behind race winner Marco Melandri (Aprilia).

Rolfo was shadowed and then momentarily passed in the later stages of the 27-lap race by his Spanish team-mate Emilio Alzamora (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR250).

“That was a very hard race but I am very pleased to finish on the podium in the last race of the year, especially at Valencia, the home track of our team sponsor,” said Rolfo, who ended his season third overall in the championship ranking and the top Honda finisher. “I am especially pleased because I do not particularly like this track, because of results in the past, so to finish second was a good outcome. Emilio tried very hard to get past me on the last lap but I pushed a lot and managed to keep second place. The team have my thanks for all the hard work this season.”

For Alzamora, his third place was a completion of his pre-race ambition to finish on the podium at home, and he declared himself happy with his final day’s work, despite missing out on second place by a fraction.

“It has been a very good day for me,” said a delighted Alzamora. “I had an interesting last lap with Robby, trying to get past him. I did but he got back in front again and I could only get third. It is still a podium finish and hope it was enjoyed by my team and the Spanish supporters.”

The best of the privateer Hondas was again ridden by Haruchika Aoki (DeGraaf Grand Prix Team Honda RS250R/W) taking 12th place on the day. Jason Vincent (By Queroseno Racing Honda RS250R/W) and Leon Haslam (By Queroseno Racing Honda RS250R/W) were the remaining Honda-mounted finishers, with Vincent 14th and Haslam 17th.

Daniel Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Jr Team Honda RS125R) took a fiercely popular 125cc race win in front of the volatile Valencia crowd, taking the lead on lap five and running at the front from then on, with only new World Champion Arnaud Vincent (Aprilia) for company.

Starting from pole position Pedrosa was in determined mood, desperate to take his third race win of the year in some style.

“I am especially pleased to take this victory in front of my family, friends and fellow Spaniards,” said an overjoyed Pedrosa, who was lofted on the shoulders of his countrymen after his race win. “I am so happy not just for me but for everyone who has supported me this season.”

Joan Olive (Telefonica Movistar Jr Team Honda RS125R) was the second best Honda rider on display and fought hard to take his ninth place after an intensely combative 25-lap race.

“I had a good and was seventh, in a very tight group,” said Olive, “but being in this group made my engine heat rise and it d

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California Roadrace Association: Prince Wins At Buttonwillow

Prince Takes Dominant Win In California Roadrace Association Gold...