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2008-10-27 Post-Valencia rider claims
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 Last race of the season did not brought anything new, we once again saw main players being in the top places. As in previous races, main battle was not for the race victory, but rather for 4th place, where Andrea Dovizioso once again outgunned his rivals. Read rider impressions after MotoGP season finale.
Casey Stoner - 1st:
We couldn't really have asked for much more today. To end a difficult season in this way is a fantastic feeling and it's a nice way to thank everybody at Ducati for their hard work. Once again my crew got it right, finding a good setting for the bike despite limited dry track time. To be honest I was quite worried during qualifying yesterday because I didn't have a good feeling at all but by the time we put the softer tyres on the bike was already feeling better and then the guys did a fantastic job overnight and in the warm-up this morning to iron out a few more of the problems. This was the first time we've ridden in these conditions all weekend so there were still a few question marks before the race, so to go out and set the pace like that was a nice feeling. Now I'm really excited about testing the new bike tomorrow. It felt good the last time I rode it and I'm sure they've made it better, so hopefully we can have a good first session and go home for the winter full of optimism about next season.
Dani Pedrosa - 2nd:
I am happy with second place today. I pushed Casey as hard as I could but he had something a little extra and he managed the gap very well. We worked hard all weekend, so my thanks to my team and also to Repsol, the bike I rode today was one of the best-looking bikes I’ve ridden. The crowd was great, it was fantastic to see so many fans here, packing the grandstands and obviously really enjoying the spectacle and pushing us along. Overall, I am also happy with the last few races, because we were able to come back from a difficult period during the middle of the season. We changed tyres and I came in for some criticism, but finally we got back on the pace at the last few races, running close to the front in the wet and in the dry. It hasn’t been the easiest of years. I broke my right hand during preseason testing, I broke my left hand in Germany and I injured my left knee at Phillip Island. These injuries caused me to lose my rhythm and they interrupted our development work, while everyone else was racing and improving their bikes. I have had to push really hard to come back from all these injuries. Tomorrow we start testing for 2009 – I am looking forward to it because things are going well now. I hope to have a good off-season and stay healthy.
Valentino Rossi - 3rd:
I don't think that was so bad today! Unfortunately we had some problems yesterday and that meant we had to start from the fourth row, which left us with a very difficult task. As always though we found a way and my team gave me a good bike, which meant I was able to get a great start and then have some fun passing people. Once I got to third there was no way to catch Dani and so it wasn't such an exciting race from then on. This has been an amazing season for us and to finish with another podium, the 16th, is great and we cannot complain. I am so happy with what we have done this year, as I said it's definitely one of my greatest championships and I want to thank everyone once again - Yamaha, my team, the engineers, Bridgestone and everyone who helped us to get this result. Tomorrow we will try the new bike which means we can't have as big a party as we would like, but it is important to try to find a base for it so I am looking forward to it.
Andrea Dovizioso - 4th:
This was my last race with my Team, with whom I’ve been with for seven consecutive years. I still remember when running in the Italian Championship, being contacted by them to join the Team. From tomorrow I will be an official Honda rider and this is the achievement of a dream, but there is also sorrow to leave a Team that has always believed in me, that gave me the opportunity to contest the MotoGP championship. We have had a good season, often in front of ‘official’ factory machines and we achieved all the goals we set ourselves. Today in the race, I started well but after that I knew things would become difficult. I lost time overtaking both Nicky Hayden and James Toseland, but I was not able to stay with Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi. For next year I will have a motorcycle, which I can develop and also I will have a new team with different working methods. I know I must still improve, I will have to understand how to steer the development of the motorcycle, and in the race I must be more consistent. There will be equality of tyres also, which will be good for me. Today I left my bike with Yuki Takahashi, as he is coming to this category, and he was my team-mate in 250s. I think he could do well in MotoGP, as in recent years he has had injuries that have influenced his results, but he has come back so strong. His approach to it will be interesting, as with MotoGP, at first it seems easy but then it becomes very challenging!
Nicky Hayden - 5th:
We started out the weekend like a bit of a fairytale – fastest in the first three sessions, so we were off to a good start, I think the conditions were better for us then. Yesterday afternoon we were third and on the front row, then this morning we had big off which probably didn’t help things. I just lost the front at turn nine, maybe conditions were a bit too cool for that front tyre. I had to swap bikes for the race and my crew had to change a lot of stuff: callipers, swingarm and so on. My other bike didn’t feel so smooth. It wasn’t too bad but I definitely liked my first bike better, but that was my fault. In the race I didn’t quite get the start I wanted and those guys were just quicker in the beginning, my rhythm wasn’t quick enough. It obviously would’ve been better to finish my last race with Honda a bit stronger. I rode hard this weekend, now I’m looking forward to doing something different. I have to finish off by saying thanks to my team, to Honda, to Michelin and to everybody here. They made me a world champ, I’m grateful to them all.
Colin Edwards - 6th:
It has been a while since I finished in the top six and for this result to help the team finish fourth in the Team World Championship makes it extra rewarding. I’m pleased for Herve Poncharal and the team because they deserve it. We had a couple of races where we gave a lot of points away, but for an independent team we have done a fantastic job together and it was a year to remember. I got a great start and rode around the outside of Nicky at the first corner to slot in behind Casey and Dani. I actually felt pretty comfortable at that point. Nicky passed me though down the front straight and I started to spin the rear tyre a bit just as the other guys started to get into the groove. The next thing I know, everybody was disappearing up the road and there was nothing I could do. With so little dry track time we gambled with the setting and I ran a softer tyre and at the end I was having a few problems. My bike felt great but I just didn’t have a lot of grip and this isn’t the best track for Yamaha. We don’t have the initial raw grunt that you need on a tight and twisty track like this with a lot of low speed acceleration points. I’d like to thank all my guys for their hard work throughout the season and to Yamaha for their continued support. Finally I’d like to say a big thanks to Michelin. I had the greatest moments of my career with them and I’ve enjoyed our time together. I’m looking forward to a bit of a break now before coming back in Jerez next month to begin working as hard as ever for 2009.
Shinya Nakano - 7th:
I’m happy with seventh place today because it was important for me to get to the finish line, which is why I pushed hard but without taking too many risks. Considering that I started the race from fifteenth I had to be very focused to make up positions at the start, taking another couple of riders over the opening laps before catching Edwards, although it was difficult to get past him. We had gone for a hard tyre with an eye on the later stages of the race and I think we made a good choice. I’m satisfied with this season because over the final few races in particular we’ve had some good races and despite a couple of ups and downs I’m happy with how it’s all gone. I want to thank Team Gresini and my fans for their support and I will go away with great memories of the people I have had the pleasure to work with this season.
Jorge Lorenzo - 8th:
I feel a bit disappointed with this result today because I really wanted to finish the season with a podium, but in the end we couldn't manage it here. We had some problems though so I have to be happy that I was able to finish the race strongly, passing people and doing my best lap of the race on the last lap, especially when you consider that yesterday in qualifying I was the slowest on race tyres! The best thing about today is that I am the leading rookie, so I get a trophy all the same and this makes me very proud of my first season in MotoGP with Yamaha. I want to thank all of my team, engineers and everyone who has helped us. I also have to say a special thank you to Michelin for their work this season because this is our last race with them. I am very proud that I was able to win my first MotoGP race with them. Tomorrow we begin straight away to work on the 2009 bike and I am very excited to try it.
Loris Capirossi - 9th:
It was a really hard race today. I got a good start and had a nice rhythm in the first few laps. I stayed in touch with the front guys and I stayed there for a while and everything seemed to be ok until I had a little bit of trouble with the front tyre. I had chosen a soft compound and it started to move a little bit under braking and then the edge grip started to drop off a bit on the rear and I had to change my rhythm. I tried to defend my position but Lorenzo got me on the straight and I couldn’t do anything about it. This is now the last race and we have to start working hard for next year, I am a bit upset that we won’t have as many tests in the winter because we have a lot to do on the bike. I am sure Suzuki will work hard to help us because we still need to improve a lot.
Alex De Angelis - 10th:
With the way this weekend started we’ve managed to finish it off in positive style so I’m happy. Tenth place is gratifying even though we were hoping for better. Unfortunately the weather here proved a real setback for us and our preparations for the race – especially because we lost our way a little in the last races and we needed more time to sort the bike out. I want to thank everybody who has worked with me this season – they have all done everything they could to help me because for a rider the first year in MotoGP is always the most difficult. Tomorrow we start a new adventure on a new bike, with new technical staff, and I’m curious to see how the new season shapes up.
James Toseland - 11th:
It was a hard race to finish a pretty hard season and while it wasn’t how I wanted to finish on a personal note, it was great that I contributed to the team getting fourth by a point. I’m glad I managed to hang on at the end there because I was coming under a lot of pressure. In the first half of the race I was probably a bit quicker than Jorge but I just couldn’t make a pass on him stick. I got him a couple of times but I made mistakes and let him back through. One time I put my hand in the air to apologise for a close move going into the first corner, and as I put my hand back for the second corner I missed my braking marker. So I’m annoyed with myself about that. I was in a real fight at the end and I was just struggling for a bit of grip. We tried quite a big change on the set-up and it worked well for the first half of the race, but towards the end I had to ride a bit defensive and make sure I didn’t lose too many places. The team deserve to be fourth in the championship this year and I was determined to help them achieve it. Tech 3 and Yamaha have given me unbelievable support in my rookie year and I was pleased to battle right to the last lap to get that result for them. I have learned a lot in 2008, and I’m looking forward to working hard in the winter and making a big impression next season.
Sylvain Guintoli – 12th:
My experience with the Alice Team has concluded and I wanted to have the best performance possible. I gave all I had and at the end I have conquered some more points for the World Championship. I have to thanks my staff because they have always given their best during this season. We have encountered many difficulties but we never gave up.
Chris Vermeulen - 13th:
With the hotter temperatures we gambled with tyres and it was probably the wrong decision because from the first lap I really struggled to get feeling out of the tyres. It didn’t really get any better throughout the race so it made it very difficult for me to even keep the bike upright - as well as going as quick as I could. At the end of the race I was quicker than a few of the guys in front of me, but I was still a long way behind where we need to be. The engine just didn’t have enough on the one long straight, but for the test tomorrow Suzuki has brought a lot of parts for us to try, and fingers crossed they’ll be good parts and take us a good step forward.
John Hopkins - 14th:
After getting such a good start to the race it became obvious we were going to be fighting a losing battle, because I soon realised I couldn't get the bike turned well enough. This also added to the wear on the rear tyre, and the season-long traction issues we've suffered were evident again, so after the first few laps I had to fight for every position I could. We knew it was going to be a tough one because, after all of the rain this weekend we've had very little dry set-up time, but I was really hoping for a top ten finish. I'm also incredibly disappointed as my crew chief, Fiorenzo Fanali, is retiring after this race and I really wanted to get one final good result for him. The 2009 season starts with testing tomorrow and we have to start finding solutions to our problems so we can be competitive right from the word go next year.
Randy De Puniet - 15th:
I am very disappointed because I wanted to get a better result in the last race of the season. In the first lap I made a small mistake and had to go wide to avoid Toseland. At the end of the first lap I was the last rider and lost twelve seconds from the leader. After that I started to push but was impossible to come back. My wrist ached a lot and I did my best to finish the race. Honestly I expected something better because my pace in race trim was fast but now it's time to work for next season. I want to thank my crew, the Honda and Michelin staff for their good job during this championship.
Marco Melandri - 16th:
Despite everything that was a fun race because I felt quite comfortable on the bike and I was able to attack and pass a whole bunch of riders. Starting from so back was a handicap and I lost touch with the fast group that Lorenzo was in. But I lapped well with a decent pace. Unfortunately near the end of the race I hit neutral instead of first gear and ran wide. I'm disappointed because it would have been nice for me and the team to finish well. At least it was a dignified race.
Anthony West - 17th:
What a frustrating end to a frustrating season. I wanted to finish my last race with Kawasaki as close to the top ten as I could, but a questionable tyre choice put paid to that today. Rear grip dropped off sharply within a few laps, and it was like riding dirt track for the rest of the race with the bike sideways everywhere. This season didn't turn out as I was expecting, and while I'm sure people are pointing the finger at me for this, I leave here knowing that I did my best and that I couldn't do any more. I knew I'd finish the season close to my teammate in the championship standings, what I didn't expect was for us both to be so close to the bottom of the points table. I'd like to thank Kawasaki for giving me this chance in the premier class; it hasn't been the easiest time, but the experience will definitely stand me in good stead as I move onto pastures new in 2009.
Toni Elias – 18th:
Today I didn’t find the confidence with the rear part of the bike. Since the first few laps I couldn’t push to the maximum. We have to see the data to understand what have slowed us down. I have to thanks Fabiano Sterlacchini, all the technicians, the sponsors and Ducati for this season together. We have meet some hard moments and some really great results and I have learnt a lot as a person and as a rider.
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