PEDROSA READY FOR CRITICAL CLASH WITH LORENZO

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

Grand Prix of China at Shanghai

2, 3 and 4 May 2008

This is a key race. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda
RC212V) is tied on points at the top of the table
with his arch-rival Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) and
with just a two week breather after this Grand
Prix before a series of five races in just over
six weeks across Europe - this encounter is of paramount importance.

Tied at the top with 61 points apiece are the
Spanish hotshots Pedrosa and Lorenzo, both so far
eclipsing the established former World Champion
Valentino Rossi and the current title-holder
Casey Stoner (Ducati). Rossi is in touch with 47
points, Stoner still in the mix with 40 after
three rounds of this 18-race series.

But if things don't pan out podium-wise in
Shanghai the trailing two could soon feel the
further effects of the Iberian domination of the
title race so far. Rossi won here in 2005 and
Stoner last season, Dani taking the victory for
Honda in 2006. Lorenzo has won here on a 250. The
stage is thus set for an enthralling encounter.

And aside from the top four there are a host of
Honda riders ready to hit better form as this
title race starts to take shape. The dogged
Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Scot Honda RC212V) has
demonstrated ample pace and is due a podium. This
could be the place where he matches the second
and third places he has scored here previously on a 250cc machine.

Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) has got down
to the task of revitalising his title credentials
as a former World Champion after notching a
fourth at Jerez and sliding off while challenging
for a podium at Estoril. The Kentucky Kid is ripe
for a big score here in China. He might even
settle for the second place he achieved in 2006
as he reacquaints himself with the success he sorely missed in 2007.

Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) is full of fight,
Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V)
has recovered from the bout of tonsillitis that
hampered him in Portugal and Shinya Nakano (San
Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) is fully rested after
a trip to his native Japan prior to this race.

After an intense test session after the Estoril
race, most riders are buoyed by the work they did
evaluating tyres and the set-up improvements made
after sampling the latest rubber. After this race
the Grands Prix come thick and fast and there
will be little time for major adjustments.

The Shanghai International Circuit is situated
40km outside Shanghai and was designed by Hermann
Tilke, also responsible for Istanbul Park in
Turkey. Shanghai may not be quite as challenging
as Istanbul Park, but it makes its own particular set of demands on riders.

At 5.281km in length it is among the longer
tracks and at 14.4m wide the tarmac leaves plenty
of room for imagination when taking racing lines
on entry and exit to the 14 turns, seven of which
are lefts and seven right-hand corners.

The main straight is the longest in MotoGP at
1202m and this puts a premium on top speed. But
acceleration out of the many tight turns is
equally vital, as well as stability under the
exceptionally heavy braking on the entries.
Couple this with turns one and two that double
back on themselves at almost 300 degrees and here
is a track that requires the utmost work in set-up.

Dani Pedrosa said: "We've had quite a good start
to the season - on the podium at each of the
first three races and one victory - and we are
working hard to stay very competitive. The tests
we did at Estoril were useful, we worked on a few
things that should help us in China, like
improving front-end feeling and stability on the
brakes. What I like the most about Shanghai is
the width of the track. The surface is of good
quality, but a bit rough, probably due to the
Formula 1 cars. The circuit layout isn't that
great, it features some very strange corners and
the balance between the straights, the tight
corners and the faster corners isn't very good."

Hayden said: "It seems like we're making
progress, Honda's working hard, the Michelin
tyres are working good and I really enjoyed the
bike at Estoril. We were up there all weekend, so
we've just got to put the crash behind us and
move on. Shanghai is a strange track, I like the
surface, seems like it's always good and
consistent. The track has got two big straights,
the back straight is the highest top speed of the
year and right after you've got one of the
slowest corners in MotoGP, so it's really
important to be stable on the brakes, so we
worked on that testing at Estoril. The facilities
are amazing, it's probably the most over-the-top
facility I've seen in my life."

Dovi said: "I'm heading to China with a real
awareness of my potential. The last race at
Estoril finished early for me, but running so
near the front confirmed to me the good start to
the season we had shown before. The Monday after
the Estoril test was very important for us and it
gave us much-needed crucial data. The Shanghai
circuit is quite particular and difficult with
plenty of technical points. There are two long
straights, but also some fast and slow corners.
We're going there with a new bike, so there are
plenty of unknowns, but I'm heading east full of optimism."

De Puniet said: "I don't like this track very
much because it's more suited to F1 races. The
straight is very long and we'll struggle a bit
with top speed but, after the positive test in
Portugal, I feel confident. After the last two
races I need to get a good result and the
evolution with tyres and suspension we tested in
Estoril after the Grand Prix improved my feeling
on the bike. Last year my pace on this track was
fast and I finished eighth so I think we have the
chance to repeat that result thanks to Honda and Michelin support."

De Angelis said: "Shanghai won't be an easy
circuit, there's a long straight and at the
moment we're a little down on horsepower, as
shown by our top speed at the last couple of
races. In any case, Bridgestone have always gone
well in China so that gives us confidence - even
more so after the great test we had in Portugal.
In China there is always the risk of rain but
considering that in the wet warm-up at Estoril I
was second fastest we should be able to hold our
own. Physically I'm in good shape - I've
recovered 100% from the illness in Portugal. I've
trained hard and I'm ready to give my best. The target is a top ten finish."

His team-mate Nakano said: "At Estoril we tested
a few Bridgestone fronts and found a good
compound and construction. If we can combine
those two factors I think we can be very
competitive at Shanghai. The circuit is a lot of
fun - the main characteristic is the long
straight followed by a tight and slow hairpin,
which is a really difficult place to master. Last
year another rider didn't manage to get the bike
stopped there on the first lap and he knocked
into me, forcing me to crash, so the first
objective this year is to get through the first
lap! Joking aside I like the track and I qualified well here last year."

250cc

In the quarter-litre class Yuki Takahashi (JiR
Scot Honda RS250RW) has found the speed and
confidence he lost after a series of unfortunate
and damaging injuries that plagued his 2007
season. Ratthapark Wilairot (Stop And Go Racing
RS250RW), the only other Honda representative in
the class continues his second full season with gusto.

Takahashi said: "The first three races have been
pretty positive for us. This will be another
chance to put in a good result. Looking at the
track, I'll have to use the slipstream down those
two long straights as they represent a very
crucial part of the circuit for us. Meanwhile, in
the corners we will be more equally balanced with
the other machines. To finish here with a good
result will be important, as it will give us a
good base and Championship position for the next
six European races. I think that together as a
team we will get a good result this weekend."

Wilairot said: "After the Grand Prix of Portugal
I flew to Bangkok where I spent several days at
home with family and friends. It's been great, I
haven't been back to my country for three months
and I really wanted to see everyone. I've had
fun and relaxed, and now I go to Shanghai with
reinforced hopes for a good weekend and to get a good result."



Grand Prix of Portugal at Estoril

Sunday April 13, 2008

MotoGP, 250GP and 125GP race report

Weather: largely dry, occasional light showers
Temperature: 18-degrees ambient, 21-degrees track
Humidity: 53%
Crowd: 41,800

PEDROSA TAKES SECURE SECOND TO TIE POINTS LEAD

Canny Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) rode
with both pace and calculation to make the most
of a Portuguese Grand Prix in which he had to
watch his bitterest rival Jorge Lorenzo take the
win with Valentino Rossi third (both Yamaha).
Lorenzo and Dani now jointly lead the world standings.

What first appeared as if it might be one of the
next firecracker races of this intriguing 2008
season eventually turned into a first premier
class win for Lorenzo. But a solid ride for
points for Dani who, despite his fierce rivalry
with Lorenzo, knows when to take the points and
when to take the fight, was reward enough today for Honda.

Dani, as he has tended to do this season, stormed
away from the line to lead the horde into turn
one. Rossi was on his tail and lightning-starter
Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) was up with
the action. Lorenzo, from pole, too.

Rossi barged past Dani to take the lead, but
Lorenzo was anxious to make the speed he'd
established as fastest man during qualifying
translate into a race-dominating stint. Rossi and
Lorenzo then turned to disputing the lead among
themselves while Dani watched, waiting.

As the early laps passed without incident it
became clear the front four of Rossi, Lorenzo,
Pedrosa and the increasingly impressive Andrea
Dovizioso (JiR Scot Honda RC212V) were in charge.
They left the green-liveried form of John Hopkins
(Kawasaki) in their wake while it first appeared
he might be able to hold onto the front-runners.

And it was Lorenzo knew he had the speed to make
a pace that would establish himself as the man to
make the running. His pass at the tricky uphill
chicane to deprive Rossi of the lead was
perfectly timed and expertly executed. He ghosted
past the former World Champion to work on making
catch-up virtually impossible for the pursuers.

Dani did all he possibly could to reel in his
rival but while Honda's main man was grafting
hard his cohorts were struggling. Nicky Hayden
fell mid-race while holding fourth. Dovi preceded
him when a good result was in his grasp by
falling on lap 12. These DNFs were unfortunate
but demonstrated the undoubted efforts these
Honda men will surely soon translate into solid results.

By lap 18 Lorenzo had a one second advantage over
Dani and during this 28-lap contest over the
4.182km of Estoril not even the changeable
weather, that at times threatened to curtail the
250cc race prior to the main event, could put Lorenzo's maiden win in doubt.

With three laps to go Lorenzo had established a
1.693 second lead and Pedrosa was never going to
act rashly enough to derail his title points
challenge in risking a second place finish in
pursuit of a one lost cause in an 18-race series.

Rossi's third-place finish keeps him in the early
season title hunt but with Lorenzo and Pedrosa
sharing a 61-point each haul after three rounds
(Lorenzo technically ahead by virtue of his win
being the most recent win), his 41-point tally in
third at this early juncture must hint that these
Spanish stars are now to upset the old order.

Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) was holding
seventh when he ran into the run-off area on the
penultimate lap. He rejoined to finish 15th,
while Gresini team-mates Shinya Nakano (San Carlo
Honda Gresini RC212V) and Alex de Angelis (San
Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) flirted with the
top-ten places: Nakano netting tenth and de Angelis shy in 11th.

Dani said: "After our difficult pre-season it's
good to be in this position now, so we are very
happy. Today was a good race, the beginning was
quite fun, but also a little dangerous because it
was raining a bit. When the rain stopped, the
pace got faster and faster, so we had to
concentrate very hard to maintain tyre grip all
the time. Eventually we finished second and we're
happy. When Lorenzo started pulling away I still
had to pass Rossi, then when I did pass Rossi,
Lorenzo already had a gap. I tried to close the
gap, or at least maintain it. Finally we got second and it's a good result."

Nicky Hayden (DNF), said: "The first few laps
were certainly not easy, some parts of the track
were a little wetter than others and I had on a
pretty hard tyre. I got settled in, and the
warmer I was getting the tyres the better they
were working and I was able to start moving up,
so things were feeling pretty good. You know, I
got fourth place at Jerez and I certainly didn't
want to settle in there and ride around, so I had
to push hard and you know when you push hard you
make mistakes. It's not a parade you can't just
cruise around. It's unfortunate because the bike
was working good and we were hungry for a good
result, so my own mistake. We just have to step it up a bit."

Dovi (DNF) said: "I did a very good race and this
makes me happy. I was able to maintain an
astonishing rhythm and was half a second under my
pace from the practice sessions. I never give up,
as I want to try to stay with the lead group and
get a good result for the team and myself. My
performances are improving, not only at the start
of the weekend but also in the race. To be behind
the top three riders was a great experience and I
understood and learned a lot of things. The crash
was only because I was pushing at the very
maximum, entering the corner so very hard and so
I lost grip at the front. With my performance I
don't think I can blame myself, these things happen."

De Puniet (15th) said: "I am very disappointed!
After my third bad start of the season I knew I
could go faster and catch the first five
positions so I began to lap consistently fast.
The bike set-up and the tyres were pretty good
therefore I felt comfortable for the rest of the
race and was able to pass several riders. Then,
in the second-last lap at turn four, I lost the
front. I went out in the gravel but was able to
rejoin the race getting 15th. Anyway I want to
thank my team for the great work they did in this weekend."

Shinya Nakano (10th) said: "It was a tough race
because I didn't have a good pace at the start
and I lost a few positions on the opening lap.
Towards the midway point I was able to improve my
lap times and I tried to catch Capirossi, but I
couldn't get past him. Obviously I'm disappointed
with this result because on Friday we had a good
couple of practice sessions and yesterday also
went well. We made a good tyre choice and the
setting was satisfactory but today I suffered
some problems with the rear of the bike so we
must work on the suspension to improve stability under acceleration."

Alex De Angelis in 11th said: "Today was
difficult for me because I ended up lapping alone
after just a few laps and it's not easy to
maintain your concentration, but at the end we've
improved on our grid position so thats good.
We're aware we're still not at the level we showed
during pre-season."

250cc Grand Prix

This lacklustre race (unless you were runaway
winner Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) was as much a
testimony to the unstinting efforts of Yuki
Takahashi (JiR Scott Honda RS250RW), who finished
6th having harried the plainly speedier Aprilia
riders race-long, as it was to Bautista's vice-like grasp of this track.

Marco Simoncelli was second (by seven seconds),
having started from pole, KTM man Mika Kallio
third. Ratthapark Wilairot (Stop And Go Racing
RS250RW) continued his strong second season in 250cc Grand Prix with 13th spot.

Yuki Takahashi (JiR Scot Honda RS250RW) said: "I
got a good start but in the first laps I was in a
slower group and got held up - particularly in
the corners. It was hard to overtake and on the
straight - they were simply faster than me. To
catch them I had to be at my absolute maximum.
The track conditions weren't so good, because
overnight rain cleaned the track and lap-times
were higher than in practice. I'm sad as here we
could do better, but in the Championship we are
near to the top - and we can improve."

Ratthapark Wilairot (Stop And Go Racing RS250RW),
who managed 13th place said: "We made some
changes overnight to fix my front-end problem of
yesterday, some small changes on geometry and
suspension. It felt good in the warm-up but race
conditions were damp. In the race everything felt
good from the start, but after 10 laps the rear
tyre was sliding badly and I couldn't push as
hard. The tyre was destroyed at the finish."

125cc

Louis Rossi (FFM Racing Honda RS125R), who broke
an ankle in practice, was sidelined leaving the
FFM Honda team to rely on the performance of wild
card rider, Frenchman Cyril Carrillo who finished 25th.


Honda rider quotes. GP Portugal - Race

MotoGP:

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2nd - fastest
lap 1m37.471s. "After our difficult preseason
it's good to be in this position now, so we are
very happy. Today was a good race, the beginning
was quite fun, but also a little dangerous
because it was raining a bit and there were a few
passing manoeuvres. When the rain stopped, the
pace got faster and faster, so we had to
concentrate very hard to maintain tyre grip all
the time. Eventually we finished second and we're
happy. We always expected a tough race, so this
result is very important for us. When Lorenzo
started pulling away I still had to pass Rossi,
then when I did pass Rossi, Lorenzo already had a
gap. I tried to close the gap, or at least
maintain it, and the gap stayed the same more or
less for the remainder of the race. Finally we
got second and it's a good result.

Shinya Nakano, San Carlo Gresini Honda: 10th -
fastest lap 1m 38.666s. "It was a tough race
because I didn't have a good pace at the start
and I lost a few positions on the opening lap.
Towards the midway point I was able to improve my
lap times and I tried to catch Capirossi, but I
couldn't get past him. Obviously I'm disappointed
with this result because on Friday we had a good
couple of practice sessions and yesterday also
went well. We made a good tyre choice and the
setting was satisfactory but today I suffered
some problems with the rear of the bike so we
must work on the suspension to improve stability
under acceleration. Tomorrow we'll use the test
to focus on this aspect with the Grand Prix of China in mind."

Alex De Angelis, San Carlo Gresini Honda: 11th -
fastest lap 1m 39.454s. "Today was difficult for
me because I ended up lapping alone after just a
few laps and it's not easy to maintain your
concentration, but at the end we've improved on
our grid position so that's good. We're aware of
the fact that we're still not at the level we
showed during preseason and that's what I want to
get back to - fighting in the top eight. We have
a lot of work to do with Bridgestone because the
satellite Honda riders on Michelin tyres are
doing a good job, so it's clear we have to work
hard with the tyres and that is the area we'll be
working on tomorrow, testing some of the new
material Bridgestone will bring out here at Estoril."

Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda: 15th - fastest lap 1m
38.291s. "I am very disappointed! After my third
bad start of the season I knew that I could go
faster and catch the first 5 positions so I began
to lap consistently fast. The bike set-up and the
tyres were pretty good therefore I felt
comfortable for the rest of the race and was able
to pass several riders including Toseland. Then,
in the second-last lap at turn nr. 4, I closed to
much the angle in the middle of the corner and
lost the front. I went out in the gravel but was
able to rejoin the race getting the 15th position
which is not the result we expected. Honestly
with a better start I would have been able to
catch Hopkins and probably Edwards. Anyway I want
to thank my team for the great work they did in
this week end and we will proceed with our set-up
work in tomorrow's testing day before the Chinese GP".

Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: dnf - crash - fastest
lap 1m 37.806s. "The first few laps were
certainly not easy, some parts of the track were
a little wetter than others and I had on a pretty
hard tyre. I had been choosing between that tyre
and another a little bit softer, but with the way
the weather's been this weekend we really hadn't
got to do a lot of endurance on the harder one. I
got settled in, and the warmer I was getting the
tyres the better they were working and I was able
to start moving up, so things were feeling pretty
good. I made a few passes, I'd just got into
fourth, felt like I wanted to close the gap on
the guys in front of me. You know, I got fourth
place at Jerez and I certainly didn't want to
settle in there and ride around, so I had to push
hard and you know when you push hard you make
mistakes. It's not a parade you can't just cruise
around. The bike was working good, the tyres were
working good, I felt pretty comfortable, so I was
pushing. Turn seven's downhill, certainly a trick
corner, the front let go pretty early and down I
went. It's unfortunate because the bike was
working good and we were hungry for a good
result, so my own mistake. We just have to step it up a bit."

Andrea Dovizioso, JiR Scot Honda: dnf - crash.
Fastest lap 1m 37.985s. "I did a very good race
and this makes me happy. I was able to maintain
an astonishing rhythm and was half a second under
my pace from the practice sessions. I never give
up, as I want to try to stay with the lead group
and get a good result for the team and myself. My
performances are improving, not only at the start
of the weekend but also in the race. To be behind
the top three riders was a great experience and I
understood and learned a lot of things. We have
to use at the maximum the potential of our Honda
and find the correct chassis and engine tuning to
keep this quick rhythm during whole race without
being at the complete limit, which I was at
today. The crash was only because I was pushing
at the very maximum, entering the corner so very
hard and so I lost grip at the front. Even if
there were a lot of drops of rain around this
didn't alter our performance. With my performance
I don't think I can blame myself, these things
happen. Tomorrow we will stay for a test day as
we are still working on our technical
configuration to do better next time. I want to
really thank the team for the work done this weekend."


250cc:

Yukio Takahashi, JiR Scot Honda: 6th - fastest
lap - 1m 42.575s. "I'm satisfied about my race
and riding style on the Honda, but I expected a
better result because the bike was well prepared
for Estoril in the practice sessions by my team.
I got a good start but in the first laps I was in
a slower group and got held up - particularly in
the corners. It was hard to overtake and on the
straight they were simply faster than me. To
catch them I had to be at my absolute maximum.
The track condition wasn't so good, because
overnight rain cleaned the track and lap-times
were higher than in practice. Near the end of the
race Thomas Luthi caught us fast but by then my
front tyre was finished. I lost grip for a while
and it was impossible to get a good rhythm. I'm
sad as here we could do better, but in the
championship we are near to the top and we can improve."

Ratthapark Wilairot, Thai Honda PTT SAG: 13th
- Fastest lap 1m43.925s. "We made some changes
overnight to fix my front end problem of
yesterday, small change on geometry and
suspension changes. It felt good in the warm up
but the conditions were damp and I could push at
maximum. In the race everything felt good from
the start, the engine and suspension but after 10
laps the rear tyre was sliding badly and I
couldn't push as hard as I had to. The tyre was destroyed at the finish."

125cc:
Louis Rossi, FFM Honda: Did not race due to injury sustained in practice.



Race Results

MotoGP
Race Classification MotoGP : (28 laps = 117.096 km)
Pos/ Rider / Nat / Team / Motorcycle / Time/ KM/H / Gap
1 / Jorge LORENZO / SPA / Fiat Yamaha Team / YAMAHA / 45'53.089 / 153.117 /
2 / Dani PEDROSA / SPA / Repsol Honda Team /
HONDA / 45'54.906 / 153.016 / 1.817
3 / Valentino ROSSI / ITA / Fiat Yamaha Team /
YAMAHA / 46'05.812 / 152.412 / 12.723
4 / Colin EDWARDS / USA / Tech 3 Yamaha / YAMAHA / 46'10.312 / 152.165 / 17.223
5 / John HOPKINS / USA / Kawasaki Racing Team /
KAWASAKI / 46'16.841 / 151.807 / 23.752
6 / Casey STONER / AUS / Ducati Marlboro Team /
DUCATI / 46'19.777 / 151.647 / 26.688
7 / James TOSELAND / GBR / Tech 3 Yamaha / YAMAHA
/ 46'25.720 / 151.323 / 32.631
8 / Chris VERMEULEN / AUS / Rizla Suzuki MotoGP /
SUZUKI / 46'29.471 / 151.120 / 36.382
9 / Loris CAPIROSSI / ITA / Rizla Suzuki MotoGP /
SUZUKI / 46'31.357 / 151.018 / 38.268
10 / Shinya NAKANO / JPN / San Carlo Honda
Gresini / HONDA / 46'32.565 / 150.952 / 39.476
11 / Alex DE ANGELIS / RSM / San Carlo Honda
Gresini / HONDA / 46'54.395 / 149.781 / 1'01.306
12 / Toni ELIAS / SPA / Alice Team / DUCATI / 46'56.956 / 149.645 / 1'03.867
13 / Marco MELANDRI / ITA / Ducati Marlboro Team
/ DUCATI / 47'02.614 / 149.345 / 1'09.525
14 / Sylvain GUINTOLI / FRA / Alice Team / DUCATI
/ 47'02.723 / 149.340 / 1'09.634
15 / Randy DE PUNIET / FRA / LCR Honda MotoGP /
HONDA / 47'04.631 / 149.239 / 1'11.542

Pole Position: Jorge LORENZO 1'35.715 157.291 Km/h
Fastest Lap (New record): Jorge LORENZO 1'37.404 154.564 Km/h Lap 18
Circuit Record Lap: Nicky HAYDEN 1'37.493 154.423 Km/h 2007
Circuit Best Lap: Jorge LORENZO 1'35.715 157.291 Km/h 2008

World Championship Positions:
1 LORENZO 61, 2 PEDROSA 61, 3 ROSSI 47, 4 STONER 40, 5 TOSELAND 29,
6 CAPIROSSI 26, 7 HOPKINS 24, 8 EDWARDS 22, 9 DOVIZIOSO 21, 10 HAYDEN 19,
11 NAKANO 16, 12 VERMEULEN 14, 13 MELANDRI 12, 14 DE PUNIET 8, 15 DE ANGELIS 7



250cc
Race Classification 250cc: (26 laps = 108.732 km)
Pos / Rider / Nat / Team / Motorcycle / Time / KM/H / Gap
1 / Alvaro BAUTISTA / SPA / Mapfre Aspar Team /
APRILIA / 44'34.257 / 146.371 /
2 / Marco SIMONCELLI / ITA / Metis Gilera /
GILERA / 44'41.307 / 145.986 / 7.050
3 / Mika KALLIO / FIN / Red Bull KTM 250 / KTM / 44'41.320 / 145.986 / 7.063
4 / Thomas LUTHI / SWI / Emmi - Caffe Latte /
APRILIA / 44'47.255 / 145.663 / 12.998
5 / Hiroshi AOYAMA / JPN / Red Bull KTM 250 / KTM
/ 44'48.923 / 145.573 / 14.666
6 / Yuki TAKAHASHI / JPN / JiR Team Scot 250 /
HONDA / 44'52.755 / 145.366 / 18.498
7 / Julian SIMON / SPA / Repsol KTM 250cc / KTM / 45'01.069 / 144.918 / 26.812
8 / Hector BARBERA / SPA / Team Toth Aprilia /
APRILIA / 45'02.269 / 144.854 / 28.012
9 / Hector FAUBEL / SPA / Mapfre Aspar Team /
APRILIA / 45'02.545 / 144.839 / 28.288
10 / Lukas PESEK / CZE / Auto Kelly - CP /
APRILIA / 45'11.223 / 144.375 / 36.966
11 / Aleix ESPARGARO / SPA / Lotus Aprilia /
APRILIA / 45'12.553 / 144.305 / 38.296
12 / Alex BALDOLINI / ITA / Matteoni Racing /
APRILIA / 45'26.327 / 143.576 / 52.070
13 / Ratthapark WILAIROT / THA / Thai Honda PTT
SAG / HONDA / 45'47.560 / 142.466 / 1'13.303
14 / Federico SANDI / ITA / Zongshen Team of
China / APRILIA / 45'51.849 / 142.244 / 1'17.592
15 / Eugene LAVERTY / IRL / Blusens Aprilia /
APRILIA / 45'55.620 / 142.049 / 1'21.363

Pole Position: Marco SIMONCELLI 1'40.257 150.166 Km/h
Fastest Lap: Alvaro BAUTISTA 1'41.425 148.436 Km/h Lap 8
Circuit Record Lap: Alvaro BAUTISTA 1'40.521 149.771 Km/h 2007
Circuit Best Lap: Marco SIMONCELLI 1'40.257 150.166 Km/h 2008

World Championship Positions:
1 KALLIO 57, 2 PASINI 45, 3 BARBERA 39, 4
TAKAHASHI 37, 5 BAUTISTA 35, 6 AOYAMA 24,
7 DEBON 23, 8 SIMON 23, 9 SIMONCELLI 20, 10 ESPARGARO 19, 11 LOCATELLI 16,
12 LUTHI 14, 13 FAUBEL 13, 14 ABRAHAM 12, 15 PESEK 12.



125cc:
Race Classification 125cc (23 laps = 96.186 km)
Pos / Rider / Nat / Team / Motorcycle / Time / KM/H / Gap
1 / Simone CORSI / ITA / Jack & Jones WRB / APRILIA / 40'56.168 / 140.979 /
2 / Joan OLIVE / SPA / Belson Derbi / DERBI / 40'56.467 / 140.962 / 0.299
3 / Nicolas TEROL / SPA / Jack & Jones WRB /
APRILIA / 41'02.523 / 140.615 / 6.355
4 / Stevie BONSEY / USA / Degraaf Grand Prix /
APRILIA / 41'11.141 / 140.125 / 14.973
5 / Danny WEBB / GBR / Degraaf Grand Prix /
APRILIA / 41'11.700 / 140.093 / 15.532
6 / Gabor TALMACSI / HUN / Bancaja Aspar Team /
APRILIA / 41'12.036 / 140.074 / 15.868
7 / Mike DI MEGLIO / FRA / Ajo Motorsport / DERBI
/ 41'12.043 / 140.074 / 15.875
8 / Stefan BRADL / GER / Grizzly Gas Kiefer
Racing / APRILIA / 41'14.055 / 139.960 / 17.887
9 / Sergio GADEA / SPA / Bancaja Aspar Team /
APRILIA / 41'14.291 / 139.946 / 18.123
10 / Sandro CORTESE / GER / Emmi - Caffe Latte /
APRILIA / 41'18.781 / 139.693 / 22.613
11 / Andrea IANNONE / ITA / I.C. Team / APRILIA / 41'23.658 / 139.419 / 27.490
12 / Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / Ajo Motorsport /
DERBI / 41'23.712 / 139.416 / 27.544
13 / Pol ESPARGARO / SPA / Belson Derbi / DERBI / 41'24.538 / 139.369 / 28.370
14 / Michael RANSEDER / AUT / I.C. Team / APRILIA
/ 41'24.585 / 139.367 / 28.417
15 / Efren VAZQUEZ / SPA / Blusens Aprilia Junior
/ APRILIA / 41'28.881 / 139.126 / 32.713

Pole Position: Simone CORSI 1'45.367 142.883 Km/h
Fastest Lap: Simone CORSI 1'45.557 142.626 Km/h Lap 10
Circuit Record Lap: Gabor TALMACSI 1'45.027 143.345 Km/h 2007
Circuit Best Lap: Mattia PASINI 1'44.675 143.828 Km/h 2007

World Championship Positions:
1 CORSI 59, 2 TEROL 42, 3 OLIVE 40, 4 BRADL 37, 5 GADEA 32, 6 DI MEGLIO 29,
7 BONSEY 23, 8 WEBB 21, 9 REDDING 20, 10 CORTESE
17, 11 SMITH 16, 12 TALMACSI 14,
13 ESPARGARO 13, 14 AEGERTER 12, 15 NIETO 11.

Checa On The Podium After Dramatic Raceday!

April 6, 2008

World Superbike and World Supersport 2008
Round 03 Valencia – Spain

Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) endured first race agony and second race relief at his home round, falling in race one before remounting to finish fifth, and then scoring a strong third in the second 23-lap race. He was the top Honda scorer of the day and in the championship overall, and now sits in fourth place on 72 points, tied with Troy Corser.

In the first race Checa had to fight his way through from a bad start and a combination of his sheer speed and the effect of several crashes in front put him into the podium places. He was second with ten laps to go, and ate into the lead of Max Neukirchner to put himself in his slipstream on the final lap. On the very last corner, Checa pushed hard on an inside line as he tried to pass, fell from his machine and ended in the gravel with Neukirchner, who broke his left collarbone. Checa restarted to finish top Honda rider in fifth, one place up on a resurgent Karl Muggeridge (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) and Gregorio Lavilla (Vent Axia VK Honda CBR1000RR) who was riding his 2008 machine for the first time.

Race one was not particularly kind to the other main Honda riders, with Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Althea Honda Ten Kate Honda CBR100RR) last into the top ten, Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Althea Ten Kate Honda Jr CBR1000RR) 12th in a race with 20 finishers, and Russell Holland 13th. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR100RR) was forced to retire on lap ten with an electrical problem. Luca Morelli (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) was the only finisher (in 18th) from the Alto Evolution Team after Shuhei Aoyama crashed on lap two when he lost the front.

In race two Checa was less than three seconds from the win after having to fight through the pack to lead the race, only for a small electronic problem to lose him some time. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) was a season best fourth, having qualified best Honda in sixth. Lavilla was 11th.

Kenan Sofuoglu finished 15th in race two, but Rolfo missed out on more points, in 17th. Holland was 19th, Muggeridge 20th after rear chatter affected his front grip and he almost crashed numerous times. Morelli was 23rd, Aoyama 24th.

In the points standings, Lavilla is 11th on 32 points, while Kiyonari and Sofuoglu follow on behind, with 30 for Kiyonari and 22 for Sofuoglu. Muggeridge is 14th with 20, Holland 20th with 10.

Checa said:
“I had a bad start in race one but I made progress and on the last lap I tried to pass at a difficult point, but he closed the door. Unfortunately we both crashed and Max Neukirchner got injured and I hope he is back as soon as possible. This is racing and sometimes these things happen. In the second race I started well and got the lead but I had a traction control problem. I was able to cancel it and regain full power but it was impossible to catch Nori and Troy.”

Kiyonari said:
“I was too slow at the start and I must improve in that area, but Fourth position is better than Phillip Island. Before the start I was confident in the bike and the settings, and I knew I could go fast but it was difficult to pass, especially Nieto.”

Rolfo said:
“I’m really disappointed because in race one after a very good start I began having problems with my rear tyre. I think I lost a lot of positions. Without this problem I could have remained in the first six or seven places. We have lost an opportunity to gain a good result. My second start wasn’t as good as the first one. During the first laps I was very fast, but starting from the third lap I felt some vibrations coming from my rear wheel. I couldn’t really chase the riders in front of me and the only thing I could do was try and finish the race.”

Sofuoglu said:
“Considering all the crashes today I am glad I managed to stay on the bike and finish both races, but I cannot be happy with fighting for just one point. I hope I can improve my results when we go to my ‘home’ track of Assen for the next race. I know the track well and it’s a fast one, which suits my riding style. I need to show some potential and put in a better performance for my team and myself.”

Muggeridge said:
“Race one was good and we did good times through the race. In the second I had something chattering with the rear tyre and that affected my front grip. I came close to crashing about 40 times!”

Aoyama said:
“I had a very fast crash in race one when the front tyre just went away from me. My team had to fix my bike for race two because we only have one 2008 machine each now.”

World Supersport Championship

Pitt Falls But Lascorz and Jones Soar
The World Supersport Race start was delayed due to trackside kerbstone being repaired after a race one crash damaged it at the final turn, but it finally delivered the clear win to Honda privateer and World Supersport regular Joan Lascorz. Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) fell from a potential podium place of second and remounted, but could only finish 19th and out of the points. He had been the pole man, having set a new track best on Friday of 1’36.773.

Craig Jones (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) went third in the race, as he had in qualifying, following Fabien Foret but he was finally unable to pass the Frenchman.

Josh Brookes (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsports Honda CBR600RR) and Robbin Harms (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsports Honda CBR600RR) failed to finish the race as Brookes retired due to a worn front tyre and Harms fell while chasing the leading group.

Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) fought his own front tyre grip issues to go sixth, one place behind the impressive Gianluca Nannelli (Hannspree Althea Honda CBR600RR) who had started 17th on the grid.

In the championship itself, Brookes lost his lead today and now sits fourth, on the same 33 point total as Foret. Lascorz is in the lead on 54 points, with Jones fifth on 32, Pitt sixth on 25, on the same unchanged total as Harms. Rea is now ranked eighth, on 21 points.

Jones said:
“That was a great race, I thoroughly enjoyed battling at the front of the field. While I am happy with the podium, the racer in me is frustrated at not winning - but I did everything I could today. After crashing my number one bike yesterday, we had to rebuild from scratch and try to get the set-up right during warm-up. My Parkalgar Honda team worked hard and this third place is for them.”

Nannelli said:
“After dislocating my right shoulder in practice I have to thank the Clinica Mobile for fixing me up and the team for giving me a fast bike. I started from way back but I made up places and I am very happy to have scored a top five.”

Rea said:
“That was a really difficult race for me. Some parts of our set-up weren’t working today and the front was sliding from the start, which I haven’t had all weekend. It is the same tyre as the first two days. A bike blew up in front of me and there was oil everywhere, and I thought the race would be stopped. I got a sixth place and some more points, so we can move on to Assen now.”

Pitt said:
“I used the same set of tyres that I had used all year and we obviously had good speed, because we were on pole. We just had an issue with front grip and we need to find out why before Assen. Have to do better, simple as that.”

Brookes said:
“My start was OK and I was trying to get comfortable for the first couple of laps and stay with the group in front of me. The bike was feeling pretty good and I was able to get into a good rhythm. I was in 9th place when, all of a sudden, I could feel something wrong with my front tyre. I was forced to stop because of the problem and it’s really a shame because I know I could have taken important championship points today.”

Harms Said:
“I had an awesome start from my 19th place on the grid and was up to 8th place by the end of the first lap. Although I knew the settings on the bike were not ideal, I was pretty comfortable. I was trying to ride as consistently as possible - taking it smooth and easy. The feeling was good and I didn’t want to risk anything but then, going into a corner, I could feel the bike moving and suddenly I didn’t have the bike under control any more. I lost the front and crashed out.”

The next race is at Assen, on April 27.

Round 03 Valencia – Spain


Superbike Race 1
1 L. LANZI (Ducati 1098 RS 08)

2 T. BAYLISS (Ducati 1098 F08)

3 T. CORSER (Yamaha YZF-R1)

4 F. NIETO (Suzuki GSX-R1000)

5 C. CHECA (Honda CBR1000RR)

6 K. MUGGERIDGE (Honda CBR1000RR)

7 G.LAVILLA (Honda CBR1000RR)

8 R. LACONI (Kawasaki ZX-10R)

9 M.TAMADA (Kawasaki ZX-10R)

10 R. ROLFO (Honda CBR1000RR)

11 S. NAKATOMI (Yamaha YZF-R1)

12 K. SOFUOGLU (Jr. Honda CBR1000RR)

13 R. HOLLAND (Honda CBR1000RR)

14 J. SMRZ (Ducati 1098 RS 08)

15 D. CHECA (94 Yamaha YZF-R1)


Superbike Race 2
1 N.HAGA (Yamaha YZF-R1)

2 T. BAYLISS (Ducati 1098 F08)

3 C. CHECA (Honda CBR1000RR)

4 R. KIYONARI (Honda CBR1000RR)

5 T. CORSER (Yamaha YZF-R1)

6 Y. KAGAYAMA (Suzuki GSX-R1000)

7 R. XAUS (Ducati 1098 RS 08)

8 M.BIAGGI (Ducati 1098 RS 08)

9 R. LACONI (Kawasaki ZX-10R)

10 F. NIETO (Suzuki GSX-R1000)

11 G.LAVILLA (Honda CBR1000RR)

12 L. LANZI (Ducati 1098 RS 08)

13 M.FABRIZIO (Ducati 1098 F08)

14 J. SMRZ (Ducati 1098 RS 08)

15 K. SOFUOGLU (Jr. Honda CBR1000RR)


Supersport,
1 J. LASCORZ (Honda CBR600RR)

2 F. FORET (Yamaha YZF-R6)

3 C. JONES (Honda CBR600RR)

4 B. PARKES (Yamaha YZF-R6)

5 G.NANNELLI (Honda CBR600RR)

6 J. REA (Honda CBR600RR)

7 M.ROCCOLI (Yamaha YZF-R6)

8 A. RODRIGUEZ (Yamaha YZF-R6)

9 C.WALKER (Kawasaki ZX-6R)

10 M.AITCHISON (Triumph 675)

11 K. FUJIWARA (Kawasaki ZX-6R)

12 G.VIZZIELLO (Honda CBR600RR)

13 M.LAGRIVE (Honda CBR600RR)

14 V. KALLIO (Honda CBR600RR)

15 M.PRAIA (Honda CBR600RR)

PEDROSA WINS TO TAKE SECOND IN TITLE STANDINGS

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

Grand Prix of Valencia

Sunday November 4 2007

Weather: Dry and sunny.
Temperature: Air 19 degrees, ground 25.
Crowd: Race day 132,500, weekend 237,149.


PEDROSA WINS TO TAKE SECOND IN TITLE STANDINGS

This was the MotoGP race that Dani Pedrosa
(Repsol Honda RC212V) wanted to win to sign off
his season in style - and take the coveted
runner-up spot in the World Championship. He was
a cut above the rest today with Casey Stoner
(Ducati) was second and John Hopkins (Suzuki) third.

Stoner rocketed into the lead form the lights and
had established a three-quarter second lead by
the end of the first tour of this 4.005km
circuit. The Aussie obliterated the lap record on
lap two and it looked as if the new World
Champion might run away with this race. But Dani knew otherwise.

On lap three Pedrosa was holding Stoner in check
and this lead pair had a 2.3 second advantage
over first Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) and
then Hopkins when he stole past the former World
Champion on lap four. Conditons were perfect for
racing under sunny skies with a temperature of 19 degrees and the track at 25.

Marco Melandri (Gresini Honda RC212V) began
attacking Hayden for fourth place and the Honda
duo swapped places twice on lap four, the lap
when Dani decided to run the race at his own
increasingly rapid pace. Pedrosa set a fastest
lap of 1m 32.748s as he closed on Stoner.

Dani took him on lap six and two laps later the
21-year-old Spanish star had a 0.6 second
advantage, another two laps later it was 1.1
seconds and Stoner had no reply. Nor did the rest
of the field. And Dani's rival for second overall
in the World Championship, Valentino Rossi
(Yamaha), was struggling at the back of the field
nursing a hand injury sustained in qualifying yesterday.

Dani, starting from his fourth consecutive pole
of the season finally put his late season
dominance to full effect and rode lap after lap
at blistering pace - annihilating the opposition.
He wanted second overall, but perhaps more than
that, Dani wanted a Grand Prix win again.

Rossi slowed on lap 18 with machine trouble and
then pitted a lap later, his race run. Dani was
now riding for both the win and the runner-up
slot and he was never going to be stopped. His
margin at the finish was a massive 5.5 seconds over Stoner.

Behind them Hopkins had consolidated third while
Hayden was slipping down the order having lost
fourth place to Melandri on lap 19, fifth spot to
Loris Capirossi (Ducati) on lap 26 and then
succumbing to Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) who took
sixth from him on the penultimate lap.

Dani, who is now the only rider ever to have won
here in all three classes from pole while setting
fastest race laps too, said: "I'm very happy with
this result. I really wanted to win this race
very much and so actually achieving it feels
fantastic. In the early laps I was struggling a
little with grip from the front tyre but then in
the second half of the race it was very good. The
pace today was really fast and Casey was chasing
hard so there was no moment to relax or back off.
Towards the end of the race I was sliding in some
of the left-handers but I was still able to push
hard. Thanks to the team because they worked very
hard for me this weekend and all year - and the bike was perfect today."

Melandri was fourth. He said: "I knew that it a
would be a tough race, but today was much harder
than in practice. I made a good start to gain
five places but I lacked feeling in the front-end
and the bike was moving around a lot. I fought
with Hayden for fourth and was looking for
Hopkins, but it wasn't possible on this occasion.
It's disappointing because I wanted a podium and
I've missed out on fourth place in the World
Championship by two points to John. I wanted a
better result, but thanks to Fausto and the team for all their hard work."

Hayden, eighth at the flag, after Alex Barros
(Ducati) took seventh off him on the last lap,
said: "Well, we knew all weekend that we were on
the back foot and the race proved it. We made a
lot of changes for warm-up this morning and the
package felt a bit better, but still we didn't
have the pace we needed for the race. I got a
pretty good start but there were a few places on
the lap where I was too weak and this made it
quite a difficult race for me. It's been a tough
year so now we'll go back to work. Thanks to the
team for all their hard work this year. We're
going to keep working hard so we can do a lot better next year."

Toni Elias (Gresini Honda RC212V) finished tenth
and said: "I made a good start, but I struggled a
lot in the first ten laps with a full tank, and
was not getting enough grip. Once my pace
improved I went after Vermeulen, de Puniet and
Capirossi but couldn't catch them. It's a shame
because I wanted to end the season with a better
result. I want to thank the team and Fausto for
the two last years. They have been like a family
to me and they helped me get my first MotoGP win."

Carlos Checa (LCR Honda RC212V), 12th in his
final MotoGP race, despite riding with a severe
stomach complaint said: "I'm a little emotional
because I still have a great feeling for this
fantastic sport. My aim was just to finish the
race as way of saying goodbye to my fans and
friends and seven laps from the finish I started
to have a lot pain in my stomach. Grand Prix
racing has been a great part of my life but now I
start a new adventure in Superbikes."

Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda RC212V) was
14th and said: "Another very difficult race and
one which has basically summed up the whole
season. My start was so-so, but I found that I
could overtake some riders going into turn two.
At the beginning my pace wasn't so bad, but from
the middle of the race I found that I couldn't
improve my lap times. I've crashed a few times
this season because of this, but I'm pleased to
be ending the year without any injuries. This is
an excellent team but unfortunately the results
haven't been there for us this year."

Kurtis Roberts (Roberts KR212V) retired on ten.
He said: "The thing just never worked right. We
did 1m 34s lap times pretty easily in practice,
and a 1m 33s lap to qualify. I was riding just
the same in the race and we couldn't even see 1m
34s. My last lap was a 1m 36s. The engine started
missing really bad off the bottom, and got
progressively worse from the first lap on. I
couldn't do anything to keep up with them. It got slower and slower."

Mika Kallio (KTM) won the 250cc race from Alex de
Angelis with Alex Debon third (both Aprilia).
With Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) already crowned
World Champion, this was perhaps a race where
Kallio established himself as one of the new front men in the class.

Lorenzo got the holeshot and as the order settled
down he was followed by Andrea Dovizioso (Scot
Honda RS250RW) and Alex de Angelis (Aprilia). But
is was soon de Angelis who then made the running
by mid-race distance of this 27-lapper with
Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) hounding him.

When Bautista crashed out on lap 20, Kallio had
entered the fray and he timed his charge to the
front to perfection taking the lead on the
penultimate lap and holding it resolutely until
the flag from de Angelis. And Alex Debon
(Aprilia) denied Dovizioso as the pair fought to the finish for third.

Dovi said: 4th "My position is better than I
expected before the race but not what I expected
as the race went on even though my race pace was
good/ My start was unbelievable and I was with
Lorenzo very quickly and just sat behind him
waiting but I saw he was not so fast. When De
Angelis passed us and went away I realised it was
not possible to follow him so I waited for
Bautista and Kallio to do the same and tried to
stay with them. But coming off the last corner
onto the straight they just pulled away from me
it is very frustrating to have to race under
those conditions. The chassis suspension and
tyres were great its just the lack of power that
causes the problem for us. I am very unhappy with
the way things have gone this season. But now we
go to MotoGP where we will have plenty of power
but I know this year could have been very different."

Julian Simon (Repsol Honda RS250RW) finished
sixth and said: "Not so bad in the end. My start
was not so good - the worst of this year and I
apologise to the team for that. But I worked hard
after the slow start and pushed really hard and
caught the group and was able to stay with them
till the end. The bike was good, chassis, engine
and suspension, even in T13 where I was having
trouble in qualifying. I've enjoyed this season
and thank my team for everything. Now we get
ready for next year and I hope to improve again and get on the podium."

Yuki Takahashi (Scot Honda RS250RW) was eighth.
He said: "I made a very bad start and at the
first corner I braked too late, so many riders
passed me. Then I tried to recover position but
from the middle of the race on I maintained a
fast pace but wasn't able to reach the front
because of the start error. Anyway I'm satisfied
about the progress and I'm optimistic for next season."

Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW) in 17th
said: "Very bad race for me - my worst overall
performance. Yesterday I had a big crash and hurt
my leg and hand. I took painkillers before the
start, but not enough of them, and my hand was
painful in the race. My start was not too bad and
I could follow Julian (Simon) Takahashi san and
my brother Hiro but on lap three I ran off track.
When I rejoined the race I was almost last. I
pushed again but finally I could only make 17th place."

Hector Faubel won the 125cc race from his
team-mate Gabor Talmacsi with the third member of
this three-rider Aprilia team, Sergio Gadea, in
third. But it was the Hungarian Talmacsi who
secured the World title here today.

Talmacsi started from pole but it took him until
the second lap to gain control of this race from
the front of the field. Faubel, who had to win
here with Talmacsi finishing fourth or lower, for
the Spaniard to take the title, took a while to
get on terms with Talmacsi. But on lap nine of
this 24-lap contest, he was ahead of his rival.

But Faubel ran wide at turn one several laps
later and lost touch with Talmacsi until the
closing laps when the duo swapped places with
mesmerizing frequency and then were joined by a
three-rider group headed by Gadea in the final two laps.

But Gadea was never going to interfere in the
intense fight between Talmacsi and Faubel and
although Faubel took the win Talmacsi knew he had
done enough to become the first ever Hungarian to
win a World Championship in any motorsport discipline.

Esteve Rabat (Repsol Honda RS125R) finished sixth
and said: "I got a terrible start and had to push
really hard to make up places. I passed many
riders but when I got on to the back of the last
group I had to follow them. After about mid-race
the rear tyre performance dropped off but only
slowly and I could stay with them. But when Gadea
caught and passed Pablo (Nieto) I could not get
passed and lost ground. The only problem I had
today was at T11 where the engine was not
picking-up, I don't know why but anyway it wasn't
a big problem. Thanks to my team who've given me
their best every week - we were the best Honda today."

His team-mate Bradley Smith (Repsol Honda RS125R)
was eighth and said: "My start was awesome. I was
third at the end of lap one. I just tried to hang
in there and had a good pace and it was only down
the straight that they could pass me on power.
I've had two top 10 finishes in the last two
races and 10th in the World Championship so I
have to be happy with that. Thanks to the team
for everything they've done for me - it's been great working with them."



Honda riders quotes, GP Valencia, race November 4, 2007.

MotoGP.

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1st "I'm very happy
with this result. I really wanted to win this
race very much and so actually achieving it feels
fantastic. The race was very tough and I had to
push at the maximum from start to finish. In the
early laps I was struggling a little with grip
from the front tyre but then in the second half
of the race is was very good. The pace today was
really fast and Casey was chasing hard so there
was no moment to relax or back off. Towards the
end of the race I was sliding in some of the
left-handers but I was still able to push hard. I
must say thanks to the team because they have
worked very hard for me this weekend and all year
and the bike was perfect today. Also I must thank
Michelin too because the tyres were very good
today. I didn't know until I arrived in the parc
ferme that I had second in the world championship
and this was nice surprise. I didn't expect this
because there was only a very, very slim chance
of doing this coming into this weekend. After
quite a difficult season second place is better
than third and gives the Repsol Honda Team some
reward for sticking with it and never giving up
this year. It will give us even more motivation
for winter testing because we must now take
another step forward so that we can arrive at the
first race of 2008 with the best possible
package. I think the crowd has enjoyed this
weekend and I'm very proud to have given my fans
a great result at my home circuit - it's a great feeling!"

Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 4th "I knew that
it a would be a tough race, but today was much
harder than in practice. I made a good start to
gain five places but I lacked feeling in the
front end and the bike was moving around a lot. I
fought with Hayden for fourth and was looking for
Hopkins, but it wasn't possible on this occasion.
It's disappointing because I wanted a podium and
I've missed out on fourth place in championship
by two points to John. I wanted a better result
but thanks to Fausto and the team for all their hard work."

Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 8th "Well, we knew
all weekend that we were on the back foot and the
race proved it. We made a lot of changes for
warm-up this morning and the package felt a bit
better, but still we didn't have the pace we
needed for the race. I got a pretty good start
but there were a few places on the lap where I
was too weak and this made it quite a difficult
race for me. I got past Melandri and held on to
fourth for as long as I could but then to lose
four places in the last five or six laps was
tough to take. Still, the season's in the books
and we'll start all over with testing on Tuesday.
It's been a tough year so now we'll go back to
work. Thanks to the team for all their hard work this
year - everybody at Honda, Michelin, my mechanics
and everyone who's been behind me this year.
We're going to keep working hard so we can do a lot better next year."

Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 10th "I made a good
start, but I struggled a lot in the first ten laps with a
full tank, and was not getting enough grip. Once
my pace improved I went after Vermeulen, De
Puniet and Capirossi but couldn't catch them.
It's a shame because I wanted to end the season
with a better result. I want to thank the team
and Fausto for the two last years. They have been
like a family to me and they helped me get my first MotoGP win."

Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 12th "I'm a little
emotional because I still have a great feeling
for this fantastic sport, although I have been
very sick this weekend. My aim was just to finish
the race as a way of saying good-bye to my fans
and friends and seven laps from the finish I
started to have a lot pain in my stomach. But I
enjoyed the battle with group of Tamada, Edwards
and briefly Rossi. In the end I was ahead of them
but unable to catch Guintoli. I was not
aggressive from ninth position at the start, but
as the feeling came to me I started to push hard
to the finish. Grand prix racing has been a great
part of my life but now I start a new adventure in Superbikes."

Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 14th
"Another very difficult race and one which has
basically summed up the whole season. My start
was so-so, but I found that I could overtake some
riders going into turn two. At the beginning my
pace wasn't so bad, but from the middle of the
race I found that I couldn't improve my lap
times. It was another big battle from 16th to
12th with riders like Carlos Checa, Colin Edwards
and myself. Eventually I finished in 14th place.
This year we've struggled with front-end feeling
from the RC212V, which has been a big problem, as
my style needs this. I've crashed a few times
this season because of this, but I'm pleased to
be ending the year without any injuries. I would
like to thank Luca and Giulio for always
supporting me and keeping me motivated during
this difficult year and also the rest of the
team. This is an excellent team but unfortunately
the results haven't been there for us this year."

Kurtis Roberts, KR212V: Technical problem. "The
thing just never worked right. We did 1'34 lap
times pretty easily in practice, and a 1'33 to
qualify. I was riding just the same in the race
and we couldn't even see 1'34. My last lap was a
1'36. The engine started missing really bad off
the bottom, and got progressively worse from the
first lap on. I couldn't do anything to keep up
with them. It got slower and slower, which is
pretty bad for the slowest thing out there. Honda
did a good job on their bikes obviously, but not ours."

Chuck Aksland - Team Manager, Team Roberts: "That
wasn't exactly what we hoped for, but there's
nothing you can do when the thing's not running
right. It just got worse with each lap. It was
very inconsistent, and just got impossible to
ride. It's a shame because this morning's warm-up
went great, Kurtis has been riding hard and well
all weekend, and could have had a good race.
Anyway, that's that - we go on to better things,
hopefully. We need to thank all the fans who
supported us and showed interest in the project
this year, and to all our suppliers and technical
staff for assisting as they could. And the team:
they worked hard and never gave up. I think it is
one of the strongest teams in the paddock.
Hopefully we can get the programme together to
get our results back where they should be".


250cc:

Andrea Dovizioso, Kopron Scot Honda: 4th "My
position is better than I expected before the
race but not what I expected as the race went on.
My start was unbelievable and I was with Lorenzo
very quickly and just sat behind him waiting but
I saw he was not so fast. When De Angelis passed
us and went away I realised it was not possible
to follow him so I waited for Bautista and Kallio
to do the same and tried to stay with them. But
coming off the last corner onto the straight they
just pulled away from me it is very frustrating
to have to race under those conditions. The
chassis suspension and tyres were great its just
the lack of power that causes the problem for us.
I am very unhappy with the way things have gone
this season. But now we go to MotoGP where we
will have plenty of power but I know this year could have been very different."

Julian Simon, Repsol Honda: 6th."Not so bad in
the end. My start was not so god - the worst of
this year and I apologise to the team for that.
But I worked hard after the and pushed really
hard and caught the group and was able to stay
with them till the end. The bike was good,
chassis, engine and suspension, even in T13 where
I was having trouble in qualifying. I have
enjoyed this season and thank my team for
everything. Now we get ready for next year and I
hope to improve again and get on the podium."

Yukio Takahashi, Kopron Scot Honda: 8th."I made a
very bad start and at the first corner I braked
too strong, so many riders passed me. Then I
tried to recover position but from the middle of the race
on I maintained a fast pace but I wasn't able to
reach the front because of the error at the
start. Anyway I'm satisfied about the progress I
have made and I'm optimist for the next season. From now on I can just grow."

Ratthapark Wilairot, Thai Honda
PTT-SAG: 15th."It was important to be back in
top 15, but a mistake at the start and another at
the end of race prevented me to secure a better
result. Anyway I think I had a good race, I was
on the pace and I could fight with Baldolini
until the end. It's the end of the season and I'd
like to thank the team and our sponsors for their
support throughout the year, helping me in my
debut. I'm very thankful to them and I hope to
keep progressing like this in the future."

Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: 17th."Very bad race
for me my worst overall performance. Yesterday I
had a big crash and hurt my leg and hand - I had
took painkillers before the start but not enough
and my hand was painful in the race. My start was
not too bad and I could follow Julian (Simon)
Takahashi san and m brother Hiro but on lap three
I ran of the track. When I rejoined the race I
was almost last. I pushed again but finally I could only make 17th place."

Eugene Laverty, LCR Honda: 21st. "It's been a
tough year but I've learnt a lot. On the first
lap Fabrizio Lai crashed in front me and I ran
wide into the gravel but it's disappointing that
we could not find the set-up to go faster. I was having huge slides."


125cc.

Tito Rabat, Repsol Honda: 6th "I got a terrible
start and had to push really hard to make up
places. I passed many riders but when I got on to
the back of the last group I had to follow them.
After about mid-race the rear tyre performance
dropped off but only slowly and I could stay with
them But when Gadea caught and passed Pablo
(Nieto) I could not get passed and lost ground.
The only problem I had today was at T11 where the
engine was not picking-up, I don't know why but
anyway it wasn't a big problem. I have to thank
my team for the way they have helped me develop
and given me their best every week - we were the best Honda today."

Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: 8th "My start was
awesome I was third at the end of lap one! I just
tried to hang in there and had a good pace and it
was only down the straight that they could pass
me on power. After about 10 laps the rear started
to slide badly on the left hand corners and I was
lost the slipstream of the guys in front. After
that they could run high 39 lap times while I
could only run low 40s. I have had two top 10
finishes in the last two races and 10th in the
championship so I have to be happy with that. I
just wish to thank the team for everything they
have done for me - its been great working with them."

Alexis Masbou, FFM Honda: 14th "I had quite a
good start but after that I was a little too fast
entering the corners, with too much machine angle
on the exit to accelerate well, and that¹s why
the fast pack were able to move away early in the
race. Then Juan Olive passed me, and I was able
to catch a good pace again with better cornering
lines. The lap times just followed and I was able
to catch up. I finished the race on the side of
Ranseder with whom we exchanged positions quite a
few times. I thought I could pass him in the last
straight line before the flag, but we touched in
the last few hundred meters and the slipstreaming
effect wasn¹t enough for me to pass him on the
line. Once again, we saw today that finishing in
the points is far from easy, but we made it."

Danny Webb, Molenaar Honda: 21st."That was a
brilliant race I really enjoyed it. I got a good
start and was with a good group of about seven
and we were chasing the last championship point.
I would gain some places and then get re-passed.
But after about 17 laps my rear tyre started to
slide badly but I had a good lead over the next
group so I decided not to take any risks and finish the race."

Mike Di Meglio, Kopron Scot Honda: 23rd."Not a
good race for me. I crashed in the warm up this
morning - the front end closed on me just like
yesterday. Two crashes in two days is not so good
and I raced with a sore back and right forearm
and hand. I just could not concentrate my hand was too painful."

Joey Litjens, Molenaar Honda: 24th."Not a good
race for me at all! I crashed in practice and
hurt my shoulder and that mad braking very
difficult for me. I had a lot of pain and it
affected my concentration - I made too many silly
little mistakes. Pity because my bike was really very good all weekend."


Results

MotoGP
Race Classification MotoGP : (30 laps = 120.15 km)
Pos/ Rider / Nat / Team / Motorcycle / Time/ KM/H / Gap
1 / Dani PEDROSA / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / HONDA / 46'43.533 / 154.283 /
2 / Casey STONER / AUS / Ducati Marlboro Team /
DUCATI / 46'48.980 / 153.984 / 5.447
3 / John HOPKINS / USA / Rizla Suzuki MotoGP /
SUZUKI / 47'03.937 / 153.169 / 20.404
4 / Marco MELANDRI / ITA / Honda Gresini / HONDA / 47'08.360 / 152.929 / 24.827
5 / Loris CAPIROSSI / ITA / Ducati Marlboro Team
/ DUCATI / 47'09.337 / 152.876 / 25.804
6 / Chris VERMEULEN / AUS / Rizla Suzuki MotoGP /
SUZUKI / 47'09.395 / 152.873 / 25.862
7 / Alex BARROS / BRA / Pramac d'Antin / DUCATI / 47'13.003 / 152.678 / 29.470
8 / Nicky HAYDEN / USA / Repsol Honda Team /
HONDA / 47'13.866 / 152.632 / 30.333
9 / Randy DE PUNIET / FRA / Kawasaki Racing Team
/ KAWASAKI / 47'14.428 / 152.602 / 30.895
10 / Toni ELIAS / SPA / Honda Gresini / HONDA / 47'14.563 / 152.594 / 31.030
11 / Sylvain GUINTOLI / FRA / Dunlop Yamaha Tech
3 / YAMAHA / 47'22.296 / 152.179 / 38.763
12 / Carlos CHECA / SPA / Honda LCR / HONDA / 47'26.039 / 151.979 / 42.506
13 / Colin EDWARDS / USA / Fiat Yamaha Team /
YAMAHA / 47'30.105 / 151.762 / 46.572
14 / Shinya NAKANO / JPN / Konica Minolta Honda /
HONDA / 47'33.753 / 151.568 / 50.220
15 / Makoto TAMADA / JPN / Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 /
YAMAHA / 47'40.412 / 151.215 / 56.879


Pole Position: Dani PEDROSA 1'31.517 157.544 Km/h
Fastest Lap (New record): Dani PEDROSA 1'32.748 155.453 Km/h Lap 5
Circuit Record Lap: Loris CAPIROSSI 1'32.924 155.159 Km/h 2006
Circuit Best Lap: Valentino ROSSI 1'31.002 158.436 Km/h 2006

Final World Championship Positions:
1 STONER 367, 2 PEDROSA 242, 3 ROSSI 241, 4 HOPKINS 189, 5 MELANDRI 187,
6 VERMEULEN 179, 7 CAPIROSSI 166, 8 HAYDEN 127, 9 EDWARDS 124,
10 BARROS 115, 11 DE PUNIET 108, 12 ELIAS 104, 13 HOFMANN 65, 14 CHECA 65,
15 WEST 59.

Final Constructors standings
1 DUCATI 394, 2 HONDA 313, 3 YAMAHA 283, 4 SUZUKI 241, 5 KAWASAKI 144,
6 KR212V 14.




250cc
Race Classification 250cc: (27 laps = 108.135 km)
Pos / Rider / Nat / Team / Motorcycle / Time / KM/H / Gap
1 / Mika KALLIO / FIN / Red Bull KTM 250 / KTM / 43'28.349 / 149.246 /
2 / Alex DE ANGELIS / RSM / Master - Mapfre Aspar
/ APRILIA / 43'28.720 / 149.224 / 0.371
3 / Alex DEBON / SPA / Aprilia Racing / APRILIA / 43'35.146 / 148.858 / 6.797
4 / Andrea DOVIZIOSO / ITA / Kopron Team Scot /
HONDA / 43'35.229 / 148.853 / 6.880
5 / Hector BARBERA / SPA / Team Toth Aprilia /
APRILIA / 43'41.116 / 148.519 / 12.767
6 / Julian SIMON / SPA / Repsol Honda 250cc /
HONDA / 43'41.379 / 148.504 / 13.030
7 / Jorge LORENZO / SPA / Fortuna Aprilia /
APRILIA / 43'43.100 / 148.406 / 14.751
8 / Yuki TAKAHASHI / JPN / Kopron Team Scot /
HONDA / 43'44.786 / 148.311 / 16.437
9 / Thomas LUTHI / SWI / Emmi - Caffe Latte
Aprilia / APRILIA / 43'44.900 / 148.305 / 16.551
10 / Hiroshi AOYAMA / JPN / Red Bull KTM 250 /
KTM / 43'48.572 / 148.097 / 20.223
11 / Marco SIMONCELLI / ITA / Metis Gilera /
GILERA / 43'51.975 / 147.906 / 23.626
12 / Aleix ESPARGARO / SPA / Blusens Aprilia
Germany / APRILIA / 44'00.154 / 147.448 / 31.805
13 / Roberto LOCATELLI / ITA / Metis Gilera /
GILERA / 44'02.659 / 147.308 / 34.310
14 / Alex BALDOLINI / ITA / Kiefer - Bos - Sotin
Racing / APRILIA / 44'27.174 / 145.954 / 58.825
15 / Ratthapark WILAIROT / THA / Thai Honda
PTT-SAG / HONDA / 44'27.194 / 145.953 / 58.845


Pole Position: Mika KALLIO 1'35.166 151.503 Km/h
Fastest Lap (New record): Mika KALLIO 1'35.659 150.722 Km/h Lap 20
Circuit Record Lap: Dani PEDROSA 1'35.792 150.513 Km/h 2005
Circuit Best Lap: Hiroshi AOYAMA 1'35.109 151.594 Km/h 2006

Final World Championship Positions:
1 LORENZO 312, 2 DOVIZIOSO 260, 3 DE ANGELIS 235, 4 BAUTISTA 181,
5 BARBERA 177, 6 AOYAMA 160, 7 KALLIO 157, 8 LUTHI 133, 9 SIMON 123,
10 SIMONCELLI 97, 11 TAKAHASHI 90, 12 AOYAMA 90, 13 LOCATELLI 59,
14 LAI 49, 15 ESPARGARO 47.

Final Constructors standings
1 APRILIA 387, 2 HONDA 275, 3 KTM 226, 4 GILERA 116, 5 YAMAHA 4.



125cc:
Race Classification 125cc (24 laps = 96.12 km)
Pos / Rider / Nat / Team / Motorcycle / Time / KM/H / Gap
1 / Hector FAUBEL / SPA / Bancaja Aspar / APRILIA / 40'14.228 / 143.330 /
2 / Gabor TALMACSI / HUN / Bancaja Aspar /
APRILIA / 40'14.413 / 143.319 / 0.185
3 / Sergio GADEA / SPA / Bancaja Aspar / APRILIA / 40'14.514 / 143.313 / 0.286
4 / Mattia PASINI / ITA / Polaris World / APRILIA / 40'15.054 / 143.281 / 0.826
5 / Lukas PESEK / CZE / Valsir Seedorf Derbi /
DERBI / 40'15.106 / 143.278 / 0.878
6 / Esteve RABAT / SPA / Repsol Honda 125cc /
HONDA / 40'20.078 / 142.983 / 5.850
7 / Pablo NIETO / SPA / Blusens Aprilia / APRILIA / 40'23.266 / 142.795 / 9.038
8 / Bradley SMITH / GBR / Repsol Honda 125cc /
HONDA / 40'27.262 / 142.560 / 13.034
9 / Tomoyoshi KOYAMA / JPN / Red Bull KTM 125 /
KTM / 40'34.962 / 142.109 / 20.734
10 / Pol ESPARGARO / SPA / Belson Campetella
Aprilia / APRILIA / 40'35.230 / 142.094 / 21.002
11 / Nicolas TEROL / SPA / Valsir Seedorf Derbi /
DERBI / 40'35.574 / 142.074 / 21.346
12 / Simone CORSI / ITA / Skilled Racing Team /
APRILIA / 40'46.306 / 141.450 / 32.078
13 / Michael RANSEDER / AUT / Ajo Motorsport /
DERBI / 40'53.770 / 141.020 / 39.542
14 / Alexis MASBOU / FRA / FFM Honda GP 125 /
HONDA / 40'53.776 / 141.020 / 39.548
15 / Randy KRUMMENACHE / SWI / Red Bull KTM 125 /
KTM / 40'53.934 / 141.011 / 39.706


Pole Position: Gabor TALMACSI 1'39.029 145.593 Km/h
Fastest Lap (New record): Hector FAUBEL 1'39.380 145.079 Km/h Lap 7
Circuit Record Lap: Hector FAUBEL 1'39.574 144.796 Km/h 2006
Circuit Best Lap: Gabor TALMACSI 1'39.029 145.593 Km/h 2007

Final World Championship Positions:
1 TALMACSI 282, 2 FAUBEL 277, 3 KOYAMA 193, 4 PESEK 182, 5 PASINI 174,
6 CORSI 168, 7 GADEA 160, 8 OLIVE 131, 9 ESPARGARO 110, 10 SMITH 101,
11 RABAT 74, 12 RANSEDER 73, 13 KRUMMENACHER 69, 14 CORTESE 66,
15 NIETO 57

Final Constructors standings
1 APRILIA 410, 2 DERBI 199, 3 KTM 196, 4 HONDA 146.

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Billy McKenzie survives Spanish mudbath to keep championship leaders insight

Results Belpuig

2008 FIM MX1 / MX2 World Motocross Championship
Round 02 of 15 Sunday April 20 2008
Grand Prix of Spain, Bellpuig

Crowd: 15,324.
Weather:
Saturday – Mostly sunny with variable wind and light showers, 16 deg C
Sunday – Overcast with heavy rain, 12 deg C

Billy McKenzie survives Spanish mudbath to keep championship leaders insight

Controversy and the cancellation of the second MX1 moto brought a premature end to the Grand Prix of Spain at Bellpuig today, the second round of this year’s FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship. In what have been described as the worst conditions for a world championship motocross race ever, CAS Honda rider Billy McKenzie was Honda’s sole points scorer as Martin Honda rider Marc De Reuver was disqualified and both Julien Bill and Mike Brown struggled to slog their way through the deep muddy conditions.

After the riders enjoyed almost perfect track conditions for Saturday’s qualifying sessions, heavy overnight rain turned the Bellpuig circuit into a sodden mess for race day. Despite the prospect of less than ideal racing conditions more than 15,000 Spanish fans poured into the Bellpuig circuit to see the world’s best motocross racers.

From the start of moto one both MacKenzie and De Reuver got away inside the top five but hit trouble during the carnage of the opening circuit. Along with fellow factory supported Honda riders Julien Bil and Mike Brown, they finished the first lap outside of the top-20.

While McKenzie – who was clearly enjoying the conditions – began to carve his way through the pack De Reuver was shown the black flag. The Martin Honda rider was disqualified after the start marshal claimed the Dutchman had ridden around the inside of the start gate as it fell. With no chance to appeal De Reuver’s disqualification is final.

McKenzie reached as high as fifth place before the grinding muddy conditions destroyed his brake pads slowing his progress. The problem had already cost the 24-year-old Scotsman one position to Tanel Leok before he crashed on the final lap trying to get around lapped rider Max Nagl. He finally finished his turbulent race in eighth position. MacKenzie was the only Honda points scorer in the race won by reigning world champion Steve Ramon.

American rider Mike Brown found the deep mud conditions difficult on his CAS Honda and is unable to battle through the pack after losing his goggles early in the race.

Honda Martin’s Swiss star Julien Bill had a similar race to Brown and after a promising start on his factory Honda but lost a lot of time retrieving the CRF450R from an impassable rut. Continuing to circulate until the end Bill finished pointless in 21st position.

The second MX2 moto was red flagged in the chaotic closing stages of the race when one of the stepped Bellpuig hills became blocked with fallen riders, the track was now virtually unridable. The MX1 riders met to discuss the safety aspect of racing of racing on the waterlogged track where many deep holes were hidden by surface water and mud, consequently the second MX1 race of the day was cancelled.

The world championship continues next weekend at Agueda for the Grand Prix of Portugal on April 20

Roger Harvey – Honda Off-Road coordinator: “It was a shame for Billy MacKenzie to lose out the way he did on the last lap. He had a great ride to come through the pack after his trouble on the first lap, up to fifth place. It was an excellent ride from him considering the conditions.
“Mike Brown struggled with mud in his eyes, all the riders had trouble with it but his seemed to be particularly bad. He’d have been struggling to start the second race because they were so bad but of course he was ready to race if it hadn’t been cancelled.”

“There’s a bit of controversy regarding Marc De Reuver, the organisers said that he started on the outside of the gate although Marc flatly denies this. The Honda Martin team have had to accept the decision of the race organisers and of course it’s too late to do anything about it as they black-flagged him during the race. I was upset that they came to the team to actually make the black-flag action as I believe it’s their job to do that and it should not be left up to the team to stop the rider.”

“Julien Bill struggled a little bit in these conditions today and he found it pretty hard work.”

“The second race was cancelled as the riders decided that they didn’t want to ride in the interests of safety. I can sympathise with that because when you look at the first turn – and what happened to Tommy Searle at the start of the second MX2 moto – aquaplaning across the deep water was obviously an issue. The organisers had tried their hardest to drain the water but there was nothing they could do so I agree that it was probably the right decision not to start.”

Billy MacKenzie – CAS Honda: “I got a bad start and got totally filled in going down the start straight but I came out of the first corner in about fourth place. I tried to fight my way forward during the first few corners but chose the wrong rut in a corner and it was very deep and I got stuck and stalled the motor so was back in last place. I got going again and I was coming through the pack and it was just awesome – I was loving it! I passed so many people I was soon up to fifth position and felt like I could go even further but then I lost all my brakes and it caused me to go down again – a couple of times. On the last lap I tried to go around Nagl – who was actually a lap down – and I crashed again and ended up eighth.”

Mike Brown – CAS Honda: “It was not a very good day for me because of the weather even though I know it was the same for everybody and we all had to ride the same track. I struggled off the start and from then on it was just a mess – the goggles came off and my eyes got full of dirt and had a few crashes. I think it was a good decision to cancel the second race because the conditions were a little dangerous.”

Marc De Reuver – Martin Honda: “I took the complete inside gate pick because many of my rivals were starting in the middle and I thought that if I start on the inside it would be much better for the first corner. My rut was full of mud and water so I started outside of the rut but still behind the gate. I was second off the start, which was good, but I got showered with mud and had to come in for fresh goggles. I was progressing well again until I saw on my pit board that I was disqualified and had to pull out but when I passed the finish there was no black flag there so I carried on. But my mechanics stopped me the next lap and took me out of the race.

“I asked what was going on and was told the organisers had said that I rode around the start gate which is not possible because there is a hay bale there. I’ve looked over and over again at the video and it’s clearly obvious that I passed over the gate. The race director would not enter into any discussion over the matter even though I asked him to show me on the video what I had done – all they would say is that it didn’t matter because the marshal had seen me do it. I was in 12th place when they pulled me out and there was still 15 minutes left to go so who knows what position I could have got to – I’ve lost out on a lot of points here because of their mistake.

“I was keen to race the second moto to make up some points but I agree that it was dangerous and so the correct decision – not to race – was made.”

Julien Bill – Martin Honda: “I had a good start and the first lap was pretty good for me also but I came into a really deep rut and got stuck with the bike. I needed four or five minutes to get out of the rut before I could continue with the race. I don’t even know how it was possible to ride around this track, it was unbelievable and I’ve never seen a track this bad before. I’m happy I finished the race but I’m disappointed I just missed out on the points by one place.”


Results Motocross

MX1 Race 1 (15 laps 23.19 Km
Pos / Rider / Nat. / Bike / Time
1 / Ramon, Steve / BEL / Suzuki / 40:49.290
2 / Philippaerts, David / ITA / Yamaha / 41:24.751
3 / de Dycker, Ken / BEL / Suzuki / 41:38.825
4 / Coppins, Joshua / NZL / Yamaha / 42:11.431
5 / Leok, Tanel / EST / Kawasaki / 42:52.820
6 / Strijbos, Kevin / BEL / Kawasaki / 43:14.404
7 / Church, Tom / GBR / Kawasaki / 43:17.595
8 / Mackenzie, Billy / GBR / Honda / 43:30.066
9 / Desalle, Clement / BEL / Suzuki / 40:54.957
10 / Freibergs, Lauris / LAT / Yamaha / 40:57.641
11 / Salvini, Alex / ITA / Suzuki / 41:16.993
12 / Nemeth, Kornel / HUN / KTM / 41:18.617
13 / Chiodi, Alessio / ITA / TM / 41:21.247
14 / Noble, James / GBR / KTM / 41:31.631
15 / Priem, Manuel / BEL / Kawasaki / 41:35.524
Fastest Lap: COPPINS Joshua in 2:35.581 on lap 9


MX1 Race 2 cancelled due to bad weather


MX1 World Motocross Championship Standings
Pos Rider Total
1 de Dycker, Ken 70, 2 Ramon, Steve 63, 3 Philippaerts, D. 55, 4 Coppins, J. 47,
5 Mackenzie, B. 46, 6 Nagl, M. 40, 7 Strijbos, K. 36, 8 Priem, Manuel 35, 9 Nemeth, Kornel 33,
10 Leok, Tanel 26, 11 Desalle, C. 22, 12 Barragan, J. 20, 13 Church, Tom 20, 14 Leok, Aigar 20, 15 Freibergs, L. 16




MX2 Race 1 (16 laps 24.736 Km)
Pos / Rider / Nat. / Bike / Time
1 / Rattray, Tyla / RSA / KTM / 41:43.976
2 / Cairoli, Antonio / ITA / Yamaha / 42:47.948
3 / Guarneri, Davide / ITA / Yamaha / 42:55.960
4 / Sword, Stephen / GBR / Kawasaki / 43:00.952
5 / Tarroux, Jeremy / FRA / KTM / 43:10.578
6 / Monni, Manuel / ITA / Yamaha / 43:26.076
7 / Aubin, Nicolas / FRA / Yamaha / 43:44.119
8 / Musquin, Marvin / FRA / Honda / 43:52.480
9 / Simpson, Shaun / GBR / KTM / 43:55.809
10 / Searle, Tommy / GBR / KTM / 43:59.096
11 / Boog, Xavier / FRA / Suzuki / 44:04.100
12 / Frossard, Steven / FRA / Kawasaki / 44:08.893
13 / Bobryshev, Evgeniy / RUS / Yamaha / 44:38.707
14 / Nunn, Carl / GBR / Suzuki / 42:02.773
15 / Lupino, Alessandro / ITA / Yamaha / 42:06.096
Fastest Lap: AUBIN Nicolas in 2:23.580 on lap 1


MX2 Race 2 (10 laps 15.46 Km)
Pos / Rider / Nat. / Bike / Time
1 / Guarneri, Davide / ITA / Yamaha / 31:35.087
2 / Monni, Manuel / ITA / Yamaha / 34:07.782
3 / Paulin, Gautier / FRA / Kawasaki / 34:16.381
4 / Goncalves, Rui / POR / KTM / 35:15.782
5 / Roelants, Joel / BEL / KTM / 29:50.830
6 / Pellegrini, Angelo / ITA / KTM / 30:05.685
7 / Sword, Stephen / GBR / Kawasaki / 32:49.354
8 / Searle, Tommy / GBR / KTM / 33:18.379
9 / van Horebeek, Jeremy / BEL / KTM / 29:28.755
10 / Bobryshev, Evgeniy / RUS / Yamaha / 30:39.061
11 / Cairoli, Antonio / ITA / Yamaha / 33:37.797
12 / Boog, Xavier / FRA / Suzuki / 28:54.801
13 / Krestinov, Gert / EST / KTM / 30:31.190
14 / Simpson, Shaun / GBR / KTM / 32:51.797
15 / Aubin, Nicolas / FRA / Yamaha / 37:52.037
Fastest Lap: GUARNERI Davide in 2:51.025 on lap 4


MX2 World Motocross Championship Standings
Pos Rider Total
1 Rattray, Tyla 79, 2 Cairoli, A. 76, 3 Guarneri, D. 61, 4 Searle, Tommy 60,
5 Goncalves, Rui 51, 6 Monni, Manuel 48, 7 Simpson, Shaun 47, 8 Aubin, Nicolas 47,
9 Sword, Stephen 46, 10 Boog, Xavier 45, 11 Roelants, Joel 43, 12 Eggens, Erik 38,
13 van Horebeek, J. 35, 14 Paulin, G. 26, 15 Tarroux, J. 26.

*****Nicky Hayden MotoGP World Champion!*****

The 'Kentucky Kid' is now the 2006 MotoGP World Champion. Nicky Hayden has
taken on the best riders in the world and triumphed in what has been a
gruelling 17-race season spanning the globe - the toughest task in
motorcycle racing.

McGuinness brakes 130mph average speed setting new record and wins Senior TT! [Honda CBR1000RR]

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

John McGuinness provided a scorching climax to the Isle of Man Centenary TT Festival as he won the prestigious Senior race at record breaking pace for Honda as the Japanese marque repeated their 1-2-3 finish of the opening Superbike race. Riding the HM Plant liveried Honda Fireblade McGuinness was 30 plus seconds ahead of Hydrex Honda rider Guy Martin at the finish with Ian Hutchinson third for HM Plant Honda.

Lancastrian McGuinness had ridden brilliantly around the 37.73 mile Mountain Course, setting a furious pace from the off as he blasted his HM Plant Honda into the opening lap, increasing his own outright record in the process, although there was better to come from him with an astonishing second lap at an average speed of 130.354mph.

Making that all the more incredible was that McGuinness had to ease off somewhat, as he slowed down to pit, and take on fuel and have a rear wheel change. He was running rampant, rejoining the action and increasing his lead, mile by mile, as he shrugged aside the challenge of Guy Martin with Ian Hutchinson running a, by now, distant third.

McGuinness confirmed his mastery of the Mountain, opening up his advantage mile by mile on his high-speed dash around the Island, to take the victory by 32.73 seconds from Martin who had been slowed a little in the final third by the drive chain jumping on the sprocket.

"Absolutely unbelievable. To beat the 130mph mark is just fantastic. It's just amazing. The bike was perfect throughout and I gave it everything all of the way. I was trying really hard, and I had a great team around me, and they delivered the goods with the pit-stops," enthused McGuinness who had won, and elevated the outright record a century from the pioneering first Senior race victory taken by Charlie Collier at a more leisurely 38.22mph.

"People say to me, you've got the best bike, but you have still got to ride it and get the best out of it. I really enjoyed the race and I am so proud to have won this special race. It's been great. The Superbike race win meant a lot, this one even more," add the race winner.

"When I was an apprentice bricklayer I never thought that I would be racing here, let alone being here to win 13 races. It is just an incredible feeling - the job's a good one."

McGuinness however is considering his future in the event. "I might just hang up my leathers - I've got the same feeling that I had last year after winning these two races. What else do I have to prove?

"I've been coming here eleven times but enjoy riding the course. We'll just have to see but I am thinking about not coming back - I've ridden my heart out all week, finishing in the top three in all races." He had capped a remarkable week, in which he had also taken second placings in both the Supersport and Superstock events.

Californian Mark Miller finished 17th today.

The race was marred by an incident on the final lap at Joeys, on the Mountain section in which a rider and two other people received fatal injuries. The race organizers will not provide any other details until all next of kin have been informed.

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

Results Senior TT, Friday 8th June 2007

Total No. of Completed Laps - 335 Total Mileage - 12639.55

Pos / Rider / Bike / Team / Time / Speed
1 / John McGuinness / 2007 Honda Fireblade
1000cc / H M Plant Honda Racing / 01 46 44.23 / 127.255
2 / Guy Martin / 2007 Honda 1000cc / Hydrex Honda / 01 47 16.96 / 126.608
3 / Ian Hutchinson / 2007 Honda CBR 1000cc / H
M Plant Honda Racing / 01 48 04.60 / 125.677
4 / Ian Lougher / 2007 Honda CBR
1000cc / Stobart Motorsport / 01 49 08.12 / 124.458
5 / Adrian Archibald / 2007 Suzuki GSXR
1000cc / Relentless by TAS / 01 49 21.61 / 124.202
6 / Conor Cummins / 2007 Yamaha YZF R1
1000cc / Team Millsport / 01 49 47.86 / 123.708
7 / Steve Plater* / 2007 Yamaha R1 1000cc / AIM
Racing / 01 50 21.67 / 123.076
8 / Michael Rutter / 2007 Kawasaki ZX10 R
1000cc / MSS Discovery / 01 50 42.22 / 122.695
9 / Ian Armstrong / 2004 Yamaha R1
1000cc / Canteen Smithy / 01 51 56.08 / 121.346
10 / James McBride / 2007 Yamaha R1 1000cc / 01 51 59.14 / 121.29
11 / Chris Palmer / 2005 Yamaha R1
1000cc / Solway Slate & Tile / 01 52 10.23 / 121.091
12 / Ian Pattinson / 2006 Suzuki GSXR
1000cc / Martin Bullock Racing / 01 52 34.07 / 120.663
13 / Gary Carswell / 2007 Kawasaki ZX10R
1000cc / Bolliger Kawas / 01 52 44.30 / 120.481
14 / Mark Buckley / Suzuki GSXR
1000cc / Crossan Motorcycles / 01 52 53.42 / 120.319
15 / Les Shand / 2006 Honda CBR 1000cc / Barron
Transport / 01 53 35.52 / 119.575

Fastest Lap - 3 John McGuinness 17 mins 21.99 secs 130.354 mph

RS125R/RS250R Availability information

Information as of 1/7/2007 regarding availability of current model [or non-current] RS125/250R HRC GP 2-stroke Racer.

We have been receiving lots of calls regarding RS availability. Let me give you the facts. As the official Honda HRC representative in North America, we are at the mercy of American Honda regarding vehicle and parts stocking.

The good news is the parts division is still fully up to speed, and we still have currently [and plan on doing so] a huge supply of HRC parts for the RS125/250R's. Their are times when we must re-load our supply which may cause a 60-90 day waiting period for some items since we are waiting on them from HRC japan and must put in a large stocking order to keep them happy.

Now the bad news is on the vehicle side. Since we are at the mercy of American Honda, we must abide by their decisions regarding the stocking of current model RS's [which at this time are a carry-over model]. Our orders usually go in by around Sept for February delivery. For the 2006, 2007, and what looks to be the 2008 season, we requested units, American Honda did not supply. This of course challenges us, and we apoligize for this problem. At this time it looks like American Honda has officially ended bringing in any [officially] for the forseable future. Grey market dealers who send buyers to Japan directly and buy from Honda/HRC dealerships directly will be your best bet at this time to acquire any RS models. We hope you understand, and we are equally frustrated.

[News udpate!! Honda has just announced at our Annual 2008 Honda Dealer Show the creation of a Honda CRF250X powered 4-stroke single in a Moriwaki Chassis that will be available in limited numbers in the USA for racers. Unknown distribution at this time. Pictures available on our 2008 Honda Dealer Show info posted in our photo gallery]. We hear they have commited to this endeavor and were planning on a large official presentation at the Dealer Show, but again, some last minute internal debate has squashed the idea at this time. Similar to the bringing in a few years ago the Full Superbike Race kits for the RC-51 and then the Standard Race version CBR1000RR and CBR600RR. Contact HRCA [Honda Riders Club of America] direct at American Honda for possible race series info using this new model.