In the season finale of the Valencia MotoGP, Casey Stoner concluded his championship year with an overtaking maneuver on Ben Spies down the final straight to secure victory today.
The newly crowned world champion, who secured the title on October 16, completed the race in 48 minutes and 18.645 seconds. Spies closely trailed him, finishing just 0.015 seconds behind amid light rain on the 2.5-mile Comunitat Valenciana Circuit.
Stoner initially pulled away from the start, appearing to be in control as he increased his lead to over ten seconds during the 13th lap of the 30-lap race. However, with rain intensifying near the end and teams preparing their rain bikes in the pit, both Andrea Dovizioso from Repsol Honda and Spies began to close the gap.
On lap 28, Spies overtook Dovizioso for second place and seized the lead after Stoner encountered a false neutral and veered wide during a right turn. For the last two laps, Spies dictated the pace until the closing moments when Stoner managed to get a much better exit from the final left turn 14, driving past Spies to clinch his ten race victory of the year by a mere 0.015 seconds.
“The conditions were very challenging to navigate, and the race followed suit,” stated Stoner, the 2011 MotoGP World Champion. “From the start, it was raining intermittently throughout the race. Each corner presented different levels of challenge lap after lap, making it tough to gauge how aggressively to approach each turn.
“We initially built a solid lead and felt quite comfortable. When the rain intensified, I would ease off a bit and let them close in, then I was able to extend my lead again. Overall, I felt good; the bike was performing well. As we progressed, the rain started to pour down heavier, which made corners challenging, particularly when the rear of the bike slipped. I decided that if they caught me, I would maintain a pace I felt comfortable with. If someone did pass, I could gauge the limits from their speed and grip.
“Ben (Spies) passed me after a minor mistake on my part when I hit neutral. He was riding superbly, smoothly navigating the corners. I was able to catch him a little on the brakes and at some acceleration points. In other areas, he was just flowing effortlessly, and I figured I wouldn’t have another opportunity without taking risks. As the last half of the final lap approached, I thought to myself, ‘This is it. This is our last lap of the year,’ and I resolved to go for broke, taking some risks I hadn’t throughout the season. Fortunately, it turned out well for us.
“We caught up to Ben just as we entered the final turn, and I got an excellent run out of it. I doubt I could have executed a better maneuver heading into that final straight and managed to pip him at the line. Apologies to Ben, but I’m quite pleased to conclude the season this way.”
This victory preserved Stoner’s impressive record of podium finishes in every race he completed. The only blemish on his otherwise flawless season was his unfortunate incident during the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez, where he was knocked down and out by Valentino Rossi (Ducati Marlboro).
Rossi, too, faced a tough day today,teammate Nicky Hayden, along with Pramac Racing Ducati’s Randy de Puniet. As the race approached its first turn, Rizla Suzuki’s Alvaro Bautista made contact with Dovizioso’s rear wheel, resulting in a crash; Bautista hit the ground, sliding to his right and taking out Rossi, de Puniet, and Hayden, who all fell in quick succession, with Rossi landing atop Bautista’s Suzuki GSV-R800. Neither rider managed to continue after the incident. In an act of sportsmanship, Bautista later visited the different pit boxes to express his apologies.
The season concluded with Stoner amassing 350 points, compared to Jorge Lorenzo’s 260, the Yamaha rider who missed the race due to recovering from a finger injury sustained in Australia three weeks prior. Andrea Dovizioso from Repsol Honda secured third place in the championship by finishing third, while his teammate Dani Pedrosa came in fifth. Positioned between them was Cal Crutchlow of Monster Yamaha Tech 3, achieving a career-best finish of fourth, surpassing his previous best of seventh in Catalunya. Crutchlow’s top finish of the season earned him the rookie of the year title, outperforming Karel Abraham, the Czech rider who fell from fourth place on the final lap.
Stoner started strong and appeared set to win until the closing moments of the race, while Dovi and Pedrosa engaged in a fierce battle for second. Spies was ready to capitalize on any mistakes made by either rider, but neither faltered. Taking the initiative, Spies passed Dovi on the 26th lap at the right-hand turn five; by that point, Pedrosa had fallen back significantly and was subsequently overtaken by both Crutchlow and Abraham. Spies then pursued Stoner, setting the stage for a final lap showdown. When it came down to the finish, Stoner’s Honda had the upper hand, securing his 34th and final victory of the 800cc era.
“It was a weird race for us, because obviously the way the conditions were…it was very tricky,” Spies stated following his first podium finish since the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, and his fourth podium of the year. “Once the race got underway, I saw Dani and Dovi battling it out. I was aware they were contending for the championship too. I was monitoring their tire choices against mine, just waiting to see how things would unfold and hoping to capitalize if there was an opening.”
“Then it started to rain quite heavily, I made a few passes, and suddenly Casey was in front of us; I followed him for a while until he made a mistake and I seized the opportunity to pass. Once I got out front, the rain intensified, and without anyone ahead of me, it was challenging to assess the track’s grip. In the last two laps, I thought, this could be for first or second place; we need to secure a podium finish, but maybe we could even win. I wanted to maintain consistency.”
“He took a few risks in the final two corners, which allowed him to catch us. I aimed for a good run out of the last corner, but we were a bit short on power crossing the line; that’s just how it goes.”
“I’m pleased to conclude the season like this, especially after what I’ve been through. This month has been tough, actually.” Spies experienced serious rib damage from a crash in Australia, his second, and he also crashed in Malaysia and again this weekend in Valencia. “This weekend’s weather was dreadful, but we finished with a solid result, and I’m looking forward to testing on Tuesday and Wednesday as we gear up for the next season.”
With 228 points to Pedrosa’s 219, Dovi concluded the season in third. Spies finished fifth with 176 points.
Pedrosa struggled in the latter stages, succumbing to both Karel Abraham of Cardion AB Motoracing Ducati and Crutchlow. He managed to regain one position when Abraham crashed during the last lap, ultimately granting Abraham the rookie of the year honors. Nonetheless, he lostThird in the championship, his outgoing teammate Dovizioso, who would join the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team on Tuesday for the test, was a significant presence.
“Yeah, it’s been a difficult weekend, and this track poses quite the challenge for me,” he remarked after achieving his first premier class podium at Valencia. “Competing for the championship with Dani on this track was really tough; I needed an intelligent strategy. The conditions were a bit unusual, so my aim was to stay ahead of him and block him out since he was a tad faster here. As I couldn’t keep up, I focused on overtaking whenever possible, and the strategy worked out well, so I feel really happy about that.
“I also want to express my gratitude to the team and to Honda because they have been exceptional. I’m truly sorry to leave, but my future lies with Yamaha, and I’m delighted with finishing in third place. Securing that third spot in the last race in Spain, at Valencia, was really crucial for me.”
Katsuaki Nakasuga, Yamaha’s test rider, claimed sixth place while stepping in for the injured Lorenzo. Nakasuga battled it out with Josh Hayes from Monster Yamaha Tech 3 for a significant part of the race before managing to pull ahead. Hayes impressively finished seventh in his first MotoGP race.
Following them were Karel Abraham and Pramac Racing Ducati’s Loris Capirossi, who was concluding his 22-year racing career with this event.
In his last race aboard the LCR Honda MotoGP RC212V, Toni Elias secured the tenth spot. Hector Barbera (Mapfre Aspar MotoGP) and Hiroshi Aoyama, the rider for San Carlo Honda Gresini making a switch to the Ten Kate Honda World Superbike team, rounded out the final two positions.
Valencia MotoGP Results:
1. Casey Stoner (Honda)
2. Ben Spies (Yamaha) .015
3. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) 5.921
4. Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) 8.718
5. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 9.321
6. Katsuaki Nakasuga (Yamaha) 23.818
7. Josh Hayes (Yamaha) 33.118
8. Karel Abraham (Ducati) 37.952
9. Loris Capirossi (Ducati)
10. Toni Elias (Honda)
11. Hector Barbera (Ducati)
12. Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda)
Earlier in the day, the riders performed a lap of honor and gathered on the track to pay tribute to Italian rider Marco Simoncelli, who tragically lost his life in an accident at the Malaysia GP two weeks prior.
