Moto GP - Valencia 2007 finale (not the third Spanish GP)

[flying finn]

MotoGP Valencia (Comunitat Valenciar)

Friday 02.11
Free Practice #1 > 10.00 - 11.00
Free Practice #2 > 13.50 - 14.50

Saturday 03.11
Free Practice #3 > 10.00 - 11.00
Qualifying > 13.50 - 14.50

Sunday 04.11
Race > 14.00

MotoGP News > http://www.motogp.com/en/motogp/index.htm

Championship Standings
1. STONER Casey AUS > 347
2. ROSSI Valentino ITA > 241
3. PEDROSA Dani SPA > 217
4. MELANDRI Marco ITA > 174
5. HOPKINS John USA > 173
6. VERMEULEN Chris AUS > 169
7. CAPIROSSI Loris ITA > 155
8. EDWARDS Colin USA > 121
9. HAYDEN Nicky USA > 119
10. BARROS Alex BRA > 106
11. DE PUNIET Randy FRA > 101
12. ELIAS Toni SPA > 98
13. HOFMANN Alex GER > 65
14. CHECA Carlos SPA > 61
15. WEST Anthony AUS > 59

[flying finn]

really hope that Nicky Hayden has a great race, his last with the No 1 plate, he deserves to finish the season on a high

[Pro Racer]

well for me it's Casey top a perfect year off (hopefully the Aussie anthum sounds better this year.

[jhansen]

I'm just hoping for a shootout coming out of the last corner and I'll be happy.

But last year was something else, with the championship drama and Bayliss taking the win.

[gomick]

any wildcards entered - ben spies

[Gerben24]

Since 2002 I have been buying the Motogp season review dvd's. This last race will have to be REALLY special to make the 2007 review dvd worthwhile.

I don't think even Rossi took that much advantage out of a superior bike during his Honda period as Stoner has this year . I think he will win at Valencia.

The 125 championship has not been decided yet. Talmasci is lots of peoples favorite but it will not be easy to beat Faubel in his home country...

[Bleu]

Talmacsi needs third place. But in 125cc it's not easy to settle anywhere. There are lots of other riders who can also challenge for the top placings: Pasini, Koyama, Corsi, Pesek etc. And don't forget other Spaniards, although I'm not sure what Gadea will do, he is out of championship battle, both Talmacsi and Faubel are his team-mates.

Lorenzo hasn't won in Valencia yet.

Stoner took his first ever win here in 2003 (in 125cc).

[jhansen]

Seeing how strong the Ducati-Bridgestone combination was here last year, it's Stoner's race to lose in my opinion. He will be quick from the get go. The Ducati's low down grunt and electronics package will be awesome out of the slow corners and the bike seems to change direction good as well. Tough combination. Temperature will probably be a factor for the tires.

[Gerben24]

WooHoo! My name is on the left seat section. I don't understand why it doesn't make the bike faster

[chunder]

Haha, my name is on the right seat section, right at the edge!!

How cool is that

Does anyone know how many names are on the bike in total?

[jhansen]

Pedrobot on pole followed by Stoner and Hayden...

1. Dani Pedrosa (M) 1min 31.517 secs
2. Casey Stoner (B) 1min 31.603 secs
3. Nicky Hayden (M) 1min 31.903 secs
4. Randy de Puniet (B) 1min 31.963 secs
5. Sylvain Guintoli 1min 32.074 secs
6. Makoto Tamada (D) 1min 32.151 secs
7. John Hopkins (B) 1min 32.165 secs
8. Loris Capirossi (B) 1min 32.261 secs
9. Carlos Checa (M) 1min 32.273 secs
10. Marco Melandri (B) 1min 32.367 secs
11. Chris Vermeulen (B) 1min 32.617 secs
12. Alex Barros (B) 1min 32.714 secs
13. Shinya Nakano (M) 1min 32.730 secs
14. Toni Elias (B) 1min 32.790 secs
15. Colin Edwards (M) 1min 33.021 secs
16. Anthony West (B) 1min 33.231 secs
17. Valentino Rossi (M) 1min 33.290 secs
18. Kurtis Roberts (M) 1min 33.431 secs
19. Chaz Davies (B) 1min 34.436 secs

[jhansen]

Rossi had a ball fall during qualifying and broke bones in his hand. He will try to ride in warm-up, but his participation is in doubt.

http://www.crash.net/motorsport/moto...as_broken.html

If Hayden could have got the feeling he has on qualifiers when on race tires he may have won races this year...

Nice run from the Dunlop boys.

[Knowlesy]

To think the Valencian GP we had in store this time last year.... *sigh*

[gomick]

very good run for the dunlop boys - i hope guintoli does very well & tamada finishes 15th in his final gp

[chunder]

Well I am afraid there are 10 laps left and I have done it again, turned it off coz I was falling asleep.

Total and utter garbage as a spectacle, no overtaking to speak of and no sliding, three guys miles in front, the rest nowhere!

This needs dorting out and fast coz once Valentino has gone there IS nothing left unless Lorenzi can bring some sort of spark to the proceedings.

Total and utter waste of space for me, sorry.

[bestfit]

Originally Posted by chunder

Well I am afraid there are 10 laps left and I have done it again, turned it off coz I was falling asleep.

Total and utter garbage as a spectacle, no overtaking to speak of and no sliding, three guys miles in front, the rest nowhere!

This needs dorting out and fast coz once Valentino has gone there IS nothing left unless Lorenzi can bring some sort of spark to the proceedings.

Total and utter waste of space for me, sorry.

Smells Like Teen Spirit to me.
"Here we are now, entertain us."



It's amazing what you can see if you are willing to look.
I saw -
A stunning ride by Pedrobot to finally crack Stoner's dominance. Everything finally came together for Dani and he showed that the hype that has surrounded him is worth it.
I saw -
Another strong ride from Stoner. Couldn't quite match Dani's pace, but rode the wheels off the bike for the nearly the whole race trying to stay in touch and only backed off with 2 laps to go when it was obvious he wasn't going to catch Pedrosa.
I saw -
A typically gutsy ride from Hopper, fighting his way past Nicky and Marco to score a podium on his last ride for Suzuki. A fitting reward for a fine season.
I saw -
A stellar battle over many laps between Nicky and Marco. Cutting each other up and swapping places several times a lap. Some of the best racing of the season IMO.
I saw -
Nicky Hayden, in his last race with the Number 1 plate riding with the passion and heart that he has shown right throughout a dreadful season. Fighting as hard as he could while slowly slipping back through the field. The guy has a heart the size of Pharlap (aussie expression).
I saw -
A typical gutsy never say die ride by Rossi. Obviously doing it tough with a broken hand, he fought like only Rossi can to get himself into the points to keep his 2nd in the championship, only to see it all come to nothing when the Yamaha gave up the ghost. Only the 2nd time in his career he has finished outside the top 2, so it would have hurt.
I saw -
Another great ride through the field by Vermeulen from 11th to 6th and just missed getting Capirex on the line by 0.06 sec. It is a mystery to me why Chris can't qualify better. Every race seems to be the same, he is nowhere in practice and qualifying and then storms through the pack in the race.
I saw -
A great ride from Barros in his last ever GP after 20+ years. A similar ride to Vermeulen's, going from 12th to 7th.
I saw -
A variety of good dicing right throughout the pack. Barros/De Puniet, Checa/Edwards etc
I saw -
A mystifying race from Ant West. He was so far off the pace it wasn't funny. Spoiled his record of scoring points in every MotoGP race he has raced this year. I will be interested to hear what the problem was, mechanical problem, injuries from his practice crash or just a bad performance.

I guess I was watching a different channel to you Chunder.

/

[GORDON STREETER]

Love him or hate him Pedrosa was brilliant today and rode a good race.
Of course he had a home crowd pushing him all the way, also if you ask most people in Spain who he is, they all know. Ask a cross section of people in the UK who James Toseland is and you would get a different answer !!

[Knowlesy]

It was tedious, but that's valencia. Can't remember too many crackers there(apart from last year which was just raw emotion really). Still, a fitting end to a turgid season.

Fitting too that Rossi's engine blew up after all that effort!

But hey, roll on next season. I'm sure it'll be much better.

[jhansen]

I wasn't overly thrilled with the race, but it did have its moments. I thought the irony of Pedrosa passing Stoner on the straight was brilliant. Especially when thinking about Qatar many months ago. The Mlandri and Hayden fight was great. I read that Hayden had to use a wet weather set up to get the heat into his tires...wow.

And I disagree chunder, I saw some great slides. There was that shot of Hayden in the last corner with the rear clearly tracking on a completely different line from the front. And Dani nearly tucked the front in Turn 1 at one point.

The odd part I thought, only two Michelin runners in the top 10. This shows me just how well set up Pedrobot's bike was. And as Stoner said, that was one of the few weekends that they chased the setup. Otherwise though, a Bridgestone weekend.

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

It was tedious, but that's valencia. Can't remember too many crackers there(apart from last year which was just raw emotion really).

I think you're right, the track doesn't lend itself to great racing. But 2005 was a pretty good race with Mlandri and Hayden going at it.

[Hazza]

I went to bed after GG Gabor took the title. Yay!

See, there's more to MotoGP then the 800s!

[Knowlesy]

Yep, 125's was terrific again. Best race of the day easily.

The two lower series are vital for years where MotoGP goes all wrong.

[Gerben24]

We've been so spoiled over the last 3 or 4 years that this year has seemed a bit boring. Still, I enjoyed the last race, see bestfits post for all the highlights . The other classes where good as well, with Talmasci getting the title even tho Faubel tried every dirty trick thats in the book to slow him down. In 250 I knew de Angelis would finish 2nd, even when he was leading with more than 2 seconds. . It was a shame Dovisiozo couldn't get 3 from Debon during that last dice to the finish.

I think Valencia is great. To build a 4km track on such a small piece of land and still have overtaking oportunities and that great kink over the hill leading to the last corner... I love it! It must be great for the public as well and those fireworks are something else!

[Knowlesy]

Yes, 2006 was so unbeatably good that this year was always going to be disappointing I guess.

2006 will never be beaten.

[chunder]

Sorry just starting to lose interest in teh GP class a whole its all getting a little too formulaic for me.

I think part of the reason is that at least Vale used to play with his prey and then leave them in the end so you always thought you had seena good race coz even if he was playing he never REALLY knew what Sete of Max had left in the tank, where with Stoner he just Rods off into the distance and no one sees him most of the time. Same as Pedrobot when he wins.

Saving grace have beeen the 250 and 125 classes, watching the lunacy of riders in 125 and the genius of Dovi in 250 has been a highlight, also how KTM have come on late in the year with Kallio.

GP for me is like AMA, three or fur guys miles faster than everyone (depending on tyres!!) and the rest dont get a look in.

Look at teh facts, even on Sunday with Dani leading the director was plundering the midfield trying to find something intereting to watch!!

The bikess just dont look as exciting for me, they look too small and puny.

[gomick]

Congrats to Gabor Talmacsi on his Championship win - great ride at Valencia, thought the Spanish riders where going to mug him big time...

Great season for Casey Stoner - no dnf's , who would've thought that...