Oz Racers around the World – October 2008

MotoGP- Final Round – Valencia

Casey Stoner has won the 18th and final round of the 2008 MotoGP World Championship, in front of 118,000 fans in hot and sunny conditions at Valencia.

Dani Pedrosa produced his usual swift getaway to take the lead from Stoner into turn one, but the Ducati rider dived underneath Pedrosa's special white machine at turn two - and was never threatened thereafter. Pedrosa did match Stoner during the early stages, the pair building a two-second lead over Nicky Hayden by lap five, but Pedrosa then began to fade and was 2.6sec behind Stoner by the halfway point.

Dani's only hope was that the warm race day weather - after two days of showers - and/or Stoner's injured wrist might cause the Australian to stumble in the closing stages, but Stoner remained metronomic to the chequered flag - winning his sixth race of the season by 3.390sec and handing Ducati second place in the constructors' championship. Stoner, the 2007 world champion, had already secured second in the 2008 standings ahead of Pedrosa.

All three 2008 MotoGP World Championships - riders', teams' and constructors' - were claimed by Valentino Rossi, Fiat Yamaha and Yamaha long before Valencia, but Rossi hopes of concluding the season with a tenth victory were dealt a severe blow when he managed just tenth place in qualifying.

The Italian was up to seventh by the end of lap one, then overtook Capirossi for sixth on lap 3, Dovizioso, was Rossi's next target. The Doctor dived inside Dovi with his inside foot off the pegs into turn one, then overtook both Tech 3's Colin Edwards and Hayden to take third position on lap 6. By that stage Pedrosa was 2.8sec in front of the #46, and any hopes of a victory were over as Rossi lost ground to both Stoner and Pedrosa. Rossi finished 8.8sec from Pedrosa at the line, but 11.9sec in front of fourth. Rossi thus finished off the podium just twice this season and ends the year with a 93 point championship advantage.

With MotoGP moving to a single tyre brand in 2009, Valencia marked Michelin's last grand prix, but any hopes of a dream farewell victory were over when third-on-the-grid Hayden began losing touch with the Bridgestone-shod race leaders. Nicky put up a stubborn defence, but saw his podium hopes end when Rossi moved past and was soon fighting a losing battle with his 2009 replacement Dovizioso to finish as the top Michelin rider. After being overtaken by Rossi, Dovizioso wisely clung to the Italian's rear wheel and followed in his wake past Edwards and then Hayden. The #69 initially repassed Dovizioso, but the former 125cc world champion made his second move permanent and kept fourth place by 2sec from Hayden at the chequered flag. Edwards finished in sixth position, a result which helped Tech 3 to claim fourth in the teams' world championship by just one point over Rizla Suzuki.

Rossi's team-mate Jorge Lorenzo confirmed fourth in the world championship and secured the 2008 Rookie of the Year title despite dropping from seventh on the grid to eleventh for the first half of the race. The top ten positions in the final world championship standings remained unchanged at Valencia with Rossi leading Stoner, Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Dovizioso, Edwards, Chris Vermeulen, Shinya Nakano and Capirossi. James Toseland had been hoping to snare a top ten ranking at the end of his rookie grand prix season, and began the race alongside team-mate Edwards in fifth. But the Englishman suffered a poor opening lap and rarely looked comfortable on his Michelin-shod M1.

Marco Melandri, riding in his final Ducati race before joining Kawasaki, looked like he might be able to salvage some pride from the final round as he worked his way from 18th and last on the grid to tenth on lap 24. But it all went wrong with just three laps to go, when a mistake left the Italian 16th, where he finished.
Randy de Puniet also made an error, running down the escape road on lap one. The Frenchman finished one place in front of Melandri to claim the final point for Honda LCR.

Missing from the 2009 MotoGP grid will be Anthony West, Nakano and Sylvain Guintoli: West, who will move to WSS next year, finished where he'd started in 17th for Kawasaki, while by contrast Nakano - tipped to join Aprilia's new WSBK effort - charged from 15th on the grid to seventh. All 18 riders finished the race, with Toni Elias a very distant last on his final Alice ride.

World Superbikes

Magny-Cours

Race 1: Troy Bayliss has wrapped up the 2008 World Superbike Championship in his swansong season after a comfortable ride to third in the first race at Magny-Cours. Bayliss needed just to keep both Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga in sight in order to secure the crown three races in advance. It was an easy task because Haga went on to win & Corser could only finish sixth. His third World Championship win is all the more poignant as Bayliss prepares to bring the curtain down on an illustrious motorbike career.

The race itself didn't quite go Bayliss' way as the Aussie rider got away quickly from third on the grid, slipping into the quick first left-hander ahead of Nieto and Haga, although the Japanese rider would get the better of his Spanish rival just a few corners later.

Haga quickly latched onto the back of Bayliss and, knowing it would be potentially dangerous to embark on a dual with a gaggle of bikes just behind, he allowed him to pass up the inside at the Adelaide hairpin. It was a shrewd move as Haga's searing pace saw him pull away, while Bayliss was able to be dragged along with him. Nieto, meanwhile, couldn't live with the pace and was embroiled in a heated tussle with Carlos Checa, team-mate Max Neukirchner, Troy Corser and Michel Fabrizio.

Checa got past on lap three, initially passing at Adelaide before Nieto punished him for running wide on the exit by overtaking again. However, the Honda was through again before the end of the lap. Checa did rally for some time, gradually reeling in the top two riders just as Bayliss was beginning to lose ground on Haga. Far from relaxing, Haga was riding his Yamaha visibly hard as he struggled for grip around the chilly French circuit.

Nonetheless, the method was working and he was getting a gap between himself and Bayliss, who in turn was now under pressure from his team-mate Michel Fabrizio. The Italian was providing much of the entertainment as he battled back from a ninth place starting position. Passing Corser, Neukirchner and Nieto with the same move into the left-hander, Fabrizio pulled off an identical pass on Checa on lap 13.

Checa's fortunes took a dramatic turn for the worse soon afterwards as he seemingly struggled with tyre woes. Plummeting down the order, Fabrizio was now third, with Nieto tailing him in fourth having seemingly found some late-race pace. Passing Fabrizio on lap 18, the Italian's attempts to wrestle it back ended rather abruptly four laps from the end when he under-sided off the track and out of the race at Estoril.

With his rear-gunner now missing in action, Bayliss simply decided to allow Nieto through into second place and concentrate on completing his title endeavour with a spot on the lower step of the podium. It was a task he completed comfortably as he crossed the line to the cheers of his Ducati team and the thousands of spectators descending on Magny-Cours to celebrate with him. Max Biaggi followed Bayliss in fourth after a late spurt in the closing stages, while Neukirchner was a quiet fifth after an error early on in the race saw him lose two places. Corser's title hopes faded with in sixth, the Aussie rider's strong start leading to what otherwise proved to be an unspectacular race.

Checa held on to seventh after a terrible few laps that eventually saw him finish 16 seconds off the leaders. The battle for the remainder of points remained open right up until the final stages of the race as the close mid-pack disputed the difference between eighth and 15th.

Leading the way was Yukio Kagayama, who completed a good start to the day for Suzuki in eighth, while Kenan Sofuoglu produced his best result of the season aboard the Ten Kate Honda in ninth.

Gregorio Lavilla was tenth, although not before Roberto Rolfo, David Checa, Ruben Xaus and Lorenzo Lanzi all retired from having briefly occupied positions inside the top ten. Their demise allowed Regis Laconi to finish a notable 11th, ahead of Karl Muggeridge in 12th, Sebastian Gimbert in 13th Shinichi Nakatomi in 14th and Chris Walker grabbing the final point in 15th.

Race 2: Troy Bayliss has completed his championship winning day in perfect style with a tremendously hard fought victory in the second World Superbike race of the day at Magny-Cours. Heading into the race safe in the knowledge that he can conclude his career with a third and final world title, Bayliss was keen to end his day on a high with what would be a 50th victory in his 150th race.

However, he still had to contend with Noriyuki Haga, who had dominated the first race for his third win in a row. Things looked good for the Japanese rider from the off, with Bayliss getting lead into the first corner, just as he did in race one, only for Haga to snatch it off him soon afterwards. Haga and Bayliss proceeded to try and pull away from the masses behind, initially led by Fonsi Nieto, only for him to be passed by Carlos Checa and Troy Corser on lap four.

Corser would soon get past Checa for third too as he made a determined bid to challenge up at the front from 12th on the grid. Indeed, it was turning out to be a spirited ride by Corser, who didn't take too long to catch Haga and Bayliss up at the front, the pair staying close together despite Haga's best attempts to break away.

It was all change on lap eight though as it became apparent that light rain was falling on certain parts of the circuit. Although it was never enough for the race to be put in doubt, it did do plenty to spook Haga, who lost the lead to Bayliss, before Corser followed through into second place a lap later.

However, with neither heavier rain nor a red flag following over the next couple of laps, Haga got his confidence back to pass Corser on lap ten before overtaking Bayliss for the lead on the run down to Lycee a lap later. Corser attempted a similar move soon afterwards, only to run wide on the exit and lose too much ground for him to make up again.

As such, attention turned to the dispute for victory between legendary sparring partners Haga and Bayliss. Although Bayliss dropped back ever so slightly as the race entered its final stages, he simply reeled in Haga with just a handful of laps remaining. Bayliss made his first move at Chateaux d'Eau four laps from home, but after running just ever so slightly wide, Haga simply dived back beneath him to re-take the lead. The same occurred a few corners later when Haga ran wide at Estoril, allowing Bayliss through, only for the two to swap places again when the Ducati wriggled out of the bend.

Bayliss' decisive move finally came on the penultimate lap, albeit at a somewhat surprising place. Seemingly getting a better run out of the 180 hairpin, Bayliss tailed Haga up to the high-speed Imola chicane and dived through as they dipped into the apex. Getting the crowd up to their feet, Haga attempted to respond but Bayliss had him covered and was able to enjoy the final lap of his ninth race win this year. Also bringing his victory tally up to an unprecedented 50 victories, Bayliss was thrilled to prevail in what could be his final direct head-to-head with Haga before he retires and hands his bike over to his rival.

Corser kept a watching brief to finish third, although the weekend has seen him lose his provisional runners-up spot to team-mate Haga now. Elsewhere, having looked as though he could be a factor mid-way through the race, Checa faded again, even if he was nonetheless still able to hold onto fourth place.

Ruben Xaus recovered from a dismal first race to record his best finish since victory at Misano back in June, the Spaniard resisting the attentions of Sterilgarda team-mate Max Biaggi to the finish line.

The Italian had spent much of the race in the chasing pack before breaking free in the latter stages, although he wasn't quite able to do anything about Xaus.

Yukio Kagayama got the better of his Suzuki team-mates to finish a solid seventh, the Japanese rider taking advantage as race one podium sitter Fonsi Nieto and Max Neukirchner perplexingly slid down the order. The trio would eventually finish seventh, eighth and ninth. Lorenzo Lanzi was a quiet 11th, ahead of Gregorio Lavilla and Jakub Smrz, the privateer riders having been able to get the better of Michel Fabrizio, who ran as high as seventh early on before dropping back down the field at an alarming rate. His retirement in the first race means he scores just two points this weekend.

World Supersport

Andrew Pitt added to his 2001 World Supersport crown with a race win that gave him the 2008 championship victory at Magny-Cours, making him only the second rider ever to take two full-status titles in this category. The 32-year-old Australian has had a truly cosmopolitan career since he came to Europe in 2000, having won WSB and WSS races, and competed in MotoGP, on various types of machines.

Intense and committed, Pitt has had his best season yet this year, having already won five races, a marked contrast to his first championship season when he never quite managed to win. Two wins during his attempted championship defence in 2002 allowed Pitt to leave WSS racing with another ambition fulfilled, but he never quite found the competitive ride in the GP paddock he so desired.

His return to the WSB paddock with Yamaha in 2005 showed he would be an even greater force the year after and he finished the 2006 season fifth overall, with a win at Misano. Another year in the GP wilderness was punctuated by a temporary return to WSS, and so strong were his performances for Hannspree Ten Kate Honda that he was offered a full-time ride this year.

He who scores the most points through the year is always the most deserving winner, but the nature of this particular title triumph, with five wins under his belt already, has satisfied Pitt's most recent ambition in a comprehensive and unforgettable fashion. In 51 WSS races, Pitt has scored 20 podiums, seven wins and three poles. Next year he's back in WSS again with his current team, going for a history-making third title.

AMA

Mat Mladin concluded the current era of AMA Superbike competition with a convincing victory at Laguna Seca on Sunday afternoon. While far from a nail-biting dogfight to the chequered flag, his conquering ride was perhaps a fitting finale with a series overhaul due in 2009.

After all, the Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki ace is the leading race winner (72) and pole sitter (55) in series history, and he upped his tally in both categories this weekend. The Australian also orchestrated yet another inch-perfect, lopsided victory from pole as he'd done so many times over the years.

The contest was also an appropriate final chapter to the great rivalry between Mladin and teammate Ben Spies. The two have proven to be almost perfectly matched adversaries, but somewhat surprisingly, they rarely duked it out on the track. One rider typically tore off from the start with the other failing to recover from a less than ideal launch. Such was the case again today, as three-time class champion Ben Spies suffered a poor start and spent the early laps dicing up past the likes of Eric Bostrom, Neil Hodgson and Miguel DuHamel, and finally Tommy Hayden.

Once Spies had made his way up to second, Mladin had already cleared off, so the champ picked up yet another top-two result as he's done frequently during his four-year run in the AMA Superbike class. Mladin took the chequered flag with a 12.581-second margin at the conclusion of the 28-lap race.

"It was a good race for us," Mladin said. "Obviously we had a good start and put our heads down and put in some good laps. I understand it's Ben's last race here so I certainly wanted to send him off with a win. I tried hard and it's good to get the win here at Laguna, a track he does very well at.

Runner-up Spies remarked, "We made a lot of passes so it was pretty fun. I just didn't get off the line that great. By the time we got into second, I could see the pace he was running, and the gap we had -- I'm not superhuman so there is no way that was going to happen. We just made it out Sunday farewell cruise. It was a good race and I had a lot of thoughts. I actually had a lot of fun riding out there. I'm looking forward to everything that's coming up."

Spies finished the 2008 AMA Superbike Championship campaign with 652 points to secure his third consecutive title victory. The Texan is widely tipped to be headed overseas next season with an announcement expected in a matter of days.

Mladin finished as the runner-up at 557 followed by DiSalvo, a distant third with 463 points.