Valencia GP. Previous info

The Repsol riders have the chance to say goodbye to the 2002 season with the victories in the three categories
Valentino Rossi, Fonsi Nieto, Toni Elias and Dani Pedrosa will be taking the start as favourites in Valencia
 After fifteen Grand Prix, seven months of activity and 375 points at stake, The 2002 Motorcycle World Championship, will end next Sunday, November 3 at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia. For the Repsol riders, with only one race left to go, the balance of the season is totally positive, considering the title clinched by Valentino Rossi and his new Repsol Honda RCV211 V, and the vice-championship obtained by Fonsi Nieto in the 250cc. Valentino Rossi has had a spectacular performance this season in the new MotoGP class, where he managed to get, for the moment, a total of 335 points, eleven victories and three second places. His team-mate Tohru Ukawa, winner of one Grand Prix and second in the overall classification during most of the season, will try to clinch the vice-world-champion title at the MotoGP race in Valencia. In order to do so, the brave Japanese rider will have to finish ahead of Max Biaggi who is right now in second position and one point ahead of Ukawa. Fonsi Nieto, with the vice-world-championship title already in his hands, arrives in Valencia ready to offer a victory to all his fans, thus closing a very good season the best way he could do. It obviously wont be an easy job for him, considering that the recently crowned World Champion, the Italian Marco Melandri, will offer resistance as will do his team-mate, Toni Elias. Elias, who has the possibility to finish fourth in the overall classification in his rookie season in the 250cc class, thus becoming the best rookie of the category, has shown a great progression along the season and has already experienced what it means to win a race. With the title already decided and racing at home, Elias will surely be the third in the fight for the victory. Marco Melandri and Fonsi Nieto wont be alone in Valencia. And in the minor category, Dani Pedrosa will finally have to resign himself to the third overall place in the Championship, no matter how he finishes the race in Valencia this Sunday. For Alberto Puigs pupil, the third overall place is a good result, despite having had chances to fight for the title until the Australian Grand Prix. Seven points are what his team-mate Joan Olivé needs to be among the top ten of the overall classification. Olivé, who, with his ninth place in Australia, managed to reduce the gap between him and Kallio and Borsoi, ninth and tenth in the overall standings, will try to finish this season in Valencia with a good result that will give him a place among the top ten of the overall classification.