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 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 po ssible 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!
