The final curtain came down on the 2008 season today. The Repsol Honda Team has ended the year with another podium for Dani Pedrosa and a 5th position for Nicky Hayden in the Comunitat Valenciana GP, round number 18 in the calendar. The Spanish rider, with this second position, has had a good year in his home country, winning two races and getting one second position. His teammate, Nicky Hayden, brought an end to his time with the Repsol Honda Team with a 5th place finish. Julián Simón had worse luck as he was forced to retire eight laps from the end after developing mechanical problems; this in spite of fighting for the victory at the start of the 250cc race. In 125cc, Esteve Rabat closed the year with a 10th position.
Almost 118 000 spectators went to the Circuito Ricardo Tormo de Cheste today to watch the final race of the 2008 World Championship. The Repsol riders had a new paint job on their motorbikes for the occasion; the first design made back in 1969 was used on the bikes because it was Repsol`s 40th anniversary in the world of motor competitions. Dani Pedrosa`s RC212V bike was painted a totally mother-of-pearl white with a large R on the fairing. This was emphasised when teams were sponsored in the 70s and 80s. Pedrosa started from second position on the grid and when the red lights went out he moved into first position on the first corner. This time the script changed and a few metres later Stoner got past him and was first. These two set a blistering pace that the others could not keep up with, and after a few laps they had got well away from the chasing group.
Meanwhile Hayden – third – was overtaken by Rossi and Dovizioso, but in a secure and fifth place, his definitive position. Pedrosa tried anyway he could to keep up with the fast pace set by Stoner. The Australian, a couple of tenths per lap faster than Pedrosa, escaped from the Spanish rider but Pedrosa could not reply and his lead got bigger and bigger – at one point four seconds. At the same time though, the Repsol Team Honda rider controlled Rossi – in third place – during the whole race so that he got no closer than two seconds to Pedrosa. Therefore, 2nd position for Dani Pedrosa and 5th for Nicky Hayden in the last race of the 2008 season .
JULIÁN SIMÓN RETIRED WITH MECHANICAL PROBLEMS, AND TENTH POSITION FOR ESTEVE RABAT
Lady luck did not smile on Julián Simón yet again even after a great weekend`s preparation at a very high level. The Spanish rider saw how engine problems prevented him from finishing the race. With this result, Simón finishes the World Championship in 10th position overall. The Repsol rider started from the first row of the grid and on the first corner he was up to second place behind Mika Kallio. These two alternated in the lead with several overtakings on the home straight. That fight allowed Marco Simoncelli to catch them and he moved into the lead on the eighth lap. Then the Repsol rider began to lose ground, and on the twentieth lap the engine on his KTM 250 FRR said enough was enough. Hiroshi Aoyama, a rider with Repsol technical support was 5th. His teammate Mika Kallio, fought with Simoncelli for the victory but a few corners from the end he fell in the end finishing 11th.
In the 125cc category Esteve Rabat got better as the race went on, after a bad start from the third row of the grid he crossed the finishing line in 10th position. The Repsol rider lost three positions on first lap and problems with the grip prevented him from keeping up with his rivals` pace. The Repsol rider was able to climb in the classification by setting constant times, in the end he was up to 10th. He ends the season in 14th position overall in the championship with 49 points, preceded by his teammate Marc Márquez, 13th.
Dani Pedrosa, 2nd at 3.390 sec. >> Audio
“I am happy with second place today. I pushed Casey as hard as I could but he had something a little extra and he managed the gap very well. We worked hard all weekend, so my thanks to my team and also to Repsol, the bike I rode today was one of the best-looking bikes I’ve ridden. The crowd was great, it was fantastic to see so many fans here, packing the grandstands and obviously really enjoying the spectacle and pushing us along. Overall, I am also happy with the last few races, because we were able to come back from a difficult period during the middle of the season. We changed tyres and I came in for some criticism, but finally we got back on the pace at the last few races, running close to the front in the wet and in the dry. It hasn’t been the easiest of years. I broke my right hand during preseason testing, I broke my left hand in Germany and I injured my left knee at Phillip Island. These injuries caused me to lose my rhythm and they interrupted our development work, while everyone else was racing and improving their bikes. I have had to push really hard to come back from all these injuries. Tomorrow we start testing for 2009 – I am looking forward to it because things are going well now. I hope to have a good off-season and stay healthy.”
Nicky Hayden, 5th at 26.232 sec. >> Audio
“We started out the weekend like a bit of a fairytale – fastest in the first three sessions, so we were off to a good start, I think the conditions were better for us then. Yesterday afternoon we were third and on the front row, then this morning we had a big off which probably didn’t help things. I just lost the front at turn nine, maybe conditions were a bit too cool for that front tyre. I had to swap bikes for the race and my crew had to change a lot of stuff: callipers, swingarm and so on. My other bike didn’t feel so smooth. It wasn’t too bad but I definitely liked my first bike better, but that was my fault. In the race I didn’t quite get the start I wanted and those guys were just quicker in the beginning, my rhythm wasn’t quick enough. It obviously would’ve been better to finish my last race with Honda a bit stronger. I rode hard this weekend, now I’m looking forward to doing something different. I have to finish off by saying thanks to my team, to Honda, to Michelin and to everybody here. They made me a world champ, I’m grateful to them all.”
Julián Simón, retired >> Audio
“The truth is that this was a pity. We have had a good weekend and we have to be happy with that. It was very tough in the race itself. Today the pace was slower but it was also more difficult to maintain it, and it was very complicated. I started very well and on the first few laps I was quite fast, I believe faster than Kallio. Then Simoncelli arrived, and he set a very fast pace, and from that moment on I noticed that my motorbike was lacking a little power. That meant I lost contact with the leaders. When Álvaro Bautista arrived the engine just broke. The same thing that happened in Malaysia, engine problems. The mechanics will analyse why, but the thing is that it was a real shame. I want to thank the the team very much for all their great work. This year I have been in a team that has helped me a lot, and I am very pleased with that. Now I am dying for the next season to begin. I also want to thank all the people that came today, because they have given me some great support in this GP.”
Esteve Rabat, 10th at 38.481 secs. >> Audio
“This was a very difficult race since the track was not completely right and the bike was sliding a lot. Anyway, I cannot really add anything; I was beaten and that`s it. I did not make too good a start and several riders overtook me. I lacked aggression at the start but then I got the pace and I began to overtake other riders going the fastest I could. It was a very difficult race although I think it is positive to finish among the first ten. Let`s hope it serves as experience for the future.”
