Konica Minolta Honda and Shinya Nakano return back to Europe this weekend for the final round of the 2007 MotoGP championship. This last round of the 18-race championship spells the end of a tough and gruelling season for Konica Minolta Honda, so the Team and their 30-year-old rider will be hoping to get the best result possible to end the season on a high note.
The Valencia track is a tight and twisty circuit, which is asymmetrically laid out with many more left-hand corners than right-hand ones. The nature of the 2.764-mile track means the race is hard on tyres and the front tyre choice is particularly important thanks to the number of hard-braking corner entries. The season finale is always a special event and the Ricardo Tormo circuit forms a natural amphitheatre making it one of the best circuits for spectators to see MotoGP machines in action.
Gianluca Montiron – Team Manager Konica Minolta Honda “I think after a hard year we finally arrive at the end of the championship and we have to consider that on balance the results haven’t been satisfying for us, this is for several reasons, but this is racing and we have to deal with this. So, we now have the possibility to make a better result here in Valencia and looking at the final race we want to give satisfaction to our partners and sponsors. I think the Ricardo Tormo circuit is not such a technical circuit and probably the riders will be closer together there because the tight configuration of the circuit will not permit a big gap between each rider. I hope we have the chance with Shinya to stay close to the first ten riders and I hope Shinya has the ability and confidence for the final race to really make a maximum effort which will make for a better result for us in our last race of the season.”
Shinya Nakano – Rider, Konica Minolta Honda
“I think both the Team and myself want to do something special for the last race of the season. I love the Valencia track itself as there are some very challenging corners and the layout is enjoyable. Compared to the last two races in Australia and Malaysia, conditions will be different again. We are more likely to see colder conditions and this will mean we will need to find a good tyre for the race. This has been a difficult year for us all in the Konica Minolta Honda Team, but I believe we can do something better this weekend at Valencia.”
Giulio Bernardelle – Technical Director, Konica Minolta Honda
“At Valencia we hope to have some good material to work with from Michelin and this should give us some potential for the last race of the season. Valencia is a very different track compared to Sepang and Phillip Island. Normally it is not so difficult for the rider as the result comes from the machine setting and the tyre choice. We hope to have a good possibility to make a good job this weekend and we are hoping that our situation should be better. The whole Team are hoping to make a good result in this, the last race of the season.”
