Perfect team work and the impeccable race of the North American rider of the Repsol Honda Team certify a historic double win. Dani Pedrosa awarded Rookie of the Year in the MotoGP class, Shuhei Aoyama in the 250cc and Bradley Smith in the 125cc.
Nicky Hayden, 2006 MotoGP World Champion. This is how the extraordinary end of the season at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Cheste today will be remembered in history. The Kentucky rider switched the overall standings with a memorable race that awarded the eagerness of the North American rider.
In Valencia and to become the champion, Hayden had to recover nothing less than eight points. All fans knew that the Grand Prix was going to be extremely tense and so it was from the start. Rossi did not make a good start, while Hayden got to the leading positions, after touching each other before the first corner. Nicky immediately put himself in the leading group while Rossi was ninth after the first lap. The pressure kept on rising in Valentino, who saw how his big rival was escaping, with Dani Pedrosa between them, carrying out a strategy that had been perfectly planned last night by the Repsol Honda Team riders. With a superb race situation for the Kentucky rider, Valentino Rossi crashed in lap four, leaving the championship in Hayden's hands.
Pedrosa put himself fourth, passing Stoner and Melandri and keeping Hayden's back. Rossi continued with his race but he was only able to finish thirteenth. In the lead, the Ducati machines of Bayliss and Capirossi were unbeatable and Hayden, cool and calculating, remained in third position, comfortably and with no intentions of getting into an unnecessary fight. The positions stayed like that until the end. Bayliss, Capirossi and Hayden made up the last podium of the 2006 season and for the North American, who has shown an exemplary fighting spirit throughout the year, the title is a fair award for a regular and efficient season in which he has achieved 7 podium finishes and two brilliant victories in Holland and USA.
For the Repsol Honda team, the end of this season means the crowning of an unbeatable year: riders' championship, teams' championship and Rookie of the Year for Dani Pedrosa.
Shuhei Aoyama, who was awarded "250cc Rookie of the Year" today, finished sixth while team mate David De Gea, was ninth. In the 125cc, Bradley Smith who was also crowned Rookie of the Year today, finished twelfth after overcoming the setbacks of a complicated weekend.
Standings:MotoGP:1. T.Bayliss (Ducati) 46.55.416
2. L.Capirossi (Ducati) + 1.319
3. N.Hayden (Honda) + 9.230
4. D.Pedrosa (Honda) + 12.065
5. M.Melandri (Honda) + 16.306
250:1. A.de Angelis (Aprilia) 43.52.247
2. R.Locatelli (Aprilia) + 4.524
3. H.Barberá (Aprilia) + 9.551
4. J.Lorenzo (Aprilia) + 11.366
5. A.Debón (Aprilia) + 14.957
6. S.Aoyama (Honda) + 17.621
9. D.de Gea (Honda) + 20.362
125: 1. H.Faubel (Aprilia) 40.15.460
2. M.Kallio (KTM) + 1.764
3. S.Gadea (Aprilia) + 1.938
4. A.Bautista (Aprilia) + 8.646
5. L.Pesek (Derbi) + 12.428
12. B.Smith (Honda) + 28.700
World Championship MotoGP: 1. N.Hayden, 252 points.
2. V.Rossi, 247
3. L.Capirossi, 229
4. M.Melandri, 228
5. D.Pedrosa, 215
World Championship 250:1. J.Lorenzo, 289 points.
2. A.Dovizioso, 272
3. A.de Angelis, 228
4. H.Aoyama, 193
5. R.Locatelli, 191
8. S.Aoyama, 99
24. D.de Gea, 9
World Championship 125: 1. A.Bautista, 338 points.
2. M.Kallio, 262
3. H.Faubel, 197
4. M.Pasini, 192
5. S.Gadea, 160
19. B.Smith, 20
Track Conditions:Weather: Sunny
Humidity: 11%
Temperature: 32ºC
Track Temp: Dry 43ºC
Track Wind: 4 Km/h
Jaume Giró, Repsol General Manager: "When a team joins its efforts to overcome setbacks, the good results always end up arriving. The Repsol Honda Team has closed an excellent season today in which they have achieved an important sporting success: Nicky Hayden, MotoGP World Champion; Repsol Honda Team, Teams' World Champion and Dani Pedrosa, "Rookie of the Year" in MotoGP. But our presence in the Motocycle Grand Prix goes far beyond specific results. We are in the world championship because it contributes value and renown to our brand in a scenario of highest excellence, both as regards technology and competitiveness."
Nicky Hayden: "When you dedicate your life to something and the dream comes true it feels so good. This is a proud day for me, the team and my family. I want to thank everybody back home and I hope they're partying back there in Owensboro. When I went down at the beginning of the Estoril race I thought the dream was over but I just didn't give up. Anything can happen in racing and you just keep fighting until the end. I just believe good things happen to good people and this is a great day for me. I swear on the warm-up lap I was riding round in front of a full house and I had tears in my eyes because I knew this was the chance of a lifetime and I had to go for it. I've felt all year that this was my year - even at Estoril when Elias beat Rossi I believed it. I knew that win or lose I was going to sleep well tonight because I was gonna give it my all today. I got a good start and I was just fighting to get to the front in the first few laps. I saw some marks on the track and then I came round and my pit-board said "Rossi P19".
Then it went to P17, P15 and P14 and it was a tough situation because I knew there was probably going to be a couple of riders pull over for him. And I knew that you can never count Valentino out - if his bike was ok then he can make up a lot of positions in a hurry. I didn't know if I was going to have to fight the guys ahead of me because if you get in a dogfight with Loris and Troy you know you're going to take some chances. But I stayed close enough that I felt like I was going to be able to go for it if I needed to. Then I saw "P3 OK" on my pit-board and I had faith in my team that they had figured it out that I was safe. Then I just tried to be smooth and tried to be smooth. Honestly I didn't know it was over until the chequered flag. It feels really good to beat a guy like Rossi because he's a real competitor with seven world titles and that just makes it that much more rewarding.
Dani didn't have team orders today but he let me by at the beginning of the race. We spoke last night had a gentleman's agreement and I told him that if he helped me to win the world championship that we would be straight and I won't forget it. In two or three years from now if we're still team-mates and I can help him then I'll return the favour - he's a good man. I really want to thank everyone involved in the Repsol Honda Team, and Michelin because it's their 5th straight title in MotoGP so a big thanks to them too. I'm looking forward to getting that number-one plate on my RCV next year."
Dani Pedrosa:"I'm very happy for this result - for myself, for Nicky and for the team. The team has won every title this year - the riders' title, the constructors, the Team title and the Rookie of the year so this is very good for us. I think we did a good job today. I made a good start and I was waiting until Nicky was behind me. When they showed me that Nicky was third and I was second I let him past and showed him with my foot where he should pass me. Then I slowed down quite a lot to give Nicky some space in second place. Then Melandri and Capirossi got past me but only Capirossi was able to catch Nicky again. At this point I thought Rossi was behind me so I was slowing down, slowing down to give Nicky some gap. Then they showed me that Rossi had crashed so when I saw this I tried to push again. I tried to pass Melandri and Stoner but it was not so easy. I could make a bit of a gap but already the tyres were on the limit and I had a big gap between me and Melandri and I didn't push for the last five laps and brought it home."
Shuhei Aoyama:"I'm not really happy. I made a mistake at the start and I lost several positions. Then I tried to pass them back but it was difficult because there were many riders going faster than me so I couldn't follow them. I really did my best, but it wasn't enough. I definitely need more training and more experience in the class. Looking back at my first season, I'm not really satisfied with the results. I expected much more, more podium finishes not only one in France. My potential is not enough, I still need to improve."
David De Gea: "I'm happy because the whole weekend has been good; I've clocked really good times. I made quite a good start but there was a moment when I lost the pace, I don't know why, but I lost the race pace when De Angelis and Aoyama passed me. Later I felt strong again and I've had Poggiali at + 0 in all laps. I did what Alberto told me, to make my race and enjoy. I expected more at the beginning but I was starting from the third row and that makes everything more difficult, but well, I made my race and made it until the finish, and that's the most important. I want to thank the team of mechanics, especially Gilles Bigot, because he has done a great job. I also thank or the help of the whole team, the mechanics, Dunlop and especially that of Alberto Puig and Repsol who have put their trust in me in these three races."
Bradley Smith: "After a tough weekend, tough qualifying and not so good grid result, the actual result in the end wasn't too bad really. To be catching Luthi and Terol in the final laps, also catching the other Honda riders in the distance, is a positive thing but I just shows that if I got a better start position then maybe I could have been up there. Who knows, it could have been another Japan, you never know. Giving yourself the opportunity with a good qualifying makes things definitely a lot easier, but I don't know, I keep on saying that and here I am. I can't change it, but if there is one thing that I got to take from this year is that I've to keep on trying to sort out the bike and to sort out my head to qualify well, because I know I can be up there. It's been an enjoyable year, I've enjoyed everything, difficult times and good times. It's been overall a great year!!"
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