F1 News
Date: 28/November/2011
It was a case of better late than never for Mark Webber in Sunday’s Brazilian F1 season finale.
The Australian, a title contender in 2010, broke his 2011 victory drought at the last available opportunity - having taken advantage of a gearbox problem for Red Bull team-mate and world champion Sebastian Vettel.
“Obviously in motor sport you take them as they come,” said Webber. “It was actually brewing into a reasonable little battle with Seb. I’m not exactly sure when he started to have a few little issues, but obviously I can only control what I’m doing, so I kept pushing and then really it was down to covering off [third place] and making sure we loaded the tyres correctly to get to the flag.
“It’s been a pretty good year but not like 2010 obviously. So it’s a nice little tonic to finish the year on high and give the RB7 a bit of a send off, because it hasn’t had an amazing amount of memories for me. Today was a very special day and I’ll have that over the winter.”
Vettel, starting from a record 15th pole of the year, was notified of the need to nurse his gearbox early in the race, but still led the first 16 laps and - due to the pit stops - was credited as leading again as late as lap 59 of 71.
“It was during the first stint, at some stage, that I got the message ‘we have a gearbox issue’. It sounded pretty strong, pretty severe, so I turned down the engine and then immediately started to short shift and it just kept getting worse,” said Vettel.
“At some stage I said that ‘I feel like Senna in 1991 when he had to manage the gearbox problem around here’. Obviously it was different for him, he still managed to win his home race.”
Although Vettel crossed the finish line 16.9sec behind Webber, the young German was still 10sec ahead of McLaren’s Jenson Button - prompting one member of the media to suggest that the gearbox problem ‘might not be true’.
“I can tell you that I had a gearbox problem. I didn’t like the message but I had no choice,” replied Vettel. “Either you finish the race or you don’t. As I said, I turned down the engine, I felt happy in the car and I felt more and more able to understand the tyres and keep the pace reasonably well.
“I tried to stay as close as I could with Mark and then push where I was allowed to which was in the corners, because I was forced to use high gears and upshift earlier [when accelerating].
“Obviously it was more about getting the car to the chequered flag, but believe me, if I had the choice, I would have gone for the racing option.”
Webber didn’t think a problem had been faked to hand him a win, which ultimately moved the Australian one point ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso (fourth on Sunday) for third in the final championship standings.
“I’ve agreed with you [the reporter] many times this year, but not this time,” said Webber.
That opinion was backed up by Button, who wasn’t surprised that Vettel had been able to mask the problem.
“Viewing this from the outside, I can say whatever I want, but as a driver you learn to adapt to a situation,” he said. “If you’re told to save fuel, if you’re told to save brakes, you drive in a different manner. Many times this year we’ve saved fuel and you can pretty much match an earlier lap time... That’s what we’re paid to do.”
Button’s third place confirmed the Englishman as finishing second in the 2011 Drivers’ Championship, albeit 122 points behind Vettel.
‘No secret’ as Vettel makes pole history in Brazil
F1 News
Date: 27/November/2011
Sebastian Vettel, F1’s youngest ever double world champion, claimed a record-breaking 15th pole of the year during qualifying for the Brazilian season finale at Interlagos.
The Red Bull star, 24, beat team-mate Mark Webber by just under 0.2sec and in the process broke the single-season pole record set by Nigel Mansell in 1992.
Having equalled Mansell’s record at the previous Abu Dhabi round, Vettel had just one shot at moving ahead of the Englishman - and the achievement clearly meant a lot to the eleven-time 2011 race winner.
“I put everything into the last lap. It was very emotional when I crossed the line because I knew that whatever happens I gave it all and then we to wait for quite a long time to see if my time was good enough or not.
“Obviously it took the master in qualifying, Nigel Mansell, a couple of races less [to take his 14 poles] but this is a very special moment for me.
“You don’t really worry about records going into a season. You can’t set yourself a target like that. Those sorts of numbers feel like they are made for ever and it would be ridiculous to think you might be anywhere close to them at the start of the year.
“I said to myself going into qualifying that I want to make sure I get everything out of the car there is and if someone else beats me then he totally deserves it. I think that is the name of the game every time.”
Vettel’s consistent ability to raise his game to new heights during the third and final part of qualifying has even prompted speculation that the German has been using some sort of short-term setting advantage for his final runs.
Now that the qualifying season is over, Vettel was asked to reveal the secret behind his pole success.
“I don’t know. There is no secret,” he smiled. “We had a nice dinner on Wednesday before the weekend here and a couple of the mechanics kept joking ‘where is the bag, where do you keep these couple of tenths for Q3. Do you just take it out?’
“Generally this year I think I was able, most of the time, to put everything into that one lap, or final run in Q3. Sometimes you want a little bit more but all in all I was pretty happy with my days on Saturday and we had good Sundays as well so there is no secret.
“Once we go into qualifying we all seem to enjoy it. I personally love the moment when you go out for your final run. You feel it is different to any practice run, or Q1 and Q2. You are so excited, nervous, as you know that’s the lap. The build-up to it is great and then the lap itself is like a rush so I really enjoy that.”
But Vettel’s pole may count for little if the predicted rain arrives for the race.
“The weather is going to be a big question mark,” said Vettel. “We knew that going into the weekend. The last couple of years have seen special races and special weather, so looking forward to tomorrow.”
Jenson Button, who claimed his world title at Interlagos in 2009, will start third on the grid for McLaren. He is also predicting an exciting race.
“I always love racing here. It is such a good circuit for racing and really fighting and out of the last corner down into Turn One is very good for overtaking and obviously we have the DRS out of Turn three, so hopefully we can get these two tomorrow.”
Button has a ten point advantage over Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso in the battle for championship runner-up. Alonso will start in fifth place, just behind Button’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
Webber also has a slim mathematical chance of second place, being twelve points behind Alonso, although the Australian’s main aim will be to break his season-long losing streak.
“It would be good [to get the win],” he said. “The whole weekend has been pretty strong and it would be nice to keep the heat on Sebastian. Both of us got the maximum out of the car today. Unfortunately I could not look after Nigel and get pole, but looking forward to the race tomorrow.”
Date: 27/November/2011
Sebastian Vettel, F1’s youngest ever double world champion, claimed a record-breaking 15th pole of the year during qualifying for the Brazilian season finale at Interlagos.
The Red Bull star, 24, beat team-mate Mark Webber by just under 0.2sec and in the process broke the single-season pole record set by Nigel Mansell in 1992.
Having equalled Mansell’s record at the previous Abu Dhabi round, Vettel had just one shot at moving ahead of the Englishman - and the achievement clearly meant a lot to the eleven-time 2011 race winner.
“I put everything into the last lap. It was very emotional when I crossed the line because I knew that whatever happens I gave it all and then we to wait for quite a long time to see if my time was good enough or not.
“Obviously it took the master in qualifying, Nigel Mansell, a couple of races less [to take his 14 poles] but this is a very special moment for me.
“You don’t really worry about records going into a season. You can’t set yourself a target like that. Those sorts of numbers feel like they are made for ever and it would be ridiculous to think you might be anywhere close to them at the start of the year.
“I said to myself going into qualifying that I want to make sure I get everything out of the car there is and if someone else beats me then he totally deserves it. I think that is the name of the game every time.”
Vettel’s consistent ability to raise his game to new heights during the third and final part of qualifying has even prompted speculation that the German has been using some sort of short-term setting advantage for his final runs.
Now that the qualifying season is over, Vettel was asked to reveal the secret behind his pole success.
“I don’t know. There is no secret,” he smiled. “We had a nice dinner on Wednesday before the weekend here and a couple of the mechanics kept joking ‘where is the bag, where do you keep these couple of tenths for Q3. Do you just take it out?’
“Generally this year I think I was able, most of the time, to put everything into that one lap, or final run in Q3. Sometimes you want a little bit more but all in all I was pretty happy with my days on Saturday and we had good Sundays as well so there is no secret.
“Once we go into qualifying we all seem to enjoy it. I personally love the moment when you go out for your final run. You feel it is different to any practice run, or Q1 and Q2. You are so excited, nervous, as you know that’s the lap. The build-up to it is great and then the lap itself is like a rush so I really enjoy that.”
But Vettel’s pole may count for little if the predicted rain arrives for the race.
“The weather is going to be a big question mark,” said Vettel. “We knew that going into the weekend. The last couple of years have seen special races and special weather, so looking forward to tomorrow.”
Jenson Button, who claimed his world title at Interlagos in 2009, will start third on the grid for McLaren. He is also predicting an exciting race.
“I always love racing here. It is such a good circuit for racing and really fighting and out of the last corner down into Turn One is very good for overtaking and obviously we have the DRS out of Turn three, so hopefully we can get these two tomorrow.”
Button has a ten point advantage over Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso in the battle for championship runner-up. Alonso will start in fifth place, just behind Button’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
Webber also has a slim mathematical chance of second place, being twelve points behind Alonso, although the Australian’s main aim will be to break his season-long losing streak.
“It would be good [to get the win],” he said. “The whole weekend has been pretty strong and it would be nice to keep the heat on Sebastian. Both of us got the maximum out of the car today. Unfortunately I could not look after Nigel and get pole, but looking forward to the race tomorrow.”
Renault team boss attempts Kubica clarification
F1 News
Date: 26/November/2011
Lotus Renault F1 team manager Eric Boullier has attempted to clarify the situation regarding the return from injury of star driver Robert Kubica.
The pole has missed the entire 2011 season, after a rally accident in February left him with a partially amputated forearm, plus fractures to elbow, shoulder and leg.
Earlier this week the team issued a statement saying Kubica had informed the team that he will not be physically ready for the start of 2012 campaign.
The statement then added “Robert will remain a member of the LRGP family in 2012 and he is already, through his management, holding talks about renewing his contract for the following season.
“Although very disappointed by the news, Lotus Renault GP will start assessing its options and will evaluate the most suitable candidate to drive from the first 2012 winter testing session.”
While Kubica’s absence from the first race was clearly understood, some were confused as to whether Kubica had signed for 2012 or not - and whether he will miss all of next season or just the start.
On Friday at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Boullier stated: “We have a contract with Robert until the end of this year, terminating this year. This is why we are using our channel for the communication with him and we agree with his manager, Daniele Morelli, to issue a press release before this week, which was entirely approved by both parties before being released.
“The choice of the wording is my responsibility and I think the message was clear. We have waited for Robert. We would like Robert to be back. I think we are the first one who wish him well and he informed us that, unfortunately, he would not be able to be at the first test, which means he will not be able to start the season for me, so that’s it.
“I think the issue came up that some translation maybe was wrongly done in the far east of Europe and the message was really that he would not be able to be back in 2012 which is not the message at all. The message was clear. He will not be at the start of the season… but he may come back next year.”
However when asked if that scenario means that Renault will need to sign three drivers, rather than two, Boullier dismissed the idea: “Nothing like this.”
The comment that Kubica will “remain a member of the LRGP family in 2012” also seems to be less certain than it appeared. “I still have to sit down with Daniele Morelli to discuss or assess the situation for the future,” said Boullier.
Kubica’s injury marked the first of numerous setbacks for the former Benetton team, including performance troubles with the forward facing exhausts and a mid-season split from Kubica’s replacement Nick Heidfeld.
Renault starts the 2011 finale with Russian Vitaly Petrov ninth in the drivers’ standings, on 36 points. Renault has scored 72 points in the Constructors’ championship.
That compares with 136 points for Kubica (eighth in the championship) and 163 Constructors’ points for Renault during 2010.
“The results are not good and every time the season is not good enough there is some negativity,” confessed Boullier.
Slamming the teams on and off-track troubles this year, one reporter then asked the blunt question: Are you really convinced that you are the right person to do this job?
“I don’t know. You need to ask the people who employ me,” replied Boullier calmly.
Vitaly Petrov has a Renault contract in place for 2012, while present team-mate Bruno Senna and test driver Romain Grosjean are favourites for the second seat.
Date: 26/November/2011
Lotus Renault F1 team manager Eric Boullier has attempted to clarify the situation regarding the return from injury of star driver Robert Kubica.
The pole has missed the entire 2011 season, after a rally accident in February left him with a partially amputated forearm, plus fractures to elbow, shoulder and leg.
Earlier this week the team issued a statement saying Kubica had informed the team that he will not be physically ready for the start of 2012 campaign.
The statement then added “Robert will remain a member of the LRGP family in 2012 and he is already, through his management, holding talks about renewing his contract for the following season.
“Although very disappointed by the news, Lotus Renault GP will start assessing its options and will evaluate the most suitable candidate to drive from the first 2012 winter testing session.”
While Kubica’s absence from the first race was clearly understood, some were confused as to whether Kubica had signed for 2012 or not - and whether he will miss all of next season or just the start.
On Friday at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Boullier stated: “We have a contract with Robert until the end of this year, terminating this year. This is why we are using our channel for the communication with him and we agree with his manager, Daniele Morelli, to issue a press release before this week, which was entirely approved by both parties before being released.
“The choice of the wording is my responsibility and I think the message was clear. We have waited for Robert. We would like Robert to be back. I think we are the first one who wish him well and he informed us that, unfortunately, he would not be able to be at the first test, which means he will not be able to start the season for me, so that’s it.
“I think the issue came up that some translation maybe was wrongly done in the far east of Europe and the message was really that he would not be able to be back in 2012 which is not the message at all. The message was clear. He will not be at the start of the season… but he may come back next year.”
However when asked if that scenario means that Renault will need to sign three drivers, rather than two, Boullier dismissed the idea: “Nothing like this.”
The comment that Kubica will “remain a member of the LRGP family in 2012” also seems to be less certain than it appeared. “I still have to sit down with Daniele Morelli to discuss or assess the situation for the future,” said Boullier.
Kubica’s injury marked the first of numerous setbacks for the former Benetton team, including performance troubles with the forward facing exhausts and a mid-season split from Kubica’s replacement Nick Heidfeld.
Renault starts the 2011 finale with Russian Vitaly Petrov ninth in the drivers’ standings, on 36 points. Renault has scored 72 points in the Constructors’ championship.
That compares with 136 points for Kubica (eighth in the championship) and 163 Constructors’ points for Renault during 2010.
“The results are not good and every time the season is not good enough there is some negativity,” confessed Boullier.
Slamming the teams on and off-track troubles this year, one reporter then asked the blunt question: Are you really convinced that you are the right person to do this job?
“I don’t know. You need to ask the people who employ me,” replied Boullier calmly.
Vitaly Petrov has a Renault contract in place for 2012, while present team-mate Bruno Senna and test driver Romain Grosjean are favourites for the second seat.
Drivers' defend F1’s overtaking gizmos
F1 News
Date: 25/November/2011
The impact of new overtaking gizmos in F1 has been overwhelmingly positive, despite some criticism that overtaking is now too easy.
That was the view of three experienced F1 drivers, speaking on the eve of the 2011 season finale in Brazil this weekend.
The introduction of DRS (Drag Reduction System), which alters the rear wing of a closely-following car to allow a top speed burst, plus the return of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) have combined to deliver more overtaking in a single race than used to be seen in an entire season.
The ‘downside’ is that some feel the overtaking has become artificial, especially in situations where two DRS zones are in quick succession - resulting in a pass and then almost instant re-pass.
But such position changes, no matter how ’artificial’ in their creation, are seen as essential in keeping casual viewers from switching the TV channel. Seven time world champion Michael Schumacher certainly found little to criticise.
“To me, I think it is very obvious that we have improved big time,” said the Mercedes driver. “We have had incredible races this year. I take one particular example and I think it’s pretty fresh still, and that’s Korea. If you think about the fight that Mark Webber and Lewis had together over there; without DRS, it would have been nowhere close, we wouldn’t have seen anything. It would have just been a normal kind of old traditional race. It may not always work out perfectly, there’s a little room to improve the situation but in general it has contributed a lot to some great racing.”
Another world champion, Jenson Button, agreed: “Personally, I think it’s brought a lot to the racing. You obviously have races where you think it’s too easy to overtake, but I think the positives outweigh the negatives and I think we’ve had some great racing this season on circuits where we’ve never had overtaking before, especially with two competitive cars, you can have a bit more of a fight now.
“Even if it doesn’t make the pass for you, it can bring you a lot closer so that you can have a go elsewhere on the circuit. I think DRS on its own is good but personally I feel that having KERS has really helped us this year. I think we can really use it to our advantage, to overtake and obviously to try and block a position, so that, for me, has been as big as DRS.”
Home Brazilian star Rubens Barrichello is also a fan.
“I enjoy it very much,” said the veteran Williams driver. “I think it’s been an incredible year and the fact that in life, sometimes you can see people are never happy with that, because I heard for 20 years that there wasn’t enough overtaking in Formula One and all of a sudden I’m hearing people saying there’s too much!
“It’s just 18 races and they come up with numbers saying that there’s been a hundred overtaking manoeuvres so it looks a bit too easy, but I think it has been quite good. It’s still difficult to follow the car in front because the cars are going fast because of its aerodynamic balance, and whenever you have something that destroys that, you basically don’t follow the car, so the DRS has helped.
“It is true that sometimes it may make it too easy, sometimes it wasn’t enough, so I think the FIA had all the good numbers to make the show even better for next year.”
Another element in spicing up the 2011 track action has been an aggressive approach to tyre compounds from new exclusive supplier Pirelli. McLaren driver Button - one of the best at tyre conservation - preferred the dramatic wear-rates seen earlier in the year.
“I think that at the start of the season, especially, when we were trying to work out what the tyres were like and how many laps they would run and what the degradation was like, I think there was a lot of overtaking,” said the Englishman.
“It seems a little bit different now, the degradation of the tyre doesn’t seem to drop off a cliff like it did earlier this year. Maybe that’s just our car, I don’t know, but that’s the way it seems.”
Barrichello later quipped: “If you want to have the degradation I still have it! You can have [my car].”
Date: 25/November/2011
The impact of new overtaking gizmos in F1 has been overwhelmingly positive, despite some criticism that overtaking is now too easy.
That was the view of three experienced F1 drivers, speaking on the eve of the 2011 season finale in Brazil this weekend.
The introduction of DRS (Drag Reduction System), which alters the rear wing of a closely-following car to allow a top speed burst, plus the return of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) have combined to deliver more overtaking in a single race than used to be seen in an entire season.
The ‘downside’ is that some feel the overtaking has become artificial, especially in situations where two DRS zones are in quick succession - resulting in a pass and then almost instant re-pass.
But such position changes, no matter how ’artificial’ in their creation, are seen as essential in keeping casual viewers from switching the TV channel. Seven time world champion Michael Schumacher certainly found little to criticise.
“To me, I think it is very obvious that we have improved big time,” said the Mercedes driver. “We have had incredible races this year. I take one particular example and I think it’s pretty fresh still, and that’s Korea. If you think about the fight that Mark Webber and Lewis had together over there; without DRS, it would have been nowhere close, we wouldn’t have seen anything. It would have just been a normal kind of old traditional race. It may not always work out perfectly, there’s a little room to improve the situation but in general it has contributed a lot to some great racing.”
Another world champion, Jenson Button, agreed: “Personally, I think it’s brought a lot to the racing. You obviously have races where you think it’s too easy to overtake, but I think the positives outweigh the negatives and I think we’ve had some great racing this season on circuits where we’ve never had overtaking before, especially with two competitive cars, you can have a bit more of a fight now.
“Even if it doesn’t make the pass for you, it can bring you a lot closer so that you can have a go elsewhere on the circuit. I think DRS on its own is good but personally I feel that having KERS has really helped us this year. I think we can really use it to our advantage, to overtake and obviously to try and block a position, so that, for me, has been as big as DRS.”
Home Brazilian star Rubens Barrichello is also a fan.
“I enjoy it very much,” said the veteran Williams driver. “I think it’s been an incredible year and the fact that in life, sometimes you can see people are never happy with that, because I heard for 20 years that there wasn’t enough overtaking in Formula One and all of a sudden I’m hearing people saying there’s too much!
“It’s just 18 races and they come up with numbers saying that there’s been a hundred overtaking manoeuvres so it looks a bit too easy, but I think it has been quite good. It’s still difficult to follow the car in front because the cars are going fast because of its aerodynamic balance, and whenever you have something that destroys that, you basically don’t follow the car, so the DRS has helped.
“It is true that sometimes it may make it too easy, sometimes it wasn’t enough, so I think the FIA had all the good numbers to make the show even better for next year.”
Another element in spicing up the 2011 track action has been an aggressive approach to tyre compounds from new exclusive supplier Pirelli. McLaren driver Button - one of the best at tyre conservation - preferred the dramatic wear-rates seen earlier in the year.
“I think that at the start of the season, especially, when we were trying to work out what the tyres were like and how many laps they would run and what the degradation was like, I think there was a lot of overtaking,” said the Englishman.
“It seems a little bit different now, the degradation of the tyre doesn’t seem to drop off a cliff like it did earlier this year. Maybe that’s just our car, I don’t know, but that’s the way it seems.”
Barrichello later quipped: “If you want to have the degradation I still have it! You can have [my car].”
'Parties better' if Raikkonen returns
F1 News
Date: 10/November/2011
As rumours of a comeback by 2007 F1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen continue to swirl, fellow Finn Heikki Kovalainen gave an amusing reply to suggestions his main target for next year will be Williams.
Williams is the team that Raikkonen, who quit F1 at the end 2009, is being linked with for a shock return.
"For next year, the target ahead of us doesn’t change - whoever is driving in different teams," replied Team Lotus driver Kovalainen, speaking on the eve of this weekend's Abu Dhabi round.
"Obviously you’re referring to Kimi at Williams; I have no idea whether that is happening or not.
"What’s going on there… it doesn’t matter who is driving the cars in front of us. We are targeting the cars ahead of us, joining that group and hopefully sometimes being ahead if we have a good day."
Having given a suitably serious answer, Kovalainen then delivered the most entertaining line of the day:
"If Kimi decides to come back, I think the main difference for me will be that the parties after the races will be a little bit better!"
Raikkonen, now 32, raced for Sauber and McLaren before winning his world title with Ferrari. Dispute his lifeless persona in front of the cameras, Raikkonen he was known as something of a party animal.
Date: 10/November/2011
As rumours of a comeback by 2007 F1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen continue to swirl, fellow Finn Heikki Kovalainen gave an amusing reply to suggestions his main target for next year will be Williams.
Williams is the team that Raikkonen, who quit F1 at the end 2009, is being linked with for a shock return.
"For next year, the target ahead of us doesn’t change - whoever is driving in different teams," replied Team Lotus driver Kovalainen, speaking on the eve of this weekend's Abu Dhabi round.
"Obviously you’re referring to Kimi at Williams; I have no idea whether that is happening or not.
"What’s going on there… it doesn’t matter who is driving the cars in front of us. We are targeting the cars ahead of us, joining that group and hopefully sometimes being ahead if we have a good day."
Having given a suitably serious answer, Kovalainen then delivered the most entertaining line of the day:
"If Kimi decides to come back, I think the main difference for me will be that the parties after the races will be a little bit better!"
Raikkonen, now 32, raced for Sauber and McLaren before winning his world title with Ferrari. Dispute his lifeless persona in front of the cameras, Raikkonen he was known as something of a party animal.
'Sorry Ben!' - Closest finish ends 800cc MotoGP era
MotoGP News
Date: 6/November/2011
The last race of the 800cc MotoGP era was also the closest, ending in victory for world champion Casey Stoner by just 0.015sec at Valencia on Sunday.
The Repsol Honda rider looked set to claim his tenth win of the season with ease, but ever-present spots of rain intensified in the closing stages of the 30-lap race - washing away Stoner's ten-second lead in the process.
Stoner was then overtaken by Yamaha's Ben Spies after a bobble under braking with three laps to go, but kept in touch with the American and edged ahead by the tiniest of margins on the dash to the finish line.
The previous closest 800cc win had been a 0.069sec victory by Stoner over Valentino Rossi at Catalunya in 2007. There has only been one other race victory of less than one-second this season.
Stoner explained that he took 'risks that I haven't taken all season' to deny Spies.
"It rained the whole time in the race, but the amount of rain was different at almost every corner of every lap," he said. "I built up a good lead and felt but, then it got to the point where the rain got heavier - the rear of the bike came around several times and I backed off.
"Ben came past after I made a small mistake. He was looking great to be honest. I didn’t think I was going to get a chance to win. Then in the last half of the last lap I thought 'this is it' and just decided to go for it. Take some risks that I haven't taken all season.
"I was able to catch Ben going into the last turn, then got fantastic drive on the way out. I managed just to pip him on the line. Sorry Ben!"
Spies, who had shaken off Stoner's team-mates Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso to reach the front, was
"I made a couple of passes and then all of sudden Casey appeared in front of us. Followed him for a bit, then he made a mistake and I went by. It was still raining quite bad and without anybody in front of me it was hard to know how grip was on the track.
"The last two laps I just tried to stay consistent. Like he said, he took some risks and caught us. I tried to get a run out of the last corner, but we just lacked a little bit of steam going to the line. That's the way it goes.
"I'm happy to end the season like this after a horrible month and I'm looking forward to testing for next season," added Spies, who finished his second MotoGP season fifth in the championship.
Dovizioso finished third in the race and the world championship.
The much-maligned 800cc motorcycles - introduced in 2007 in an effort to reduce the speeds seen with the previous 990cc bikes, but delivering processional racing - will be replaced by 1000cc models for 2012.
Testing with the 1000cc bikes, which feature new technical restrictions to limit outright engine performance, will take place at the same Valencia circuit on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Date: 6/November/2011
The last race of the 800cc MotoGP era was also the closest, ending in victory for world champion Casey Stoner by just 0.015sec at Valencia on Sunday.
The Repsol Honda rider looked set to claim his tenth win of the season with ease, but ever-present spots of rain intensified in the closing stages of the 30-lap race - washing away Stoner's ten-second lead in the process.
Stoner was then overtaken by Yamaha's Ben Spies after a bobble under braking with three laps to go, but kept in touch with the American and edged ahead by the tiniest of margins on the dash to the finish line.
The previous closest 800cc win had been a 0.069sec victory by Stoner over Valentino Rossi at Catalunya in 2007. There has only been one other race victory of less than one-second this season.
Stoner explained that he took 'risks that I haven't taken all season' to deny Spies.
"It rained the whole time in the race, but the amount of rain was different at almost every corner of every lap," he said. "I built up a good lead and felt but, then it got to the point where the rain got heavier - the rear of the bike came around several times and I backed off.
"Ben came past after I made a small mistake. He was looking great to be honest. I didn’t think I was going to get a chance to win. Then in the last half of the last lap I thought 'this is it' and just decided to go for it. Take some risks that I haven't taken all season.
"I was able to catch Ben going into the last turn, then got fantastic drive on the way out. I managed just to pip him on the line. Sorry Ben!"
Spies, who had shaken off Stoner's team-mates Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso to reach the front, was
"I made a couple of passes and then all of sudden Casey appeared in front of us. Followed him for a bit, then he made a mistake and I went by. It was still raining quite bad and without anybody in front of me it was hard to know how grip was on the track.
"The last two laps I just tried to stay consistent. Like he said, he took some risks and caught us. I tried to get a run out of the last corner, but we just lacked a little bit of steam going to the line. That's the way it goes.
"I'm happy to end the season like this after a horrible month and I'm looking forward to testing for next season," added Spies, who finished his second MotoGP season fifth in the championship.
Dovizioso finished third in the race and the world championship.
The much-maligned 800cc motorcycles - introduced in 2007 in an effort to reduce the speeds seen with the previous 990cc bikes, but delivering processional racing - will be replaced by 1000cc models for 2012.
Testing with the 1000cc bikes, which feature new technical restrictions to limit outright engine performance, will take place at the same Valencia circuit on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Rossi, Capirossi pay tribute to fallen friend Simoncelli
MotoGP News
Date: 3/November/2011
With the MotoGP paddock was still coming to terms with the tragic death of Marco Simoncelli, this weekend's Valencia season finale could be described as the race few want to take part in.
Popular 24-year-old Simoncelli was killed after falling into the path of Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi on lap 2 of the Malaysian Grand Prix, two weeks ago at Sepang.
Edwards will miss this weekend's race due to injuries, but Rossi - a close friend of Simoncelli - will return to the race track.
Difficult though it may be, most riders agree that racing is the best way to honour Simoncelli's memory.
"It’s good to be here in Valencia. It’s a strange feeling for everybody but I think it’s the best way to remember Marco," said Ducati rider Rossi, who wear a special helmet design this weekend.
“It’s been difficult, I’ve tried to stay as much as possible with Paolo [Simoncelli] and the family of Marco who are my friends.
"The feeling in Italy was unbelievable and great for Marco because a lot of people remembered him and demonstrated they liked him a lot on and off the track.
"In a bad moment like this the atmosphere was great with a lot of people who wanted to say ciao to Marco."
Rossi and fellow Italian Loris Capirossi both attended Simoncelli's funeral last week. Sunday's race will mark the end of Capirossi's long grand prix career - and he will ride with Simoncelli's number 58 on his Pramac Ducati.
“The situation is strange for everyone," admitted Capirossi. "We are all here and we try never to forget Marco - this is really important because he is part of our life and always tried to do his best.
"I want to use his number 58 on my bike for this race. I really hope he is happy about that and that I can achieve the same result as he could. I will do my best for him and after this race I will of course retire as planned.
"I am happy because after 22 seasons it’s a good time to stop. There are a lot of strong riders and it’s good to do something else.
“Like all stories start, they all finish and mine is finished.”
Sadly, Simoncelli's story finished far too early. The former 250cc world champion was only in his second season of MotoGP and had taken his best ever result, second place, just one week before his death.
Simoncelli had already re-signed to stay at Honda Gresini in 2012. The Gresini team unveiled a tribute to Simoncelli in their pit garage at Valencia on Thursday.
Date: 3/November/2011
With the MotoGP paddock was still coming to terms with the tragic death of Marco Simoncelli, this weekend's Valencia season finale could be described as the race few want to take part in.
Popular 24-year-old Simoncelli was killed after falling into the path of Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi on lap 2 of the Malaysian Grand Prix, two weeks ago at Sepang.
Edwards will miss this weekend's race due to injuries, but Rossi - a close friend of Simoncelli - will return to the race track.
Difficult though it may be, most riders agree that racing is the best way to honour Simoncelli's memory.
"It’s good to be here in Valencia. It’s a strange feeling for everybody but I think it’s the best way to remember Marco," said Ducati rider Rossi, who wear a special helmet design this weekend.
“It’s been difficult, I’ve tried to stay as much as possible with Paolo [Simoncelli] and the family of Marco who are my friends.
"The feeling in Italy was unbelievable and great for Marco because a lot of people remembered him and demonstrated they liked him a lot on and off the track.
"In a bad moment like this the atmosphere was great with a lot of people who wanted to say ciao to Marco."
Rossi and fellow Italian Loris Capirossi both attended Simoncelli's funeral last week. Sunday's race will mark the end of Capirossi's long grand prix career - and he will ride with Simoncelli's number 58 on his Pramac Ducati.
“The situation is strange for everyone," admitted Capirossi. "We are all here and we try never to forget Marco - this is really important because he is part of our life and always tried to do his best.
"I want to use his number 58 on my bike for this race. I really hope he is happy about that and that I can achieve the same result as he could. I will do my best for him and after this race I will of course retire as planned.
"I am happy because after 22 seasons it’s a good time to stop. There are a lot of strong riders and it’s good to do something else.
“Like all stories start, they all finish and mine is finished.”
Sadly, Simoncelli's story finished far too early. The former 250cc world champion was only in his second season of MotoGP and had taken his best ever result, second place, just one week before his death.
Simoncelli had already re-signed to stay at Honda Gresini in 2012. The Gresini team unveiled a tribute to Simoncelli in their pit garage at Valencia on Thursday.
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