Repsol Honda RC212V rider Nicky Hayden had high hopes of a strong final ride with his team at Valencia today after an impressive performance in practice and qualifying. The 2006 MotoGP World Champion topped the first three practice sessions, qualified on the front row and was determined to go out in style, but following a high-speed tumble during morning warm-up he could do no better than fifth.
After two days of on-and-off rainfall, the sun finally shone at Valencia today, with close to 120,000 fans thronging the track’s grandstands. Hayden didn’t get away from the grid as cleanly as he had hoped and ended the first lap in fourth spot. He got up to third for four laps but then slipped to fifth, a position which he then held to the flag.
Hayden, team-mate Dani Pedrosa and their RCVS wore a special one-off livery today that celebrates Repsol’s 40 years of motorsport sponsorship, using the same livery that featured on the company’s first rally cars in 1969. Repsol moved into motorcycle sponsorship two years later with Derbi riders Angel Nieto, who won the 1971 125 World Championship, and Barry Sheene, who took 33rd in that year’s 250 World Championship. Since then Repsol has won an amazing 33 World Championships with Nieto, Sheene, Mick Doohan, Alex Crivillé, Valentino Rossi and Pedrosa. Click here to read more
1. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 46′46.114
2. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team (B) 46′49.504
3. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team (B) 46′58.308
4. Andrea Dovizioso ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP (M) 47′10.273
5. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team (M) 47′12.346
6. Colin Edwards USA Tech 3 Yamaha (M) 47′18.323
7. Shinya Nakano JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini (B) 47′20.685
8. Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha Team (M) 47′21.775 Click here to read more
Repsol Honda RC212V rider Nicky Hayden battled for pole position throughout this afternoon’s Valencia GP qualifying session, finally ending up third fastest, just two tenths of a second off pole position. The American, who won the 2006 MotoGP World Championship here, will thus start his last race with Repsol Honda from the front row of the grid.
It hasn’t been an easy two days of practice and qualifying at Valencia, but Hayden showed his mettle by topping all three practice sessions, on a soaking track yesterday and in the damp this morning. With more rain clouds looming this afternoon, Hayden’s crew sent him out on his first sets of qualifiers after 20 minutes in case the occasional drizzle turned into rain. His first qualifying run put him fastest, then he improved his time some more, before reverting to race tyres, before a final run on qualifiers which left him just shy of pole. This is Hayden’s third front-row start in the last four races.
Nicky Hayden, 3rd fastest, 1′31.703 Click here to read more
1. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1′31.502
2. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team (B) 1′31.555
3. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team (M) 1′31.703
4. Colin Edwards USA Tech 3 Yamaha (M) 1′32.212
5. James Toseland GBR Tech 3 Yamaha (M) 1′32.518
6. Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP (M) 1′32.572
7. Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha Team (M) 1′32.594
8. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1′32.614 Click here to read more
Repsol Honda RC212V rider Nicky Hayden made a perfect start to the 2008 season finale at Valencia today, heading both morning and afternoon practice sessions. His team-mate Dani Pedrosa was a close second quickest, giving the Repsol Honda team a one-two start to the weekend.
Fittingly, for the last race of the wettest GP season in living memory, both of today’s sessions were run in the wet, Hayden showing his mastery of the slippery Valencia circuit on his Michelin-equipped RCV. This morning’s outing was run in heavy rain, conditions improving slightly this afternoon, with less surface water on the track, which allowed Hayden to better his first session time by almost two seconds.
Nicky Hayden 1st position 1′45.777 Click here to read more
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