Kawasaki Moto GP - Valencia

[MadKaw]

Circuit: Valencia
Date: 22/10/2008


KAWASAKI FIRED UP FOR SEASON FINALE
Valencia once again hosts the MotoGP season finale, and after a sweltering race in Sepang, both Kawasaki riders return to Europe determined to end their season on a high with a strong showing in the final race of the year.

Valencia will be particularly poignant for Anthony West, who will make his last appearance for Kawasaki at the Spanish circuit. West, who was drafted in to the Kawasaki Racing Team as a replacement for the injured Olivier Jacque halfway through the 2007 season, will move on to pastures new next season and is determined to finish his time in MotoGP with one last good result.

But the 27-year-old Australian is adamant that he intends his absence from the MotoGP paddock next year to be only a temporary one. A strong performance in the final race of the year would be a fitting end to West's time in the premier class, but the Kawasaki pilot is under no illusions about how tough a race Valencia will be.

John Hopkins will continue to campaign Kawasaki's Ninja ZX-RR in 2009, but the 25-year-old Anglo-American is keen to draw a line under a difficult season with a good showing this weekend. Hopkins finished on the podium at Valencia just 12 months ago, and while a repeat performance this weekend may be just out of his reach, the Kawasaki pilot has a top ten finish clearly in his sights.

Valencia has hosted the MotoGP season finale for the last six years and it is certainly an atmospheric race, with around 150,000 fans heading down to see the final Grand Prix of the year.

The track is relatively slow-speed, and features a unique layout that was designed with the spectator in mind, as fans can see a full view of the entire circuit from any of the massive grandstands that ring the circuit.

The 14 turns, nine of which are to the left and five to the right, are tightly packed together, meaning that the riders spend most of the lap either cornering or changing direction. This requires a great degree of agility from their race machines, and tyres need to offer durability as they are placed under a lot of stress for the entire length of the race.



West
Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #13
"It's been a tough season for me, and I haven't achieved the results that I was expecting going into my first full year as a factory rider. Next year I'll be racing elsewhere, but my MotoGP aspirations are far from over. 2009 will be a year to regroup, to try and impress in another championship and, if I can do that then there's no reason why I shouldn't make a return to MotoGP in the future. That's what I'm aiming for anyway. We've been missing something all year, and that means we been less competitive than we were expecting. Realistically it will be difficult to run at the front in Valencia, but a top ten finish should be achievable. I'm only one point behind Marco Melandri in the championship standings, and I hope I can pull in enough points in the last race to beat the rider who'll replace me at Kawasaki next season."


Hopkins
Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #21
"I'm looking forward to Valencia, as I seemed to click with the circuit last year and finished the race on the podium. It's been a long season, with a lot of ups and downs, and the injuries have held us back a lot. But, I want to finish my first year with Kawasaki on a high so I'll be pushing hard for a good result this weekend, although the podium may be slightly out of our reach this time around. The Valencia circuit demands a lot of a bike and rider, so set-up will be critical this weekend. If we can get the bike working well during practice and qualifying, I think we can be confident of a top ten finish in the final race of the season."

[mick_dundee]

Circuit: Valencia
Date: 22/10/2008


KAWASAKI FIRED UP FOR SEASON FINALE

Hopkins
Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #21
"I'm looking forward to Valencia, as I seemed to click with the circuit last year and finished the race on the podium. It's been a long season, with a lot of ups and downs, and the injuries have held us back a lot.

I'd be interested to know what the ups are? Finished in top 5 what once or twice for the season?

[ty]

FYI Looks like Channel 10 are showing the GP live this weekend - at least the main race.
With the race starting midnight on Sunday, they're starting coverage at 11:50
ty

[MadKaw]

Circuit: Valencia
Date: 26/10/2008



TOUGH RACE TO END TOUGH SEASON FOR KAWASAKI
Kawasaki's John Hopkins and Anthony West faced a tough test at the Valencia circuit today, ending their 2008 MotoGP world championship campaign with 14th and 17th positions respectively in today's 30 lap race, after race day conditions differed greatly compared to practice and qualifying.

Hopkins got a good start from 14th on the grid and rode spectacularly around the outside of his rivals into eighth position by the end of lap one. The 25-year-old Anglo-American set his sights on hunting down the group ahead, but early on in the race was troubled with cornering issues aboard his Ninja ZX-RR. Despite his best efforts and some gritty riding, Hopkins lost a place on lap four to Shinya Nakano, and was then unable to hold off a succession of attacks as he struggled to find grip at the 4.005km Valencia circuit.

A lack of dry set-up time and the hotter race day conditions both contributed to the Kawasaki racer's difficulties in the race. As the rear grip began to drop off, and drive out of the turns more difficult to find, Hopkins was unable to defend against a determined attack by Chris Vermeulen on the final lap and had to settle for 14th position at the chequered flag

West, who campaigned his Ninja ZX-RR for one final time today, also got a good start and took four positions into the first turn. But with only a brief outing to set his machine up on slick rubber in yesterday's qualifying, the 27-year-old Australian also suffered with rear traction issues early on in the race.

West was frustrated as the rear traction available from his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR, using a tyre combination he is not confident was the right choice for today’s race, rapidly deteriorated and he slowly slipped down the standings to cross the finish line in 17th position.

Now that the 2008 MotoGP World Championship season has drawn to a close after 18 events held across four continents around the globe, tomorrow's testing at the Valencia circuit will mark the start of preparations for the 2009 season for the Kawasaki Racing Team.



Hopkins
#21 - 14th Position
"After getting such a good start to the race it became obvious we were going to be fighting a losing battle, because I soon realised I couldn't get the bike turned well enough. This also added to the wear on the rear tyre, and the season-long traction issues we've suffered were evident again, so after the first few laps I had to fight for every position I could. We knew it was going to be a tough one because, after all of the rain this weekend we've had very little dry set-up time, but I was really hoping for a top ten finish. I'm also incredibly disappointed as my crew chief, Fiorenzo Fanali, is retiring after this race and I really wanted to get one final good result for him. The 2009 season starts with testing tomorrow and we have to start finding solutions to our problems so we can be competitive right from the word go next year."


West
#13 - 17th Position
"What a frustrating end to a frustrating season. I wanted to finish my last race with Kawasaki as close to the top ten as I could, but a questionable tyre choice put paid to that today. Rear grip dropped off sharply within a few laps, and it was like riding dirt track for the rest of the race with the bike sideways everywhere. This season didn't turn out as I was expecting, and while I'm sure people are pointing the finger at me for this, I leave here knowing that I did my best and that I couldn't do any more. I knew I'd finish the season close to my teammate in the championship standings, what I didn't expect was for us both to be so close to the bottom of the points table. I'd like to thank Kawasaki for giving me this chance in the premier class; it hasn't been the easiest time, but the experience will definitely stand me in good stead as I move onto pastures new in 2009."



Kawasaki Competition Manager
"Today's race was a tough ending to a tough season for the Kawasaki Racing Team. Conditions out on track were very different to those in practice, but both riders suffered with the issues that have plagued us throughout this year. The final result for this season is certainly not one I was expecting. I was confident that with the undoubted calibre of our riders, combined with the professionalism of everyone involved in Kawasaki's MotoGP project, we would be regularly finishing in the top ten, or even top five. Unfortunately it didn't work out as we were expecting and this is something we hope the all-new for 2009 bike will address. I'd like to thank Anthony for all his hard work this year and, together with everyone in the team, wish him the best of luck for next season."



1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 46'46.114; 2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +3.390; 3. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +12.194; 4. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JIR Team Scot +24.159; 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +26.232; 6. Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha +32.209; 7. Shinya Nakano (JPN) San Carlo Honda Gresini +34.571; 8. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha +35.661; 9. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +38.228; 10. Alex De Angelis (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini +47.583; 14. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing Team +53.227; 17. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team +1'11.181

[hoffy]

Hommus-Sexuals !!