The Valencia Grand Prix marks a special date on the calendar of the Telefónica MoviStar team, as the climax of a unique season which has seen Dani Pedrosa crowned as the new king of 250cc and Sete Gibernau again proving to be the best of the rest in MotoGP. The team have lit up a 2004 season which will end to the sound of the traditional ‘traca’ fireworks on Sunday at a circuit which has had to be fitted with extra grandstands this weekend in order to cope with the extraordinary demand for tickets.

Dani Pedrosa returns home as the 250cc World Champion looking to celebrate with the fans who have offered their support throughout the season and helped him to the success he enjoyed on the other side of the world, at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia, last week. One year ago he had to make do with sharing his joy at 125cc glory on a lap of the circuit in a convertible car. Four months later he was back at the Cheste circuit to test the 250 for the first time, starting from scratch after a long and difficult period of recuperation. He could never have imagined the return which would eventually reward his patience. This Thursday Dani again arrives in Valencia as a newly-crowned World Champion looking to end the perfect season with the best possible result on the track.

Sete Gibernau also wants to bring his winning form to the circuit which witnessed his first ever 500cc victory three years ago – the last Spanish rider to do so before the arrival of four-stroke prototypes to the series. Sete has sealed the runner-up spot in the MotoGP World Championship for the second successive season, having led the standings in the opening stages of the campaign and fighting for the title all the way to the penultimate round. His team-mate Colin Edwards is aiming to be one of the Spaniard’s main rivals at Cheste in what will be his final appearance aboard the Honda RC211V in the Telefónica MoviStar colours. His aim is to reward the team with his best result of the season.

The Telefónica MoviStar Honda MotoGP team also have a collective goal. Only one point separates them from leadership in the Teams World Championship, a title they will be aiming for in Valencia.

THE RIDERS’ OPINIONS

SETE GIBERNAU (15)

“I would obviously like to have been arriving in Valencia with the title still up for grabs, let’s not kid ourselves, but even though Valentino has won, the season is not over for me. I will go for it at Cheste, we will give our very best as we have done in every Grand Prix this season. Racing at Valencia is always special because it is the last race of the season and it is always packed out. As a Spanish rider it is fantastic to compete there because you can hear the fans pushing you on, the atmosphere is incredible. There will be a lot of people there, a lot of my friends, and what I want is to concentrate as much as possible on the practice sessions and give myself a chance of thanking the fans for the support they have given me all season.”

COLIN EDWARDS (45)

“I’m just going to go for it in Valencia. It’s the last race of the season and you’ve got to give it everything. Also, I want to say goodbye to the team in the best possible way. I want to say thanks to Fausto Gresini and the rest of the team for the help they have given me this season. It is a fantastic team – very professional and well organised. All the boys have this massive passion for bikes and for racing and that is something that not all of the teams have. They’ve all done their bit to make me feel comfortable with them. There’s been a good atmosphere from the moment I stepped in the garage for the first time and that’s the way it stayed all season, even during the more difficult times.”

DANI PEDROSA (26)

“I know that Valencia will be a very special race for us and I’m really looking forward to getting there because last season I missed out through injury. To go back as World Champion is fantastic but I don’t want to relax just yet. I was really happy in Australia because we won the title, something which was unthinkable at the start of the season, but the one thing I wasn’t too satisfied with was fourth place. So, in Valencia we have to stay really concentrated, do well in the practice sessions and try and get the best possible result in the race to cap off a dream season.”

HIROSHI AOYAMA (73)

“We’re back in Spain and I am pleased about that. The atmosphere is really impressive and I’m sure that the people will be excited to welcome Dani home. I’m happy with our season – I have learnt a lot from the team over the course of the season and I want to end it well. I’d love to be back on the podium.”

THE SEASON SO FAR FOR THE TELEFÓNICA MOVISTAR RIDERS