Hiroshi Aoyama finishes third but is disqualifed after his bike is weighed 500g under the minimum weight
DANIEL PEDROSA
(1st): “I was really keen to get a good result at Valencia – last year I couldn’t race but the fans showed a lot of affection towards me at a difficult time. The track didn’t have much grip and it was difficult to set a fast pace. Porto set a fast rhythm at the start but I opened up a gap over him as soon as I could and was able to build a comfortable advantage, until he crashed. At the end of the race I began to have problems with the bike and I was worried that I wouldn’t make it to the end. This is the end of a marvellous year which started with a lot of doubt but has finished n the best possible way. I have to say thanks to Honda for allowing me to test the MotoGP bike tomorrow – I’m very excited about it, it’s a real privilege and I hope to enjoy it.”
HIROSHI AOYAMA
(disqualified): “I am gutted abut the disqualification. We had a great race and I really enjoyed it. I made the most of the chaos caused by De Angelis’ crash to get myself into a podium position. The fight with Elías was intense, I don’t remember how many times we passed each other, but at the end of the race I had no grip on the rear tyre and I had to battle to hang on to third place. I want to say thanks to my team, who have been fantastic all year and taught me a lot in my first season in the World Championship. We are all very upset about the disqualification.”
ALBERTO PUIG
(Team manager): “What can I say? To see both riders on the podium is sensational. Dani showed once again that he is the best rider in the category, whilst Hiro continued with his positive progression, but his disqualification has been a pitty. To see both on the podium is a great way to end the season.”
VALENCIA GP
1. Daniel Pedrosa (Esp/Honda) 44’10”176
2. Toni Elias (Esp/Honda) + 8”086
3. Randy de Puniet (Fra/Aprilia) + 27”412
5. Franco Battaini (Ita/Aprilia) + 31”620
5. Chaz Davies (Gbr/Aprilia) + 34”059
... Hiroshi Aoyama (Jap/Honda) disqualified
250 CC. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
- Dani Pedrosa 317 p.
- Sebastian Porto 256 p.
- Randy De Puniet 211 p.
4. Toni Elías 199 p.
5. Alex de Angelis 147 p.
6. Hiroshi Aoyama 128 p.