Rossi : This is racing

Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi slid out of the Grand Prix of Valencia today and lost his grip on the MotoGP World Championship for the first time in six years on the final day of an implausibly dramatic season. Nicky Hayden (Honda) lifted the title after claiming third place behind surprise winner Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi (both Ducati), with Rossi recovering to cross the line in 13th place but missing out on the title by just five points.

The fifth lap mishap came after a bad start from Rossi, who looked to be in perfect shape to defend his eight-point advantage going into the race after qualifying on pole position. However, the bad luck that followed the Italian throughout the first half of the season returned to strike its final, decisive blow when the front end of Rossi's YZR-M1 tucked under braking and sent him spinning into the gravel. Another heroic charge from the defending champion saw him recover seven places and brought him back into the points but it wasn't enough to hold off Hayden.

Valentino Rossi Post-match

"Of course this is a big disappointment for me because to arrive at the final race with an eight-point advantage and then not win the title is a disaster. Basically I made two mistakes today - one was at the start and then the second one was the crash. It has been a very emotional season, with some great moments, some bad luck and now some mistakes. But this is racing. "

"All I can say now is a big 'congratulations' to Nicky because he is a great guy, a great rider and he is the World Champion because he has been the best this year. I have known him a long time, I know his family well and even though I am disappointed I am also very happy for them. It has been a great fight with him this year - not like in the past with other riders when there have always been some polemics - and we have great respect for each other. I want to say a huge thank you to Yamaha, to all my team and engineers and to everyone else involved, they've done an amazing job this year and now I am looking forward to working towards next season with the 800; I am sure it will be another exciting season and another big battle!"

Rider Standings
1, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 252
2, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 247
3, Loris Capirossi, Ducati, ITA, 229
4, Marco Melandri, Honda, ITA, 228
5, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 215
6, Kenny Roberts, Team Robert KR, USA, 134
7, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 124
8, Casey Stoner, Honda, AUS, 119
9, Toni Elias, Honda, ESP, 116
10, John Hopkins, Suzuki, USA, 116
11, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 98
12, Makato Tamada, Honda, JPN, 96
13, Sete Gibernau, Ducati, ESP, 95
14, Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki, JPN, 92
15, Carlos Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 75
18, James Ellison, Yamaha, GBR, 26

Team Standings 29/10/2006
1, Repsol Honda Team, 467
2, Camel Yamaha Team, 371
3, Ducati Marlboro Team, 356
4, Fortuna Honda Team, 344
5, Rizla Suzuki, 214
6, Team Roberts KR, 134
7, Kawasaki Racing Team, 129
8, Honda LCR, 119
9, Tech3 Yamaha, 101
10, Konica Minolta Honda, 96
11, Pramac D'Antin, 33
12, Ilmor SRT, 2

Manufacturer Standings 29/10/2006
1, Honda, 360
2, Yamaha, 289
3, Ducati, 248
4, Suzuki, 151
5, Team Robert KR, 134
6, Kawasaki, 109
7, Imor X3, 2