Superbikeplanet MotoGP Preview

Round 17 -- Valencia

Introduction:

The 2006 MotoGP world championship will reach its dramatic climax this weekend under Spanish skies in Valencia, with the premier class title battle going down to the wire at the final round for the first time since 1992, when Wayne Rainey and an injured Mick Doohan locked horns in South Africa for the right to stand on top of the world.

The 2.486-mile Ricardo Tormo circuit is the venue, and a fitting venue it is with a cauldron-like atmosphere awaiting the Grand Prix elite. Close on 220,000 spectators are expected to pack the 'stadium' over the course of the weekend with Sunday a complete sell-out since early September for this eagerly awaited race meeting. Race fans from all over the globe will descend on the circuit, as will hundreds of media personnel, celebrities and other motor-sport luminaries, all eager to see Valentino Rossi and Nick Hayden get it on for the right to be crowned king of the road.

Whatever the outcome, the 17-round season of 2006 will go down as a classic in motorcycle racing folklore, a fitting end indeed to the 990cc era which has seen all possible limits met, and at times exceeded, both in terms of rider skill and engineering competitiveness. It has been a joy to watch.

Winner Takes All

Unless you have been on a deep-space exploration mission to Jupiter for the last nine months, only having recently returned to terra firma, you will be fully aware of exactly what is on the line for Camel Yamaha's very own deity, Valentino Rossi, and Repsol Honda's would be hero, Nicky Hayden. It all comes down to a 30-lap shoot-out to determine who will be splashed across the cover of every conceivable racing publication and every internet news portal the world over, with the fingers of multiple newshounds at the ready to describe, wheel for wheel, how the title was decided.

The motor-sports world will stop spinning on its axis for 45-minutes on Sunday with huge television audiences tuning in to watch the final episode unfold. And, we all hope it's a clean fight with no repeat of the carnage witnessed just two weeks ago in Estoril when Dani Pedrosa made headlines by punting off his title chasing team-mate, Hayden, on lap five of the Portuguese Grand Prix.

Not since the infamous Senna v's Prost (Suzuka '89 and '90) and Scumacher v's Hill (Adelaide '94) duels in Formula 1 have I ever seen such attention poured on any form of championship chase. MotoGP has eclipsed its four-wheeled counterpart many times over during the last five years, and, for many, the second half of this season has certainly matched those classic days of F1, and held comparison -- in part anyway -- with past incarnations of two-wheeled combatance. Different times, different world, but I'm sure even Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz might admit to being enthralled by Rossi's fight back from a 51-point deficit post-Laguna Seca, and have respect for Nick Hayden as he has fought to ride around both mechanical and political problems to be in with a shout of dethroning the Doctor. Whether you are backing Rossi or Hayden, the Grand Premio bwin.com de la Comunitat Valenciana should be a monumental race and a fitting end to 2006.

Portugal Calling -- The Clash

When I penned the preview for the Portuguese round I used the title above to describe the battle between Rossi and Hayden, not expecting the 'clash' to come in the form of the Repsol Honda team self-destructing leaving HRC as a manufacturer, and Dani Pedrosa as a rider, with a whole box of eggs on their many faces. The fallout was unprecedented, the discussion and analysis unparallelled in recent times, hence my mention of the infamous moments between Senna and Prost which gripped the sporting world more than a decade ago.

Pedrosa and Hayden -- unlike Senna and Prost -- were not duelling for the title, although you would have thought that was the case when Pedrosa lost the plot for a moment and plunged Hayden into the gravel with title sponsor Repsol getting their exposure in an unlikely manner. The why's and wherefore's of the crash have been disected in fine detail by the press and by the fans alike, so no need to deliberate the incident again here. However, it serves as a warning that for Hayden and Rossi to fight it out fairly, those around them must not fall into the adrenaline trap and inadvertently spoil the spectacle with similar rash moves that on several occasions saw the Senna v's Prost duels descend into anarchy. Ayrton and Alain managed that all by themselves of course, and on paper you would expect Valentino and Nicky to not make the same mistakes.

So, it's the supporting cast that have to concentrate on what they are doing so we don't end up with the championship decided in a gravel trap or at a chicane with machines and riders tumbling to a title win, or of course, title disaster. Keep it mean, but keep it clean, and let the best man win.

Playing The Glad Game

It's not beyond the realms of possibility for Colin Edwards and Dani Pedrosa to play a major role in deciding which region of Japan the championship trophy will be heading for after Sunday's series finale. The Texan Tornado did a superb job of riding shot-gun for Valentino in Portugal, sacrificing his own potential race result to ensure Rossi had every opportunity to get away at the front, before Kenny Junior and Toni Elias rode like the devil to leave Rossi with a headache over the course of the last six laps.

Edwards did his job without having to be lectured into doing so by Davide Brivio or Jeremy Burgess, unlike Dani Pedrosa who only saw a slim chance of a title shot in front of him instead of concentrating on not taking out the rear wheel of Hayden's evo-works V5 machine. Edwards, again, will not need to be treated like a 15-year old and will cover the Doctor's tail as a matter of course, and Pedrosa himself has promised to be on 'Hayden watch' in Spain, with only his team-mates title aspirations on his mind, unless some form of mishap befalls the Kentukian leaving Dani with a legitimate shot at a home win.

Picture the scene: All four riders (Rossi, Hayden, Edwards and Pedrosa) head onto the final lap nose to tail, make the run down to the most challenging final corner on the calendar, Pedrosa leading, Hayden in second and Rossi in third. Pedrosa would be faced with a poser. For Nicky to win it all by a single point, Pedrosa would need to pull aside, let Hayden through and keep Rossi in third, sacrificing a home GP win. What do you think spinmeister Alberto Puig's advice would be on that little scenario?

What May Follow

Leaving this race aside for a brief moment, I think there could be trouble ahead. If HRC are not careful, we could well see a Senna vs Prost type rivalry develop inside the Repsol garage next season, with Puig seemingly determined to make the factory team Dani's own personal playground.

Apparently, there will be equal billing on the HRC works team next season, something that goes against recent history as there has always been a clearly defined #1 rider in the garage. However if what is going on behind the scenes is to be believed, and if Pedrosa's mentor has his way, Nicky could find himself fighting against a tide of favoritism, thus mirroring what Senna faced (at times) when he and Prost teamed for Mclaren; Prost and his backers the ultimate politicians, Senna the ultimate racer, relying on his driving to speak for itself.

With Pedrosa being given the good-oil, it may drive Hayden to add a touch of single-minded, almost ruthless determination to his gameplan so as to counter any political chess moves Puig and HRC may throw at him. A team together, yet divided?

If Pedrosa is to replace Rossi as the dominant force in MotoGP, not only will it take results on track on a regular basis, it will take charisma, charm and the ability to gain respect from your rivals. Senna had it when he reigned supreme in FI, Rossi has it now in MotoGP. Dani has a long way to go on all fronts.

Spoiling The Party

Whilst team orders may well be in place at Camel Yamaha and Repsol Honda, the other leading candidates for strong finishes at Valencia will ride their own race determined to finish the season on a high. Marco Melandri and Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda) Kenny Junior (Team Roberts) Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro) and Casey Stoner (LCR Honda) would be the pick of the spoilers should the chips fall kindly for them.

Melandri won this race last season and is scrapping to hold onto third in the championship, Elias won in fine style at Estoril, Junior is looking to end a find campaign on the top step of the rostrum and Casey Stoner has something to prove as he departs the Honda ranks, heading for an 800cc factory ride with the Ducatisti after falling twice in the last two races. Add to the mix three-time 2006 race winner Loris Capirossi and Gibernau stand-in Troy Bayliss -- who seems to have the knack of pulling rabbits from hats at Valencia -- and you have, potentially, the race of the season on the horizon with the aforementioned six riders all capable of throwing a spanner in the works at the front.

Shinya Nakano makes his last appearance for Kawasaki, Carlos Checa says goodbye to Tech 3 Yamaha and Makoto Tamada leaves Konica Minolta Honda this weekend, so all three will want to depart their respective teams with their heads held high. Rizla Suzuki want a race win, D'antin Ducati want some points and Garry McCoy will be hoping to get the Ilmor X3 800cc bike to the finish.

It makes for an interesting recipe.

Lighting The Final Fuse Of The 990cc MotoGP Rocket

The Ricardo Tormo circuit comprises five right-handers and nine lefts, placing the emphasis on machine balance and tires with a majority of the lap spent finding the limits of side-grip. The track dimensions are not spectacular with many second and third gear corners to navigate with just a short straightaway to allow the riders a breather. Valencia is hard work. Hayden loves the place, with an anti-clockwise layout favoring his dirt-track style, whilst Rossi makes it clear it is not one of his favorite tracks.

Nicky is eight points in arrears of Rossi, with Rossi leading the series for the first time after the Estoril weekend. Rossi is gunning for his sixth consecutive premier class title and looking to be the only champion of the 990cc era; Hayden is attempting to secure his first world crown.

The atmosphere will be intense, the magnifying glass trained on every move the pair make, the expectancy for both will never have been higher. Rossi has never been taken down to a final round dash for the flag, and Hayden is treading new ground having to suck up what's gone before. Both have it within their grasp and if you can take your eyes off of the action for one second this weekend, then you are a better man than I.

So, with the scene set, and all the talking done, it's now left down to the class of 2006 to dump the clutch and get it on. The final Grand Prix weekend will be covered in full here on Superbikeplanet, times, analysis, results and comment can be reached with a simple click of your mouse.

It's an obvious final statement, but get yourself in prime position, surround yourself with beer, wind the wick up on the sound system and be a part of what is set to be a barnstormer of a race.

Gentlemen........"Your Time Has Arrived"