Massa: No pressure on me

Eurosport - Sun, 26 Oct 12:51:00 2008

Felipe Massa has said the pressure is off for next Sunday's season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix because he knows exactly what he has to do to snatch the title from British rival Lewis Hamilton.

The Ferrari driver is seven points behind McLaren's 23-year-old driver, who only needs to finish fifth at Interlagos to become the sport's youngest champion, having won in China last weekend.

However, Brazilian Massa believes his task is more straightforward as he bids to clinch his first World Championship on his home track in Sao Paolo.

"It's true I have a tougher job than Lewis in terms of the points situation, but my own objective for the weekend is much more straightforward than his," Massa told the Scuderia's official website.

"I only have to focus on winning the race on Sunday afternoon, hopefully with my team-mate (Kimi Raikkonen) second behind me.

"The only thing I am thinking about is winning. After that, the matter is not in my hands and we will have to wait and see exactly what and how much we have won."

Massa has been on pole in Brazil for the past two seasons, winning in 2006 and finishing second last year after allowing Raikkonen to go past and win to become champion by a point.

Hamilton threw away his chance of the title in that race.

"It is impossible to predict what will happen at the Brazilian Grand Prix but I think our car has always been very good at this circuit. Another plus for me is that I will have a huge following here in my home town," Massa said.

"For sure, Lewis will try and put pressure on me, but I have zero pressure, because I have nothing to lose.

"I have my people behind me and all the pressure will be on him, especially when you think about what happened at this race last year. I can't wait for the final Sunday of the season."

Smith ends season with deserved fourth

Eurosport - Sun, 26 Oct 12:26:00 2008

Briton Bradley Smith took a deserved fourth at the season-ending 125cc Valencia Grand Prix

Simone Corsi won the race from Jack and Jones Aprilia team-mate Nicolas Terol, with 2008 world champion Mike di Meglio third.

After two laps home rider Sergio Gadea of Bancaja Aspar and fellow leader Stefan Bradl of Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing came together and crashed out, creating a wide-open battle for the top spots.

Polaris World Aprilia rider Smith took third for a few laps in the latter part of the race after a double overtaking manoeuvre, only to drop out of the podium places again.

Di Meglio was at the front for much of the race after the Gadea-Bradl incident, swapping P1 with Corsi - but ran wide with two laps left to allow his rivals past.

Sandro Cortese was fifth ahead of Andrea Iannone, with Smith's British compatriot Scott Redding eighth behind Tomoyoshi Koyama.

The third Briton, Danny Webb, retired after six laps.

250s: Simoncelli takes final win

2008 world champion Marco Simoncelli won the 250cc GP from MotoGP-bound Yuki Takahashi with Alvaro Bautista third.

Mika Kallio crashed out on the last lap of KTM's final appearance in the class.

Kallio and fellow KTM rider Julian Simon had taken the first two spots at the first corner after starting from fourth and third respectively.

Simon suffered a puncture and dropped out from fifth spot late in the race with Bautista bearing down on him.

The Spaniard took a record-equalling 10th consecutive podium in the 250cc class when Kallio slid out with a few corners remaining.

Roberto Locatelli held a top-three spot in the middle part of the race but ended it in fourth, ahead of late-climbing Hiroshi Aoyama and Hector Faubel.

Stoner takes Valencia victory

Eurosport - Sun, 26 Oct 19:12:00 2008

Casey Stoner won a straightforward Valencia MotoGP from pole despite temporarily losing his lead on the first lap to Dani Pedrosa.

Third behind Spaniard Pedrosa was 2008 world champion Valentino Rossi, while another home rider Jorge Lorenzo secured the rookie of the year title as Andrea Dovizioso came in fourth.

Sheffield rider James Toseland fell back from fifth on the grid to 11th by the end, while his Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Colin Edwards finished sixth behind Nicky Hayden.

Stoner was at his best on the Ducati Marlboro after Pedrosa of Repsol Honda sneaked P1 from him at the first corner on a sunny day in southern Spain after the wet previous sessions.

Immediately hitting back to retake the lead, Pedrosa never looked likely to catch the Australian as he slowly but steadily built a lead at the front.

Rossi, who began in 10th after the adverse weather conditions in qualifying, went on the charge and jumped three places almost immediately, while by the third lap he was fifth ahead of Dovizioso and Loris Capirossi.

Lorenzo dropped from seventh at the start to 10th but, with Dovizioso needing to win to stand any chance of snatching the rookie title from him, looked comfortable as he climbed to eighth position by the final lap.

Hayden, in his last race for Honda after nine years with the Japanese manufacturer, was overtaken by Edwards on the first lap but fought back to reclaim his third spot.

However with Rossi eating up the tarmac and Dovizioso also keen to give his JiR Scot Honda squad a rousing send-off, he lost two places and was unable to make them up.

Shinya Nakano showed skill in acquiring an seventh-place finish.

Capirossi, who had started well in making up two places for sixth, fell back on his Rizla Suzuki and finished in ninth.

Marco Melandri, desperate to show Ducati what he could do before departing after a nightmare season, fought from last on the gird to as high as 10th - but lost ground in the latter part of the GP and dropped to 16th by its end.

Rossi ends the 2008 season as world champion for an eighth time, ahead of Stoner and Pedrosa in the standings.

Simoncelli champ, Smith second

Eurosport - Sun, 19 Oct 12:35:00 2008

Marco Simoncelli clinched the 250cc MotoGP world championship in Malaysia while Britain's Bradley Smith was second in the 125cc race.

250cc: Simoncelli wins title, Bautista wins

Marco Simoncelli secured the 250cc world title with one race to spare after claiming the podium finish he needed to give himself an unassailable lead over Hector Barbera.

The crazy-haired Italian (pictured) takes a 28-point lead over his rival Bautista into the final round, with only 25 up for grabs.

Speaking after a race run in searing heat, a visibly drained Simoncelli said: "I'm happy! I am not to good because I am so hot but it's wonderful. I can't speak, I'm sorry! It's wonderful, thanks to everyone."

Aprilia man Bautista romped to a superb victory ahead of Hiroshi Aoyama but, with the top three well ahead of the rest of the pack, Simoncelli was able to ease off and enjoy a third-place finish.

125cc: Impressive second for Smith

Britain's Bradley Smith took a battling second place behind Gabor Talmacsi in the 125cc Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang.

2007 world champion Talmacsi took his third win of the season after overhauling polesitter Andrea Iannone on the first lap and leading the rest of the way.

Smith quickly broke away from the chasing pack and overtook Iannone, who slipped back to finish 10th.

The Oxfordshire rider, who started 13th on the grid, began to reel in Talmacsi but quickly ran out of laps and had to settle for his third second place of the year.

Smith said: "It was a big shame because, with a bad qualifying position, I was so far back.

"But in the first two laps I took advantage of a fast bike, braked as late as possible and managed to close in.

"With Gabor, I was getting there but it just wasn't close enough. We'll have to wait until Valencia for the win, but for sure I'll be trying there."

Simone Corsi won a thrilling three-way battle for third place, edging out Sandro Cortese and newly-crowned world champion Mike Di Meglio.

Smith's fellow Briton Danny Webb endured a nightmare afternoon after qualifying third on the grid.

Webb's Aprilia did not start on the warm-up lap, and he was then handed a ride-through penalty for not starting from the pit lane. He later retired with mechanical trouble.

Rossi supreme in Malaysia

Eurosport - Sun, 19 Oct 14:26:00 2008

Valentino Rossi won the Malaysian MotoGP at Sepang as rookie Andrea Dovizioso took his debut podium behind Dani Pedrosa.

It was Rossi's ninth triumph of this victorious 2008 season and his 150th grand prix podium, while Pedrosa now cannot finish second in the championship after Casey Stoner came home in sixth.

"I had a great battle early in the race with Dani, but I had 10 laps alone which, although the track is fun, were hard work," Rossi said afterwards.

"I'm happy because it's my ninth victory of the year. I like this number and will try for 10 in Valencia."

Pedrosa said: "Valentino always gives more in the race than in practice, and we need to learn this and push harder.

"Second place is very good and we are happy with this."

The Italian produced a cool, calculating performance at a scorching hot Sepang after dropping from second to third at turn one while pole sitter Pedrosa blasted into an early lead.

Rossi put his Fiat Yamaha back ahead of countryman Dovizioso to reclaim second spot by the start of lap two and was soon locked on to Pedrosa's rear wheel. The pair circulated together for several laps, pulling away from JiR Team Scot rider Dovizioso - who had a queue of riders backed up behind him.

Pedrosa is at his most dangerous when he is able to escape in the early laps but, having failed to do so, the Spaniard looked likely to fall victim to Rossi.

However the Yamaha could not match Pedrosa's pneumatic-valve Repsol Honda along the straights, even in the slipstream, forcing the Italian to plot a braking move.

That eventually came at the halfway mark of the 21 laps - and saw the eight times world champion dragging his inside foot on the asphalt as he successfully dived inside Pedrosa into a left-hand hairpin.

The Italian's biggest threat thereafter was from the weather: with six laps to go white flags came out to indicate that bike swaps were now permitted due to the threat of rain. That did not materialise, however, and Rossi cruised to a comfortable four-second victory from Pedrosa.

By contrast, the battle for the final podium position went right to the line.

Dovizioso, who had finished fourth three times during his rookie season prior to Sepang, mounted an admirable defence against Nicky Hayden - whose Repsol seat the Italian will take next year - for almost the entire race, with five other riders also in contention by the midway point.

That seven-way fight was reduced to six when Jorge Lorenzo, who got a bad start from the front, lost the front of his Michelin-shod factory M1 and fell from sixth position through turn one.

With four laps to go, Hayden finally got in front of Dovizioso by diving inside into turn one. The Italian retaliated immediately, only to be squeezed gently to the edge of the track by Hayden. But Dovizioso was not finished and threw his JiR Team Scot machine inside Hayden into the next hard-braking zone.

A small mistake by Hayden allowed him a little breathing room and also put the American in danger of an attack from Gresini's Shinya Nakano, but the 2006 world champion was back on Dovizioso's rear wheel by the start of the last lap.

Dovizioso, impressive under braking throughout the race, held tight lines for the final lap and was rewarded with his first ever MotoGP podium - and the first podium this season for a satellite Honda rider - by 0.3s from Hayden.

"I'm really happy about my first podium," he said. "It was very difficult this year, we had many problems. We worked a lot and can be really happy with the result."

Nakano had overtaken Stoner with six laps to go and the Ducati Marlboro star appeared to be suffering badly in the exhausting 42-degree heat, but hung on to sixth by three seconds ahead of Rizla Suzuki's Loris Capirossi

Australian Stoner now holds a 26-point lead over Pedrosa in the drivers' standings heading into next weekend's Valencia season finale - and cannot be caught.

Colin Edwards was the only Tech 3 Yamaha rider to reach the flag at Sepang - finishing eighth - after rookie team-mate James Toseland fell on lap nine. Behind Edwards, Chris Vermeulen was the second GSV-R home in ninth, with Randy de Puniet 10th for Honda LCR.

Kawasaki riders John Hopkins and Anthony West finished 11th and 12th ahead of Alice's Sylvain Guintoli and Gresini's Alex de Angelis.

The second Alice Ducati of Toni Elias was forced to serve a jump-start penalty, but still finished ahead of factory Ducati rider Marco Melandri to claim the final World Championship point. Suzuki wild-card Nobuatsu Aoki was 17th and a distant last.

Massa banking on home advantage

Eurosport - Sun, 19 Oct 14:28:00 2008

Felipe Massa hopes home advantage will help him in the final round of his Formula One title fight with Lewis Hamilton in Brazil next month.

The Ferrari driver finished a distant second behind Hamilton's McLaren in the Chinese Grand Prix and now trails the championship leader by seven points with only 10 remaining to be won in the season finale.

The 27-year-old Sao Paulo driver, who is chasing his first world title, said he had been well beaten by Hamilton and called on his team to provide him with a more competitive car for Interlagos.

Even then, the title will be out of his hands with 23-year-old Hamilton needing only to finish fifth in Brazil to become the sport's youngest champion.

"For sure we are in a difficult position but we know many things can happen in one race," said Massa, whose team mate Kimi Raikkonen made up a seven point deficit in Brazil last year to beat Hamilton to the title.

"We just need to keep our head up. It is not finished yet. We've got to concentrate on our job and try to win the race and then what happens, happens.

"We're still fighting for the drivers' championship ... we're going to everything we can to achieve our target."

Massa has been on pole in Brazil for the past two seasons, winning in 2006 and finishing second last year after allowing Raikkonen to go past and win.

"Always when you play at home you play better," he said.

"I've had a very good experience in Brazil in the last two years so hopefully I can repeat and have a great experience again."

"I'm very optimistic, and we need to be, everybody in the team."

Ferrari had won three of the four previous races at the Shanghai circuit before this year and had been expected to be strong again this year.

Hamilton, however, was much quicker all weekend and Massa said it would need a great deal more than wishful thinking to beat him on November 2.

"Hoping is always important but then you need a good car and I think we can have a better car in Brazil than we had today," he said.

"Today it was very difficult to follow this guy and fight with him."

Immaculate Hamilton on brink of title

Eurosport - Sun, 19 Oct 22:09:00 2008

Britain's Lewis Hamilton has moved to the brink of the Formula One title by winning the Chinese Grand Prix ahead of Felipe Massa.

The McLaren driver led from start to finish, producing a superbly controlled display, but Massa kept the championship race alive by finishing second, 14.9 seconds adrift.

Hamilton leads the drivers' standings by seven points, with 94 to Massa's 87 ahead of the final race of the season at the Brazilian's home track of Interlagos. BMW's Robert Kubica has been mathematically eliminated from contention.

If the 23-year-old finishes fifth or better, he will become the youngest Formula One champion even if Massa wins.

However, he took the same lead into the final race of 2007 at the same track, and ended up surrendering the title to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.

"All weekend we've had God on our side, and the team have done a phenomenal job," said a jubilant Hamilton.

"The car has taken a big step forward, it has felt fantastic all weekend and I owe so much to the guys.

"It was quite straightforward actually. I managed to do everything right on the formation lap. I got a great start, probably one of the best we have had. I got to turn one first, took the first few corners easy and then started to create a gap."

Massa said: "Lewis was stronger today. It was not a good result for the drivers' championship, but not so bad for the constructors and that is good for the team."

While the previous race in Japan provided non-stop drama, this was a processional race - but Hamilton's supporters will not mind given the recent criticism of his aggressive driving style.

The only mild controversy came from Ferrari, whose outgoing world champion Raikkonen slowed to let Massa through into second late on.

Although there were no 'team orders', the intention of the move was clear, and Massa takes two extra points into the final showdown on November 2.

Hamilton appeared unfazed by Raikkonen's decision to allow Massa through, saying: "It was inevitable Kimi would let Felipe past."

Raikkonen said of the arrangement: "I knew what to expect and what we wanted. I'm driving for the team. It's normal in this situation."

Ferrari struggled to match Hamilton's pace all weekend, even after selecting a softer tyre compound for the first stint.

Things were not so straightforward for Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen, who retired with brake problems and also suffered a puncture.

Renault's Fernando Alonso took fourth place and his team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr took a point in eighth place.

BMW duo Nick Heidfeld and Kubica took fourth and fifth respectively, with Toyota's Timo Glock seventh.

Britons David Coulthard and Jenson Button finished out of the points in 16th and 18th places respectively.

Alonso seeks to help topple Hamilton

Eurosport - Mon, 13 Oct 16:47:00 2008

Fernando Alonso has said he will do what he can to help Ferrari's Felipe Massa beat Lewis Hamilton to the Formula One title after winning the last two grands prix for Renault.

"Yes, without doubt. If I can help, I will help Massa," the double world champion told Spanish newspapers after Sunday's victory in Japan.

Alonso, whose win at Fuji came two weeks after his surprise triumph in Singapore, fell out with championship leader Hamilton in an ill-fated 2007 season alongside the Briton at McLaren.

The Spaniard, who has been persistently linked to an eventual move to Ferrari, could become a factor in this year's title showdown if he continues to challenge for the podium in the remaining two races.

The 27-year-old has now scored more points (35) than any other driver in the six races since the German Grand Prix in July. Hamilton has taken 26 and Massa 25 in the same period.

Hamilton is five points clear of Brazilian Massa, whose team-mate and world champion Kimi Raikkonen is now out of contention, with only this weekend's race in China and the season-ender in Brazil still to come.

Massa, a favourite to win his home race in Sao Paulo, ideally needs a Ferrari one-two in Shanghai with Alonso rounding out the podium to make the necessary inroads into Hamilton's tally.

BMW-Sauber's Robert Kubica is the third man left in the title hunt, 12 points off Hamilton - and before the race criticised the Briton's driving style.

Raikkonen returned to the podium on Sunday for the first time since Hungary in August, ending a run of four races without a point, but many Brazilians suspect he may not be Massa's strongest ally on the racetrack.

Alonso and resurgent Renault may be of more assistance.

"We are now maybe just behind Ferrari and McLaren and this is completely amazing," said the Spaniard, whose team were struggling just to score points at the start of the year.

In the same news conference at Fuji, his enduring hostility towards McLaren and Hamilton was evident when the top three drivers were asked whether it was right for the Briton to have been handed a drive-through penalty for his start.

"I agree," Alonso said immediately, while Kubica and Raikkonen both said they did not have a clear enough picture to comment.

"I don't know what he did," the race winner said later. "But it's good he's punished anyway."

Hamilton lead cut as chaos reigns

Eurosport - Mon, 13 Oct 11:13:00 2008

Felipe Massa reduced the deficit on Lewis Hamilton in the World Championship title race to five points as the Briton failed to score in an incident-strewn Japanese Grand Prix.

Renault's Fernando Alonso made it two wins out of two with a fantastic drive as both Hamilton and Massa suffered drive-through penalties for mistakes early in the race - the second of which saw them collide.

BMW Sauber driver Robert Kubica took second and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen also finished on the podium before Massa was promoted to seventh, earning two points, after Sebastien Bourdais was issued a post-race 25-second penalty for a coming together with the Brazilian.

Kubica is seven points behind Massa in the standings and a revitalised contender for the drivers' crown with two races to run.

Hamilton was penalised for forcing Raikkonen - who had started the better of the front-row drivers - off the tarmac at the first corner as David Coulthard flew into a tyre barrier and Kazuki Nakajima also came to a halt.

Hamilton and McLaren's other competitor Heikki Kovalainen also left the track and the former rejoined behind his team-mate, with Kubica and Alonso leading the race.

Massa was behind Hamilton and looked to attack on the second lap but was overeager in cutting a wide left-hander: he made up enough ground to clip Hamilton's back wheel and spin him out on the track, leaving him stranded until the entire field had passed safely - and earning Massa that later penalty.

Alonso, who took victory in the last round in Singapore, was relentless after assuming first place following the first round of pit-stops and never looked in danger of relinquishing the net lead.

His team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr - who inadvertently facilitated the Spaniard's victory in the night race when his smash brought out the safety car - drove brilliantly at Fuji to take fourth place at the end, with Toyota's Jarno Trulli, Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber of Red Bull also taking points after Bourdais's penalty.

Kovalainen retired after 15 laps with engine failure while Massa and Hamilton, 13th and 14th after serving their punishments, looked to make up places. However Hamilton, who had been forced to pit on the second lap for a new set of tyres, was less successful than Massa.

With 17 laps of the 67-lap race remaining Bourdais emerged from the pits alongside Massa and they touched wheels; the Frenchman, holding the inside of the track, continued on as Massa spun out. He was able to continue with little trouble, but race stewards saw fit to penalise multiple ChampCar champion Bourdais later, pushing him down to 10th.

As Hamilton struggled to make headway, eventually finishing 12th, Raikkonen bore down on second-placed Kubica. The Pole defended with zeal - even forcing Raikkonen off the track at one point - inside his faltering BMW as the Finn found another of his sporadic moments of form to attack repeatedly.

The challenge died off in the final laps and Piquet, by then quicker than the Ferrari, could have snatched a podium finish had he not made a small error that cost him vital late seconds.

Alonso was visibly ecstatic as he recorded a second straight win late in a season where he has competed in a largely uncompetitive car.

250: Simoncelli betas Bautista.

Sun 05 Oct, 05:19 AM

Marco Simoncelli wins Sunday's 250cc Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island

Marco Simoncelli emerged on top of a race long battle with 250cc World Championship rival Alvaro Bautista to win the Australian Grand Prix by just 0.223secs.

The Metis Gilera rider dropped from pole to fourth at turn one, but was up to second place behind Bautista by lap two of 25 and took the lead later on the same lap.

The pair fought for the remainder of the race, the repeated passes allowing the KTM trio of Hiroshi Aoyama, Mika Kallio and Julian Simon to join the victory fight for the first half of the race.

But the superior pace of Simoncelli and Bautista soon began to tell, and they were over ten seconds clear of third by the closing stages.

Simoncelli led at the start of the last lap, but a defensive line into the MG hairpin allowed Bautista to get a better exit. Their paths crossed at the apex of the following turn, forcing Bautista to lift. Simoncelli also bobbled, but Bautista couldn't capitalise and Simoncelli held on for his fifth victory of the season.

Simoncelli is now 37 points clear of Bautista with just 50 points remaining and therefore has an excellent chance of wrapping up his first world title next time out at Sepang.

Meanwhile, Aoyama had retired with a technical problem during the second half of the race - prompting the usually controlled Japanese to punch down a temporary wall inside the KTM pits with frustration and leaving colleagues Kallio and Simon to fight for the final podium position.

Simon looked to have third in the bag exiting the final corner, but was slipstreamed by Kallio on the run to the line. Double 2008 race winner Alex Debon held off Roberto Locatelli and Yuki Takahashi for fifth.

Race results - Phillip Island:

1. Simoncelli (Gilera)

2. Bautista (Aprilia) +0.223secs

3. Kallio (KTM) +14.450secs

4. Simon (KTM) +14.478secs

5. Debon (Aprilia) +26.226secs

6. Locatelli (Gilera) +26.392secs

7. Takahashi (Honda) +26.434secs

8. Espargaro (Aprilia) +40.546secs

9. Wilairot (Honda) +1min 0.219secs

10. Lai (Gilera) +1min 20.825secs

125cc: Di Meglio clinches title

Eurosport - Sun, 05 Oct 08:24:00 2008

Mike Di Meglio secured the 2008 125cc World Championship with his fourth victory of the season at Phillip Island.

The 20-year-old Frenchman took his first world title in perfect style, riding imperiously to lead home Stefan Bradl by a huge 10.255 second margin.

Outgoing world champion Gabor Talmacsi claimed the final podium position by a fraction of a second over Andrea Iannone.

Britain's Bradley Smith had charged into an early lead from second on the grid, but soon fell victim to one of 15 crashes on a cool Phillip Island track.

Di Meglio, who qualified on pole, was in front by the end of lap two and disappeared into the distance thereafter - averaging nearly half a second quicker per lap than the next fastest man.

Grizzly Gas Aprilia rider Bradl broke away for a safe second position during the second half of the race, and is now second in the world championship standings, 50 points behind di Meglio.

However, even if the young German won the two remaining rounds and Di Meglio failed to score, the Ajo Motorsport Derbi rider would still win the title on countback as, although that scenario would see both men finish with four wins, he has more second places to his name.

Di Meglio said: "I don't think the feeling of the Championship has really sunk in yet. I have to thank my team, Derbi and everybody. This weekend is really something special, the bike was perfect all the time, I had really a good feel with the bike and I could push very hard all the time also in the race."

Simone Corsi, who came into the event second in the championship, was just 10th at the halfway stage of the race and - having progressed slightly forward - was elbowed onto the grass by Marc Marquez on the dash to the flag, leaving him ninth.

Home win for masterful Stoner

Eurosport - Sun, 05 Oct 17:08:00 2008

Australia's Casey Stoner overcame a persistent wrist injury and the disappointment of relinquishing his world title last week to clinch his home MotoGP at Phillip Island for the second successive year.

The 2007 world champion beat Valentino Rossi by more than six seconds to the delight of the 50,541-strong home crowd, several thousand of whom stormed across the track at the conclusion of the race. American Nicky Hayden finished third.

Rossi, who had treatment on his neck after falling during qualifying on Saturday, wrapped up his fifth world MotoGP world title, and sixth premier-class title overall, in Japan last week.

"It wasn't really a disappointment because I lost the championship when I had those two crashes, and Valentino rode really well," the 22-year-old Stoner said.

"Before the championship last year we didn't expect even to be in the top three and to be world champion last year and at the moment we're running second this year is something you have to be proud of, no matter what.

"If we have the opportunity to fight for it again next year then great but we're very happy on [winning] the home GP." Stoner, who will have surgery at the end of the season to fix a broken bone in his wrist, blasted away from pole on his Ducati and led for all 27 laps of the 4.45-km track in sunny conditions.

Rossi started on the fourth row in 12th and moved through the field before he caught Hayden on the final lap. He has finished outside the top-three just twice in 16 races this season.

Britain's James Toseland equalled his best result in MotoGP, finishing sixth for the sixth time this season.

Toseland, who was celebrating his 28th birthday, said he was pleased with the result despite running in fourth for much of the race.

In an eventful outing, Toseland overtook Rossi and then had to deny over-aggressive riding when passing Honda's Andrea Dovizioso on the final lap.

"I knew fourth was up for grabs so I tried to pass Andrea at Honda hairpin on the last lap. We ran a bit wide and Andrea seemed a bit upset but I passed him without touching him. I am sorry if he is upset, but he is upset for no reason.

"I was fighting for the best result of my MotoGP career so I had to try something. Shinya came by as I ran wide but I passed him back at Siberia, only for him to come right back underneath me because I ran a bit wide again.

"I am just happy with the way I rode. I rode hard and I am really pleased that on my birthday I put a good show on and I could enjoy it. I was riding my heart out and when I have a ride like that and I pass Valentino it encourages me even more."

Earlier, France's Mike di Meglio won the 125cc world title with a dominant victory ahead of Stefan Bradl of Germany. Hungary's 2007 world champion Gabor Talmacsi finished third.

Italy's Marco Simoncelli clinched the 250 race and extended his world championship lead to 37 points after an intriguing battle with closest rival Alvaro Bautista of Spain. Finland's Mika Kallio finished third.

Loeb wraps up Spain win

Eurosport - Sun, 05 Oct 16:17:00 2008

Citroen's world champion Sebastien Loeb won the Rally of Spain for the fourth year in a row to extend his championship lead to 12 points with three rounds remaining.

The victory on the asphalt roads near Tarragona was the five-times world champion's ninth in 12 races this season, and the 45th of his career, leaving the Frenchman with 96 points to 84 for Finland's Mikko Hirvonen.

Loeb's Spanish team mate Dani Sordo was second on Sunday, 24.9 seconds adrift of the leader, to anchor Citroen's third one-two in a row this season.

Ford's Hirvonen took third place after switching positions with his obliging Belgian team mate Francois Duval on the penultimate stage.

"It's been a very good rally for me, almost perfect, but it hasn't been easy," Loeb, who won 11 of the 18 stages and led from the start, said.

"Okay, today I was able to slow the speed a little but I had to work to build the time early on."

Hirvonen thanked Duval for his assistance in getting the extra point.

"Third was the best we could get here," added the Finn.

"At the end, I think I found a good rhythm on tarmac but Corsica will be different. The roads are more abrasive, there's more grip and hopefully we can challenge the Citroens a bit more there."

The next rally is Loeb's home French round in Corsica next weekend.

Norway's Petter Solberg was fifth for Subaru, nearly three and half minutes off the pace, with Finland's Jari-Matti Latvala sixth for Stobart Ford and Australian Chris Atkinson seventh for Subaru.

Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen took the final point in a privately-entered Ford.

Citroen moved 27 points clear of Ford in the manufacturers' standings.

Bayliss celebrates title with win

Eurosport - Mon, 06 Oct 08:05:00 2008

Troy Bayliss celebrated his World Superbike championship with a victory in race two at Magny-Cours.

Bayliss had already sealed the title after finishing third behind winner Noriyuki Haga in race one.

The 39-year-old Australian, who retires at the end of the season, rode his Xerox Ducati to a controlled podium finish in the first race.

Knowing third place would guarantee him the title, Bayliss produced an uncharacteristically restrained race before exploding into life at the chequered flag.

There was evident relief for Ducati, after Bayliss had failed to wrap up the championship as expected in the last round at Vallelunga - finishing sixth and 16th to keep Haga and Corser in with a mathematical chance of overhauling him.

The celebrations were kept to a minimum, however, prior to the end of race two in which Bayliss just edged Haga for the win after making his attack on the penultimate lap.

Troy Corser took the final place on the podium and trails Haga in the race for second place overall after to his Yamaha Motor Italia team-mate's race one victory.

"It was a great race in the end, we made one change and put on a harder front tyre for the second race," Bayliss said.

"The grip was similar but more consistent during the race. I was struggling on the exits to the tight corner, losing a bit to Nori, but it's always like this.

"You lose some and gain some. I gave it my all, there wasn't much to lose, I put three good laps together at the end and it was a great win."

Andrew Pitt claimed a second world championship for Australia, winning the World Supersport title.

Pitt won the Magny-Cours race while his Ten Kate Honda team-mate and closest rival Jonathan Rea could do no better than 10th after being taken out by Robbin Harms.

Rossi world champion.

Sun 28 Sep, 06:58 AM

Valentino Rossi clinches the 2008 MotoGP World Championship with victory in Yamaha's home race at Motegi in Japan.

Valentino Rossi has won the 2008 MotoGP World Championship in perfect style, by winning Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.

Rossi dropped from fourth on the grid to fifth after the opening turns of the 24 lap race, but passed team-mate Jorge Lorenzo on lap two before hunting down race leaders - and title rivals - Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa.

When Stoner put a tight pass on Pedrosa on lap six, Rossi also demoted the Spaniard, and then shadowed Stoner before making a victory pass under-braking on lap 13.

Rossi gradually pulled away from the Ducati star, who clinched the 2007 title at Motegi last season, and enjoyed a one second advantage by lap 17. Rossi won his fifth race in a row - and eighth of the season - by 1.943secs at the chequered flag.

The Fiat Yamaha rider thus has an uncatchable 92 point championship lead over nearest rival Stoner with just three rounds and 75 points remaining. A perfect day for Yamaha was made complete by also wrapping up the 2008 manufacturers' and teams' championships at its home event.

Rossi celebrated his return to the top with a big wheelie over the line and was instantly congratulated by Stoner, before doing a burn out at the side of the track and being greeted by his waiting fan club.

Rossi was given a special t-shirt with the words "sorry for the delay" in Italian and a picture of a clock, then sat down at a waiting desk to sign some sort of contract!

Rossi won five consecutive 500cc/MotoGP World Championships from 2001 to 2005, and becomes only the second rider in history - after Giacomo Agostini - to regain the premier-class crown after two successive defeats. Agostini is now the only rider with more premier-class world titles than Rossi, having won eight.

Rossi is the first rider to win the premier-class title on four different types of motorcycle: A Honda 500cc four-cylinder two-stroke (2001), Honda 990cc five-cylinder stroke-stroke (2002, 2003), Yamaha 990cc four-cylinder four-stroke (2004, 2005) and a Yamaha 800cc four-cylinder four-stroke (2008).

The 2008 MotoGP World Championship is Rossi's eighth across all three grand prix classes, having also won the 125cc crown in 1997 and 250cc title in 1999.

Rossi and Stoner were joined on the Motegi podium by Pedrosa, who survived last lap contact with Lorenzo to hold on to third position.

Japanese Grand Prix:

1. Rossi

2. Stoner

3. Pedrosa

4. Lorenzo

5. Hayden

6. Capirossi

7. Edwards

8. Nakano

9. Dovizioso

10. Hopkins

11. Toseland

12. de Puniet

13. Melandri

14. Guintoli

15. West

16. Elias

17. de Angelis

125s: Bradl takes second win

Eurosport - Sun, 28 Sep 14:49:00 2008

Stefan Bradl took his second grand prix victory after holding off World Championship leader Mike di Meglio during the 125cc Japanese Grand Prix.

Britain's Bradley Smith crashed out on the fourth lap while compatriots Scott Redding and Danny Webb were eighth and 10th respectively.

Bradl, Di Meglio and reigning world champion Gabor Talmacsi broke away from the rest of the field heading into the closing stages of the 20-lap race, the last lap of which began with Bradl enjoying a vital 0.4-second lead.

The Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing Aprilia rider lost most of that advantage during the final circulation, but remained unshaken and did not allow Di Meglio room for a victory move.

Talmacsi, riding with an injured wrist, was in turn unable to overcome Di Meglio's Derbi and the top three crossed the finish line covered by just 0.281s.

With Simone Corsi finishing in seventh, Di Meglio's title lead has grown to 36 points with three rounds remaining.

250s: Simoncelli extends lead

Eurosport - Sun, 28 Sep 14:48:00 2008

Marco Simoncelli extended his 250cc World Championship lead with victory in the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.

The Italian lost out to Alex Debon into turn one, but was back in front by the end of the first lap - where he ultimately remained at the chequered flag.

Nevertheless, Mapfre Aspar Aprilia's Alvaro Bautista made his way steadily forwards and took second position just after the halfway stage of the 23 laps.

The Spaniard looked set to mount a serious victory attack as he closed to within 0.3s of Simoncelli's Metis Gilera with three laps to go - but was held up by a backmarker.

That allowed Simoncelli the breathing room he needed to secure his fourth victory of the season and Dunlop's 200th.

Simoncelli, who began the race 26 points clear of Mika Kallio, will start the final three rounds of the championship 32 points in front of new nearest rival Bautista.

Kallio finished a lonely fifth on his factory KTM.

Alonso wins drama-filled F1 Singapore GP

SINGAPORE (AFP) - Spain's Fernando Alonso won his first race in a year at the Singapore Grand Prix Sunday, taking the chequered flag in a drama-filled inaugural night race as a comical error cost Felipe Massa> dearly.

It was the Renault driver's first victory since the Italian Grand Prix last year and capped a remarkable weekend that saw him top two of the free practice sessions but start 15th on the grid after a mechanical problem in qualifying.

He claimed his 20th career triumph by 2.95 seconds over Germany's Nico Rosberg in a Williams and Britain's world championship leader Lewis Hamilton.

Toyota driver Timo Glock was fourth with Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel following up his win in Italy this month with fifth. BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld took sixth.

"It is fantastic, I am extremely happy. I can't believe it right now and it will take a few days to realise what we have done," said Alonso.

"Winning had seemed impossible all season but we have been competitive all weekend. The car was super."

The race was a new experience for every driver on a street circuit under powerful spotlights and it turned out to be one of the most exciting of the season.

Despite dark clouds lurking, Singapore's notorious tropical downpours stayed away and the whole race was run in dry, but hot and humid conditions.

Rosberg scored his best ever finish and was over the moon.

"The car felt pretty good and we knew we could be strong on this track and for once the luck went with us," he said.

Similarly, Hamilton was happy to get points while Massa didn't.

"I enjoyed driving here and I'm pretty happy," he said. "It was a tough weekend but we got some good points."

Ferrari's Massa started from pole but a disastrous mistake cost him the race and valuable points in his push for the world title.

His 13th place finish means he lags seven points behind Hamilton with just three Grand Prix left at Japan, China and Brazil.

The Brazilian was in the pits on lap 15 when he was given the green light and drove off with the fuel hose still attached to his car, leaving one of the pit crew floored and subsequently carted off in a neck brace.

Massa ended up sitting in his Ferrari at the end of the pit lane as the crew ran after him and managed to pull the hose free, but it ruined his chances. He was given a drive through penalty and rejoined in 18th place.

It was a miserable night for Ferrari with defending world champion Kimi Raikkonen ramming his car into the barriers with just four laps left.

"We could have finished first and second and it could have been different," said Massa, but he refused to blame the crew member who gave the green light too early.

"We are all human beings, everyone makes mistakes. I am not the sort of person who goes to a guy and fights with him."

The Massa drama occurred after the cars came in when Nelson Piquet careered into a wall, causing massive damage to his Renault.

He climbed out unscathed but the safety car was deployed.

Massa was leading at the time with Hamilton second but at the restart, Rosberg was in front and Alonso fifth.

But Rosberg was subsequently slapped with a 10-second stop-go penalty for coming into the pits before it had opened after the Piquet crash.

The complicated scenario saw Toyota's Jarno Trulli in the lead on lap 28 but without having pitted with Alonso second, Rosberg third and Hamilton sixth.

With Trulli taking his first pit stop soon after Alonso amazingly found himself in front just after the halfway mark.

He came in for his second pit stop on lap 41 and emerged just ahead of David Coulthard and Hamilton.

Remarkably, when Coulthard pitted soon after, he too drove off with the fuel pipe attached, knocking over a mechanic who was stretchered off.

There was more action to come.

Alonso was cruising with a 23-second lead when Adrian Sutil shunted his Force India into the wall, bringing the safety car out again and wiping out the Spaniard's advantage.

When they restarted with seven laps left it was a sprint to the finish and the two-time world champion made no mistakes.