MotoGP: 2008 Valencia GP Results

The Ducati Marlboro rider finished 3.390 seconds ahead Repsol Hondas Dani Pedrosa for the win on the Valencia circuit. Stoner started the race on the pole but Pedrosa sprinted ahead off the start to win the holeshot. The Spaniards lead was short-lived however as Stoner passed him on the inside on turn two to gain a lead he would not relinquish.

The win, Stoners sixth of the season, secured second place in the manufacturers standings for Ducati.

Once again my crew got it right, finding a good setting for the bike despite limited dry track time, says Stoner. To be honest I was quite worried during qualifying yesterday because I didnt have a good feeling at all but by the time we put the softer tires on the bike was already feeling better and then the guys did a fantastic job overnight and in the warm-up this morning to iron out a few more of the problems. This was the first time weve ridden in these conditions all weekend so there were still a few question marks before the race, so to go out and set the pace like that was a nice feeling.

Stoners win came despite the pain from a lingering wrist injury. The 2007 MotoGP champion may need surgery to repair his left scaphoid but the visit to the doctor will wait until after the post-season testing of the Desmosedici GP9 at Valencia Oct. 27-28.

Pedrosa held on for second place in front of a supportive Spanish audience.

Im happy with second place today. I pushed Casey as hard as I could but he had something a little extra and he managed the gap very well, says Pedrosa. The crowd was great, it was fantastic to see so many fans here, packing the grandstands and obviously really enjoying the spectacle and pushing us along.

Third place went to Fiat Yamahas Valentino Rossi, giving him 373 points on the season to set a new record for points earned in a single season. The 2008 MotoGP champion earned nine wins this season, as well as five second-place and two third-place finishes, helping Yamaha win the manufacturers title.

Once I got to third there was no way to catch Dani and so it wasnt such an exciting race from then on. This has been an amazing season for us and to finish with another podium, the 16th, is great and we cannot complain. I am so happy with what we have done this year, as I said its definitely one of my greatest championships and I want to thank everyone once again Yamaha, my team, the engineers, Bridgestone and everyone who helped us to get this result.

Dovizioso finished in fourth place, two seconds ahead of Nicky Hayden, the man he will replace on the factory Repsol Honda team in 2009. The fourth-place finish pushed Dovizioso into fifth in the standings in his first MotoGP season but it wasnt enough to win Rookie of the Year honors.

Jorge was able to keep a good pace during the second half of the race and he was able to finish strongly and make his best lap on the very last lap, says Fiat Yamaha team manager Daniele Romagnoli. This has been a fantastic year for us because we were able to make four pole positions, win a race and take five more podiums, helping Yamaha to win the triple crown, and Jorge is the years leading rookie.

Award trophies for the 2008 season were presented at the FIM MotoGP Awards Ceremony after the race at the Oceangrafic Centre in Valencia.