at Valencia every year, but 2008 could be something special. For the Valencia race is the end of an era for Hayden as well. It will be his last race on a Honda, having been with the factory for nearly 10 years and with the Repsol Honda team in MotoGP since

's Repsol Honda team mate Nicky Hayden, but Hayden had the outside line at Turn 1, and as they flicked left to head towards Turn 2, Lorenzo had the better line, and was back up to 3rd. Hayden's choice of line into the first corner would cost him more dearly

GP last year, and it also gave us one of the best motorcycle races ever with last year's 250 race. That's not to mention the sight of the 125s going into the Turn 12-13-14 twiddles five abreast for lap after lap. If we do leave here, I for one will be very

2/10ths more out of Stoner, and close the gap to 9/10ths of a second, almost within striking range. Stoner and Vermeulen were clearly the fastest men on the track, both riding lap after lap in the 1'34s, but something had to give. On lap 12

the Australian. The Italian had made his strategy clear: he had to close enough to battle with Stoner if he was to stand any chance of winning the race. But over 1.2 seconds down, and with Stoner smashing Loris Capirossi's lap record by 8/10ths on his first

Biaggi's lap record from 2005, set on a 990cc Honda RC211V, by 0.08 of a second. But Rossi's new record would not stand long: 0.1 of a second later, Casey Stoner was 0.03 faster still, claiming a new lap record at 1'50.003, 0.114 quicker than Biaggi's old

for Turn 11. If you make it through here in one piece, it's back on the gas and changing up through the gears, bracing yourself once again to face the fearsome Turn 1. You've barely had time to draw breath, and you're already getting ready to work your way

for this weekend is a place somewhere in the top 10.His team mate for next year is in much the same boat. Like Loris Capirossi in 2007, Marco Melandri has had an awful time trying to tame the Ducati, and generally has failed. But unlike Capirossi, Melandri has

man to be outbraked. The Suzuki man entered the twiddles section of Turns 12, 13 and 14 first, Elias and Rossi close behind. But Elias had plotted a different attack vector this time round, diving up the inside of Hopkins through the final Turn 14

before, and Melandri clawed back the first couple of tenths from Stoner's 2 second lead. Now, Stoner's lap times collapsed dramatically, from a 1'23 on lap 16, to 1'26s from lap 22. Where once it looked like Casey Stoner would pick up another easy 20