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After three dry practice sessions the heavens opened 30 minutes before race time, delaying the event by 45 minutes, and with no wet track time the race turned into something of a lottery. Rossi got away well but ran wide at turn one and exited only in eighth place. He then surrendered two more places, including one to charging teammate Lorenzo. For the next few laps Rossi tailed Lorenzo as the Spaniard charged his way through the field, with the pair putting on a scintillating display of overtaking in the wet as they climbed to fourth and fifth in the order. But Rossi had set his sights on a podium finish and passed Lorenzo, surviving a huge slide in the process, then quickly built a one-second gap.
"It's great to be world champion again, and I am very proud to have done this nine times in my career,” said Rossi graciously. “I want to thank everyone in my team! This season has been very hard and Lorenzo especially has pushed me to new limits, but I think it's been a great duel for everyone to watch. Today was unbelievable – when the rain came it was scary for everyone because all the work we'd done was then useless and we were riding ‘blind’ with the setting. It's a fantastic feeling to take this title with Yamaha again. In Italy we say an old chicken makes good soup but can no longer lay eggs! I am like the old chicken – 30 years now – but I have made another egg!”
Pos. 2009 MotoGP Points 10/25/09
1 Valentino Rossi – Yamaha 286
2 Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha 245
3 Casey Stoner 220
4 Dani Pedrosa 209
5 Andrea Dovizioso 152
Ben Spies made history today by claiming his and Yamaha’s first-ever World Superbike title in Portiamo, Portugal on Sunday, Oct. 25. In yet another racing masterwork, the American sensation took a win in race one and a well-executed fifth-place finish in race two to earn the title on his YZF-R1. Despite entering the weekend 10 points behind rival Noriyuki Haga, Spies’ outstanding performances put him six points in the lead at the final checkered flag. In addition, Spies’ focused performance put him in the history books as the most successful rookie ever in World Superbike with 11 poles and 14 out of a possible 28 race wins during the season. Making the weekend even better for Yamaha, Cal Crutchlow likewise took the World Supersport title for Yamaha on his YZF-R6.
Race one saw a textbook performance from Spies, who took the holeshot and led from the first lap on. Perfectly executed lines and smooth riding saw him cross the line nearly two seconds ahead of a determined Max Biaggi, who stalked him for the entire race. Unfortunately, championship rival Haga crashed out six laps into the race, and yet the mishap left Spies some valuable breathing room for race two. Thus with the points and less pressure for an outright race win, Spies kept himself in check in the season’s final event, monitoring Haga's position and keeping a steady race pace as he counted the laps down to his first world title. After the start, the Texan let a couple of riders pass before tucking in behind Biaggi for a number of laps. But after the Italian ran wide a couple of times, Spies turned on some extra speed to pass him and bring his R1 home in fifth place and earn the championship.
"I've got to thank Yamaha for giving me the bike I need to win,” said a happy Spies later. “We had a really good first race, and in the second we did what we had to do to win. It's been a spectacular day and I can't thank those people enough that have been behind me. It's been incredible to do it for Yamaha, and especially in my first year here. I don't think I really realize what's happening right now but I'm sure it's going to hit me in a couple of days!"
Pos. 2009 World Superbike Points (Final) 10/25/09
1 Ben Spies – Yamaha 462
2 Noriyuki Haga 456
3 Michel Fabrizio 382
4 Max Biaggi 319
5 Jonathan Rea 315
Dustin Nelson and his Factory Yamaha YFZ450R took their third overall ITP QuadCross victory of the year at Cahuilla Creek Motocross in Anza, Calif. on Sunday, Oct. 25. Nelson won the first moto and finished second in moto two, giving him the overall and edging him closer to rival Jeremie Warnia in the standings with just one event left to go. But with double points awarded at the final round in San Bernardino, Calif. on Nov. 22, whomever comes out on top in Nelson and Warnia’s season-long battle will become the 2009 ITP QuadCross champion. Adding to the impressive results for Yamaha at Cahuilla Creek, Thomas Brown, Justin Noss and Jason Dunkleberger finished fourth through sixth, respectively, on their own YFZ450Rs.
Conditions at the new Cahuilla Creek ATV track proved especially challenging, with a dusty course resulting in poor visibility for the racers. When the gate dropped for the first 10-lap moto, Nelson used a favorable starting position to get to the first corner in second place, and then pass Nick Denoble for the lead early in the first lap. He held the advantage all the way to the finish, but it was not so easy as it sounds as rival Chad Wienen closed to within a quad-length during the middle part of the race and Nelson had to focus hard to build a comfortable margin at the flag. “I had a really good pace for the first four laps, but halfway through the race I made a few mistakes and slide sideways and let Wienen get pretty close,” Nelson admitted. “But I pulled it back together and was able to open up a second or two advantage.”
As track conditions deteriorated for the second moto, Nelson was only fourth to the first turn behind John Natalie, Yamaha-mounted Justin Noss, and Warnia, but soon worked his way up to third. With Wienen again closing in, Nelson knew an overall win was in jeopardy if he lost his podium position. However Natalie soon got a flat and Nelson was able to advance to second, securing his overall win and gaining maximum points in the process. “In the first moto the bike was set up really well,” Nelson revealed. “But by the second moto the track had deteriorated so much and was rougher than any of the practice sessions had been. After riding the YZF450R for a year, I am very happy with it. I think that power-wise we’re every bit as good or better than our previous YFZ450, and we have also improved the handling as we’ve gone through the year.”
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