With seven months and seventeen races having passed since the 2013 season-opening round in Qatar, the MotoGP teams and riders are headed to Spain for the finale event of the year, the Gran Premio de la Comunitat Valenciana.
The fourth Spanish host circuit of the year, Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo is a stadium-like facility housing a relatively tight track that runs in an anticlockwise direction. The season-finale atmosphere is invariably exciting and party-like, although there’s also plenty of hard work, with the three-day GP to be followed by three additional days of testing as the teams begin preparation for the 2014 season.
Past years have seen the Ducati Team post a pair of wins at Valencia with riders Troy Bayliss and Casey Stoner (2006 and ’08, respectively). Andrea Dovizioso scored a MotoGP podium finish at the circuit two years ago and was runner-up in the 125cc class back in 2004. Nicky Hayden has a pair of premier-class podium finishes at Valencia, and although he’s been plagued by bad luck in recent years with crashes having cut his last three Valencian GPs short, he likes the track and has good memories of wrapping up his 2006 World Championship at the circuit.
Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team
“For us Valencia should be a better track than the latest ones we’ve been to. Of course a lot will depend on the weather, which in this period of the year can be a bit unreliable, but I think that the track will be more suited to our GP13 because there is more grip and the surface is pretty new, so we should go a bit better. Then after the race we’ll see what there is to try out during the three days of testing. In any case I don’t have a particularly great rapport with this circuit… I’ve got good memories of the 2011 race when I beat Dani for third place in the championship, but I don’t like the track very much, and I don’t think I’m the only rider who thinks this way.”
Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team
“I’ve got some great memories from Valencia. Some people think it’s a bit tight for MotoGP, but I actually like it. I think it’s a fun, scrappy little track, and in the past, it’s been pretty good for Ducati. The new pavement is grippy and doesn’t have a lot of bumps, which is good for us. We’ll see what the weather does. It’s the last one of the year, and although we know it’ll be tough to do something great, we’ll put our heads down, try to have some fun and finish in the best way possible.”
Vittoriano Guareschi – Team Manager
“This is the final round of the championship, Nicky’s last race with us after five years, and also my last one with Ducati. Valencia is a circuit where, in view of its characteristics and numerous ‘stop-and-go’ sections, our bike goes pretty well, so it could be a nice opportunity to bring our adventure to an end and sign off with a good race. I’d also like to add that Valencia is the track where my relation with the Desmosedici began in 2002 and it’ll also be where this cycle, full of memories of the last 13 years spent in Ducati, comes to an end.”
Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Records
Circuit Record: Casey Stoner (Honda – 2008), 1:32.582 – 155.732 Km/h (96.767 mph)
Best Pole: Dani Pedrosa (Honda – 2012), 1:30.844 – 158.711 Km/h (98.618 mph)
Circuit Length: 4.005 km (2.489 mi)
2013 MotoGP Race: 30 laps (120.150 km/74.67 mi)
2013 MotoGP Schedule: 2:00 p.m. local time
2012 podium: 1st Dani Pedrosa (Honda), 2nd Katsuyuki Nakasuga (Yamaha), 3rd Casey Stoner (Honda)
2012 pole: Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 1:30.844 – 158.711 Km/h (98.618 mph)
Ducati Team Results at Valencia (best finish)
2012: 10th (Rossi)
2011: DNF
2010: 2nd (Stoner)
2009: 5th (Hayden)
2008: 1st (Stoner)
2007: 2nd (Stoner)
2006: 1st (Bayliss)
2005: 4th (Checa)
2004: 3rd (Bayliss)
2003: 3rd (Capirossi)
Ducati Team – Rider Info
Andrea Dovizioso
Bike: Ducati Team Desmosedici GP13
Race number: 04
Age: 27 (born in Forlimpopoli, Italy, 23 March 1986)
Residence: Forlì, Italy
Number of GPs: 203 (104 x MotoGP, 49 x 250cc, 49 x 125cc)
First GP: 2001 Italian GP (125cc)
Number of wins: 10 (1 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
First GP win: 2004 South African GP (125cc)
Poles: 14 (1 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 9 x 125cc)
First pole: 2003 French GP (125cc)
World Championships: 1 (1 x 125cc)
Dovizioso’s MotoGP track record at Valencia
2012: Grid, 6th; Race, 6th
2011: Grid, 8th; Race, 3rd
2010: Grid, 9th; Race, 5th
2009: Grid, 10th; Race, 8th
2008: Grid, 9th; Race, 4th
Dovizioso’s 250cc track record at Valencia
2007: Grid, 10th; Race, 4th
2006: Grid, 7th; Race, 7th
2005: Grid, 5th; Race, 9th
Dovizioso’s 125cc track record at Valencia
2004: Grid, 1st; Race, 2nd
2003: Grid, 5th; Race, 8th
2002: Grid, 14th; Race, 17th
Nicky Hayden
Bike: Ducati Team Desmosedici GP13
Race number: 69
Age: 32 (born in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA, 30 July 1981)
Residence: Owensboro (Kentucky, USA)
Number of GPs: 183 (183 x MotoGP)
First GP: 2003 Japanese GP (MotoGP)
Number of wins: 3 (3 x MotoGP)
First GP win: 2005 USA GP (MotoGP)
Poles: 5 (5 x MotoGP)
First pole: 2005 USA GP (MotoGP)
World Championships: 1 (6 x MotoGP, 2006)
Hayden’s MotoGP track record at Valencia
2012: Grid, 7th; Race, DNF
2011: Grid, 7th; Race, DNF
2010: Grid, 5th; Race, DNF
2009: Grid, 6th; Race, 5th
2008: Grid, 3rd; Race, 5th
2007: Grid, 3rd; Race, 8th
2006: Grid, 5th; Race, 3rd
2005: Grid, 3rd; Race, 2nd
2004: Grid, 5th; Race, DNF
2003: Grid, 4th; Race, 16th
