2011 MotoGP Valencia Photo Gallery

Dani Pedrosa earned the second-best time in practice after posting a lap just 0.223 seconds off the pace.

Valentino Rossi: "Our bike works very well in the wet, so this morning I was able to push and to stay up there near the front. In the afternoon we had a few more problems because we made a mistake with the rear setting. I couldn’t manage to find grip under acceleration, or to ride the bike well like in the morning."

Rizla Suzuki's Alvaro Bautista set the fastest time in the afternoon session while heavy rain fell on the Valencia circuit.

Andrea Dovizioso: "Today the conditions of the track were really demanding as there was no grip. We did good work with the team and we were careful not to make mistakes as we didn't want to take additional risks with these difficult conditions."

Nicky Hayden: "This was actually the first time I’ve ever ridden the GP11.1 in the wet, and I was really happy with how it felt. The track was extremely slippery. We came from Malaysia and Australia, where the surface would dry in no time, but here, even when it would stop raining, it just wouldn’t dry."

American Nicky Hayden had his first experience with Ducati's GP11.1 in the wet during practice at Valencia.

Hiroshi Aoyama: "The conditions made life hard today and I had a crash. The grip levels weren't the best and even though I tried to find the limit it was very hard and I am not happy with the result. I hope I can be faster tomorrow and on Sunday. This is an important Grand Prix for me because it is my last in MotoGP and I am desperate to have a good race to honor Marco, who we are all missing greatly."

Fausto Gresini: “There is so much sadness in our garage today. The atmosphere was surreal without 'Super Sic' there and it has been extremely difficult to tackle the day. It goes without saying that he is missed but it was important for us to be here and honour his memory because I am sure this is what he would want."

Dani Pedrosa: "This morning we had a very good run, but in the afternoon we had some issues on the bike with the rear shock and I only managed a few laps, spending a lot of time in the garage making changes. The track surface is quite old and very slippery, even when the track was drier it was still tough."

Valentino Rossi: "We’ll have to see how to proceed throughout the weekend, because if it stays wet, we could do pretty well. If it improves, we’ll have to see how we are in the dry.”

Casey Stoner: "It hasn't been a great day to be honest, we've never had a great feeling here in the wet. I love riding this circuit in the dry, but there seems to be some sort of oil or grease on the circuit, I'm not sure if it's due to a lot of car rubber down but it makes things hard for sure."

Andrea Dovizioso - 2011 Valencia MotoGP

Casey Stoner was 1.014 seconds faster than the rest of the field on Saturday and earned his 12th pole of the season.

Dani Pedrosa: "I’m happy with second position on the grid, it’s a good place to start, but I’m not totally satisfied with the setup of the bike yet."

Honda's Casey Stoner earned his 10th win of the season during the finale at Valencia after crossing the finish line just 0.015 seconds ahead of Yamaha's Ben Spies (below).

Ben Spies: "When we came out of the last corner I got the paint sucked off the bike by Casey as he went past! I’m happy enough; we made a huge charge at the end and finished well. Considering how the last month has gone it’s a great way to end."

Andrea Dovizioso won third overall in the championship after holding off his teammate, Dani Pedrosa, in the final round.

Dani Pedrosa finished the series fourth overall after struggling with rain in the final contest.

Dani Pedrosa - 2011 Valencia MotoGP

Gresini Racing's Michele Pirro won his first-ever Moto2 race.

German Stefan Bradl officially claimed the 2011 title despite crashing out the final race. He dedicated his entire championship season to Marco Simoncelli.

Valencia first turn crash sequence Part 1

Valencia first turn crash sequence Part 2

Valencia first turn crash sequence Part 3

Valencia first turn crash sequence Part 4

Valencia first turn crash sequence Part 5

Valencia first turn crash sequence Part 6

Valencia first turn crash sequence Part 7

Tribute to Marco Simoncelli - 2011 Valencia MotoGP

Michele Pirro: "It hasn’t been an easy weekend and the race was the same – a bit dry, a bit wet, a bit dry, a bit wet – so it was very tough out there. But I think Marco rode with me today. I would like to dedicate this victory to Marco, to his family and to the team.”

Casey Stoner - 2011 Valencia MotoGP

Alvaro Bautista: "In the first corner we all arrived together and I was between Andrea and Valentino. Unfortunately Andrea hit my front wheel with his rear tire and I couldn’t do anything to save the crash. The worst thing was that I hit three other riders and they crashed as well, I am sorry for them and also sorry for the team and all the fans."

Andrea Dovizioso: "Thanks to my team for these three years spent together, I’m very pleased to finish my career at Honda with third in the Championship, my best result so far in MotoGP."

Nicky Hayden: "I’m okay other than my hand being pretty sore. It’s unfortunate. One of our bike’s strengths is generating heat in the tires, and that’s what you need on a cold, wet track like this."

Katsuyuki Nakasuga: "I was really surprised with sixth position in the race! In the beginning I was very nervous because of the weather conditions, so my main target was to complete the race."