Dani Takes Podium Place As 3rd Place in Japan

Stoner powered off the line to lead the field into turn one with Dani and Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) on his tail and in short order the lead trio turned out to be Stoner, Rossi and Pedrosa. Dani showing he had the pace to pursue the title protagonists that he had sometimes lacked this year. His first dry race with the Bridgestone tyre and pneumatic-valve RC212V combination was proving highly competitive.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team)

The early battle between these three title rivals proved to be as fierce as anything seen so far this season and as Stoner put a hard pass on Dani on the run-up to the bridge section of the track (a move for which he later apologized) and Dani lost ground on the lead duo.

Rossi was hunting Stoner down but took time to make his move on the Aussie World Champion such was the Ducati man’s pace in the first half of this race. But Rossi seized his moment on lap 14 and from then on he was never troubled on his march to the flag and World Championship number six in the premier class.

Motegi, Japan, MotoGP Result

1. Valentino ROSSI (Fiat Yamaha Team)
2. Casey STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team)
3. Dani PEDROSA (Repsol Honda Team)
4. Jorge LORENZO (Fiat Yamaha Team)
5. Nicky HAYDEN (Repsol Honda Team)
6. Loris CAPIROSSI (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP)
7. Colin EDWARDS (Tech 3 Yamaha)
8. Shinya NAKANO (San Carlo Honda Gresini)
9. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (JiR Team Scot MotoGP)
10. John HOPKINS (Kawasaki Racing Team)
11. James TOSELAND (Tech 3 Yamaha)
12. Randy DE PUNIET (LCR Honda MotoGP)
13. Marco MELANDRI (Ducati Marlboro Team)
14. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Alice Team)
15. Anthony WEST (Kawasaki Racing Team)

Hayden Finished Second at Indianapolis

Weather played the ace hand here in rain-lashed Indianapolis. The 125cc Grand Prix was foreshortened, the 250cc race abandoned altogether and this, the main event, brought to a close when the prevailing conditions – furious rain and wind – proved too much for both riders and track furniture.

The race was declared ‘wet’ before it got underway and right enough the declaration proved appropriate. Conditions were manageable for the first 11 laps until the rain fell harder, the wind got up with a vengeance, and then a howling gale blew the conclusion of this contest into the hands of the race organizers.

Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V)

Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) was declared victor after the 28-lap race was abandoned after 20-laps. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) was awarded second and Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) third.Rossi now has 287 points to Stoner’s 200 with four rounds to run. Dani sits third with 193 points.

The Result

1. Valentino ROSSI (Fiat Yamaha Team)
2. Nicky HAYDEN (Repsol Honda Team)
3. Jorge LORENZO (Fiat Yamaha Team)
4. Casey STONER (Ducati Team)
5. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (JiR Team Scot MotoGP)
6. Ben SPIES (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP)
7. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Alice Team)
8. Dani PEDROSA (Repsol Honda Team)
9. Chris VERMEULEN (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP)
10. Alex DE ANGELIS (San Carlo Honda Gresini)
11. Anthony WEST (Kawasaki Racing Team)
12. Toni ELIAS (Alice Team)
13. Randy DE PUNIET (LCR Honda MotoGP)
14. John HOPKINS (Kawasaki Racing Team)
15. Colin EDWARDS (Tech 3 Yamaha)

Paris Salon de l'Automobile 2008

Honda's Paris motor show stand is packed with models that show the brand's current and future commitments to reducing the environmental impact of its vehicles. Paris sees a production and concept world debut and both demonstrate Honda's long-standing passion for and commitment to the Environment.

The two major debuts will be for the long awaited Insight Concept, which shows the direction of Honda's latest addition to its petrol electric hybrid line-up. Making its debut alongside the Insight Concept, will be the eagerly anticipated all-new Jazz, which brings even greater fuel economy and lower emissions than ever before to the astonishingly flexible B-segment hatch.

Paris will also see the debut of Honda's new automatic gearbox for the i-DTEC diesel engine. This new gearbox has been developed in response to European customer demands for an automatic option for the 2.2 liter diesel. The new gearbox has been developed exclusively for the i-DTEC turbodiesel, in order to compliment its flexibility and broader spread of torque. Honda's thorough approach to engineering would not allow the use of a third party gearbox, which might compromise the effectiveness of its newest engine.

World Debut of the Honda Insight Hybrid Concept Car, FCX Clarity, and CR-Z

European Debut of the all-new Honda Jazz

World Debut of restyled Civic Hybrid

World Debut of Honda's i-DTEC Automatic gearbox

Pedrosa Fights To Fourth at San Marino GP

Misano, August 31, 2008 - Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) finished a gallant fourth after leaving the line in superb style to lie second into turn one behind Stoner. But the Spanish star could not maintain the pace of the eventual podium men, and despite a gutsy bid for third in the closing stages, he finished 17 seconds behind the winner.

Dani was hanging on gamely however and it looked as if the Honda man was back to form after his German crash and the disappointment of missing out on riding at Laguna Seca. But Dani couldn’t quite hang in there and as Rossi passed him early on, then Lorenzo and Elias on lap five, he had to make do with holding onto fourth.

Stoner flew in the early laps building a 3.3 second lead after only three tours of the 4.226km circuit and looked untouchable. Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) made a good launch too and lay fourth on lap one – until he fell, not even completing the opening lap. He crashed here on lap one in 2007 too.

Rossi now has 262 points, Stoner 187, Pedrosa 185 and Lorenzo 140. Rossi’s 75 point lead with five races to run is to all intents and purposes almost unassailable, but so long as mathematical chances remain, his four rivals will ride as fiercely as ever.

San Marino GP Result

1. Valentino ROSSI (Fiat Yamaha Team)
2. Jorge LORENZO (Fiat Yamaha Team)
3. Toni ELIAS (Alice Team)
4. Dani PEDROSA (Repsol Honda Team)
5. Chris VERMEULEN (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP)
6. James TOSELAND (Tech 3 Yamaha)
7. Loris CAPIROSSI (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP)
8. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (JiR Team Scot MotoGP)
9. Marco MELANDRI (Ducati Marlboro Team)
10. Colin EDWARDS (Tech 3 Yamaha)
11. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Alice Team)
12. Shinya NAKANO (San Carlo Honda Gresini)
13. Anthony WEST (Kawasaki Racing Team)
14. John HOPKINS (Kawasaki Racing Team)