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MotoGP News (2007)
MotoGP News - Double Podium Ends Fantastic Bridgestone Season
04/11/2007
Two out of three podium places at today’s Valencia GP made a strong finish to Bridgestone’s red-letter season, with new World Champion Casey Stoner (Ducati) second and John Hopkins (Suzuki) third, while victory for rival tyre company rider Dani Pedrosa (Honda) proved that the many prizes of the year were not easily won.
With Honda’s Marco Melandri (Honda), Loris Capirossi (Ducati), Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) and Alex Barros (Ducati) taking fourth to seventh places, and Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki) and Toni Elias (Honda) ninth and tenth, Bridgestone claimed all but two of the top ten finishers at the 4.005-km Ricardo Tormo circuit outside Valencia.
It has been a year of records for the Japanese tyre manufacturer. In 18 races, Bridgestone riders have taken 12 wins; and 33 out of a possible 54 rostrum positions. World Champion Stoner has been the biggest contributor, with ten wins and four more visits to the top-three podium.
“The whole year has been fantastic,” said Stoner, who has consistently praised the crucial role played by the tyres in his success. “I think next year everybody’s going to come out a little bit tougher. I’m going to make sure I do everything I can to come out on top.”
It was a fourth rostrum of the year for Hopkins, and elevated him to fourth overall, his best ever position in his last year with Suzuki. “I wanted to get the best possible results out of myself and the Bridgestone tyres for the Suzuki team."
"It’s an emotional time right now. I’ve been five years with Suzuki, and they gave me a life in MotoGP, and established my career,” the Anglo-American said.
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