Spain MotoGP Motorcycle Racing
MotoGP rider, Valentino Rossi from Italy, center, observes a silence minutes with MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso from Italy, left, and US MotoGP rider...
MotoGP rider, Valentino Rossi from Italy, center, observes a silence minutes with MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso from Italy, left, and US MotoGP rider Nicky Hayden, right, as the Moto GP community pay tribute to Marco Simoncelli who died on last October 23. All three categories of the World Championship have been invited to depart from Pit Lane as a group, and complete a lap of the track in honor of Simoncelli as his motorcycle, number 58, stands in front at the line, before of Valencia's Motorcycle Grand Prix, the last race of the season, at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Cheste near Valencia, Spain, Sunday Nov.6, 2011. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
Spain MotoGP Motorcycle Racing
People display a giant banner with Simoncelli's number, 58, and his portrait, as MotoGP community pays tribute to Marco Simoncelli who died on last ...
People display a giant banner with Simoncelli's number, 58, and his portrait, as MotoGP community pays tribute to Marco Simoncelli who died on last October 23. All three categories of the World Championship have been invited to depart from Pit Lane as a group, and complete a lap of the track in honor of Simoncelli before of Valencia's Motorcycle Grand Prix, the last race of the season, at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Cheste near Valencia, Spain, Sunday Nov.6, 2011. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)
Spain MotoGP Motorcycle Racing
The Moto GP community pay tribute to Marco Simoncelli who died on last October 23. All three categories of the World Championship have been invited t...
The Moto GP community pay tribute to Marco Simoncelli who died on last October 23. All three categories of the World Championship have been invited to depart from Pit Lane as a group, and complete a lap of the track in honor of Simoncelli as his motorcycle, number 58, stands in front at the line, before of Valencia's Motorcycle Grand Prix, the last race of the season, at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Cheste near Valencia, Spain, Sunday Nov.6, 2011. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
Australian Casey Stoner ended his championship winning year by overtaking Ben Spies down the final straight to win the season-ending Valencia MotoGP on Sunday.
The world champion, who clinched the title on Oct. 16, finished in 48 minutes, 18.645 seconds. Spies was only 0.015 seconds behind in light rain on the 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) Comunitat Valenciana Circuit.
Andrea Dovizioso was third.
Stoner raced away after his 12th pole of the season and led by 10 seconds from Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa. With three laps to go, Spies overtook Stoner when the Australian rider ran wide at a corner.
Riders did a lap of honor and gathered on the track to pay tribute to Italian rider Marco Simoncelli, who died in an accident at the Malaysia GP two weeks ago.
