Crash.net recently asked for your MotoGP star of 2008, from a shortlist of ten riders provided, and the time has come to reveal the winner.The shortlist contained the top seven riders in the world championship standings, the two other class rookies (James Toseland and Alex de Angelis) and the rider outside the top seven with the best podium results (Toni Elias) - all of whom delivered at least two 'star' performances this season.
More than 54,000 votes were cast for the MotoGP poll. The average score given for each rider was used to produce the final ranking.
MotoGP Star of the Year - first place:
Name: Valentino Rossi
Team: Fiat Yamaha
Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1
Wins: 9
Podiums: 16
Pole Positions: 2
Fastest laps: 5
Championship points: 373
Championship position: 1st
It would have been a major upset if anyone other than Valentino Rossi had been voted your MotoGP star of the year, after a 2008 season in which the Italian legend bounced back from two successive title defeats in spectacular style.
Rossi won nine out of the 18 races to clinch his sixth MotoGP title at round 15 in Japan and has now won more premier-class races than any other rider in history, having beaten Giacomo Agostini's long-standing record of 68 at Indianapolis.
The Doctor made only one race mistake, falling on lap one at Assen, and was the only rider to score points in all 18 races - 16 of which he finished on the podium, during his first season with Bridgestone tyres.
In terms of the title, Rossi's most significant win came during the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, when he brilliantly smothered Casey Stoner'sperformance advantage to end the Australian's three-race win streak.
Stoner was visibly unsettled by the defeat and when the Ducati rider fell whilst leading Rossi at the next two races, Valentino's eighth world title became a case of 'when' not 'if'.
Name: Valentino Rossi
Team: Fiat Yamaha
Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1
Wins: 9
Podiums: 16
Pole Positions: 2
Fastest laps: 5
Championship points: 373
Championship position: 1st
It would have been a major upset if anyone other than Valentino Rossi had been voted your MotoGP star of the year, after a 2008 season in which the Italian legend bounced back from two successive title defeats in spectacular style.
Rossi won nine out of the 18 races to clinch his sixth MotoGP title at round 15 in Japan and has now won more premier-class races than any other rider in history, having beaten Giacomo Agostini's long-standing record of 68 at Indianapolis.
The Doctor made only one race mistake, falling on lap one at Assen, and was the only rider to score points in all 18 races - 16 of which he finished on the podium, during his first season with Bridgestone tyres.
In terms of the title, Rossi's most significant win came during the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, when he brilliantly smothered Casey Stoner's
Stoner was visibly unsettled by the defeat and when the Ducati rider fell whilst leading Rossi at the next two races, Valentino's eighth world title became a case of 'when' not 'if'.
Rossi's final victory margin was 93 points over Stoner - almost four race wins - and his superb season helped Yamaha claim a perfect sweep of the 2008 Riders', Manufacturers' and Teams' World Championships.
This was Rossi's reaction at being voted Crash.net's MotoGP Star of the Year:
"Thanks for voting me number one in this poll! I hope you have all enjoyed the season, it has been a very special one for me. Together with the 2004 championship I can say that this has been the best of my career and we had to fight incredibly hard to win it, which makes it even better. Now I am already looking forward to trying to win again with Yamaha next year!"
This was Rossi's reaction at being voted Crash.net's MotoGP Star of the Year:
"Thanks for voting me number one in this poll! I hope you have all enjoyed the season, it has been a very special one for me. Together with the 2004 championship I can say that this has been the best of my career and we had to fight incredibly hard to win it, which makes it even better. Now I am already looking forward to trying to win again with Yamaha next year!"
Comparing your Star of the Year votes with the top seven in the 2008 world championship standings, only two riders were out of sync, indicating that you considered race results to be the most important factor when assessing star quality.
The two exceptions were Dani Pedrosa and Colin Edwards. Pedrosa dropped from third in the championship to just sixth in the star vote - moving Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden up one place from their championship positions - while Edwards dropped from seventh to eighth, after narrowly losing out to team-mate Toseland.
However, you still ranked the four 2008 rookies in the same order as they finished in the world championship; Lorenzo followed by Dovizioso, Toseland and de Angelis.
MotoGP Star of the Year vote:
1st - Valentino Rossi
2nd - Casey Stoner
3rd - Jorge Lorenzo
4th - Andrea Dovizioso
5th - Nicky Hayden
6th - Dani Pedrosa
7th - James Toseland
8th - Colin Edwards
9th - Toni Elias
10th - Alex de Angelis
The two exceptions were Dani Pedrosa and Colin Edwards. Pedrosa dropped from third in the championship to just sixth in the star vote - moving Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden up one place from their championship positions - while Edwards dropped from seventh to eighth, after narrowly losing out to team-mate Toseland.
However, you still ranked the four 2008 rookies in the same order as they finished in the world championship; Lorenzo followed by Dovizioso, Toseland and de Angelis.
MotoGP Star of the Year vote:
1st - Valentino Rossi
2nd - Casey Stoner
3rd - Jorge Lorenzo
4th - Andrea Dovizioso
5th - Nicky Hayden
6th - Dani Pedrosa
7th - James Toseland
8th - Colin Edwards
9th - Toni Elias
10th - Alex de Angelis
From Crash [dot] net
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