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MotoGP champion Rossi quits Honda
VALENCIA, Spain -- Italy's MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi ended a record-breaking season with victory at the Valencia Grand Prix, before announcing he is quitting Honda after four seasons. Rossi, who won his third straight world crown in Malaysia last month, started on pole and finished ahead of Spain's Sete Gibernau (Honda) and Italian Loris Capirossi (Ducati). The victory also means the 24-year-old has equalled the legendary Giacomo Agostini's 22 successive podium finishes. Rossi has finished on the podium in all of this season's 16 races, winning nine times. Afterwards, Rossi, who has won 33 out of 64 races for Honda, said his decision to quit the team was motivated by his desire for a new challenge. "I have come here today to say thank you to Honda for an incredible four years but unfortunately next year we won't be racing together," Rossi told a news conference. "I have decided to change because I've done everything with the bike. I've won in the wet, won in the dry, won on my favorite tracks and my least favorite tracks like today." Rossi said he could not discuss any new deal until his contract expired at the end of the year, but Yamaha released a statement awelcoming his split with Honda and saying they were in discussions with his management team. Edwards joins HondaTwice superbike world champion Colin Edwards will race on a Honda RCV in MotoGP next season, the Telefonica Movistar team announced after the Valencia Grand Prix. The 29-year-old American, who has had a miserable first season in grand prix motorcycling with Aprilia, will next year race alongside Spain's Sete Gibernau, who finished second in the championship behind champion Valentino Rossi. Edwards won the 2000 and 2002 superbike world championships with Honda before leaving them in acrimonious circumstances and switching to MotoGP for this season. But the Texan has struggled in his first year on the grand prix circuit on the uncompetitive Aprilia Cube and finished 13th place in the riders' standings after Sunday's final race with 62 points. He will be replaced at Aprilia by British superbike champion Shane Byrne.
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