MotoGP Season Ends This Weekend

The final race of the 2011 MotoGP season is this Sunday at Valencia. Casey Stoner has already secured the championship and Jorge Lorenzo is safely in second place. But this weekend will see the third place position decided as Repsol Honda teammates Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso are separated by just 4 points.

But the battle for third could be a distant thought as the MotoGP riders take to the track this weekend, as the final race of the season will be a celebration of Marco Simoncelli, who died after a crash last weekend in Malaysia.

The Gresini Honda team announced that they will be participating in the Valencia GP to honor their fallen rider and many of the riders on the GP grid are expected to pay tribute to Super Sic.

Simoncelli is currently tied in 6th place with Valentino Rossi.

Ben Spies should be able to hold on to fifth place. The American is currently fifteen points ahead of Rossi. Rossi would need a race win and a poor finish from Spies if he wants to take fifth.

Rossi hasn't scored a win all year, but if there is a race to do it at, it's at Valencia. Jorge Lorenzo may not race due to an injury. Casey Stoner may not be pushing himself since he's already won the championship. It's unlikely, but possible, that Rossi captures a race win before the season is over.

The final race of the MotoGP season will also see feature an AMA racer. AMA Superbike champion Josh Hayes will be filling in for Colin Edwards at the final race of the season.

Tech 3 Yamaha Makes it Official: Josh Hayes Racing MotoGP This Weekend

The Tech 3 Yamaha team released a statement confirming all AMA Racing fans hopes. Josh Hayes will be racing at the MotoGP race in Valencia this weekend.

Hayes, who was scheduled to test the Tech 3 team's MotoGP bike after the race weekend, will start his MotoGP test a few days earlier. Hayes will be stepping in for an injured Colin Edwards to race the YZR-M1 at the final race of the season in Spain.

The Tech 3 Yamaha team writes:

"Hayes, who won his second successive American Superbike crown for the Monster Energy Graves Yamaha Team in a dramatic final round in New Jersey, was due to test the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 machine the day after Sunday's final race.

"Yamaha US and Monster Energy arranged the test appearance to reward Hayes for capturing the American Superbike title for the second year in succession in 2011.

"Hayes will now join British rider Cal Crutchlow when practice for the Valencia round gets underway on Friday morning."

Do you think Hayes will be able to keep pace with the MotoGP riders? Top 10?

Josh Hayes to Race MotoGP at Valencia

Colin Edwards will not be racing next during the final MotoGP race of the season at Valencia, but Josh Hayes will. The two-time AMA Superbike champion will be filling in for Edwards during the Valencia race.

Earlier this month Hayes was offered a chance to test the Yamaha Tech 3 teams motorcycle after the Valencia race.

Yamaha Tech 3 boss Herve Poncharal said:

"He's been offered the ride by Monster and Yamaha US to make a few laps, and it has been agreed by Yamaha."

But with Edwards out, Hayes' involvement with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team has been raised. Hayes, who has won the AMA Superbike championship the last two years, will get his shot next weekend to race in the MotoGP.