Valencia MotoGP: Tyre vibration ruins James Toseland's farewell

James Toseland made an emotional exit from MotoGP after a rear tyre vibration problem wrecked his hopes of leaving the premier class with a top ten finish.

The 28-year-old, who has lost his ride with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team for 2010, was on the fringes of an exciting five-rider battle dicing for seventh place when he was suddenly struck by a rear tyre chatter problem at the halfway stage of the 30-lap race.     

Unable to maintain his early consistent pace, the double World Superbike slipped off the back of the group and had to settle for a disappointing 12th place.

Toseland said: “It was a bit of a risk because we went with a completely new set-up for the race because we didn’t have much luck with setup beforehand. We changed the linkage and the shock. So I didn’t know how it was going to feel.

“I was just brave for the first two laps and passed a few people and got into a rhythm. It was working pretty well and was probably the best setup we’d had all weekend. I wanted to give my team everything I had and I’m proud to say I did that.

“I had a good first few laps and took a few risks with not a lot of temperature in the tyres and got myself into a good position. But unfortunately on about lap 15 the rear tyre turned on the rim and I wasn’t able to keep the pace and stay in the bunch that were battling for seventh place.”

Toseland paid tribute to team-mate Colin Edwards after the Texan claimed a brilliant fifth place in the championship and thanked Tech 3 for giving him his MotoGP opportunity.

He added: “I’d like to congratulate Colin for fifth in the championship because he has done a brilliant job. I’d like to thank everybody at working with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team for all the effort and support they have given me.

“I’ve had an absolutely fantastic time with them and I’ll take a lot of interest in how they perform in the future. I’ve made a lot of friends in MotoGP and at Tech 3 and the team will always hold a special place in my heart. Now I’ve got to look to the future and I do so relishing a new challenge with Yamaha.”