The cold and wet conditions exacerbated the core issues that Elias has been having in getting heat into the tyres and he will start the race at the back of the grid in 16th position.

Toni Elias – 16th:
“I am not satisfied and this weather makes me nervous. I know it’s the same situation for everybody but I had some things to adjust on the bike and could not test anything. In the first part of the qualifying when the asphalt was still dry I rode the standard bike I lapped this morning. Then I came in to make a couple of changes on the other bike but suddenly it started to rain and I could not complete my set up plan. I hope we can fix the bike in tomorrow’s warm up”.

Toni Elias continued his frustrating return to the premier class by crashing out of the opening MotoGP race in Qatar. Elias seems intent on proving that Honda are not universally the best bikes on the grid at present.

Toni Elias (LCR Honda RC212V):
“Well… this first week end has been very tough for me and the Team. Since the 2-day test prior to the race we have been struggling with the bike set up and even after. We have tried different adjustments to find the right feeling on this track but at the end we could only lap at low 1.58.

“And that was my lap time during the race from the first lap till the crash. We knew we could not do better than this as we knew our limit but I feel sorry for the crash. I want to cancel this bad week end and start again in Jerez.”

Gotta say, one of the most beautiful things about this weekend’s racing action was Toni Elias’s silver livery on his bike. Stunning.

The Gresini team prepared the special livery as a tribute to the World title that Elais took in Moto2, and as a gesture of thanks to Elias on behalf of Fausto Gresini and Midori Moriwaki.

Fausto Gresini
“It is a special tribute that we had to pay to Toni, who has given us so many emotions this year with an extraordinary title. The livery is a marvellous idea, which was overseen by Fabrizio Cecchini ahead of one last fantastic day with Toni. ”

Midori Moriwaki
“ I am so excited about the first title that for my family and everybody that works for Moriwaki that I I am almost in tears, it is the realisation of a dream. To celebrate it with such a wonderful livery is really fantastic. I want to thank Toni, Fausto, Fabrizio and everybody who has put so much enthusiasm into this project.”

Shame that the bike ended up in the dirt on the final lap when Elias crashed out…….

LCR Honda have just announced that Toni Elias will join the MotoGP team for 2011, in a move that will probably mean Randy De Puniet will move across to Pramac Ducati to team up with Loris Capirossi – although that has yet to be announced.

Toni Elias will be back in MotoGP next week when he will test for LCR Honda at Valencia. Welcome back Toni!

Here’s what they all had to say:

Toni Elias
“I’m very happy to be able to confirm I’ll be back in MotoGP with LCR and Lucio Cecchinello and am also delighted Lucio has given me this opportunity, I think together we can have very good results,” said Elías, who also confirmed he would test in Valencia with the team next week.

“I’m very motivated. I think together we can have a very good season. I will start in Valencia after the last race and I am eager to get the job with the team underway as soon as possible!”

Lucio Cecchinello, LCR Team Manager said:
“First of all I want to thank Randy (De Puniet) for his valuable cooperation and for the several successes we have shared in the 250cc class and in the MotoGP class in the last five years together.”

“The chance to work with Toni Elías is a big incentive for us because this is a very important moment for presenting a new project to our sponsors and partners. The nice thing is that Toni and I raced together in the 125cc class; I was at the end of my career and he was at the beginning of his. I remember he was a very hard rider and very determined. As time goes by he has improved very much and I think he is a very talented rider with a lot of experience. All the staff and I give him our warmest welcome!”

Toni Elias turned his dream to reality today as he claimed the first ever Moto2 Championship title in Sepang today after a 4th place finish.

Toni Elias (Moto2 World Champion)
“When I crossed the line and saw all the guys on the edge of the track with the World Champion flag I got emotional and started to cry because my dream had become a reality. Then I thought of something my uncle told me before he died four years ago. “I will be watching you from the sky when you cross the line on the day you become World Champion.” It has been an incredible, marvellous, fantastic day. So many people come to mind – those who are unfortunately no longer with us and those who are here today, including my parents and my sister, who are always behind me, my team, Moriwaki, my family, friends and everybody who has worked with me and helped me achieve this objective. I want to share this day with all of you. I am the World Champion and so is my team. I have realised my dream and I want to be everybody’s World Champion.”

Fausto Gresini
“For me this is a memorable and fantastic day. It hasn’t been an easy weekend because there is always a lot of tension when the decisive moment finally arrives but in the end we have realised a dream with a brilliant Toni Elias. We have lifted the title here in Malaysia just as we did nine years ago with Daijiro Kato and that is a wonderful thing. We have won it again with Fabrizio Cecchini and all the guys who worked together with Daijiro so it’s hard to think of anything better. It is important to us to have won the Moto2 title because it is a concept we believed in from the start. Toni had the belief in our team and the potential of Moriwaki, we put it all together and we have won the title with races to spare, which I didn’t honestly expect. I want to thank everybody who has believed in us, especially Elias, Moriwaki, who have always supported us, our sponsors and our fans. It is a day that brings incredible emotion because we all put so much passion into this job and a success such as this makes all the problems and unhappy moments worthwhile. Heartfelt thanks again to everybody.”

Toni Elias took one step closer to claiming the first Moto2 Championship title with victory in Japan. Only Julian Simon can now score enough potential points to derail Elias’s championship hopes, however this is unlikley as Elias currently holds an 81 point gap over Simon, and there are only 100 points remaining from the last 4 races.

Toni Elias dedicated his Moto2 vcitory to Shoya Tomizawa.

Toni Elias (1st)
“I am really happy with this win, which moves us closer to the title. We have worked well all weekend and it was an important victory for me because I wanted to dedicate it to Tomizawa. I would have liked to have done it at Aragon but maybe winning Shoya’s home race for him is an even bigger tribute. I took control of the race pretty early but Simon didn’t make life easy for me. In the end I managed to hold him off and I’m really pleased. I am also happy to have won for Moriwaki at their home circuit. It has been a great day.”

Toni Elias has been banned from today’s Moto2 practice – the ban has been put in place as a response to the testing session that Gresini Honda held at Misano last week where the team experimented with new parts and aerodynamics.

Testing during the summer break is prohibited and Elias and team have been hit with the rule-book for their actions.

The error will be a blow to Elias who is currently leading the Moto2 series, fortunately he has a 42 point lead over nearest challenger Thomas Luthi.

The official statement from FIM is below:

FIM statement:
On Sunday 8th August 2010 rider Toni Elías (SPA) and Gresini Racing Moto2 team (ITA) practiced at the Misano World Circuit, which is an infringement to the Art. 1.15.1.2.iv of the 2010 FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Regulations.

“The Race Direction has decided to impose a disqualification of Friday’s practice at the Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic and a fine of €3,000. No appeal has been lodged. The decision of the Race Direction is final.

Art. 1.15.1.2.iv states that teams are forbidden to practice “At any circuit included in the Grand Prix calendar of the current year during “breaks”.

A break is defined as “two consecutive week-ends where events are not scheduled.”

Toni Elias ( 3rd – 1´ 25″ 664):
“I´m happy because after the test at Aragon we made a few changes to the bike that up to today hadn´t had the desired effect – it had improved things a little but not much. Then in the final twenty minutes today I could feel a radical difference and I was able to make a major step forward. I was able to get into the 1´25s and that gives me confidence for tomorrow. Obviously it was important to qualify on the front row with such a tight and dangerous first corner. We´ll try to get away well and hang on to Iannone. It was a shame about the crash, which was a daft mistake and I´ve made a few of them this weekend, so hopefully I don´t make any in the race!”

Vladimir Ivanov (28th 1´ 26″ 775):
“I didn´t make the progress I hoped for today. I was 28th fastest yesterday and didn´t improve on it. Now we have to concentrate on the race and see if I can make some positions up. It won´t be easy at this track but we´ll try.”

Fausto Gresini:
“Despite all the misadventure of this weekend so far we´ve worked hard and ended up with a result that seemed impossible until twenty minutes from the end of qualifying. A front row start was really important because there are so many riders on track and it´s difficult to pass here. Toni has good pace and could maybe have improved again on the final lap if it wasn´t for a stupid mistake but I am happy and confident.”

Toni Elias ( 1st )
“I´m really happy with this because we had a tough day yesterday after the crash. Thanks to the team I was able to make it up from 41st position to qualify seventh by the end of the session and that allowed me to make a good start. I ran with the front group and when the tyres started to go off I was able to manage the situation better than the other guys and secure the win. It is my second consecutive victory and I´m leading the championship but I don´t want to think about that just now. It is important to take things race by race without thinking too much about the ultimate objective. I want to thank the team and Moriwaki because they´re all doing a great job. ”

It was great to see ex-MotoGP rider Toni Elias take pole in the first Moto2 race. It was made all the more impressive by the fact he was on crutches after a recent operation on his foot and hand.

Toni Elias (1st – 2´ 01″ 904):
“I´m happy and surprised because I didn´t expect to go so fast after this evening´s free practice, which didn´t go well – partly due to my physical condition but also partly due to the set-up. The team worked hard to give me an easier bike to ride and then I was lucky to get behind Simon, who I was able to follow. I gave it everything and ended up with a magnificent lap time. Honestly speaking when I was back at home starting my rehabilitation I was thinking it would be hard to even make it out to Qatar and when I eventually made it out here I was struggling. Psychologically I have had to be really strong and I´ve adapted to the situation. I´m really happy. ”

His team-mate, Vladimir Ivanov, and faces a tough race starting from 33rd on a packed grid – he said, “I’m really not happy today and I can’t tell you what it was that didn’t work – me or the bike. Either way I am at the back of the grid and after yesterday’s session I was hoping for much better.”