Monster Yamaha's Cal Crutchlow bagged the coveted Rookie of the Year trophy at today's MotoGP finale in Valencia after a race-long battle with rival Karel Abraham saw the Czech rider touch his rear wheel and slip off leaving the Coventry man a clear run at the works Honda of Dani Pedrosa.

Crutchlow went past the Repsol-backed rider on the last lap, ending up in fourth which was his best finish of the season and also the top result from a British rider in the four-stroke era. He says he can now go into 2012 and the era of the litre bikes with his head held high.

“That was a pretty dramatic way to finish the season and I am obviously thrilled to win the Rookie of the Year title. But I'm equally happy to have finished in fourth place because that was an incredibly difficult race. I'm not sure what happened at the first corner but I came out of it in sixth place and just pushed as hard as I could," said Crutchlow.

"It was a really intense battle with Karel right to the end and both of us were giving it everything we had. The track was so greasy it felt like you could crash so easily and when the rain started getting heavier I just got my head down again and kept pushing. I started to catch Dani really fast and I wasn't sure if he had a problem or whether I was pushing too hard. I slowed down because of that and Karel caught me back up, so it came down to the last lap and he obviously made a small mistake.

"He hit me from behind but I managed to stay on and to finish the season with my best ever result is a great way to start planning for 2012. This year has been an incredible learning experience and we have a lot to work on for next season, but I feel confident I can make the step to the next level. I can hold my held up high and now I am looking forward to getting my first experience of the Yamaha 1000cc bike on Tuesday.”