Yamaha managed a clean sweep of all four MotoGP titles at Valencia, with Valentino Rossi taking the riders' title, Fiat Yamaha the team title, Yamaha itself the manufacturers' title and Jorge Lorenzo beat Andrea Dovizioso to Rookie of the Year.

And they were helped in no small part by the Tech3 outfit who came fourth in the team title chase, behind their works counterparts, and Repsol Honda and Marlboro Ducati.

This will be a giant poke in the eye for Honda who field the most bikes in MotoGP and should, just by numbers alone, take the manufacturers' title. Maybe they won't let Alberto Puig run the team in 2009...

Here what the riders and team bosses had to say:

James Toseland: "The team deserve to be fourth in the championship this year and I was determined to help them achieve it. Tech 3 and Yamaha have given me unbelievable support in my rookie year and I was pleased to battle right to the last lap to get that result for them."

Rossi's team boss Davide Brivio: "It was a great end to the season and we scored another podium, making 16 in total, nine of the them wins. We have the triple crown and this all makes it a fantastic season. Thank you very much to Valentino first of all and then all the engineers in Japan, who have worked so hard, and to all the team members for this huge effort."

Valentino Rossi: "This has been an amazing season for us and to finish with another podium, the 16th, is great and we cannot complain. I am so happy with what we have done this year, as I said it’s definitely one of my greatest championships and I want to thank everyone once again – Yamaha, my team, the engineers, Bridgestone and everyone who helped us to get this result."

Colin Edwards: "It has been a while since I finished in the top six and for this result to help the team finish fourth in the Team World Championship makes it extra rewarding. I’m pleased for Herve Poncharal and the team because they deserve it. We had a couple of races where we gave a lot of points away, but for an independent team we have done a fantastic job together and it was a year to remember."

Jorge Lorenzo: "The best thing about today is that I am the leading rookie, so I get a trophy all the same and this makes me very proud of my first season in MotoGP with Yamaha. I want to thank all of my team, engineers and everyone who has helped us. I also have to say a special thank you to Michelin for their work this season because this is our last race with them. I am very proud that I was able to win my first MotoGP race with them."

Tech3 team boss Herve Poncharal: "It was a fantastic way for us to end the season and I really want to thank Colin and James for their effort. James hung on at the end under a lot of pressure he helped us get fourth in the Team Championship and we beat two full factory teams. That was our target before this weekend and we achieved it.

"I’d like to congratulate Yamaha again for an incredible season. They gave us a great bike in 2008 and I’d also like to say a big thanks to Michelin for their support. Thanks to them and Yamaha we had one pole position and two podium finishes."

Lorenzo's team boss Daniele Romagnoli: "This has been a fantastic year for us because we were able to make four pole positions, win a race and take five more podiums, helping Yamaha to win the triple crown, and Jorge is the year’s leading rookie.

"I want to thank Yamaha very much for the huge effort they made in order to give us such a competitive machine, and I also want to thank Michelin for their support – we wish them all the best for the future. Finally thanks to everyone in our team for doing a fantastic job all year and we look forward to coming back even stronger next year.”