Honda Previews The Catalan Grand Prix

Honda Previews The Catalan Grand Prix

© 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

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From a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

GIBERNAU ON SPANISH SOIL WITH SLIM TITLE ADVANTAGE

Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) races at Montmelo near Barcelona where his ‘home’ crowd will be willing him to victory in what is shaping up to be a momentous season. The Spaniard leads the World Championship points standings with Valentino Rossi lying second and Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) third.

With the 16-race season now a quarter of the way through with four races run, Gibernau has posted two wins and Rossi has matched him with two victories. The Catalan race now becomes pivotal as both men seek to gain an advantage both in terms of points and perhaps almost as important at this stage – psychologically.

Rossi won here in 2001 and 2002, while Gibernau has yet to record a victory here, but history will count for little as both riders seek to gain the upper hand in what is turning out to be a compelling fight for World Championship honours. Gibernau has 86 points to Rossi’s 76, while Biaggi is still right in the reckoning with 72.

The Montmelo track lies 20km north of Barcelona and has two significant straights where the 990cc MotoGP bikes will attain speeds well in excess of 325km/h (200mph). But there is more to the demanding 4.727km track than mere top speed.

Two of the 13 turns have negative camber which means the track drops away towards the outside of the corner making lean angle increase for a decrease in grip. The rest of the corners are largely constant radius turns where the tyres are worked hard, especially on the right hand side.

Machine set-up calls for a well-balanced chassis, steady on the brakes going into the turns, neutral when leant hard over and then able to translate horsepower into traction when the riders twist hard on the throttle on the exits. A relaxed, flowing style is required to link the turns seamlessly into a fast lap. And with lap records tumbling again this year, Rossi’s fastest race lap of 1m 45.472s is unlikely to last the weekend. Nor is his pole time of 1m 43.927s likely to survive.

Gibernau is ready for action. “It feels like home here,” he said. “And I really want to give the fans something to cheer about, their support always gives me a huge boost. There’s a long way to go in the title race still, but this is a key stage of the season and I’m ready to give it my best shot.”

Biaggi said, “Barcelona is the home track of our team and for certain they’ll be wanting to do well and will do everything they can to get a good result. I also can’t wait for next Friday to come because the third place in Mugello, which was a good result after the weekend we had had, didn’t satisfy me at all. I want to win, and I hope that this Catalunya circuit will be the one for me. During the March tests we had some difficulties, but since then with the team and with Honda’s support we have worked a lot, and Mugello apart, the bike has always worked well. In Italy the bike was so quick down the straight and this will be useful for us on a fast circuit like Barcelona. We just have to find the right track to get the set-up on
Friday.”

Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) lies fourth overall with 48 points and is confident he can get on terms here. “The good point from last weekend is we have found a good base set-up,” said the Brazilian. “The machine now feels very balanced and I we can be competitive in Barcelona. We did some good tests here at the start of the year and we have improved a s team since then.”

Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) needs to get his season back on the rails after failing to score at Mugello last weekend. “I just want to get back on the bike,” said the American. “Last weekend the bike was feeling strong but I didn’t give the team anything to smile about in the race. I’m really hoping to get a result here and the race can’t come quick enough for me.”

Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V) riding on Bridgestone tyres, who was forced to abandon his race in Mugello said, “In Barcelona I want to do a race just like I did in Mugello, even if it means retiring from the race again. Obviously I would prefer a different ending but what I’m trying to say is that I love riding like that, fighting with the front group for the lead. I don’t have the best memories of the Catalunya circuit, but I like the track, it’s fast and appealing. I like nearly all the European tracks because they allow for very dynamic riding. The bike is very competitive and continues to improve.”

“This is where I’ve got to get my season together,” said Colin Edwards (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V). “I’ve modified my training methods a bit and hopefully I can get myself dialled in early here.”

In the 250cc category super-consistent Randy de Puniet (Aprilia) leads home hope Dani Pedrosa (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW) by just three points. De Puniet has scored in all four rounds so far and has 73 points to Pedrosa’s 70. But Pedrosa will be going all out to wrestle the title advantage from the Frenchman at his home race.

Pedrosa won here in 2003 on a 125 and few would bet against the diminutive local repeating that success on a 250 – but it won’t be easy. : “I’m very happy with the results in Italy,” he said. “Because Mugello was a very difficult track for us and a second place is very good. I’m in good shape and my feeling for Barcelona is the same. Catalunya is a fast track. So I want to work hard on Friday and Saturday and find the best setting for the race.”

Pedrosa’s team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW) can’t wait to race either. “I like the Catalunya track, but it’s not so easy for me. I’d never been to Mugello and I improved every time, so I think that Barcelona should be a bit easier because I know the track. In Mugello Porto had an advantage of five seconds over me on Friday and I think in Barcelona I shouldn’t be more than a couple of seconds slower on the first day. I can adapt to the track much quicker.”

Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) is eager to atone for his lacklustre race last weekend. “I like the circuit very much I have always done well there whatever bike I have raced at the track,” he said. “If we find the reason for my engine problem at Mugello we can do well. The settings we found in Italy were not so far off. The track at Barcelona is like Mugello- if you have no power you have no chance.”

The 125cc riders will be likely to repeat the thrills of last weekend’s race at Mugello in Italy. Montmelo’s two straights will provide ample slipstreaming opportunities where the cut and thrust of close-quarter racing makes for spectacular viewing. Andrea Dovizioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) leads Roberto Locatelli (Aprilia) by a mere three points.

“Catalunya is a circuit I like a lot,” said Dovizioso. “In some ways it’s like Mugello. In Catalunya, like some other tracks, there will be a big group racing for the lead, nobody will be able to get away. Some parts of the track are really good for me. I love the long right hand corner after the first turn and also the last two corners onto the front straight. It is very important to get those two corners right for the drive down the straight.”

One man who could well feature in the race is Julian Simon (Angaia Honda RS125R). The young Spaniard races on home-ground has every intention of making Sunday a day to remember. He said. “Catalunya is a home grand prix for me and I really know the circuit well so I’m looking forward to the race a lot It will be good for me and the best way to forget my bad luck with the rear brake at Mugello.”

Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) will not race at Catalunya. The young Swiss broke his right collarbone in a race crash at Mugello. Luthi will make his return at Assen in two-weeks time.

Raymond Schouten (Molenaar Honda RS125R) will race despite multiple bruises sustained in his spectacular crash at Mugello.

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