From a press release issued by the Pramac Racing Press Office:

PRAMAC RACING PREVIEW

MotoGP – Round 3 – Jerez de la Frontera (Spain)

JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA: FIRST EUROPEAN ROUND OF THE 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

After the first two rounds of the 2003 championship in Japan and South Africa, the MotoGP comes to Europe. A long series of European events kicks off in the Spanish city of Jerez: there will be nine of them in the old continent before the 12th GP of the year takes place in South America on 20 September. The Jerez circuit has recently undergone significant modifications to improve its level of safety. The most recent change, made last February, was an enlargement of the escape road on the last corner before the home run.

Jerez is a track where the bike’s handling capabilities are crucial. So it is important to achieve very fluid power delivery and to ensure the bike is perfectly balanced for those parts of the circuit that require a particular trim. In the long part of the track that leads into the Dry-Sack corner, there are some bends that are very difficult to link up correctly. As for the choice of tyres, Jerez usually does not put their duration particularly to the test.

Jerez is gearing up for the excitement of every year, for the entire city gets caught up and takes an active part in the motorcycling event of the year not just from the grandstands and the hills around the circuit – there are always over 100,000 spectators – but also in the streets of the historic centre.

THE TRACK: 4,423 metres – lefthanders: 5 – righthanders: 8 – longest straight: 600 metres – maximum width: 11 metres – Constructed in 1986.

WINNERS IN 2002. 125 class: Cecchinello (ITA) Aprilia – 250 class: Nieto (SPA) Aprilia – 500 class: Rossi (ITA) Honda.

CIRCUIT RECORDS.125 class: Azuma 1’48,385 (2001) – 250 class: Katoh 1’4,444 – (2001) – 500 class: Rossi (ITA) Honda.


MAX BIAGGI AND THE CAMEL PRAMAC PONS TEAM MAKE SECOND CONSECUTIVE PODIUM

A great start to the season for the Pramac colours. Four-times world champion Max Biaggi stepped up onto the rostrum in the first two GPs of 2003: he was second at Suzuka and third in South Africa. But in the race at Welkom, Massimiliano Biaggi achieved an important record when his third place in the ratings made him the rider who, in the history of motorcycling, has achieved the greatest number of points (2310), beating the previous record of 2298 that had been held by Mick Doohan.

PRAMAC HONDA TEAM RIDER MAKOTO TAMADA CONTINUES HIS MOTOGP APPRENTICESHIP

For Pramac Honda Team rider Makoto Tamada, results so far are looking positive. Makoto entered the Welkom race in a psychological state that was far from ideal. He has never displayed the pain he feels for the loss of his friend Daijiro, but he certainly took part in the race gritting his teeth and trying to overcome the pent-up emotions accumulated in the fortnight he
spent watching over his dear friend.

Tamada came 14th in South Africa, in a race that enabled considerable amounts of information and data to be collected for the ongoing development
of the Bridgestone tyres on his Honda RC211V. In Jerez, Makoto will again find himself on a track he has never seen before, and this will be an
excellent opportunity to assess the level of progress achieved since the beginning of the championship. Bridgestone tyres are constantly evolving, and it is here at Jerez that some new features on the rear tyre will be tested, coming shortly after the good results achieved on the front tyre with which the technicians and rider are very satisfied.

At least as far as this year of apprenticeship for the Japanese rider is concerned, the challenge will be the same as ever: to make the most of the four hours of practice on Friday and Saturday in order to reach the starting grid on Sunday with the best possible tyres to be really competitive in the race.