MotoGP returns to Spain for Gran Premi Gauloises de Catalunya Just days after a stunning fifth round of the season at Mugello on Sunday the chase for the MotoGP World Championship title continues apace this weekend at the Gran Premi Gauloises de Catalunya. This is the 14th consecutive year that the Montmeló track has been used since its inauguration in Barcelona’s Olympic year of 1992 and it is hard to remember a more anticipated event, with home rider Sete Gibernau desperately in need of a victory in front of a fanatical local crowd to rescue his MotoGP title hopes. Gibernau has finished on the podium three times at the Catalunya circuit, including the last two years, but has yet to take victory in his hometown. Last year he set a new lap record on his way to finishing in second place after qualifying in pole position and, with a gap of 67 points now separating him from Valentino Rossi at the top of the standings, will be looking for revenge on the World Champion after a controversial defeat in their last appearance in front of the Spanish fans at the opening round of the season in Jerez. Unfortunately for Gibernau, Catalunya is one of Rossi’s most successful circuits, being one of the five at which he has stood on the top step of the podium on six occasions. Rossi is also the only rider to have won in all three classes at this circuit and, after taking four wins from the opening five rounds of this season, he will be keen to extend his best start to a season since 2002, when he won eight out of the opening nine rounds. Rossi dismissed Gibernau’s title chances following his stunning win coupled with a crash for the Spaniard at Mugello last Sunday, citing compatriots Marco Melandri and Max Biaggi as his main championship rivals. Melandri, who won the 250cc race at Catalunya in 2002, scored his first ever MotoGP podium at this track with third place last season and currently lies second in the championship, 49 points behind the defending champion. Although Biaggi’s second place finish in 2001 is his only MotoGP podium finish at Catalunya, he has had considerable success there in the 250cc class with four victories and four pole positions. Biaggi arrives in Spain lying third in the championship and looking to follow up second place at his home Grand Prix last Sunday with his first victory in almost a year. Also looking to build on strong records at the Catalunya track are Ducati pair Loris Capirossi and Carlos Checa. Capirossi took the Italian factory’s first, and so far only, victory there in 2003 and arrives on top form after clinching their first podium of the season in their home Grand Prix on Sunday. Meanwhile, local rider Checa scored his first ever win at Catalunya in 1996 and also finished on the podium in 1997 and 2002, making this the only circuit at which he has had three podium finishes. Checa’s younger brother David also looks set to compete in his home Grand Prix in place of the injured Yamaha rider Toni Elías. No official decision has been made on Elías’ condition but, even though he originally targeted a comeback at this race after breaking his arm in a practice crash just over three weeks ago, his reappearance looks unlikely. If that is the case Checa will almost certainly deputise after an impressive showing during qualifying on his MotoGP debut in Italy, despite encountering technical problems during the race. 250cc World Champion Dani Pedrosa arrives at his home Grand Prix looking for a hat-trick of consecutive victories and an extension of his lead at the top of the quarter-litre standings, which now stands at 21 points over Andrea Dovizioso. Pedrosa’s victory in Italy was the 18th time he has stood on the top step of a Grand Prix podium, making him the most successful teenager of all time and surpassing the 17 wins achieved by Valentino Rossi. Whilst Dovizioso and Casey Stoner, who lies just a point behind the Italian in third place, will be looking to put the brakes on the Spaniard this weekend, his main threat could come from Honda colleague Jorge Lorenzo. Pedrosa’s teenage compatriot finished second at Mugello to become the second youngest ever podium finisher in the 250cc class after starting from pole position. An unpredictable season of racing in the 125cc class looks set to continue in Catalunya, with yet another new face having appeared on top of the podium at Mugello. Gabor Talmacsi’s victory was the first in any class by a rider from Hungary since Janos Drapal won the 350cc race at the Grand Prix of Yugoslavia at Opatija in 1973 and meant that, for the first time in history, the opening five rounds of the series have been won by five different riders. Thomas Luthi’s second place behind Talmacsi means he now arrives at Catalunya, where he scored his first podium finish two years ago, as the series leader by eight points over Mika Kallio, who crashed out of the lead in the final corner at Mugello. More, from a press release issued by Team Movistar Honda: 2005-06-07 ROUND 6 GP 0F CATALUNYA – PREVIEW #15 SETE GIBERNAU – THE HOME RACE With Mugello behind him, Sete Gibernau returned to Spain where Sunday the GP of Catalonia will be held. A very special Grand Prix for the rider of team Movistar Honda as this track is only 20 minutes from where Sete was born and where hi family lives. “Barcelona is my real home race, my parents live here and I was born in Barcelona. I really enjoy the circuit, and after having won in Valencia in 2001 and in Jerez in 2004, I am really only missing a victory on my home track. It would be fantastic, here the atmosphere is incredible, plus I’m Spanish, I’m Catalonian and I am very happy to race here. I’m positive that my Spanish fans will be here to support me and in particular during this home race, just like the Italians did during the Mugello GP. I can’t wait to race here. Barcelona will surely be a fantastic party, like it is every year.” WAITING FOR THE 2005 BARCELONA GP “On this track we did some really good pre-season work, so we are setting off with a great base and we are very prepared and competitive. I hope that racing on my home track will work to my advantage. I really want to use this to the best of our potential, especially for a race that is surely going to be full of tension and emotions. I would like to give a fantastic result to the spectators and to my fans who have always believed in me. The warmth of the public gives me an extra boost. The Spanish fans helped me in March during the “mini GP” by giving me the energy I needed when it was my turn to put it my fastest lap and go on to win the 1 Series BMW that was up for grabs by the quickest rider of the day! I cannot wait to ride again for the Spanish fans. I’d like Catalunya to be a turning point infact I can’t explain why we can do such a good job all weekend and then not come out with the result in the race because we are capable o! f being competitive. I can’t deny that the championship is slipping away from me already but I’m not going to throw the towel in. I just want to win as many races as possible and not think any further than that.” SETE GIBERNAU’S COMMENTS ON MONTMELO’ The best section of the track: the Renault corner, the first long corner after the first chicane. The best place to overtake is the Seat corner The slowest part of the track: the Respol corner, it is slow because the track here is very slippery. The most famous corner of the track is Corner 4, a 180 degree corner where the bike remains in leaning for a long time. How to take on the circuit of Barcelona: It is a circuit which requires two different driving styles: in fact it has a very quick part and an part where you need to be very aggressive. The secret to a good lap: A good pace and above all a perfect setup. #33 MARCO MELANDRI – CALLED TO REPEAT HIMSELF Marco Melandri arrives in Barcelona with all the motivation of his fourth GP placement during the Italian GP. Author of an incredible race, the twenty two year old Team Movistar Honda rider kept up with the most expert of the Italian riders like Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi and ended up in a real duel with Loris Capirossi, fighting and overtaking until the last corner. Even with the pressure of racing on his home track and the desire to get a good result in front of his fans, Marco conducted a difficult race and brought home a fourth place finish which to him tastes like a victory as this allows him to keep his second place standing in the Championship. “It was an incredible race, definitely the best of the season. I really enjoyed riding, braking at the limit and having a breathtaking duel as well.” MARCO MELANDRI AND THE CATALONIAN TRACK Marco comes back to a friendly track which saw him on the ! third step of the podium last year. During his career, Marco has stepped onto the podium three times on the Catalonian track. The first time was in 1999 when he earned the third place (class 125 cc). He returns to the podium, on the highest step, in 2002, the year in which he won the 250cc World Championship title. In 2004 Marco steps onto the third step of the podium. This was the first MotoGP podium of his career. “I can’t wait to get back onto the track. I am very serene and I really want to continue growing and bettering myself. In Mugello we had a bit of trouble finding a perfect setting. In Barcelona we have a bit of an advantage as we rode here during the IRTA test at the beginning of the season. For this reason we have a really solid base to begin with.” Marco in fact proved to be quick and competitive during the IRTA tests at the beginning of the season. On that occasion, Marco Melandri, still growing and just getting accustomed ! to the RC211V, finished with a solid fourth place on the occasion of the “mini GP” with a 1 Series BMW up for grabs. In only three months, Marco has made giant steps forward at arrives to the GP of Catalonia, sixth round of the Championship, in second place of the championship standings. A LAP OF THE TRACK WITH MARCO MELANDRI “I really like the circuit of Barcelona, it is a great track for the spectators and it is a difficult and technical track for who is riding. As I said, it is a technical track where it is quite easy to let the bike slide while exiting from the corners. One fault: the track is a bit undulated (not hole yet). The session I prefer: The first variation and the first two corners. These are two very long corners and they are also very quick. Best point to overtake: at the end of the starting straight and at the variation at the end of the straight behind the pits. The slowest point: Caxio and Europec! ar, the two corners when you enter the stadium. The secret to a good lap: not letting the bike slide and having a clean ride. Atmosphere: it is incredible, you can’t hear the fans as well as you can in Jerez, but this is only because the track is bigger, but you can still hear them plenty. When you enter the stadium, you can see all the tribunes full of people waving their flags. It is a pleasure to ride in front of all these people. Best Memory: My first podium in MotoGP, GP of Catalonia 2003. Worse Memory: When I fell during the 2001 GP. I was fighting for the victory with Tetsuya Harada and Daijiro Kato.” THE TRACK TECHNICAL GUIDE Circuit: Circuit de Catalunya. Opened: 1991 modified: 1995 Length: 4.727 m Width : 12 m Pole position: right Right corner: 8 Left corner: 5 Longest straight: 1047 m RECORD: track record: 2004 Gibernau (Honda) 1’44″641 pole position: 2004 Gibernau (Honda) 1’42″596 2004 race : 1° Rossi (Yamaha), 2° Gibernau (Honda), 3° Melandri (Yamaha) More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Yamaha: GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM PREVIEW Catalunya Grand Prix Montmeló Circuit, Catalunya 10, 11 & 12 June 2005 GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM TAKES GOOD FORM ON TO CATALUNYA The MotoGP World Championship returns to Spain for the second time this season as the Gauloises Yamaha Team look to continue their excellent progress in the sixth round of the campaign at the Catalunya Grand Prix near Barcelona this weekend. Valentino Rossi’s victory in last Sunday’s epic battle at his home Grand Prix in Italy was his fourth win from five races so far this year, including his first visit to the Iberian peninsular at Jerez in the opening round of the championship. That stunning victory at Mugello, Rossi’s fourth in a row at the Tuscan track, has extended his series lead to 49 points and he now heads to Barcelona looking to equal Wayne Rainey’s run of nine consecutive podium finishes for Yamaha at the end of the 1992 and start of the 1993 seasons. Meanwhile, Rossi’s Gauloises Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards could not wish for a better opportunity to put the memories of a tough weekend behind him as he looks to bounce back from a disappointing ninth place finish at the Mugello circuit. Recent steps forward with the base set-up of the Yamaha YZR-M1, confirmed by Rossi’s stunning performance at the fast and flowing Mugello circuit, should give both riders the ideal starting point as they look to make swift adjustments to suit Catalunya. Like Mugello, the Montmeló track features one of the longest straights on the calendar and a series of fast corners that reward a smooth and precise riding style. The latest engine updates to the YZR-M1 should also improve its performance at Catalunya, with Yamaha’s engineers having worked around the clock for the past three weeks to ensure that new parts are available to Rossi and Edwards ahead of schedule. For Rossi, the sixth round of the season takes on an added significance as he looks to make his best start to a MotoGP campaign since 2002, when he won eight of the opening nine rounds. VALENTINO ROSSI: ON RIVAL TERRITORY After his all-Italian battle with Max Biaggi, Marco Melandri and Loris Capirossi on Sunday, Valentino Rossi is expecting the re-emergence of a familiar rival this weekend as Sete Gibernau, his closest challenger for the MotoGP World Championship title over the past two seasons, aims for his own taste of home success. “For sure Sete will be going for it at Barcelona so I will have to maintain my full focus throughout the weekend,” predicted Rossi. “Last year was a really hard race at the top level, and we went at a very hard pace – Sete and I were more than ten seconds ahead of the others. At one point Sete was able to get away but then he started to spin and slide so I was able to get in front again. “He is not my main rival in the championship at the moment because Melandri and Biaggi are closer but he will be very dangerous at his home circuit. Whoever is at the front, I hope I can be there and provide another great show.” Rossi also believes that the recent developments with the Yamaha YZR-M1 will again prove to be important at the Spanish circuit, where he has celebrated victory on six previous occasions in the 125cc, 250cc and MotoGP classes. “Mugello was a double satisfaction because as well as taking the win I also had the M1 I have been looking forward to for this season,” he explained. “It is agile, fast through the corners and very stable. The engine is getter stronger all the time and the corner exit has improved something we were able to confirm particularly in the final corner at the Mugello track. Hopefully the base set-up we have found will work at Catalunya too.” COLIN EDWARDS: MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME Colin Edwards has made the most of a 20-hour boat trip across the Mediterranean from Genoa to Barcelona to gather his thoughts and analyse his performance in Mugello. The American was disappointed with ninth place after struggling to move forward from an impressive start to the weekend in Friday’s first free practice. Luckily for him, he only has to wait seven days to put things right ahead of an important spell of summer races. “I’m travelling to Barcelona in the motorhome with the family and I’m using this time to chill out and clear my head, leave this weekend behind and concentrate on getting it together for Barcelona because I know we can do better,” explained the 31-year-old. “I’m ready to move on and put the Italian result behind me, I hope that we’ve learned a lesson from it and now we can just concentrate on making some big steps forward next weekend. We won’t be trying the setting we used in Mugello, we’ll be going back to something that we’ve proved works for us and using that at a base setting. This means we’ve gone in a big circle and basically wasted a weekend, but that’s racing for you! “I’m glad at least that I’ve got three races coming up that I really like. Barcelona, Assen and of course Laguna are tracks that I’ve always felt comfortable racing at and this makes me feel a bit more positive. I need some encouragement after Mugello.” DAVIDE BRIVIO: DEVELOPMENT SO CRUCIAL Gauloises Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio reflected on Sunday’s victory in the Italian Grand Prix with particular satisfaction after witnessing confirmation of the recent steps forward taken with the YZR-M1. Following on from a day of tests designed at adapting the machine to the demands of fast circuits after it excelled at the tight and twisty Le Mans and Shanghai venues, Rossi’s Mugello performance demonstrated that the team are ideally positioned for further success in the upcoming races at Catalunya and Assen. In fact, Brivio is already looking forward to the next step forward, with Yamaha’s engineers having worked tirelessly to provide key engine updates aimed at improving the top speed capabilities of the bike. “We already tried the new specification engine on Saturday at Mugello but we decided that we didn’t have enough time to set it up for the race,” explained Brivio. “Our original plan was to test this engine at Catalunya after the Grand Prix, so that shows you how hard the engineers have worked to bring it forward so quickly for the two long straights at Mugello and Catalunya. “Development is continuing on the engine at the moment and we are gathering a lot of information to improve the top speed of the bike. Hopefully we will be able to use the new engine in Barcelona but we won’t know to what extent until we get there. “In any case, the development we have made since the start of the season is very positive and, particularly after the test at Le Mans, allowed Valentino to raise his performance at Mugello so we are very happy. Now we want to keep progressing like this and give him the conditions to win at each of the remaining twelve rounds!” Brivio is also confident the steps forward with the machine can help Colin Edwards rediscover podium form after a difficult weekend in Italy, underlining his confidence in the American rider. “Colin started off well but things seemed to get more difficult as the weekend went on. I think he also struggled at Mugello in 2004 so hopefully it is just a temporary blip at that circuit. He had a base setting that clearly didn’t work but we are confident we can take the right steps to get him back to the front at Barcelona. We know he has the ability.” BLAST FROM THE PAST: CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF YAMAHA GLORY Whilst the ultra-modern Circuit de Catalunya has only hosted MotoGP racing since its inauguration in the city’s Olympic year of 1992, Barcelona has a long history of World Championship road racing that began in the 1950s around the magical mountain of Montjuic. The final chapter of the legendary event was proudly written by Yamaha in 1972, when Charles Mortimer took victory in the 500cc Spanish Grand Prix ahead of Dave Simmonds and Jack Findlay riding a specially adapted TZ350, which featured bored cylinders that made it eligible for the premier-class race. “Montjuic was a twisty old track and we decided to enter with the TZ350 because it handled so well,” explains Mortimer, who also entered the 500cc East German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring that season and finished fifth. “Yamaha supplied us with 354cc cylinders so that we could make the minimum capacity but the engine seized in practice and we had to run with a 354 cylinder on one side and a 350 on the other, so we only just made the cut! “Anyway, the plan worked perfectly and I remember the race well. Dave Simmonds led for almost the whole way on the 500cc Kawasaki but it was so tough to drag such a heavy bike around Montjuic that he started to get tired. I was able to pass him in the later stages of the race and I will never forget the feeling of crossing the line as a 500cc winner.” TECHNICALLY SPEAKING The Circuit de Catalunya offers a main straight capable of encouraging speeds exceeding 335kmh, and is completed by a sequence of long radius, medium/high speed sweepers and two tight left-hand hairpins. But the combination of long radius corners riddled with a variety of cambers makes it demanding on chassis balance. For this reason the 4727m circuit is always a feature on the pre-season IRTA test calendar, and is often considered to be the true indicator of a bike’s full potential. Due to the long-radius sweepers front-end feel is a key concern for every rider, but it must be found without sacrificing the overall balance of the machine, as too much time is spent feathering the power through the sides of the tyres before punching out of the turn and onto the next straight. Considered a strength of the M1, the Yamaha engineers will make little modification to the base geometry when compared with what is used in Mugello, although the geometry will be fettled for a little extra front-end bias. Most of this will be achieved, however, not through chassis modifications, but rather straightforward suspension preload and damping adjustments. With the high amount of time spent at full lean slightly lighter spring weights will be used, when compared with Mugello. This will ensure the Öhlins forks are still able to absorb the bumps effectively in the turns, while the preload will be wound on to compensate for any resulting G-force, or the effects caused by the heavy braking at the end of the main straight. The damping will then support this set-up slightly softer on the compression and rebound the rear spring preload, however, will be very similar to that used in the previous round. This will prevent the bike from squatting, and then running wide under power especially at the long right-hand run onto the front straight which determines the eventual top speed and slipstream potential. The nature of the circuit ensures tyre life often comes up in many pit box discussions between riders and crew chiefs and this will only be amplified if the Spanish weather provides its anticipated high temperatures. Meanwhile engine performance will be an area of high importance and, though the M1 has made progress in this area since the Le Mans test, high speeds expected at the end of the long straight will still prove challenging. VALENTINO ROSSI: INFORMATION Age: 26 Lives: London, UK Bike: Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1 GP victories: 72 (33 X MotoGP, 13 X 500cc, 14 X 250cc, 12 X 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 145 (53 x MotoGP, 32 x 500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 38 World Championships 6 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 3 x MotoGP) Catalunya 2004 results (Yamaha): Grid: 2nd, Race: 1st COLIN EDWARDS: INFORMATION Age: 31 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 37 World Championships – 2 World Superbike Catalunya 2004 results (Honda): Grid: 11th, Race: 5th Catalunya MotoGP lap record: Sete Gibernau (Honda), 1m 44.641s – 2004 Circuit best lap: Sete Gibernau (Honda), 1m 42.596s 2004 More, from a press releass issued by Ducati Corse: DUCATI MARLBORO MEN READY FOR ANOTHER GOOD WEEKEND The Ducati Marlboro Team comes to Catalunya this weekend burning with enthusiasm after a storming result in last Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix. The Italian squad kickstarted its 2005 campaign with its first podium result of the year at Mugello. And the team believes it is ready for more success as the season continues. Italian Loris Capirossi took a stunning third place in front of his home crowd, less than four seconds behind the winner, while Carlos Checa finished a great fifth, just four seconds further back. No wonder the Catalan rider is hoping for his own home-track podium finish on Sunday. Mugello proved what the team had known all along – that they are once again ready to fight up front, despite a luckless start to the 2005 season. A little luck, plus detail improvements to both riders’ bikes, undertaken during last month’s Le Mans tests, was all that was required to produce a double top-five result. “We’re so happy that we finally fulfilled the promise of the last few events,” says Ducati MotoGP project manager Livio Suppo. “And last Monday we stayed at Mugello to test because even though we’ve scored a good result we don’t stop working. Catalunya is special to us, it’s where we scored our first MotoGP win in 2003, and our bike should go well there. We’re looking forward to getting right back to racing after Mugello.” Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli is also looking forward to the challenge of Catalunya. “It’s one of those tracks that I consider to be very ‘complete’,” he says. “It has uphill corners, downhill corners, fast turns, slow turns, a very fast straight and some very heavy braking sections. The important factors at Catalunya are speed, plus braking confidence, especially in downhill corners. We have good speed and good braking performance, so we are looking forward to the weekend.” CAPIROSSI EXPECTS RESULTS ‘TO GET BETTER AND BETTER’ Catalunya will always be special to Loris Capirossi, for it was here that he won his first, and the Ducati Marlboro Team’s first, MotoGP victory in 2003. And after his superb Mugello performance, the Italian is aiming to get back on the podium at the Barcelona venue. “We had a great race in Italy and from now on I expect things to go better and better for us,” he says. “Catalunya is a great track, I love it. It’s a fast circuit, with a long straight and plenty of fast corners, which should suit the character of our bike. There are a few interesting sections – the places where you can really make up time are the first fast long right-hander and the fast double right that leads onto the start-finish. We tested there in March but the weather conditions didn’t work for us, even though the new surface seems quite grippy and less bumpy than the old surface. This time we come back with better tyres, because Bridgestone are improving all the time.” CHECA UPBEAT AFTER PROMISING ITALIAN GP Carlos Checa won his first Grand Prix at Catalunya in 1996 and the Catalan rider is hoping that his home track will be good to him once again this weekend, especially after his impressive Italian GP ride. “Mugello was good, now we just have to keep working to get even better,” says Checa. “Catalunya is obviously a very big race for me. We have three GPs in Spain every year but this is really my home GP, because I grew up around here. There are always a lot of friends and family in the paddock, so I want to make them smile on Sunday. It’s a fun track, but complex, too. There are a lot of long corners, so you’re at maximum angle for a long time, so tyres are always very important. The straight is very long too, so hopefully we will once again have the fastest bike out there. It’s always nice to have a bit of a top-speed advantage.” THE TRACK Just one week after racing at Italy’s technically demanding Mugello circuit, riders and engineers face another complex challenge at Catalunya. The Spanish circuit is characterised by long, constant-radius corners that place the emphasis on a flowing riding style, as well as excellent chassis and tyre performance. In recent years riders had complained that the track had become too bumpy, so the entire layout was resurfaced during the spring. Teams were able to try the new surface for the first time during preseason testing in March. Catalunya is in the centre of Spain’s motorcycle racing heartland and joined the GP fixture list in 1992, hosting the Grand Prix of Europe. Wayne Rainey (Marlboro Team Roberts Yamaha) won the first-ever 500 GP at the track in May ’92. In ’96 the event was renamed the Catalan Grand Prix. Pole position 2004: Sete Gibernau (Honda), 1m 42.596s Lap record: Gibernau, 1m 44.641s, 162.625kmh/101.050mph (2004) DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS LORIS CAPIROSSI Age: 32 (born April 4, 1973) Lives: Monaco Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP5 GP victories: 23 (1xMotoGP, 2×500, 12×250, 8×125) First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125) First GP: Japan, 1990 (125) GP starts: 221 (51xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125) Pole positions: 36 (3xMotoGP, 5×500, 23×250, 5×125) First pole: Australia, 1991 (125) World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998) Catalunya 2004 results: Grid: 15th. Race: 10th CARLOS CHECA Age: 32 (born October 15, 1972) Lives: London, England Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP5 GP victories: 2 (500) First GP victory: Catalunya, 1996 (500) First GP: Europe, 1993 (125) GP starts: 173 (53xMotoGP, 92×500, 27×250, 1×125) Pole positions: 3 (2xMotoGP, 1×500) First pole: Spain, 1998 (500) Catalunya 2004 results: Grid: 12th. Race: 4th