TITLE CHASERS READY FOR PHILLIP ISLAND CHALLENGE With just four races to go in this enthralling MotoGP World Championship, the tussle at the top gets tighter and tighter with Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) hanging onto his lead by just 22 points from Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) with 100 points from four rounds still left to fight for. And there lurks Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) just four points behind the predatory Pedrosa who has steadily eroded Nicky’s advantage in recent rounds finishing ahead of him in four of the last five rounds and then coming a second to him at the American’s home race at Laguna. This clash at Phillip Island will be key to both Honda men’s hopes. Nicky likes the place and his record here is respectable, but bears little comparison to Rossi’s. The Italian has won five from his last five outings here and he beat Nicky into second place here last year with a combination of racecraft guile and sheer speed in the closing laps. Nicky will be desperate to atone for that result. And this year he would seem to have the means to achieve that. But he will have to be on top of set-up from day one and use his new found raceday consistency to outpace his rivals. Although if it comes to a last lap showdown with either Rossi or Pedrosa he also has the fight in him to prevail. Pedrosa has crashed here (badly) on a 125, but he put any doubts about his pace here firmly to bed when he won here last year on a 250 to clinch the title. He will need all his strength and will to last 27 laps of this 4.448km track at racing intensity but he has proved he can go the distance when the conditions are tough Laguna being a prime example. This pivotal race will establish who has the guts to win out in this grinding test of nerve. No rider can afford a DNF and yet no rider can afford to lose the psychological fight here either. A win will require sheer speed and nerveless lap-by-lap attack and although another 75 points will be available to all three contenders after this round one feels this could be the determining race. It would be unwise to ignore the title aspirations of fourth and fifth-placed riders Loris Capirossi (Ducati) and Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V), Capirossi is 17 points behind Rossi and 43 adrift of Hayden, while Marco is three behind Capirossi and 46 off Hayden. But both have the capacity to win and capitalise on any major errors their rivals might make. For Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V) this race is another chance to show he can finish a race as well as compete bravely and the young Spanish rider knows he needs a good finish after a season where he started strongly and fell away slightly before injuring himself in Holland. Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V) is eager to get more than just a pole and a podium (so far) from a remarkable rookie season, a season that would look even more remarkable were it not for fellow 250 graduate Pedrosa’s exploits. Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V) has shown what the Honda-powered Roberts machine is capable of, but the American wants another chance to remind the world that he is capable of more than just one podium finish and several near rostrum misses. Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) is desperate for the sort of results that marked him out as a possible title contender at the end of 2004. He has had little to celebrate since that season and try as he might, the results refuse to come his way. This rollercoaster of a circuit is situated 130km south-east of Melbourne and is home to one of the climaxes of a 17-race season. Real talent is needed here, perhaps more than at any other circuit. Australia hosted its first Grand Prix race here in 1989 and the racing is almost always spectacular, the crowd vocal and the atmosphere spine tingling. Tyres will be an issue here. The two long left-hand turns onto the main straight are particularly hard on rubber, so machine set-up will be partly aimed at conserving rubber on this 4.448km long circuit. It has just one short 900m straight, but five right-hand turns and seven lefts including the high-speed series onto the start/finish straight. Much of the track requires rapid changes of direction at high speed, and sustained periods of high lean-angle test riders to the maximum. Competitors need to be comfortable on worn tyres towards the end of the race, while wind and trouble with wandering wildlife can also be determining factors. Nicky said, “Phillip Island is one of my favourite tracks for sure. I love the layout, the atmosphere and the racing there, so I’m looking forward to having a strong weekend. Every day and every session needs to be fast and consistent so we’ll be looking to come out strong on Friday morning and have some fun here. My boys are working really hard and I’ve got a strong team behind me so we’ll give it all we’ve got for these final four races. Last year I was on pole position and I was second in the race so I’ve had some good results at this track and I definitely need one this weekend.” Dani, still recovering from his Malaysian qualifying crash, said, “It would be nice if I can improve my physical condition before Phillip Island because the race in Malaysia was quite difficult and I was very tired at the end. We only have four days off which is not a lot for the body to recover, nevertheless I will be working to keep the flexibility in both legs and resting as much as possible. I tested at Phillip Island during the winter so I have some experience of a MotoGP bike on the track, though it’s not one of my favourite circuits.” “I can’t wait to race at Phillip Island, said Melandri. “A track I really love. I’m glad to be getting straight back on my Honda after a disappointing race at Sepang. I’m motivated to have a good race and get back to the competitive level I know I should be at. The Championship is really difficult for me now but I will still be going out to give it my best shot every Sunday. Hopefully we can start off on the right foot at Phillip Island, a track which requires a perfect set-up.” Elias said, “The team are doing a great job at the moment and we’re taking steps forward every time. That’s why I’m really looking forward to the next round at Phillip Island, a circuit I really like a lot. The design is beautiful and the track is one of the fastest and most spectacular in the world. Just the speed makes it very technical and difficult to understand. It’s very demanding but I’ve always had good results here in the 250s and then last year in MotoGP when I qualified seventh. Hopefully I can do that again this year but with a better end result.” Local hopeful Stoner said, “It’s good to be racing at one of the great tracks that’s also a place where I go well. Now that we’re making some progress with the front-end changes we should be able to have a good run here, but I’ll have to make sure I get away with the front runners and that means qualifying well let’s hope qualifying goes smoother than it did in Malaysia.” For Roberts this is another opportunity to put the Honda-powered family machine on the front row again. “Qualifying will be really important here,” said Kenny. “And if I get away well I feel we have the equipment to finish high up the order here. But we’ll know more after Friday.” Tamada said, “I’m trying to make the best use of the few free days I have before the Australian race. I need to quickly recover energy and on the fantastic isle it will not be too difficult. The Phillip Island race will be hard especially for the temperature that will remain very low completely different conditions from Sepang. I hope to be able to find a good feeling immediately because here it will be more important than usual.” In the 250cc class Andrea Dovizioso (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) knows he needs a win to not only steal points from series leader Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) but to unsettle the Spaniard who has now won four from the last five races and seven from 12 this season. Dovi trails Lorenzo by 12 points. Dovi said, “Well the next Grand Prix is at Phillip Island, which is a circuit I like. It’s fast with some big turns but, after the race in Malaysia, I feel motivated and confident we can do even better next Sunday. Here there are different weather conditions with lower temperatures and so we shouldn’t have any problems with heat with the bike.” His team-mate Yuki Takahashi, currently fourth overall, said, “Phillip Island is not one of my favourite circuits, but this year I have changed my riding style and so I’m doing well on tracks that I don’t like particularly. The Malaysian race was hard for me, the high temperatures and my physical condition made things tough. So now I’m trying to relax as much as I can in order to get ready for Phillip Island. For sure here lower temperatures will be better for me than at Sepang.” Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW), currently sixth in the World standings, said, “I’ve never been to Australia before so I don’t know the racetrack. This time I haven’t even been able to make some laps with the Playstation; I’ve only watched the videos of the races from previous years, so that’s all I know. But I’ll try to do my best as always and learn the track quickly to get ready for the race.” The 125cc title is almost in the hands of Alvaro Bautista, who has won six races and only missed a podium finish in one race from 12 so far. He is 74 points ahead of his nearest challenger Mika Kallio (KTM). Reigning Champion Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) currently lies seventh in the standings. He said, “I really like Australia and the track at Phillip Island is a great circuit for me. I’ll be very positive about the race there and I’m already thinking of the great corners to ride at that track, not about the long straight.” More, from a press release issued by Michelin: MICHELIN RELISHES BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF THE YEAR 2006 MotoGP World Championship, Round 14 Australian Grand Prix, Phillip Island September 15/16/17 Michelin men Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin), Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin) and Valentino Rossi (Camel Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) swap the sweltering heat of Sepang for the chill winds of Phillip Island this weekend as their three-way contest for the 2006 MotoGP World Championship approaches boiling point. The three riders are separated by just 26 points at the top of the championship chart with just four races to go. Phillip Island – the fastest MotoGP track of all and a real riders’ circuit – will thus be a vital event for all three men as they work closely with their respective Michelin engineers to choose a race-winning tire combination. And Phillip Island isn’t just the fastest MotoGP circuit of all, it is also the most challenging for tire makers, with high running temperatures and an extremely asymmetric layout, which greatly complicates tire design. Perhaps that is why Michelin has enjoyed great success at the ultra-demanding seaside venue, winning all 11 premier-class GPs staged at the track since 1989. Rossi, whose remarkable last-lap victory in Malaysia last weekend was his 58th with Michelin, goes for his sixth consecutive Phillip Island success this Sunday. The Italian’s Sepang triumph was also Michelin’s 349th premier-class victory. MICHELIN’S RESPONSE TO THE CHALLENGE OF PHILLIP ISLAND “From a sporting point of view, Phillip Island is one of my favorites,” says Nicolas Goubert, Michelin’s motorcycle racing director. “It’s a real rider’s track with flowing corners where maintaining momentum is important. And the layout allows riders to overtake in many different places, not just during braking, so the races are usually very entertaining to watch. Also, the flowing layout makes it difficult for riders to break away from the pack, so it’s well known for close racing. “So we always look forward to going there, though it is a huge challenge for tires, in fact it’s the biggest challenge of the year for tire makers. The track is so asymmetric that you need rear tires with very different rubber on the right and the left sides. “High tire temperatures aren’t the only issue at Phillip Island, tire warm-up is also a major consideration and will be more so this year because we are expecting colder conditions since the race is a few weeks earlier than usual. Tire warm-up isn’t a worry on the left of the tires because the layout is so demanding on that side that it quickly gets hot, whether you’ve got a track temperature of 20 degrees or 30 degrees. But that’s not at all the case with the right side of the tire which is the big challenge.” “The corners that put the most heat into the tires are the very fast final left-hander and the exit of Southern Loop. On the other hand, the first corner is also very tricky; it’s a fast downhill right-hander, with negative camber, which demands a lot from the rear tire, even though that side of the tire hasn’t really been used for a long time. “The front tire isn’t a major concern at Phillip Island. You need confidence in the front to attack the fast corners but there aren’t any areas of sustained heavy braking, so you can use a medium-soft front.” MICHELIN IN AUSTRALIA Australia is a keen motorcycling nation, with bike sales showing impressive growth in recent years. Last year the annual sales figures exceeded 100,000 for the first time. With so much open space, dirt bikes account for almost 45 percent of the market. Michelin features strongly in all areas of the market, on target to sell around 90,000 bike tires this year. Michelin enjoys great success in Australian road racing, having won the 2004 and 2005 Superbike and Supersport crowns. The company employs 120 people in the country. PHILLIP ISLAND DATA Lap record: Marco Melandri (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V-Michelin), 1:30.332s, 177.266km/h, 110.148mph (2005) Pole position 2005: Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V-Michelin), 1:29.337km/h Recent winners of the Australian GP 2005 Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), 41:08.542 2004 Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), 41:25.819 2003 Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V-Michelin), 41:53.543 2002 Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V-Michelin), 42:02.041 2001 Valentino Rossi (Nastro Azzurro Honda NSR500-Michelin), 42:22.383 2000 Max Biaggi (Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR500-Michelin), 42:28.792 1999 Tadayuki Okada (Repsol Honda NSR500-Michelin), 42:09.271 1998 Mick Doohan (Repsol Honda NSR500-Michelin), 42:42.511 1997 Alex Crivillé (Repsol Honda NSR500-Michelin), 42:53.362 1996 Loris Capirossi (Marlboro Yamaha Team Rainey YZR500-Michelin) race held at Eastern Creek MICHELIN MOTOGP TIRE LOGISTICS The secret behind the success of Michelin’s MotoGP tires is their all-round performance potential. Logistics, however, are just as crucial in the quest for victory, particularly when races follow on from each other in quick succession. This year’s calendar takes teams from Malaysia to Australia and finally on to Japan in the space of just three weeks! Michelin provides tires for a total of 18 MotoGP machines for 9 riders at each race of the 17-round World Championship. Since the beginning of the 2006 season, Michelin runners have claimed 7 pole positions and 10 wins from 12 races. They have also secured 30 podium places from a possible 36. For the forthcoming visit to Asia and the Pacific Rim, Michelin’s tires were trucked to the airport in high security convoys. They were then loaded onto secure airfreight containers which left France on the Monday of the week preceding the Malaysian Grand Prix race week. Additional tires will be flown directly to Australia and Japan. To facilitate stock management and movements, all tires are identified by bar codes. The freight containing the tires and equipment needed for the paddock amounts to between 7 and 8 tons. Used tires are returned to Clermont-Ferrand after each race. Michelin’s MotoGP crew totals 16 staff: the program manager, five engineers, eight fitters, one press officer and one security guard to watch over the tires at night. Michelin takes around 1,000 tires to each GP. – Rear tires (60 percent). – Front tires (40 percent). Front tires are available in two profiles: 55 percent are ‘wide’ profiles and 45 percent are ‘narrow’ profiles. – 30 qualifying tires per race for all of Michelin riders. – The number of rain tires taken to each race fluctuates slightly as a function of the anticipated climate (slightly more are taken to Phillip Island where the chances of rain are higher). Rain tires account for around 10 percent of the total package. Michelin’s nine riders generally use between 200 and 300 tires in the course of a GP weekend. The other 700 tires allow Michelin to respond to all track and weather conditions. MICHELIN MotoGP RIDERS 2006 Colin Edwards, Valentino Rossi (Camel Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) Nicky Hayden, Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin) Toni Elias, Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V-Michelin) Casey Stoner (Honda LCR RC211V-Michelin) Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V-Michelin) Kenny Roberts Jr (Team Roberts KR211V-Michelin) More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: VERMEULEN HEADS HOME FOR AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Racer Chris Vermeulen will be racing in his first ‘home’ Grand Prix as a full factory rider during this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island. Vermeulen has impressed during his rookie season including taking two pole positions and will be looking to put a good display in front of his home crowd. It will be the second time he has raced at Phillip Island in a MotoGP after making his debut there last season as a replacement rider. Team-mate John Hopkins will be going to Australia on the back of a string of top 10 finishes and a great performance in Malaysia last time out. Hopkins finished sixth in Sepang after fighting back from 14th place. He will be looking to extend his run of eight consecutive top 10 places and challenge for that as yet elusive podium. The 4,445m long Phillip Island circuit is the only track to stage a GP in the southern hemisphere and this year is the second leg in the three week flyaway tour. The Australian circuit is one of the most picturesque on the calendar, as the track looks out over the Pacific Ocean. This doesn’t take anything away from the racing though because the layout of the circuit with its flowing curves and long hairpins make this a riders favourite and a track that has produced some memorable racing. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will be in action on Friday for two free practice sessions. This will be followed on Saturday AM by the third and final practice session before Vermeulen and Hopkins go all out to secure the best grid positions possible during the hour long qualifying session. Sunday’s race is round 14 on the MotoGP Calendar and will get underway at 15.00hrs local time (05.00hrs GMT). Paul Denning Team Manager: “We are going to Australia in a very positive frame of mind after the Sepang race. It was a very tough weekend for us in Malaysia with the cancellation of qualifying – leaving both riders with poor starting positions and uphill battles – and Chris’ illness. But the Team worked hard as a unit and the new spec engine that Suzuki delivered to us there certainly showed great potential over race distance. “We are under no illusions that it will be tough at Phillip Island and the possible cold conditions could play a huge part, but the riders and all the crew are up to the task and will be working as hard as possible for the best results. “It will be great for Chris to ride at ‘home’ for the first time for Rizla Suzuki MotoGP and I’m sure he will have many friends, family and fans cheering him on!”