HOMEBOY DANI READY TO CHALLENGE RIVAL STONER
As round two of what is shaping up to be a red-hot MotoGP World Championship hits Jerez in southern Spain this weekend, a 250,000 crowd is expected. This horde will largely be there to will on Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V), the main Spanish hope for the 2007 World Championship.
Dani scored a third place in the opening race in Qatar and now that the series has returned to Europe, he will be looking for nothing less than a win at his ‘home’ race. There used to be a theory that it was only when the series came to Europe that the ‘real’ racing began. But things have changed.
With an 18-race series, and with six of those races outside Europe at key stages of the Championship, no competitor can afford to write off any race as an aberration either in terms of rider form or the result. Which makes Casey Stoner’s win for Ducati in Losail significant and another victory for the red bike here would signal trouble for his rivals.
Dani, Casey’s great rival from their 250 days, must be among the favourites to score a win here, especially after his second place here in 2006 in his debut MotoGP race. He was fast in testing here at this demanding 4.423km track and with the crowd behind him too great things are expected. He will also be buoyed by breaking Rossi’s record of being the youngest rider to take 50 podiums with his third at Losail.
The circuit presents a challenge on two fronts; rider rhythm is vital and front tyre grip at a premium. Laid out among natural contours, Jerez was built in 1986 and hosted its first Grand Prix the following year. It has never been off the Grand Prix calendar since a measure of the quality of racing it provides.
Jerez makes demands in all areas of machine set-up with short, medium and long straights, uphill and downhill braking areas, and two second-gear hairpins. But the biggest test is whether a rider can make a series of consistent, flowing laps in race conditions when the ideal lines through turns on this 11m wide circuit may be occupied by rivals.
Bikes have to be stable to cope with bumps on the entries to key turns. Under hard braking, the undulations into turn one at the end of the start/finish straight can pose problems and another tight right-hander at the end of the back straight is a challenge too especially as these are recognised ‘passing places’. The longest straight is only 600m making a high top speed less of a requirement than at other tracks. But the speed shown by Stoner’s Ducati in Qatar will still be a factor.
Jerez also boasts one of the most spectacular run-ins to the finish line two 100mph right turns, with rear wheels spinning-up, and then desperate braking into the final tight left where many a race has been won and lost, often amid fierce controversy.
Dani said, “The result in Qatar was quite good and I was happy to get on the podium at the first race of the year now we must really push and try to improve so we can fight at the front until the end. The tyre choice for Jerez is going to be really important in order to achieve consistency in the race and we must work hard to get quicker because some of the other teams are going really fast now.”
His team-mate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) said, “I’m definitely looking forward to the race at Jerez this weekend. The Spanish crowd, the atmosphere everything about Jerez is fun and the passion the fans show is amazing. The last test there went quite well for me and I’m looking forward to getting out on track, trying to get a good feeling with the bike and having some fun. It’s round two and I’m aiming to fight back strongly after Qatar.”
Marco Melandri (Gresini Honda RC212V) said, “There’s a lot of expectation for this first race in Europe and it’s sure to be a great show. Jerez is a circuit I like a lot because it is so technical and complete. To ride fast there you need to have a well-balanced bike. The track is characterised by long corners that require a stable front-end that gives you plenty of confidence. There isn’t a long straight like in Qatar, so that is an advantage for us at the moment. I feel good and can’t wait to get back on track.”
“I can’t wait to ride in front of my home fans,” said Marco’s Spanish team-mate Toni Elias (Gresini Honda RC212V). “Racing here is always an incredible emotion, especially when you enter the stadium section. You can feel the heat of the fans it’s really amazing. We took a major step forward at the test here with the Bridgestone tyres and in Qatar we made more progress, qualifying fourth fastest, although we need to work on the durability of the tyres. We are working to find a good base set-up, which is particularly important for Jerez, which combines fast and slow corners.”
Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda RC212V) said, “We learned a lot about the bike at Qatar, but we didn’t get a good start, and this is so important at Jerez. Everyone tells me I have a classic smooth 250cc style and hopefully as we progress this will suit the new 800cc bike. I’ve tried changing my style in the past, to try to be more aggressive on the brakes, but then I crash, so I believe in my riding style! Jerez always gives me a very special feeling as it’s a pleasure to ride in front of so many fans and I’m also very excited that my father is flying in from Japan to watch! My parents have flown in a few times to Europe to watch races, but never Jerez. With its unique atmosphere I wanted to show him the Spanish GP at Jerez. I think he will love it!”
Another Spanish star riding alongside Dani and Toni is Carlos Checa (LCR Honda RC212V). He said, “I always feel very emotional at Jerez because this is my ‘home’ race and for sure I will have a lot of fans around me, which is always a great feeling. But I need to concentrate on the race because I do not want to repeat the mistakes of Qatar. I know the Jerez track and I’m aiming for a good result on Sunday. I’ve spoken with Ramon Forcada and we have some ideas to improve the front-end feeling of the bike.”
Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR212V) will be aiming for a far better result than his disappointing 13th in Qatar. He said, “We’re just working at getting ourselves into a better position than we were at Losail. We’ll be taking it bit by bit and making sure we have a better package than we did for the first race. This race is where we have to get our season going forward.”
In the 250cc class Honda men will be trying to ensure reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) is denied the chance to win his ‘home’ race. And no one will riding harder than 2006 series runner-up Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Honda RS250RW). His team has now reverted to running under the Team Scot banner again after its stint as Humangest last season.
He said, “Despite the improvements made to the factory Honda, I still suffered from the Aprilia’s better top speed in Qatar. My team is working hard, we have the capacity and in Jerez I’ll make my best efforts to get ahead because I won’t be satisfied with another fifth position. The tests we did in February were good, I set third fastest time here, and because of that I’m confident of doing well here.”
Julian Simon (Repsol Honda RS250RW) said, “I’d love to be at the front in this Grand Prix, because I’ve already shown that I can be fast during the tests. We still have to work a bit on the bike and I think that we’ll have an advantage in Jerez that we didn’t have in Qatar, where the Aprilia machines worked well and were fast. But I think we’ll be able to do a good job here in Jerez.”
Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW) said, “We’ve already been to Jerez before and I like it, so I’ll have the chance to make up for Qatar. We’ll have to give our best, because we cannot repeat the result of the first race.”
Rookie Ratthapark Wilairot (Stop And Go Racing Honda RS250RW) said, “Taking 14th in Qatar was a good result, it proved that we’re doing a good job efforts always get rewarded. This will be the third time I’ve ridden at Jerez circuit and even if I couldn’t work as much as I wanted on the two previous occasions because of bad weather, I already know the track. It’s is much more complicated than Losail and we’ll have to work hard.”
In the 125cc class home hopes will be riding with Esteve Rabat (Repsol Honda RS125R) who managed eighth place in the opening race. He said, “I’m really looking forward to it, but I’ll take it easy, focussing on learning from the team and from the quicker, more experienced riders. The only real aim will be to learn the result matters less. But racing at home makes the excitement almost even bigger than being in the World Championships.”
His team-mate Bradley Smith (Repsol Honda RS125R) said, “I know Jerez quite well, I’ve already lapped a lot there in the dry and the wet. So it shouldn’t be a big problem, since we have a lot of data regardless of the conditions. This is very positive, so I only want to get onto the track and do the best I can.”
Mike di Meglio (Scot Honda RS125R), 14th in Qatar said, “We have solved the problems that slowed me in Qatar and so I’m quite easy about this week-end. The track is difficult but it’s one of my favourites and I hope to have a good race.”