Barcelona, 5 jun 2008.
The 2008-MotoGP World Championship arrives on the first weekend of June in Montmel with the seventh round of the calendar.
THE TRACK:
The Circuit de Catalunya, located around 20 kilometres north of Barcelona, was added to the calendar as 1992, when it hosted the European Grand Prix, before changing to the Grand Prix of Catalunya in 1996. It is a fast and demanding track with a long main straight of 1,047m, which allows the 800cc machines to hit 320km/h, flowed my a sequence of fast and flowing corners. The combination of long corners, many of them off-camber, calls for a balanced chassis set-up and puts huge demand on front tyre durability and feel. The track was resurfaced in 2005 but many riders still complain about the bumps caused by F1 testing and racing.
Valentino Rossi and company roll into Catalunya this weekend, where Rossi will shoot for his fourth-consecutive '08 win. This weekend's Catalunya Grand Prix is the second of four races in the month of June, a series of contests which will bring the season to its halfway point. That makes the next races critical in the championship chase, as Valentino Rossi attempts to put the championship out of reach. Once again Rossi is the presumptive favorite for the win.
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V), the man who currently spearheads Honda’s challenge in MotoGP, is ready to make home advantage count in this weekend’s eagerly awaited Catalan Grand Prix. He knows this race represents a great chance to seize the initiative in what looks like a gripping 2008 World Championship struggle. Dani lies just twelve points behind series leader Valentino Rossi and 16 ahead of current third-place man Jorge Lorenzo (both Yamaha). Reigning World Champion Casey Stoner (Ducati) sits fourth 18 points behind Lorenzo. Pedrosa has won once already in Spain at Jerez this year and another victory, this time in his native Catalonia, would be a timely boost for the former World 125 and 250cc Champion.
Pedrosa said: “This is a great weekend because I’m riding in front of my home crowd, near where I grew up, and I really feel and appreciate the fans’ support. The atmosphere is always very special at Montmeló, with a big and enthusiastic crowd throughout the weekend. I will do everything I can to offer them a good race. I really like some parts of the track, especially from the left-hander after Repsol, down the hill from there, into that little left-right chicane and then uphill towards the next right. The surface is quite bumpy, probably due Formula 1 cars, racing trucks and so on. The start-finish straight is very long, so you need a fast bike for this track. As for the new engine, we will see. It’s not easy to set up a new engine during a race weekend, so we need to wait a bit before making the final decision.”
Pedrosa said: “This is a great weekend because I’m riding in front of my home crowd, near where I grew up, and I really feel and appreciate the fans’ support. The atmosphere is always very special at Montmeló, with a big and enthusiastic crowd throughout the weekend. I will do everything I can to offer them a good race. I really like some parts of the track, especially from the left-hander after Repsol, down the hill from there, into that little left-right chicane and then uphill towards the next right. The surface is quite bumpy, probably due Formula 1 cars, racing trucks and so on. The start-finish straight is very long, so you need a fast bike for this track. As for the new engine, we will see. It’s not easy to set up a new engine during a race weekend, so we need to wait a bit before making the final decision.”
Valentino Rossi:
Age: 29 Lives: Tavullia, Italy GP victories: 91 (64 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 198 (137 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 50 World Championships: 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP)
Age: 29 Lives: Tavullia, Italy GP victories: 91 (64 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 198 (137 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 50 World Championships: 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP)
Record Lap Montmelo' : N. Hayden (Honda) 2006, 1'43.048
Best Lap Montmelo' : V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2007, 1'41.840
- Grand Prix Results: Montmelo' 2007 -
1. C.Stoner (Ducati) 43'16.907
2. V.Rossi (Yamaha) +00.069
3. D.Pedrosa (Honda) +00.390
1. C.Stoner (Ducati) 43'16.907
2. V.Rossi (Yamaha) +00.069
3. D.Pedrosa (Honda) +00.390
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