MotoGP
Dani Pedrosa to give Laguna his best shot
17 luglio 2008
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Pedrosa sustained fractures to the left wrist and index finger. He is also nursing a sprained right ankle. But the tough Honda man will mount his RC212V on Friday morning for the first free practice session then assess his condition after attacking the demanding and physical Laguna Seca circuit. Championship challenger Dani had finished every race so far this season until last weekend, scoring two wins and notching six podium finishes. But despite his non-score at The Sachsenring, he remains very much in contention for the biggest prize in motorcycle sport. The 2008 World Championship is very finely balanced after ten rounds and with eight to go. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) heads the points standings with 187, Dani, despite his fall last weekend lies second on 171 points and Casey Stoner (Ducati) is now back in contention after his German win with 167 points. Dani’s team-mate the 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) has won twice here, in 2005 and in his World Championship winning year. The genial American will be riding harder than ever to try and make it three wins here at one of his ‘home’ tracks. Hayden will again be riding the pneumatic-valve-engined RC212V which has proved very much to the Kentucky Kid’s liking. And Nicky knows the crowd will be behind him as he bids to get the development bike on the podium here in California. In contrast to the experienced Repsol pairing, class rookies and 250cc graduates Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Scot Honda RC212V) and Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) will have their work cut our learning this notoriously tricky and demanding circuit. Both riders have had to get used to using extra-grippy qualifying tyres this year and it seems Dovizioso has adapted quicker to the super-sticky rubber. His fourth place on the grid in Germany last weekend was testament to that. De Angelis shone in the race though, despite only qualifying in tenth position. He came through the field to finish a strong fourth, only just missing out on a podium after an enthralling battle with Suzuki rider Chris Vermeulen. Dovi finished fifth. These rookies have been the revelation of 2008, both applying themselves to the task of riding the heavier, faster 800cc machines with gusto when many predicted they would struggle to adapt to the different requirements of the premier class. Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) and Shinya Nakano (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) have both ridden Laguna before, De Puniet managing a sixth place last year while Nakano admits he has never quite got the measure of this track so far. Something he aims to correct this weekend. Built in 1957 near Monterey, California, Laguna Seca ticks all the boxes for a track in terms of rider involvement. There’s gradient aplenty and long, sweeping curves through which adventurous riders carve radical lines. It’s a track that rewards momentum everywhere except the Andretti Hairpin and the infamous Corkscrew. If ever a turn defined a track it’s Laguna’s Corkscrew. Variously described as ‘riding off the end of the earth’, ‘surfing a 30ft wave’ and ‘dropping down a lift shaft’, this is one of the great corners in MotoGP. The track was fully resurfaced in 2006 so there will be few new variables in terms of tyres and set-up. The longest straight is just 996m long on a 3.610km track that winds around a compact footprint and turns back on itself providing four right-hand turns and seven lefts. Set-up requires a bike that turns-in accurately and yet remains stable for the two main Braking points, the Hairpin and that critical Corkscrew, vital to get right for a fast lap time. |
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