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Estoril: Dani Pedrosa looking for big score

In MotoGP

10 aprile 2008

As the third round of this daunting 18-race series looms, Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) is out in front after a win in Spain and a third-place podium finish in Qatar. His five-point cushion over second-placed Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) is the most accurate indicator of Dani’s current rapid form.

Pedrosa has not had things easy so far. He could only qualify eighth at Losail in Qatar, but he powered off the grid to head the pack into turn one and finished third – a measure of how Dani’s riding has achieved a steelier edge this season to compliment his abundant natural pace.

Dani has yet to begin a MotoGP season with a better record and this Portuguese Grand Prix thus assumes increased significance. If Dani can win or step onto the podium ahead of his current early-season pursuers it levers his advantage and puts useful early pressure on his rivals.

And his record here is passable. He was second to Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) here last season, failed to finish in 2006, and was fourth here twice in his 250cc years for the factory. He also started from pole on a 125cc Honda in 2002. This is the time when he needs a front row start and the sort of race that cements World Championship credentials.

Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) is on the ‘up’. After a battling fourth in Jerez, the former World MotoGP Champion knows he has to put himself firmly in the frame for the bare minimum of a podium here, or else lose touch with the series front-runners.

In what is shaping up to be a fiercely contested season, with more than the customary quota of riders fighting at the front, Nicky needs a repeat of last year’s pole, the race record lap, and better than the fourth place he took at the flag. Dani has 41 points after two rounds, Nicky 19.

Among the other men more than capable of taking the spoils here on Sunday must be Lorenzo, and his bitter rival from their 250cc days, Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Scot Honda RC212V). Dovi goes well at Estoril and the studious Italian has always bested Lorenzo here on the Atlantic coast. He won in 2006 and was second last year (and not to his Spanish rival).

Estoril has only been on the calendar since 2000, and this wind-lashed track lies 20 miles west of Lisbon close to the town of Sintra. The 4.182km circuit features a balance of medium and slow-speed turns with nine rights and four lefts. Built in 1972 the surface is still bumpy in parts despite being resurfaced in 2006.

Nevertheless the track offers a significant challenge regardless of grip issues. The chicane is the slowest turn in MotoGP racing requiring patience and a smooth style to avoid ruinous low-speed tumbles. On the other hand a long, fast right onto the start/finish straight, the ‘Parabolica’, is one of the great corners in racing and loved by the best riders.

Turn one at the end of the 986m straight is a favourite overtaking spot and so is turn six, the ‘Parabolica interior’ behind the pits complex. The rest of the track is fairly unremarkable requiring no out-of-the-ordinary machine set-ups but it is hard work. And the stiff breeze off the Atlantic Ocean is sometimes a major concern.

Dani said: “The tests we did at Jerez should help us, it was good to get more familiar with the bike and do some more work with Michelin’s wider front tyre. At Estoril you need a bike that performs well on the brakes and maintains optimum rear grip throughout the race. It’s a tough track from a riding point of view, because you need to be very strong to handle the Braking and the bumps and you also need excellent physical endurance. You need to be quite aggressive but at the same time you need to stay relaxed so you don’t get drained during the race. I like the atmosphere though, it’s 100 per cent Spanish!”

Nicky said: “Hopefully we’ve got things rolling now. Jerez wasn’t bad, good enough to make me look forward to Estoril. It’s is an old-school track, not very wide and kinda odd. It can be a lot of fun or it can be miserable. I really like the right-hand kink onto the back straightaway, that’s pretty fast and cool. And I love the last corner coming onto the front straightaway – when the bike works good and steers through there it can be pretty fun. Obviously you want something with some horsepower because the front straightaway goes on for days. And you need something to get through the tight, twisty bits. One other thing, there’s definitely a lot more right-handers, so you need softer compounds on the left side of the tyres.”

Dovi said: “In Estoril I’ve had very good results on both the 125 and 250cc bikes, which is why I feel I can do the same with the MotoGP bike, even though I have never ridden it at the circuit. Obviously though, knowing where to put the front wheel on the racetrack should be an advantage. I want some confirmation to show what I’ve learned after these first two races and I want to be competing and fighting with the best. After Jerez I went back home to London just to relax and not think of racing bikes for a few days. I took some time out with some friends and I worked on my fitness programme, unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to do any motocross – which is the way I normally like to keep fit.”

Shinya Nakano (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) said: “Estoril is another circuit I know really well. To go there after such a positive test on the Monday after the race at Jerez gives me a lot of confidence for the race. We’ll go into first free practice with a few small modifications from the base set-up we found at Jerez, which allowed me to ride much more aggressively. The clear objective is to improve and get a better finish than at Jerez – we can do it.”

Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) said: “Estoril is a very strange track. The main straight is pretty long but some parts are very slow like the S-chicane. I think it’s one of the slowest corners on the calendar. We’ll have to work on Braking stability, but I feel quite confident because last year my pace on this track was consistent and fast. I’m not worried about the weather conditions. If it’s going to rain we will work hard with Michelin on tyre choice because this surface can get very slippery.”

Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) said: “Unlike Losail and Jerez, in Portugal I’ll be taking on a circuit where I’ve never ridden before on a MotoGP bike because we haven’t tested at Estoril. It’s difficult to make predictions but I’m confident there will be an improvement on recent performances. We were fast all through winter testing but the results of the first two races were not satisfactory. At Estoril we can do really well, I’m sure of that. The test at Jerez following the Grand Prix of Spain was really important because we were able to work on certain things. Bridgestone worked closely with the team and brought along a new tyre structure that made the bike more stable.”