MotoGP
Catalan Grand Prix at Montmelo: Dani Pedrosa on home soil
05 giugno 2008 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. His record here bears close scrutiny. A win in the 125cc class in 2003, and another on a 250 in 2005 would suggest he has the measure of this spectacular circuit, but a crash in 2006, his debut season in MotoGP, means he has some unfinished business here. That multi-bike turn one pile-up was not his fault and he managed a podium here last year, He lives just 20km away from Montmelo at Sabadell and a win here would give Dani maximum momentum for the coming rounds. This Barcelona round is the seventh in an 18-race series and it assumes extra significance as there is the possibility of Honda unleashing its potent pneumatic-valve engine this weekend. The Repsol team has not yet decided if the new powerplant will be deployed here at Montmelo. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V), Dani’s team-mate has had a slow start to his season and the American former World Champion needs a big result to get his 2008 season back on track. He notched a podium finish here in his title-winning 2006 season and another such reward for his unstinting efforts would be timely. Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Scot Honda RC212V) has been consistently rapid in his rookie MotoGP season. The Italian former World 125cc Champion who lies seventh overall in the World Championship having scored at all but one round so far and another good result here would be the least he deserves. The evergreen Gresini Team celebrates its 200th Grand Prix here and riders Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) and Shinya Nakano (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) will be aiming to make this a Grand Prix to remember, especially as De Angelis arrives here following a strong fourth place at Mugello last weekend. The 4.727km Montmelo track lies 20km north of Barcelona and features two long straights. Two of the 13 turns at this track feature negative camber, making lean angle increase for a decrease in tyre grip. The rest of the corners are largely constant radius and hard on tyres especially the longer right-handers. Chassis set-up requires good front/rear balance so that the bikes are easy to turn-in under hard barking and also so they have enough weight transfer under hard acceleration to allow the rear tyre to ‘hook-up’ and drive the bike out of turns without too much wheelspin. A relaxed ‘flowing’ style from riders is the key to a fast lap here. And the highly vocal crowd will have an affect too. Nearly 200,000 fans can pack this hilltop venue over the weekend and there’s every sign that these sorts of numbers will be repeated this year making this one of the most atmospheric events of the season. 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.” Hayden said: “There are a lot of corners where you’re on the side of the tyres for a long time so edge grip is really important, especially on the right side. It’s also important to have a bike that steers good and finishes the corner. The electronics can come in quite handy, it’s a place where you can really use them to help the rear tyre. The last two corners are probably my favourites, they’re really important, you start dropping down that hill and you need to carry some momentum onto the main straightaway. The pneumatic engine is interesting, because for me the 2008 chassis works better with that engine, so hopefully it can be more than just a good engine for us. But we’ve got to check all the data before we make the decision.” De Angelis said: “At Mugello, for the first time, I was able to take my form into the race, not just practice, and this is what really made the difference. This result gives us a morale boost for the next few races, starting off with Barcelona. Last year I finished second in the 250 race during a really good period in my season, when I got six consecutive podiums. Obviously MotoGP is a world away from that and there is no comparison but I hope MotoGP is only the start of good things for us. It would be nice just to get six good results in a row.” His team-mate Nakano said: “The Grand Prix of Catalunya takes place on another really fast track. Montmelò is a circuit I like a lot and in the past I’ve had good results there. For that reason I’m confident I can have a good race. Add to that the progress we have made recently, developing the setting of the bike and the tyres, and I can’t wait to get back out there. I finished the Italian Grand Prix in ninth place but I was very close to the group ahead of me so my objective this weekend is to get involved with them and cap it off with a top six finish.” Dovi said: “I like the circuit a lot and I’ve taken some good points and finishes from this place before, so this could be another chance to do well again and maybe move up another position in the World Championship rankings. Technically this is a circuit that requires careful development of the chassis for riding on the fast and long corners that stress the tyres so much. We must work with commitment like always but we’re getting better race-by-race and Barcelona could be a good point to continue our progress.” Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) said: “Barcelona is one of my favourite tracks. When I raced in 250cc class I got two victories with the LCR Team and I have good memories of this track. The main straight is very long and we might lack some engine power but the mixed part suits my riding style.” |
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