MICHELIN MEN ON THE PACE WITH NEW REAR SLICKS Michelin riders travel to Donington Park looking for further strong performances following some impressive rides at the last two MotoGP events. Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC212V-Michelin) both finished on the podium at Mugello and Catalunya, reinforcing their challenges for the 2007 MotoGP championship crown as the season nears its halfway point. Rossi won at Mugello in brilliant style and fought a dazzling battle for Catalunya victory with Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici), eventually missing out on the win by less than seven hundredths of a second. Pedrosa finished third in Italy but upped the ante for his home GP, where he chose one of Michelin’s new harder construction rear slicks for the first time, and ran with Stoner and Rossi throughout. Rossi has been using these latest construction slicks since post-French GP tests at Le Mans. MICHELIN AND THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGE OF DONINGTON PARK “Donington is a real challenge because the two sections of the track are very different, demanding different things from the tires,” says Jean-Philippe Weber, Michelin’s director of motorcycle racing. “Through the faster part riders need good maneuverability for the high-speed direction changes and good stability, especially through the longer corners like Hollywood and Coppice. For the slow part they need good traction. The track is also very asymmetric, with very few left-handers, so tire warm-up, especially on the left side is crucial “We use a medium range of rear tires at Donington because the tarmac isn’t so aggressive, because riders need good traction out of the slow turns and because there’s not a lot of long corners where riders are using a lot of throttle for long periods of time, much of the track is part throttle. We know from our experience what to do with compounds and constructions to offer more stability or more traction. All tracks demand some kind of compromise between these two, though Donington requires quite a big compromise. “We also use medium range fronts at Donington because although there’s some heavy braking it’s not from super-high speeds and riders certainly don’t need harder fronts like they did at Mugello and Catalunya, which both place much greater stresses on the front tire. “This track isn’t so easy, however, especially when you throw in the extra factor of unpredictable weather. Sometimes we get good weather at Donington, other times it’s very cold and wet, so we have to produce tires that cover a large range of temperatures. Also, we have to consider the likely temperature changes during the day. There could be a big difference between the morning and afternoons session temperatures, like at Jerez where it was very cold in the morning and 15 degrees warmer in the afternoon. It’s not so easy to cover that temperature range within the new tire rules, it’s a real challenge.” DEVELOPMENT OF MICHELIN’S NEW CONSTRUCTION REAR SLICK “We started working on a different family of stronger constructions after April’s Turkish GP and we’ve been improving step by step. We made some good improvements during the post-French GP tests at Le Mans ? Valentino won in Italy using a new construction he tested at Le Mans and came so close to winning again a Catalunya. Of course, we have to adapt tire stiffness of this new family of tires to suit the stresses experienced at each circuit. The construction we use at Donington may be close to what we used at the last two races but it won’t be the same because the British track isn’t as aggressive on tires as Mugello and Catalunya. “Not all of our riders prefer this family of stiffer constructions. Dani tested the harder tires at Le Mans and although he didn’t immediately want to go in that direction he did choose a stiffer construction at Catalunya, identical to the construction used by Rossi. In the past Dani preferred a slightly softer construction tire that gave him a good feeling in the early stages of a race, but it seems the harder tire gives him the chance to be more competitive over full-race distance.” MICHELIN IN THE UK Michelin has been in the UK for more than a century and currently employs 3,500 people in the region. Sports bikes dominate the market so Michelin’s Pilot Power 2CT, Power Sport and Pilot Road 2 tires ? all developed with MotoGP technology ? are in big demand. Further info at www.michelin.co.uk. DONINGTON PARK DATA (4023 m) Lap record: Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V-Michelin), 1:28.714, 163.253km/h-101.441mph (2006) Pole position 2006: Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V-Michelin), 1:27.676, 165.185km/h-102.641mph Recent winners of the British GP 2006 Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V-Michelin), 44:54.878 2005 Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), 52:58.675 (wet race) 2004 Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), 45:30.473 2003 Max Biaggi (Honda Camel Pons RC211V-Michelin), 46, 06.688 2002 Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V-Michelin), 46:32.888 2001 Valentino Rossi (Nastro Azzurro Honda NSR500-Michelin), 46:53.349 2000 Valentino Rossi (Nastro Azzurro Honda NSR500-Michelin), 52:37.246 (wet race) 1999 Alex Crivillé (Repsol Honda NSR500-Michelin), 47:06.290 1998 Simon Crafar (Red Bull WCM Yamaha YZR500), 46:45.662 1997 Mick Doohan (Repsol Honda-Michelin NSR500), 46:55.378 1996 Mick Doohan (Repsol Honda-Michelin NSR500), 47:11.135 Michelin’s 2007 Donington MotoGP riders Carlos Checa (Honda LCR RC212V-Michelin) Colin Edwards (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda Team RC212V-Michelin) Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda RC212V-Michelin) Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC212V-Michelin) Jonathan Rea (Team Roberts KR212V-Michelin) Kenny Roberts Junior (Team Roberts KR212V-Michelin) Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: FIAT YAMAHA TEAM BEGIN CRUCIAL NORTH RUN AT DONINGTON PARK The Fiat Yamaha Team trucks complete another gruelling journey across land and sea this week as the MotoGP World Championship trail heads from Spain to England for the first of three consecutive races in Northern Europe. The Donington Park circuit in Leicestershire hosts the eighth round of the campaign, with round nine set to take place just six days later at Assen in Holland before moving on to Germany’s Sachsenring circuit for round ten a fortnight after that. It promises to be a crucial few weeks for Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards, who will both be on the hunt for victories at some of their most successful circuits. Rossi is a seven-time Grand Prix winner at Donington Park, whilst Edwards scored his first MotoGP podium there in 2004 and took World Superbike victories in 1999 and 2000. The pair also have impressive records at Assen, where Rossi had not stepped off the rostrum in five seasons until his injury last year and Edwards has both WSB wins and MotoGP podiums to his name, whilst the Italian is a five-time winner at Sachsenring. Rossi’s immediate goal is to close down the gap to current series leader Casey Stoner, which currently stands at fourteen points. However, there is an interesting bonus up for grabs for ‘The Doctor’, who could usurp another Australian in the shape of Mick Doohan as the all-time top points-scorer in the premier-class. A top seven finish would secure that accolade for Rossi, who broke Doohan’s record for the most career podiums with number 96 at the last round in Catalunya. A dramatic viewing experience, Donington Park sits inside an amphitheatre style setting, with the spectators banked on the grass verges that surround the track. The prevalent off-camber nature of the circuit is one of the main factors at play during the British Grand Prix, with a large tendency for the front tyre to push, making the right, left, right flick down the Craner Curve section something of a high tension and the key to making up time. The stop-and-go nature of the final section, which features three hard braking zones, means the bike also has to be good under braking and makes set-up a quest for compromise between agility and stability. Valentino Rossi “MY SECOND HOME RACE” Valentino Rossi heads north to Donington Park after a brief stay in his hometown of London. The 28-year-old has lived in the English capital since 2000 and has built up an army of local fans, who have cheered him to victory on seven occasions at the East Midlands circuit. After conceding defeat to Dani Pedrosa when riding through injury to second place last year, Rossi is doubly keen to lead the celebrations again this time around. “Donington is always like my second home race because I live quite close, in London,” says Rossi. “It’s one of my favourite racetracks in the world and I’ve had some fantastic victories there in the past, including my first ever 500cc win back in 2000 after a great battle with Jeremy McWilliams and Kenny Roberts. Last year I had a bad injury after my problem in Assen but I was still able to finish second, which was a great achievement I think. “This year though it’s going to be really hard of course with Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa riding so well at the moment. Even though it hasn’t been one of his best tracks in the past I am expecting Casey to be strong again and Dani won last year so we can expect him to be fighting too. Anyway, it’s a great track, fun to ride, the straight is not too long and the fans there are wonderful, so I hope we can win again!” Colin Edwards “TAKING THE POSITIVES” It has been a difficult few weeks for Colin Edwards and relatively fruitless in terms of results, with the American struggling to get comfortable with his YZR-M1 machine ever since his good early season form was hit by a terrible run of bad luck. After struggling to finish in the top ten for the past four races, a good result is crucial for the Texan this weekend as he looks to increase confidence and performance levels in the build-up to his home race at Laguna Seca in a month’s time. “I had a lot bigger aspirations for this season than my recent results have shown,” concedes Edwards. “After our first few tests and first few races I thought we would be consistently in the top five, but unfortunately that hasn’t been the case recently so it’s a bit discouraging. At the same time I think you have to bring the positives out of every weekend and learn what you can. I think with Donington coming up we have the chance to turn things around; it’s a track that I’ve always liked – I’ve won a few races there, stemming back from my World Superbike days. “I’ve got nothing but high hopes going there – I know the track like the back of my hand so I’m staying positive. As far as I am concerned, the rest of my year involves winning some races. Winning races was my goal in March and it’s still my goal now and, despite the last few races, I know we can do it. I think the next two races at Donington and Assen are prime opportunities.” Davide Brivio Fiat Yamaha Team Director “A GREAT TRACK” Fiat Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio leads his staff to England in buoyant mood after another top performance from Rossi in Barcelona and a highly encouraging day of tyre tests with Michelin on the day following the race. With the former World Champion missing out on victory in the Grand Prix of Catalunya by just 0.069 seconds, Brivio is only too aware that a small step forward can make a massive difference in the quest for victory at Donington Park. “Donington has been a great track for both our riders in the past so we go there with high hopes,” says Brivio. “Unfortunately Valentino’s great record was blighted last year because of the injury he picked up at Assen so we want to make up for that and get him back to the top of the podium, but it won’t be easy. Our rivals are very strong this season and we go to each circuit looking to work hard, be competitive in every session and then see what happens on Sunday. “We had a good tyre test in Barcelona after the race, with Andrew Pitt also completing a lot of laps and giving us some valuable data. I think we will take some of the new tyres to Donington and hopefully they will help us take a step forward. At this high level of competition it is all about taking small steps, which can make the difference between victory and defeat. We are not even halfway through the season yet so there is a long way to go and we will keep fighting.” More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing Honda: PODIUM HUNT HEADS TO DONINGTON BRITISH GP – PREVIEW round 8 After taking a week to recover from back-to-back races the MotoGP World Championship returns next weekend for the eighth round of the season. The British Grand Prix takes place on Sunday at Donington Park, located in the heart of England’s East Midlands, just a stone’s throw from the legendary Sherwood Forest. For different reasons both Team Honda Gresini riders are both keen to get back on track and put the Barcelona race behind them. Marco Melandri and Toni Elias were suitably disappointed with their results in Spain but are looking ahead to the next round with motivation and the hunger to bounce back. As always, the big question mark ahead of the race in England is the weather, with the area notorious for frequent changes between wet and dry conditions. Marco Melandri: “We always knew that Barcelona would be one of the hardest circuits for us. Now we head to Donington, which in theory should be much more favourable because it is more suited to the characteristics of our bike. The corners are not that fast and the straight shouldn’t be too much of a problem, since it only measures 564 metres. The unknown factor at Donington is the weather because the temperatures can vary drastically. If it rains I think us Bridgestone riders will have a good chance. I got on the podium last year, which was a massive achievement because physically I still wasn’t in great shape – just two weeks had passed since that big crash in Barcelona. I am hoping for a good race at what is a special circuit for me because I live only a few kilometres from the circuit.” Toni Elias: “This is a track I like a lot. I missed the race here last year because of the injury I picked up at Assen, where I fractured my shoulder, but I’ve always had good results previously at Donington. Hopefully we can do a good job here all weekend because the top speed factor isn’t as important at this circuit – it’s more important to have good handling on the bike. I’m looking for a good result to get over the disappointment of my home race at Barcelona, when I was forced to retire before the end. The asphalt at Donington can be very slippery – especially if the temperatures are low – so it will be important to make a good tyre choice.” A TECHNICAL TRACK: Donington is an historic circuit, perhaps even antiquated when it comes to the facilities and infrastructure, but remains one of the best tracks on the entire MotoGP calendar – both in terms of its attractiveness to the riders and to the spectators. The circuit layout is quite technical – fast in the first half and slower in the second. Hard braking areas in the tight final three corners make it easy to run wide and many races are won and lost in this difficult section. One of the most distinctive sections on the track is without doubt Craner Curves, a fast fifth-gear sweeper which needs to be tackled with bravery and caution, since it is downhill. It is fundamental to get the right line through this section. Because of the dramatic difference between the fast opening section and the slower final turns, it is crucial to find a good balance in the bike setting. You need a good compromise between agility, to deal with the flowing corners, and the stability required under heavy braking and hard acceleration. THE DONINGTON GRAND PRIX COLLECTION Unveiled as a motorcycle racing circuit back in 1931, Donington has also become a popular venue for car racing. The track layout has undergone several modifications, particularly after a long period of inactivity during the war. The most recent changes were made in 1985, when the current layout was established: a 4,023 metre track with 11 corners. Since 1987 it has been the home of the British Grand Prix, taking over from Silverstone. As a mark of homage to Britain’s prestigious motorsport heritage, Donington also houses a fantastic museum on the outskirts of the circuit, which is home to the biggest Grand Prix collection in the world. Over 130 cars are parked in five large exhibitions halls, covering some of the most important eras in the history of racing. There is a complete gallery of the now defunct Vanwalls models, a stunning collection of Williams and McLaren cars and special exhibitions dedicated to the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio and Ayrton Senna. Not to be missed.