HONDA MEN ON TURKISH MISSION TO REEL IN ROSSI Pressure is on the increase as riders contemplate this third round race at the imposing Istanbul Park track. Honda men have done well here in the two previous races, none better than Marco Melandri (Gresini Honda RC212V) who has won both premier class races held here, in 2005 and last season. The Italian challenger could do with a strong result here on Sunday as he currently lies in fifth place overall in the World Championship points table with 19 points to leader Rossi’s 45. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) is second equal with Casey Stoner (Ducati) on 36 points. As this intensely paced season gathers momentum riders are keen to prevent anyone beginning to dominate results to the extent that a sizeable points gap opens out. No one will be more conscious of that than reigning World Champion Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) who lies sixth at the moment with 17 points. But the dogged American has tasted success here in Turkey with a stirring ride to third place last year. It was enough to aid his quest to win in motorcycle racing and he will be hoping to go even better here this weekend in a bid to close the gap on his title rivals. There has been no pre-season testing here and so this challenging 5.430km track will be fresh to all riders this weekend bringing the new tyre regulations in the premier class this year into sharp focus. With just 14 fronts and 17 rears available to each rider choice of rubber will be critical. This circuit, situated on the Asian side of the huge city of Istanbul, is one of the better ‘new’ circuits to be built. It features six right-hand turns, a medium-length 720m straight and eight left-hand turns. Designed by Hermann Tilke, the man responsible for the Shanghai track, the Otodrom International Circuit is something of a pastiche of existing circuits. Turns one and two are an unashamed copy of the Senna Esses at Sao Paulo while turn 11 mimics Eau Rouge at Spa Francorchamps. A high degree of varied elevation makes many corner entries blind and extremely challenging. Turn eight is a double-apex high-speed left that demands inch-perfect precision riding and raw nerve of a rare degree. This corner is critical for a good lap time entry, mid-turn and exit are all equally important get any parts wrong and the time penalty is a heavy one. Dani said, “I’m feeling ready for this race because there has been a big break and I’m sure all the riders are excited about the weekend. We haven’t tested the new 800cc bikes at this track, unlike in Qatar and Spain, so everyone will face the same questions: what to do and how to do it with regard to the bike, tyres and the whole package. We will have to see if the weather works in our favour to make this process easier and allows us to make good use of all of the practice time. With the new tyre rules it’s difficult to predict how things will work out. A lot will depend on the meeting with Michelin on Thursday when we’ll look at the tyre plan and the weather forecast and decide on the strategy whether to go for a risky one or safety. It should be an interesting weekend for everyone.” Nicky Hayden said, “It’s been a good few weeks off and so I’m definitely looking forward to getting back into it in Turkey and really getting the summer started. Istanbul Park is quite a cool track, especially with that fast 5th gear corner. On the 990cc bike that corner was wild, though on these bikes it might not really be a corner any more it’ll be interesting to see how the 800s feel through there. It’s a really good track and I like the layout because it’s got some serious elevation changes. Turn One’s really technical and TV doesn’t really do that corner justice. People at home don’t really see how blind the entry is and what a drop off there is, so that’s pretty fun. It’s been a decent track to me in the past and I’m looking forward to racing there again.” “The Jerez test was really important,” said Marco. “We’ve taken a step forward and that allows me to look ahead with confidence to Istanbul, a special circuit that holds wonderful memories for me. I scored my first MotoGP victory there in 2005, the first time we had visited the circuit. In 2006 I repeated the win after a breathtaking battle with Casey Stoner. I like the track a lot it’s balanced and technical, characterised by frequent changes in direction and pace. I’m confident that the feeling we found in the test, my determination to have fun, and the good memories I have of this circuit will give me the ammunition I need.” His team-mate Toni Elias (Gresini Honda RC212V) said, “I feel really motivated ahead of the trip to Istanbul. That fourth place at Jerez and the work we completed in the test after the race has given me optimism because we took a big step forward with the set-up and the feeling with the tyres has improved once again. Istanbul is a circuit I like a lot because there are so many elevation changes, hard braking areas, a mixture of fast and slow corners and I have always been fast there. Last year I made a good fight-back from twelfth to fifth place and even set a new circuit record!” Carlos Checa (LCR Honda RC212V) said, “I like the Turkish track and after the good results we got in Jerez testing I feel very confident. However we must continue our progression with set-up and tyres as we’ve never been here before on this bike. I hope the weather conditions remain uniform for the whole weekend so we can do a good job in the practice.” Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda RC212V) said, “Our test after Jerez was very good for us as we managed to get the feeling from the front of the bike that I need for my riding style. This was in the wet, but this is the same feeling we’re chasing for the bike in the dry conditions too. This data is important, as once I have found a setting to give me the same feeling in the dry, then I know we will go much faster. I’m hoping we can find this at Turkey as I want to push hard and get even better results.” “We’ve got to get back to where we were at the end of last season at the right end of the grid,” said Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR212V). “Everyone’s working hard and in Turkey everyone starts from the same position in terms of set-up so we’ve got to make sure we’re real smart about how we use our tyres in all the sessions.” In the 250cc class all riders will be aiming to halt the progress of Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) who has a perfect record so far this season of two poles and two wins. Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Honda RS250RW) lies third in the overall standings so far and the determined Italian knows he needs a big result to haul in runaway Lorenzo. His team-mate Yuki Takahashi (Scot Honda RS250RW) is now nearing full fitness after breaking a leg at the end of last season and the tough Japanese rider will be aiming to get even closer to the lead riders after scoring two top ten finishes so far this year. Dovi said, “The Istanbul track isn’t among my favourites, it’s technical and very fast and last year I made only a few laps in dry conditions because it rained on the second day of qualifying. Despite this I managed a third place in the race and I hope to get a good result also this year.” His team-mate Takahashi said, “I like it here and I think that as I get fitter I stand a good chance of doing well here. From Jerez race until now I’m getting into much better shape and I’m confident. Last year I got a good position (5th) and I want at least a repeat of that.” Thai rider Ratthapark Wilairot (Stop And Go Racing Honda RS250RW) said, “This will be the first time this year that we’re going to a circuit that will be completely new for me and I’ll have to focus on learning the track on Friday and also adapting myself to the bike as we’ll also work on the set-up of the machine. It won’t be easy, but I’m up for the challenge as I will have to learn many tracks this year.” Honda riders are having a hard time in the 125cc class so far this season and all will be anxious to reel in the class leaders. Bradley Smith (Repsol Honda RS125R) and Esteve Rabat (Repsol Honda RS125R) will be going all out to elevate themselves in the points table. Mike di Meglio (Scot Honda RS125R) will not race here in Turkey after an operation on the shoulder he injured in a big crash at Jerez. But he will be on the grid at Shanghai in early May. “I’m not able to move it yet. The fracture is too young and the operation too recent. But in China I’ll be there!!” Kev Coghlan, a 19-year-old Scotsman, will get a ride with Team Scot this weekend. “I’m absolutely thrilled to be given a Grand Prix ride and with such a high quality team as Team Scot is fantastic. It’s been frantic trying to get everything ready but I am sure it will be well worth it. I can’t wait!”