US Grand Prix, Laguna Seca, July 8/9/10, Preview DUCATI MARLBORO MEN READY FOR U.S. RODEO RIDE Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Carlos Checa are gearing up for what should be one of the most spectacular events of the 2005 MotoGP World Championship. Laguna Seca, hosting its first Grand Prix since 1994, is a unique race venue, a dizzying mix of high-speed turns and undulations that test rider skill and bravery to the utmost. It is, in fact, MotoGP’s very own rodeo ride. Capirossi and Checa have experienced Laguna’s special thrills before, both were both up-and-coming 250 riders when they last raced at the Californian racetrack, but this time they return aboard a very different weapon: the 230-plus horsepower 989cc Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici. The Italian V4, now in its third year of MotoGP racing, is one of the fastest bikes on the grid. So far this year the team has scored one podium finish, at June’s Italian GP, and is now hoping for another great result to celebrate Ducati’s first-ever United States GP. “We have scored many wins at Laguna World Superbike events, but this is the first time we have been in the US for MotoGP,” says Ducati MotoGP project manager Livio Suppo. “We are very excited because the United States is a very important market, and a successful market for us, so we hope that this event will encourage even more interest in Ducati. It will be an interesting and challenging weekend, because although our riders and some of our engineers know the track, we’ve not been there for so long that it’s like a new circuit.” Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli is delighted to be returning to Laguna. “It’s my favourite track of all,” says Cecchinelli, who used to work in Ducati’s successful World Superbike team. “I like undulating circuits and Laguna is very up and down. Based on my experiences working there, I know it’s not an engine track, it’s all about easy handling and power delivery. Riders also need a lot of confidence in the front because there are a lot of downhill, off-camber turns, especially nine and ten, where riders can make up a lot of time.” Getting the Ducati Marlboro Team up and running at Laguna is no small feat of logistics – the Bologna-based squad sends 12,000 kilos of freight in 50 crates to the US for this event. CAPIROSSI: ALREADY A WINNER AT LAGUNA Loris Capirossi scored his first podium of 2005 at June’s Italian GP and the hard-riding Italian will be aiming for another top-three result at Laguna. Like many riders in the premier MotoGP class, Capirossi knows the track from previous visits in the early 90s. And he knows the fast way around the complex Californian venue – he took pole position and the race win in the 1993 US 250 GP. “I really liked the track on a 250, but I don’t know how it will work for a MotoGP bike,” says the Ducati Marlboro Team man. “It will be exciting and challenging – turn one will be very impressive, also uphill to the Corkscrew, where you use the rear brake while you’re accelerating up the hill, so the bike doesn’t wheelie too much. It will be a busy weekend, with a lot of work on set-up, but the good thing is that our bike is now quite competitive and that Bridgestone are working very hard, bringing us a lot of tyres to test. For sure Laguna won’t be easy on a MotoGP bike but I’m definitely looking forward to racing in the States again.” CHECA RARING TO GET REACQUAINTED WITH LAGUNA Carlos Checa is raring to get to know Laguna aboard his Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici. Like his team-mate, the Spaniard also raced in the 1993 and ’94 US 250 GPs, though he was just a young privateer at the time, still waiting to be discovered by the factory teams. His seventh-place finish in the ’94 event definitely helped him on his way to the top. “Last time I raced at Laguna I was just starting out in GPs,” recalls Checa. “They were my first races outside Europe, so they were big experiences, with big memories. Laguna is so up and down that it feels like motocross! It will certainly be very interesting on a MotoGP bike, not easy at all. Basically our bike is working quite well at the moment, so we hope it will be okay at Laguna, the tyres too. Anyway, I’m excited about this race, it’s always good to do something different, and after 11 years Laguna will feel like a new track.” Checa is a regular visitor to Monterey as a good friend of former 500 World Champion Wayne Rainey, who lives close to Laguna. Carlos Checa will also be getting the full Hollywood treatment on Wednesday as he and Colin Edwards are whisked off by championship organisers Dorna to a VIP pre-event promotional tour in Los Angeles. The Ducati Marlboro Team rider will attend a press conference before being taken to the Warner Bros studios for a behind-the-scenes look at the set of the forthcoming disaster movie remake “The Poseidon Adventure” starring Kurt Russell, followed by lunch with selected Hollywood VIPs at Santa Monica airport THE TRACK Laguna Seca is a spectacular circuit, twisting its way across rolling Californian hillsides. It is best known for its infamous Corkscrew section, a tight left-right chicane on a steep hillside which is as close as any racetrack gets to a rollercoaster ride. In fact the entire circuit is a bit of a rollercoaster, starting with turn one, an ultra-quick lefthander over the brow of a hill that has riders close to take-off. This corner is one of the greatest tests of bravery in MotoGP. The infield section (completed in the late 80s to bring the track up to World Championship spec) is relatively straightforward, then the fun begins once again as riders commence the high-speed uphill run to the Corkscrew. This section is so steep that riders use the rear brake to prevent the front wheel getting too skyward. After the Corkscrew, the circuit’s highest point, riders plunge downhill through a fast left and fast right, before the dead-slow final turn. Laguna’s many downhill corners make front-tyre performance more crucial than ever, since riders need extra grip and confidence to attack these off-camber turns. Machines need to be particularly well balanced for this circuit. Laguna hosted six Grands Prix between 1988 and 1994, then slipped off the calendar due to safety concerns. The track has undergone major safety revisions for its MotoGP return, most crucially at the ultra-high-speed turn one and at the fast turn nine lefthander. LAGUNA SECA Lap record: Kevin Schwantz (Suzuki), 1m 25.838s, 148.219 mh/92.099mph (1990) Pole position 1994: Mick Doohan (Honda), 1m 26.068s DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS LORIS CAPIROSSI Age: 32 (born April 4, 1973) Lives: Monaco Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP5 GP victories: 23 (1xMotoGP, 2×500, 12×250, 8×125) First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125) First GP: Japan, 1990 (125) GP starts: 223 (53xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125) Pole positions: 36 (3xMotoGP, 5×500, 23×250, 5×125) First pole: Australia, 1991 (125) World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998) Laguna 1994 results: Grid: 3rd. Race: DNF CARLOS CHECA Age: 32 (born October 15, 1972) Lives: London, England Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP5 GP victories: 2 (500) First GP victory: Catalunya, 1996 (500) First GP: Europe, 1993 (125) GP starts: 175 (55xMotoGP, 92×500, 27×250, 1×125) Pole positions: 3 (2xMotoGP, 1×500) First pole: Spain, 1998 (500) Laguna 1994 results: Grid: 11th. Race: 7th For further information: www.ducaticorsepress.com