Bridgestone MotoGP Preview – Round 6: Catalunya, Catalunya Tuesday 09 June 2009 Tyre compounds available: Front: Medium, Hard. Rear: Hard, Extra Hard (asymmetric) The Circuit de Catalunya hosts the sixth round of the 2009 MotoGP season and marks the first race of the year to which Bridgestone will bring its asymmetric slick rear tyres. With eight right-hand corners, most of which are long and fast, and only five left-handers, most of which are much slower, the circuit works the right and left shoulders of the Bridgestone tyres very differently. The right shoulders of the Bridgestone slick tyres experience far greater loads and cornering forces, meaning they have to be able to cope with higher temperatures. Meanwhile, the left shoulders are less stressed and therefore must be able to perform at a lower temperature range. With the nature of the circuit and the high track temperatures expected for this time of year at the Barcelona venue, a harder rear slick is required. Bridgestone will bring the hard compound and the extra hard compound rear slicks, but in both rear options the left shoulder of the tyre uses Bridgestone’s soft compound. By combining a hard or extra hard compound right shoulder in the rear tyres for increased durability and consistency at a higher operating temperature range with a soft compound left shoulder for the slower left-handers, the asymmetric Bridgestone rears are able to provide a consistent level of grip and rider feeling throughout the lap. The recently revised 2009 tyre regulations come into effect from the finish of the Catalunya Grand Prix, when every rider will need to inform Bridgestone how many of each compound of front slick tyre they wish to use in Assen. This change in the regulations means that rather than every rider being given four of the harder and four of the softer compound Bridgestone front slicks, each can now choose whether they want four of each compound or five of one and three of the other. This will make rider and team strategy in terms of slick tyre selection even more important. Spaniard Sete Gibernau will return to action in Catalunya for the Grupo Francisco Hernando team after being sidelined with a fractured collarbone sustained during the French Grand Prix. Dani Pedrosa will arrive at the circuit having suffered another injury to his right hip and thigh bone during the second free practice session in Mugello. Last year, Catalunya brought the first pole position of the season for Bridgestone and the Ducati Team with Casey Stoner’s qualifying lap record of 1m41.186s. Hiroshi Yamada – Bridgestone Motorsport Manager Motorcycle Sport Unit “Catalunya is an important event for us this year because we are introducing our asymmetric tyre. This is something that we had always planned to do since we were appointed as Official Tyre Supplier last year. The last two races have been very exciting in mixed conditions, so I hope we see the same good racing in Catalunya but without the rain!” Tohru Ubukata Bridgestone Motorsport Manager Motorcycle Race Tyre Development “The Circuit de Catalunya is a technical track with long right-hand corners that increase the temperature on that shoulder of the tyres. The surface is smooth and the stress placed on the tyres’ outer shoulders necessitates hard compounds, especially for the rear. We will bring asymmetric rear tyres for the first time this season as having dual compounds to suit the right and left hand corners is essential for good feeling and performance at this circuit. Because the left shoulders are not used as hard, the temperature in them is cooler than in the right shoulders but the soft compound on the left side allows the tyres to give optimal grip and rider feeling in these conditions.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: The sixth round of the 2009 FIM MotoGP World Championship takes place this weekend at the Montmeló circuit close to the Mediterranean port city of Barcelona, with another huge crowd expected for Sunday’s racing. Having ended Valentino Rossi’s seven-year winning streak at Mugello last time out Casey Stoner heads to the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya as the standings leader, with his Italian triumph his first victory since the opening round in Qatar. The Australian Ducati Marlboro rider was the winner of an epic Barcelona race in 2007 and finished third last year. Second in the general classification and the only other rider with two wins to his name thus far in 2009, Jorge Lorenzo is out to set the record straight at his home GP. The man from Mallorca trails Stoner by four points and will be keen to perform well in his first race in MotoGP in front of the Catalan crowd, having missed out last year due to concussion after a Friday practice crash. Reigning World Champion Rossi, meanwhile, trails Stoner by nine points and aims to close that gap at one of his strongest circuits. The Italian Fiat Yamaha star has never finished off the podium at Montmeló in the premier class, with five wins, three second places (two of which have come in the past two seasons) and one third place at the track. Last year’s racewinner and home favourite Dani Pedrosa has victories to his name in all three Grand Prix classes at the venue, but he faces a late fitness test to see if he is ready to participate. The Repsol Honda rider damaged his right thigh when he severely stretched his hip in Mugello in practice, then crashed out of the race. Pedrosa’s teammate Andrea Dovizioso lies just one point behind the Spaniard in the championship, having missed the podium by less than a second at the last two rounds. He will be keen to add to his solitary MotoGP podium to date as soon as possible and as a former 250cc Barcelona racewinner he will fancy his chances this weekend at a circuit where he placed fourth in 2008. Home representation also comes from Toni Elías (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Sete Gibernau (Grupo Francisco Hernando) as they both try to bounce back from recent operations and climb up the general standings. Gibernau missed both of the past two races after picking up shoulder and collarbone damage in France, and makes his comeback at the scene of his 2006 crash. 250cc The weekend will also see the next chapter of an intriguing 250cc title race unfold at Montmeló, with championship leader Álvaro Bautista out to prove a point after his battle with Marco Simoncelli in Italy at round five. Bautista and Simoncelli ran off track together when the Spaniard was under pressure for the race lead from the Italian at Mugello. Simoncelli took second place and penalisation from Race Direction away from the event, whilst Bautista finished third. Mapfre Aspar rider Bautista has tasted victory at the Barcelona track before, albeit in the 125cc class en route to the 2006 title, and he finished second to Simoncelli in last year’s 250cc race. Simoncelli is third in the overall standings, currently 22 points behind Bautista. Trailing Bautista by seven points is Scot Racing’s Hiroshi Aoyama -a Barcelona resident. In his five Grand Prix appearances at Montmeló, all in the 250cc class, Aoyama has never finished on the podium. 125cc Also featuring in the group of top five competitors who have all won races this season, Valencian rider and 2004 125cc Catalonia victor Héctor Barberá and Mugello top man Mattia Pasini can all be expected to push for classification elevation this weekend. The second visit to Spain in 2009 means another home race for many of the 125cc stars, but the current leader in 125cc hails from Britain and is equally familiar with the circuit. Bradley Smith heads Bancaja Aspar teammate Julián Simón by 3.5 points, although both have yet to finish on the podium in northeast Spain in the World Championship. After his strong start to the year Andrea Iannone’s season has taken a turn for the worst in recent weeks, and he has home talents Pol Espargaró and Sergio Gadea biting at his heels. Espargaró was second in last year’s race at the track which is within a short scooter ride of his Granollers home. The Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya takes place on Sunday, June 14th, with practice starting on the afternoon of the previous Friday. More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: REPSOL HONDA TEAM READY FOR THE CATALUNYA CHALLENGE After the fervour of the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello two weekends ago, the Repsol Honda Team heads to Barcelona for another of MotoGP’s iconic events – the Grand Prix of Catalunya. Spain’s unrivalled passion for motorcycle racing will be in evidence once again with an enormous crowd expected at the Montmelo circuit to witness the latest installment of this fascinating 2009 MotoGP campaign. One rider that will be receiving the lion’s share of local support will be Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa, who today confirmed that, in spite of injuries he picked up at the last race in Italy, he will be riding this weekend. Pedrosa has spent the week resting at home, and at hospital today received a successful trial painkilling injection which will be repeated over the weekend to allow him to ride the bike more comfortably. The 23-year-old has an enviable record of three wins and six podium finishes from his eight races in all classes of Grand Prix racing at Montmelo. He has won in all three classes (125, 250 and MotoGP) at his home circuit and last year delighted his supporters with a dominant victory and a new lap record. Andrea Dovizioso is also a big fan of the Barcelona circuit. The Italian is determined to move his season to the next level after coming tantalizing close to podium finishes at the last two races. The 23-year-old led for seven laps of the wet-dry race in Italy and his target will be nothing less than a top three finish this weekend. Dovizioso also has winning form in Catalunya, with a 250cc in 2006 to his name. The Montmelo circuit itself presents a real challenge to all involved: riders, teams and tyre suppliers. The combination of long, fast corners and high Mediterranean temperatures have prompted Bridgestone to offer its extra hard rear slick for the first time this season. Also making its debut will be Bridgestone’s asymmetric rear slicks which feature a harder compound on the right side of the tyre and a softer compound on the left. The MotoGP World Championship has already featured a race in Spain this season – round three at Jerez – and that was the only of the five Grand Prix weekends so far that hasn’t been severely affected by rain. If the weather forecasts are to be believed, this should be another welcome fine weekend. Action begins on Friday afternoon with first practice at 13.55. Sunday’s 25-lap race starts at 14.00. DANI PEDROSA World Championship Position: 4th 57 points “I’m really looking forward to my home Grand Prix even though the build-up has hardly been perfect. For the past week I’ve just been resting and that’s pretty boring. But today I went to see the doctor and the results of the new scan have been quite positive. They decided to give me a trial pain-killing injection so that I can judge how it will feel ahead of the weekend. And today’s scan really helped them pinpoint the best location for the injection so it can have the maximum effect, which was something they weren’t able to do in Mugello. The feeling was good, so it looks like I’ll have an injection before riding each day. Obviously it’s still not going to be comfortable riding the bike but I’m feeling positive that we can go into the weekend and aim for the best possible result. In spite of the problems, my motivation for my home race is still the same. I’ve been waiting for this race for a long time and I want to get the best possible result for all the fans who will be there to support me. I hope I can give them a good weekend.” ANDREA DOVIZIOSO World Championship Position: 5th 56 points “Montmelo is one of my favourite circuits of the year. I love this track because of the long, fast corners and it’s a great feeling when you find the right flow from one turn to the next. There is also a fantastic atmosphere at this track, and when you enter the final four corners it feels like a stadium and the sensation is incredible. So I always look forward to this race and my previous results here have been good, including last year when I had a great race and finished fourth. After leading the last race at Mugello and finishing so close to the winner I’m feeling really motivated and I think the team can have a good result this weekend. It’s true that the conditions were unusual – first wet and then dry – but my feeling with the bike has improved so I think we will be stronger at Barcelona.” Rider Statistics – Dani Pedrosa Age 23 Racing number 3 Race machine Honda RC212V Date of birth September 29, 1985 Birthplace Castellar del Valles – Spain Height 1.59m Weight 52kg Hobbies Cycling, Music Grand Prix debut 2001, 125cc Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka First GP win 2002, 125cc Dutch Grand Prix, Assen GP wins 29: 8 x 125cc, 15 x 250cc, 6 x MotoGP GP podiums 71: 17 x 125cc, 24 x 250cc, 30 x MotoGP GP pole positions 30: 9 x 125cc, 9 x 250cc, 12 x MotoGP World Championships 3: 1 x 125cc (2003); 2 x 250cc (2004, 2005) Catalunya GP results 2001 7th (125cc), 2002 2nd (125cc), 2003 1st (125cc), 2004: 2nd (250cc), 2005: 1st (250cc) 2006: DNF (MotoGP), 2007: 3rd (MotoGP), 2008: 1st (MotoGP) Rider Statistics – Andrea Dovizioso Age 23 Racing number 4 Race machine Honda RC212V Date of birth March 23, 1986 Birthplace Forli, Italy Height 1.65m Weight 63kg Hobbies MX, Supermoto Grand Prix debut 2001, Italian Grand Prix, Mugello First GP win 2004, Africa’s Grand Prix, Welcom GP wins 9: 5 x 125cc, 4 x 250cc GP podiums 42: 15 x 125cc, 26 x 250cc, 1 x MotoGP GP pole positions 13: 9 x 125cc, 4 x 250cc World Championships 1: 125cc (2004) Catalunya GP results 2002 17th (125cc), 2003 DNF (125cc), 2004: 2nd (125cc), 2005: 3rd (250cc) 2006: 1st (250cc), 2007: 3rd (250cc), 2008: 4th (MotoGP) Circuit information First race 1992 (Modified 1995) GPs held 17 Laps 25 Race distance 118.175km / 73.425miles Track length 4.727km / 2.937miles Track width 12m Longest straight 1.047km / 0.651miles Corners 13 (8 right, 5 left) Pole position Left Circuits de Catalunya S.L. Mas “La Moreneta” P.O. Box 27 08160 Montmeló Barcelona Spain Circuit records Pole position 1m41.186s (168.177Km/h) Casey Stoner (Ducati, 2008) Race lap 1m42.358s (166.251Km/h) Dani Pedrosa (Honda, 2008) Race time 43m02.175s (164.756km/h) Dani Pedrosa (Honda, 2008) MotoGP Wins 5 (Valentino Rossi 2001-02, 2004-06) 2008 Winner Dani Pedrosa (Honda)