After a three-week break in which the Grand Prix of Japan was rescheduled for October 3rd due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland, the 2010 FIM MotoGP World Championship resumes at Jerez this weekend with the Gran Premio bwin de España. It is a circuit which has been a favourite of Valentino Rossi who has most recently won there in 2007 and 2009, finishing second in the year in between. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo’s pace at the track is undoubted he has secured pole position there in his two MotoGP races to date, but is yet to win in the premier class at Jerez. The pair arrive in Spain first and second respectively in the 2010 standings after the opening round in Qatar. The Gran Premio bwin de España will provide Ducati Marlboro rider Casey Stoner with the opportunity to get his campaign off to a genuine start after he crashed out on lap six when leading at Losail in round one. The Australian finished third at Jerez last season, and a podium will be the only result he will have his eyes this time around on as he looks to make up the early points deficit on Rossi and Lorenzo. Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) got his season off to a thrilling start by beating Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro) to the final podium spot in Qatar, and the duo will both be looking to at least consolidate if not better their respective results at Jerez. Displaying his lightning pace off the starting grid in round one was Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) and the Spaniard will want to carry that through to race distance at Jerez where he won in 2008 and finished second last year, whilst Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech3) and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) are still striving to get the most out of their bikes. The veteran Italian won the race in 2006, whilst Edwards finished on the podium in 2007. Ben Spies (Monster Yamaha Tech3) announced his arrival as a full-time member of the MotoGP grid in style with a fifth-placed finish in Qatar, and the American now heads to a track he does not know. Spies was the highest finisher of the rookies in round one, but Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP), Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) and Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini) will all look to capitalise on their experiences of winning in the 250cc or 125cc classes at Jerez. Moto2 Taking the honour of the first ever victory in the Moto2 category in Qatar was Shoya Tomizawa of the Technomag-CIP team, with the youngster riding his race to perfection to secure the first Grand Prix win of his career. The Japanese rider could extend his early lead at the top of the standings even further at Jerez, a track he has raced at just once before. Last season’s placement of 12th in the 250cc class indicates that the 19 year-old knows his way round the circuit well enough to be able to expect to mount a challenge for a strong result. Alex Debón (Aeroport de Castelló-Ajo) and Jules Cluzel (Forward Racing) completed the podium at Losail, and having tasted success will both be feeling confident ahead of round two. Toni Elías (Gresini Racing) took an admirable fourth spot at the opening race despite not being in his best possible physical shape as he still felt the effects of the injuries sustained in a pre-season testing crash at Jerez. Further recovered in time for the return to the circuit, the Spanish rider will be confident in his ability to challenge for the podium. Those riders who performed well in pre-season but were unable to take points in Qatar will also want to have strong showings at Jerez. Stefan Bradl (Viesmann Kiefer Racing), Alex de Angelis (RSM Team Scot) and Julián Simón (Mapfre Aspar) all failed to complete the opening lap at Losail, whilst Claudio Corti (Forward Racing), Kenny Noyes (Jack&Jones by Antonio Banderas) and Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team) will be determined to score notable results at round two after missing out on the points. Vladimir Leonov (Vector Kiefer Racing) will also be sufficiently recovered from the fractured elbow he suffered in Qatar. 125cc Nico Terol heads the 125cc standings after just one round courtesy of his tactically sound ride at Losail, where he led an all-Spanish podium, and he will try to replicate his result at the Gran Premio bwin de España. Jerez is a track at which the Bancaja Aspar rider has only recently experienced notable success, with a best finish of second in 2008. He will also be brimming with confidence after the third win of his career in Qatar. Pol Espargaró (Tuenti Racing) has a best result of fourth (2007) at Jerez, and will hope to step up after just missing out on the top-three in Qatar. Marc Márquez (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport) completed the podium in 2009 at Jerez and got his 2010 campaign off to a strong start with third in Qatar. Both youngsters will be going for victory as they take the battle to Terol. Others who will fancy their chances of getting some valuable Championship points will be Efrén Vázquez (Tuenti Racing), especially after the first podium of his career in Qatar, Sandro Cortese (Avant Mitsubishi Ajo) and 2009 World Championship runner-up Bradley Smith. The British rider of the Bancaja Aspar team will be determined to find his race pace and launch his 2010 title ambitions. Along with the rest of the 125cc World Championship field there will be four wildcard entries taking part in the race, with three Spaniards in Isaac Viñales (Catalunya Racing Team), Juan Perello (SAG Castrol) and Johny Rosell (SAG Castrol) being joined by Dutch rider Michael van der Mark (Team Sachsenring). The Gran Premio bwin de España takes place from April 30th-May 2nd, with the opening practice session in the 125cc class commencing proceedings on Friday April 30th at 12.40pm local time. The 125cc race takes place at 11am local time on Sunday May 2nd, with Moto2 at 12.15pm and MotoGP at 2pm. More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: REPSOL HONDA TEAM SET FOR GRAND PRIX OF SPAIN Both Repsol Honda Team riders featured at the business end of the first race of the 2010 season in Qatar, and they will be looking to establish front-running form once again as the Jerez circuit hosts the resumption of the MotoGP World Championship this weekend. Following the cancellation of Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix due to the widespread flight disruption in Europe last week, Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso will go into the Grand Prix of Spain determined to climb the podium as MotoGP racing returns to Europe for the first time since November last year. Dovizioso arrives at Jerez with the confidence boost he gained from dueling for the lead and charging to a well-deserved top-three finished at the season opener. Having finished the Grand Prix of Qatar within touching distance of the winner, Dovizioso now knows he and his Honda RC212V have what it takes to mix it with MotoGP’s elite in dry as well as wet conditions. Jerez is not one of the Italian’s favourite track layouts, but Dovizioso – like his fellow MotoGP competitors -receives a big boost from the electric atmosphere created by the fanatical race-day crowd at Jerez and he’ll looking to at least match the two podium finishes he scored here in 2006 and 2007 in the 250cc class. Pedrosa is confident that a circuit which he rates as one of his favourites can spark a turn around in early season fortune. The Spaniard certainly knows his way around Jerez and has an enviable record in front of his home fans here. He won the MotoGP race in 2008 and has finished on the podium at Jerez in every season since 2005 – when he took victory in the 250cc class. Though Pedrosa made a brilliant start to the first race of the 2010 season in Qatar and led the early stages, he slipped back to seventh at the finish as he grappled with handling issues, and it will be on this area that the three-time world champion and his Repsol Honda crew will focus as they return to the track on Friday. The MotoGP action begins with an hour of free practice on Friday, followed on Saturday by a further practice session in the morning and qualifying in the afternoon. Sunday’s 27-lap Grand Prix of Spain – the first daytime race of the 2010 season – starts at 14.00 local time (GMT +2 hours). ANDREA DOVIZIOSO World Championship position: 3rd 16 points “We were feeling very motivated for the race in Japan and we will definitely carry forward that determination for Jerez. To be honest the racetrack is not one of my favourites and it’s quite slow – but the crowd and the atmosphere are incredible because there are always so many spectators packed into the grandstands and the hillsides. In the past I’ve never had really good results on this track but now we are arriving in Jerez after an important result in Qatar and I’m looking forward to this race and to continuing in the positive direction we have been moving in recently. My target is that we maintain the momentum we have, and build on it over the next few races. I’m also looking forward to the test on Monday after the race. This year there are not so many opportunities to test, so Monday will be important and we’ll work hard to make the most of it.” DANI PEDROSA World Championship position: 7th 9 points “Jerez is always a very special race for the Spanish riders and I’m really looking forward to this weekend. We didn’t have the best start to the season in Qatar, and in Japan we couldn’t race due to the problems caused by the volcano, but I hope in Jerez, with the atmosphere, which is always fantastic, and the characteristics of the circuit, the situation can be different. I’m determine that we make improvements from the first practice onwards – unlike Qatar where we struggled a lot throughout the weekend – and that we’ll be able to go fast right from the start. I would really like to feel more comfortable with the bike and get a good result here. Our rivals are very strong and I’m sure they want to make the most of their advantage, so we have to work very hard to get to their level and be able to fight with them from the beginning to the end of the race. In Jerez we will try some changes to the chassis so that the bike is not so nervous and I’m hopeful that they can work”. More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing Team: A RENEWED AGREEMENT BETWEEB ENERGY RESOURCES AND PRAMAC RACING Also for the 2010 MotoGP season the alliance between Energy Resources and Pramac Racing Team is renewed. The partnership, born last year, is reinforced by The Green Energy Team project that Pramac Racing will continue for this season. Energy Resources is a System Integrator company that research, developes and complete technologies that improve energy efficiency using renewable energies. The mission of the Italian company, with its headquarter in Ancona, is directed towards energy, or rather, to all those forms of energy by exploiting natural resources, tend to improve the quality of our lives without compromising the ability to the future generations to live in a healthy and hospitable planet. The company develops its range of action on three main renewable sources that are: solar, geothermal and mini wind turbines. Paolo Campinoti – Pramac Racing Team Principal “A common aim: minimize CO2 emissions” “The partnership between a team that aims to minimize its emissions of C02, and a System integrator company, as Energy Resources, is an ideal combination. We can use the knowledge that Energy Resources has developed over the years to achieve greater energy efficiency in our facilities. MotoGP has always had an international status, we hope that the collaboration with Energy Resource will continue to increase their awareness not only in Italy but worldwide.” Enrico Cappanera – Energy Resources CEO “The challenge of bringing the green philosophy in the motorcycling world” “The challenge of bringing the green philosophy in the motorcycling world has strongly encouraged us – said Enrico Cappanera, CEO of Energy Resources – this is the reason why we wanted to embrace this innovative choice by Pramac, which we have an important collaboration for several years that concerns the innovative technical components that we use in our renewable energy plants. As a sponsor of The Green Energy Team we will support all the initiatives that help to reduce CO2 emissions in the atmosphere and to create awareness on the sustainable development issues.”