From a press release issued by Repsol Media Service: DANI PEDROSA ARRIVES IN PORTUGAL HEADING THE MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP It is the first time the Repsol Honda Team rider leads the MotoGP classification. Teammate Nicky Hayden, after a fourth position in Jerez, is ready to fight for the podium again After a successful weekend for the Repsol Honda Team in Jerez, they are back in action just 10 days later, to dispute the Portugese Grand Prix on the Estoril Circuit, the third test for points in the 2008 World Motorcycling Championship. After the celebrations in Jerez, where Dani took his victory before over 130,000 fans , and Nicky Hayden rounded off the Repsol Honda Team success with a fourth position -that could have well been a third- the improvement and competitiveness of the new Honda RC212V 2008 is evident. After a difficult pre-season and the tricky training sessions prior to the Jerez and Qatar World Championships, HRC reacted when faced with this delicate situation and gave it its best, providing the riders with a competitive bike. The result: a third place in Qatar for Pedrosa when he was not yet recovered from his injury, and a victory in the second Grand Prix of the season, along with Hayden’s fourth position, struggling for the podium. Portugal is a complicated track, where it is often very windy and the weather conditions are quite unpredictable. Neither Pedrosa nor Hayden have ever taken a victory, not even when the former was competing in the 125cc and 250cc categories. What’s more, it is quite a bumpy track and demands optimum physical condition of the riders due to the hard braking that is necessary. Last year, Dani Pedrosa finished second after an exciting duel with Rossi, and Nicky Hayden came in fourth after scoring the best lap times during the timed sessions. Repsol KTM 250cc rider Julián Simón had a complicated day last Sunday in Jerez due to the pain he still feels in his forearms, which forced him to slow down his pace as the race wore on. Riding on a track he likes and where the KTM’s have given a fine performance, this weekend Simón will try take his first podium in the 250cc category Marc Márquez’s debut will finally take place this weekend in Portugal, taking part in the 2008 World Motorcycling Championship, after missing the first two races due to his injury. Márquez tried to ride in Jerez two weeks ago, but had to pull out as he still felt pain in his right arm. And while Márquez counts down the hours until his debut in World Motorcycling, teammate Esteve Rabat faces this Grand Prix with optimism, in spite of the poor results in the first two races. Estoril must become a turning point for young Rabat, in order to straighten out a complicated start to the 2008 season. Quotes MotoGP Dani Pedrosa >> “The tests we did at Jerez should help us, it was good to get more familiar with the bike and do some more work with Michelin’s wider front tyre. At Estoril you need a bike that performs well on the brakes and maintains optimum rear grip throughout the race. It’s a tough track from a riding point of view, because you need to be very strong to handle the braking and the bumps and you also need excellent physical endurance. You need to be quite aggressive but at the same time you need to stay relaxed so you don’t get drained during the race. The most important part of the track is the last corner it’s a very long turn which influences your speed all the way down the straight so it’s vital for good lap times. The tarmac isn’t in great shape it’s bumpy and a bit slippery. I like the atmosphere though, it’s 100 per cent Spanish!” Nicky Hayden >> “Hopefully we’ve got things rolling now. Jerez wasn’t bad, good enough to make me look forward to Estoril where we’ll be working to keep going forward. It’s is an old-school track, it’s a strange little place, not very wide and kinda odd. It can be a lot of fun or it can be miserable. It’s got that little bus-stop chicane which is probably the slowest corner in MotoGP, but I really like the right-hand kink onto the back straightaway, that’s pretty fast and cool. And I love the last corner coming onto the front straightaway when the bike works good and steers through there it can be pretty fun. Obviously you want something with some horsepower because the front straightaway goes on for days. And you need something to get through the tight, twisty bits. One other thing, there’s definitely a lot more right-handers, so you need softer compounds on the left side of the tyres.” 250cc Julián Simón >> “After Jerez, the first thing I did was to have a closer look at the problems I’m having in my right arm and do my best to recover and improve the sensations. Regarding the circuit, the KTM is a very good bike for that track. Last year they broke down, but showed their potential. I think we’ll have a good opportunity to do better. I’ve always liked Estoril and feel comfortable there riding fast, so I’m looking forward to it. In spite of the final result in Jerez, we did a good job which gives us hope for this upcoming Grand Prix.” 125cc Esteve Rabat >> “I’m looking forward to Estoril, because after the disasters in Qatar and Jerez, and the complicated pre-season, I want to start a new slate and get some good results. First of all for myself, but also for the team, because they have put in a lot of work and I’d like to compensate their enormous effort. Let’s see how it goes, because I’m really looking forward to it and it’s a circuit I like a lot.” Marc Márquez >> “I’m looking forward to riding in Portugal, because it was a shame not to be able to ride the first two races. But I’ve done my best to recover from my injury and can’t wait for my debut in Estoril with the World Championship riders. I hope I’m in good shape, though I know I won’t be 100 per cent. The doctors have told me I’m fit to race, as the bone has healed, and I feel strong enough to ride the bike.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: SERIES POINTS LEADER DANI LOOKING FOR BIG SCORE As the third round of this daunting 18-race series looms, Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) is out in front after a win in Spain and a third-place podium finish in Qatar. His five-point cushion over second-placed Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) is the most accurate indicator of Dani’s current rapid form. Pedrosa has not had things easy so far. He could only qualify eighth at Losail in Qatar, but he powered off the grid to head the pack into turn one and finished third a measure of how Dani’s riding has achieved a steelier edge this season to compliment his abundant natural pace. Dani has yet to begin a MotoGP season with a better record and this Portuguese Grand Prix thus assumes increased significance. If Dani can win or step onto the podium ahead of his current early-season pursuers it levers his advantage and puts useful early pressure on his rivals. And his record here is passable. He was second to Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) here last season, failed to finish in 2006, and was fourth here twice in his 250cc years for the factory. He also started from pole on a 125cc Honda in 2002. This is the time when he needs a front row start and the sort of race that cements World Championship credentials. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) is on the ‘up’. After a battling fourth in Jerez, the former World MotoGP Champion knows he has to put himself firmly in the frame for the bare minimum of a podium here, or else lose touch with the series front-runners. In what is shaping up to be a fiercely contested season, with more than the customary quota of riders fighting at the front, Nicky needs a repeat of last year’s pole, the race record lap, and better than the fourth place he took at the flag. Dani has 41 points after two rounds, Nicky 19. Among the other men more than capable of taking the spoils here on Sunday must be Lorenzo, and his bitter rival from their 250cc days, Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Scot Honda RC212V). Dovi goes well at Estoril and the studious Italian has always bested Lorenzo here on the Atlantic coast. He won in 2006 and was second last year (and not to his Spanish rival). Estoril has only been on the calendar since 2000, and this wind-lashed track lies 20 miles west of Lisbon close to the town of Sintra. The 4.182km circuit features a balance of medium and slow-speed turns with nine rights and four lefts. Built in 1972 the surface is still bumpy in parts despite being resurfaced in 2006. Nevertheless the track offers a significant challenge regardless of grip issues. The chicane is the slowest turn in MotoGP racing requiring patience and a smooth style to avoid ruinous low-speed tumbles. On the other hand a long, fast right onto the start/finish straight, the ‘Parabolica’, is one of the great corners in racing and loved by the best riders. Turn one at the end of the 986m straight is a favourite overtaking spot and so is turn six, the ‘Parabolica interior’ behind the pits complex. The rest of the track is fairly unremarkable requiring no out-of-the-ordinary machine set-ups but it is hard work. And the stiff breeze off the Atlantic Ocean is sometimes a major concern. Dani said: “The tests we did at Jerez should help us, it was good to get more familiar with the bike and do some more work with Michelin’s wider front tyre. At Estoril you need a bike that performs well on the brakes and maintains optimum rear grip throughout the race. It’s a tough track from a riding point of view, because you need to be very strong to handle the braking and the bumps and you also need excellent physical endurance. You need to be quite aggressive but at the same time you need to stay relaxed so you don’t get drained during the race. I like the atmosphere though, it’s 100 per cent Spanish!” Nicky said: “Hopefully we’ve got things rolling now. Jerez wasn’t bad, good enough to make me look forward to Estoril. It’s is an old-school track, not very wide and kinda odd. It can be a lot of fun or it can be miserable. I really like the right-hand kink onto the back straightaway, that’s pretty fast and cool. And I love the last corner coming onto the front straightaway when the bike works good and steers through there it can be pretty fun. Obviously you want something with some horsepower because the front straightaway goes on for days. And you need something to get through the tight, twisty bits. One other thing, there’s definitely a lot more right-handers, so you need softer compounds on the left side of the tyres.” Dovi said: “In Estoril I’ve had very good results on both the 125 and 250cc bikes, which is why I feel I can do the same with the MotoGP bike, even though I have never ridden it at the circuit. Obviously though, knowing where to put the front wheel on the racetrack should be an advantage. I want some confirmation to show what I’ve learned after these first two races and I want to be competing and fighting with the best. After Jerez I went back home to London just to relax and not think of racing bikes for a few days. I took some time out with some friends and I worked on my fitness programme, unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to do any motocross which is the way I normally like to keep fit.” Shinya Nakano (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) said: “Estoril is another circuit I know really well. To go there after such a positive test on the Monday after the race at Jerez gives me a lot of confidence for the race. We’ll go into first free practice with a few small modifications from the base set-up we found at Jerez, which allowed me to ride much more aggressively. The clear objective is to improve and get a better finish than at Jerez we can do it.” Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) said: “Estoril is a very strange track. The main straight is pretty long but some parts are very slow like the S-chicane. I think it’s one of the slowest corners on the calendar. We’ll have to work on braking stability, but I feel quite confident because last year my pace on this track was consistent and fast. I’m not worried about the weather conditions. If it’s going to rain we will work hard with Michelin on tyre choice because this surface can get very slippery.” Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) said: “Unlike Losail and Jerez, in Portugal I’ll be taking on a circuit where I’ve never ridden before on a MotoGP bike because we haven’t tested at Estoril. It’s difficult to make predictions but I’m confident there will be an improvement on recent performances. We were fast all through winter testing but the results of the first two races were not satisfactory. At Estoril we can do really well, I’m sure of that. The test at Jerez following the Grand Prix of Spain was really important because we were able to work on certain things. Bridgestone worked closely with the team and brought along a new tyre structure that made the bike more stable.” 250cc Buoyed by his strong showing at Jerez two weeks ago Yuki Takahashi (JiR Scot Honda RS250RW), who took third there, is raring to go again in Portugal. The rejuvenated Japanese, who has previously notched sixth and seventh places here, is quietly confident he can better those at this weekend. Takahashi said: “The race in Portugal could be another chance to get a good result. The track is a mixed one, with some very different corners and a very long main straight which probably wont be the best thing for my bike, especially if on the last lap I’m in a battle and it comes down to a race to the line. I’ve had some problems with front-end grip at Estoril before, but since then I’ve changed my riding style and I think this problem has now gone. The championship has started very well for us and I want to go on like this for both myself and the whole team.” Ratthapark Wilairot (Stop And Go Racing RS250RW), now in his second full season of 250cc Grand Prix, failed to finish here last year and he’s more than eager to make up for that rare 2007 blip in what was a very promising rookie year. The Thai star said: “I went to see Barcelona play Getafe in the Camp Nou last Sunday. It was great! I’d liked to have seen a goal… it ended nil-all, but it was exciting. The stadium is enormous, and the talent of both team’s players impressed me. It always looks easier when you watch the games on the TV! I like a lot of other sports apart from motorcycling but now I’m 100% focused on getting a good result in Estoril.” 125cc Louis Rossi (FFM Racing Honda RS125R), Honda’s rookie runner in the class will be taking in all he can in terms of track layout and hard-earned advice from his expert team. The more races he gets under his belt the more he can concentrate on learning the layout and getting the most from his machine.