HOT HAYDEN SEEKS TO BUILD MOMENTUM IN BRITAIN Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) is now only the second rider to beat reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) in a race this season and the American hotshot feels he has what it takes to score another win here at Donington Park on Sunday. Hayden admits he is a ‘confidence’ rider, and now he’s on a roll after his resounding Laguna Seca victory two weeks ago. He feels he now has the mental strength to really take the fight to Rossi and his other rivals. But Rossi, at least in World Championship terms, is going to be hard to catch. The Italian is 79 points ahead of his nearest challenger, Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V), who has racked up the points without yet scoring a race win. The eager young Italian could be another rider who just needs that elusive first win in the MotoGP class to ignite his season. Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V) lies third in the overall standings and the intense Roman has left it late to begin a title charge, but he has won here before, in 2003 in the MotoGP class, and twice on a 250, so he cannot be ruled out for an overdue return to winning form. Donington Park usually provides an eventful race and with the track completely resurfaced in 2004, the better grip that saw lap records destroyed last year should give riders another chance to raise their games, provided the unreliable British weather doesn’t conspire to provide wet conditions. Many riders have a great deal of affection for Donington Park. It’s a track that rewards competitors who relish fast, open, sweeping turns. And even if the slightly stilted Melbourne Loop section of the track spoils the rhythm and flow, it still provides drama as riders endure three bouts of heavy braking towards the end of a lap. But it’s the dramatic downhill fifth-gear Craner Curves that are the high point of a Donington lap. This section of the track requires bravery and inch-perfect commitment to a line and if a rider struggles to come to terms with these turns, a fast lap is but a distant hope. There have been some spectacular crashes at Craner over the years, which have wrecked both bikes and rider confidence. And this year with average speeds getting higher and higher, this section of the track will be more spectacular then ever. Donington demands two main machine characteristics that are hard to provide simultaneously. Stability on the brakes and quick turn-in is required for the Esses and Melbourne Loop sections while perfect high-speed manners are needed for the other parts of this 4.023km track. Some riders opt for stability in the knowledge that a fast lap time will be dictated by speed over the flowing first three-quarters of the track, others prefer to have a bike set up to perform well under braking where places can be won and lost on the final three turns. Good acceleration is also vital while top speed is less of an issue than at other tracks. Nicky said, “At the end of the Laguna weekend the whole three days went to plan and it was like a dream come true. Race day was just amazing but we have to all move on. I said that we Haydens work well on momentum. It took me a while to win races back home in AMA but when I did they seemed to come same thing with my brother Tommy. I now know I can do it at this level and I won’t be happy till we can do it again. A repeat performance of Laguna will be a very long shot but I come here with a new spring in my step knowing that we that is me, my team, and Honda, and Michelin and all my sponsors have the capability to shock and that is what I want to do again.” Max said, “Donington is a good one, I like it. In 2003 I got a pole position and I also won the race. We’re just coming away from a good performance in Laguna Seca two weeks ago, so I’m thinking ‘why we can’t go for a great result here?’ Currently I’m in third position in the Championship, but I will do my best to move up the order. During the break after the American race, I’ve trained a lot and I feel ready for Donington.” “I don’t find the track easy at all,” said Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V). “The bike has to be set up to perfection to handle the heavy braking and steep downhill sections. Craner is notoriously difficult: there’s no visibility and the switch in direction has to be taken blind. The track consists of two very different sections: an initial fast section and a subsequent slower one with plenty of braking. My favourite part is the last two bends, traditionally the setting for some spectacular overtaking.” For Marco Melandri, this is a chance to shine at his ‘home from home’ race. The Italian currently lives close by. “Donington is something special,” he said. “It’s characterised by an exciting fast section and a second, slower section. And the secret behind a good lap time at Donington Park? First and foremost, decisiveness and determination especially as you speed into Craner (the downhill bend) on those qualifying tyres. You also need to be flexible enough to adapt to the characteristics of the track, being ready to switch from the fast bends at the start to the much slower ones that follow especially the last three). The secret, then, lies in finding the right compromise between hard braking and smooth handling.” Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V) is always ready for a challenge, and said, “I really like the Donington track, it’s got its very own character, fast at the beginning, then stop-and-go at the end, with some of the most critical braking points in the Championship. I’ve already had some good results there and I want another there now, especially now. At Laguna Seca I was very frustrated, angry even, but I cleared things up with Melandri, and now I want to get over it with a good result in England. After the crash in America I took another blow to the back which limited my movements for a few days, but I should be okay by Friday.” Aussie battler Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V) is a favourite with the British crowd and badly needs a strong result. “At Laguna Seca we did some brilliant work in practice,” he said. “But I couldn’t get the same feeling in the race. We did however show that we can be quick, now we need the consistency. I would love to have a good race in Britain, my first country after I moved from Australia to take part in the British Superbike series.” Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) managed a seventh place in the States, his best result of the year so far. The Japanese is only just catching his form after injury and could be a man to watch. He said, “On this track I have always had complications which have limited my performances, but I’m sure with the help of my technicians we’ll find the right settings on the bike. My physical condition is now optimal and I will give my best efforts with the knowledge that I must get a positive result now the season is nearly halfway through.” In the 250cc class, series leader and 2004 World Champion Dani Pedrosa (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) remains the main man and his two closest chasers, Casey Stoner (Aprilia) and Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) who lie 37 and 41 points adrift as the mid-point of the season approaches, both need a lift here. They would also prefer Dani to make a rare slip-up, but the Spanish star is in resounding form and looks more assured as the season progresses. He won here last year and few would bet against him repeating the feat this year. “It feels like a long time since the Dutch TT,” said Pedrosa, “but they’ve been three entertaining weeks for me. I watched the Laguna Seca race on television and spent a few days in France with my physical trainer doing some cycling. I’m looking forward to getting back on the motorcycle after three weeks away. We’ve now got two consecutive races and this is the time to put things in their place. Last year we had a great race at Donington so I hope we can repeat it.” But at least one of his main rivals, Dovizioso, who won here on a 125 last year, will be hoping to overcome physical problems. “After the recent operation to cure the ‘arm pump’ problems, I feel well enough now,” he said. “I’m doing light exercises in order to prepare my arm, but the shoulder is not still up to 100%. However I like the Donington track and I have always done well here. If I feel good, I think I’ll ride a good race.” His team-mate Yuki Takahashi (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) is upbeat too. “I’ve learnt the track playing with the Playstation. Even now I’m training with the Playstation,” he said. “I’m a champion of the game. Unfortunately the reality is different and we’ll have to work a lot from Friday in order to find the best chassis setting for me on this bike.” Hiroshi Aoyama (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) approaches Donington in relaxed mood, quietly determined to succeed. “I made the most of the three weeks without a race to visit Japan and spend a few days with my family, resting and recovering strength for the return to racing this weekend,” said Aoyama. “I spent a week at my parents’ house and last week I returned to Barcelona to get back to work with my physical trainer. It has been a relaxing few days but I’m looking forward to getting back to the circuit and especially to Donington because I think I can do well there. I feel strong and I’m ready to continue on an upward curve, as we showed in the last round at Assen.” The 125cc World Championship is typically tight at the top with Mattia Pasini (Aprilia) tied on 100 points with Gabor Talmacsi (KTM). Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) lies third overall on 89 and Mika Kallio (KTM) in fourth has 82. It’s unlikely they will be the only riders in contention here and Alvaro Bautista (Seedorf Racing Honda RS125RW) could be a man to figure on the leader-board here, if not the podium, after a tough first half of the season. “It has been a difficult season beginning,” he said. “And I think this has been a good break to rest and recover from ‘the bad moments’. Despite this, three weeks is too much time! We made some improvements at Assen, and Donington Park is a good track for me. Last year I finished second, my first podium in the Championship. So I hope that things can go well for me. The most important thing is to see if I feel comfortable on the bike next Friday, and confirm that we are in good shape.” Fabrizio Lai (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125RW) in sixth overall, could do with a boost here. “For me Donington is the most important circuit,” he said. “At this track I got my first World Championship points at the beginning of my career. I hope my technicians have solved my bike problems during this break because here I can do really well.” Lai’s team-mate Mike Di Meglio (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125R) needs a strong race too. “For me it’s different because I have never made a good race at this track. But, perhaps for this reason, I’ll not feel the typical pressure of the other Grands Prix and I can try to improve my ‘relationship’ with the track.”