The Repsol Honda Team touches down in Qatar this week in preparation for Sunday’s opening round of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship. The Losail circuit near Qatar’s capital city of Doha will host the opening round of the 17-race series and, like last year, the world will once again witness the spectacle of a night MotoGP race held under floodlights. Starting his fourth season in the factory Repsol Honda Team, Spanish ace Dani Pedrosa flies to Qatar determined to take part in the opening event of the year. The tough 24-year-old has made encouraging progress since undergoing surgery on his left wrist and left knee at the beginning of March and is cautiously confident that he will have sufficient flexibility and strength in his left leg to compete in Sunday’s 22-lap race. While Pedrosa is not expecting to be at his peak this weekend, having missed out on significant fitness training time and been absent for several days of pre-season practice, the three-time World Champion is nevertheless fully focused on beginning his 2009 campaign by pushing for the best result possible. On the other side of the Repsol Honda garage is Italian star Andrea Dovizioso who will be making his race debut as a works Honda MotoGP rider this weekend. The former 125cc World Champion has quickly adapted to life in Repsol Honda colours and has enjoyed a profitable winter testing programme, ably dealing with the extra demands of being a factory rider. He’ll be relishing his first race outing on the works-specification RC212V at a circuit he performed so well at last year in his debut MotoGP race. On that occasion, Dovizioso finished in fourth place, one place behind his new team-mate Pedrosa, and ahead of 2008 World Champion Valentino Rossi. As well as the novelty of a race held under floodlights, the opening round will be the first chance to gauge the effects of the significant rule changes introduced for the 2009 season. Key among them is the single tyre rule which will see all the MotoGP riders competing on Bridgestone rubber. The number of tyres per rider has also been reduced to 20 per race weekend (eight fronts, 12 rears) and only two separate compounds will be available to the riders at each round. If conditions are wet, each rider is allocated eight wet tyres of a single compound, with an extra tyre allowed if every riding session is wet. Another important rule change involves a reduction in practice time, which will put extra demands on the Repsol Honda riders and their rivals to rapidly arrive at the optimum set-up for each race circuit. The Friday morning practice session has been removed from the schedule, and the other sessions on Friday afternoon, Saturday morning and qualifying on Saturday afternoon have been reduced from one hour to 45 minutes in duration. The reason for this rule change is to cut costs, primarily by reducing the engine mileage amassed during a race weekend. Of course, being a night race, the Qatar event has its own special timetable, with “morning” practice beginning at 19:05 in the evening and the race starting at 23:00 on Sunday, local time. DANI PEDROSA “First, I’ve got to say I’m really happy to be going to Qatar for this race. It’s clearly been quite a difficult winter for me and not the preparation for the season that we would have chosen. But my recovery from the surgery in March has been good – probably a little better than we expected – and that means I have the chance to make the first race, which is great. Obviously I haven’t been able to do the usual level of physical training while I’ve been injured, and we’ve missed out on some testing time, so we have some catching up to do. But I know my team hasn’t been standing still while I’ve been away and I’m really looking forward to getting back on the bike and riding for the maximum result possible for my situation.” ANDREA DOVIZIOSO “Well, I’m really looking forward to the start of the season. This was my first winter as a factory Honda tester and it was an exciting experience to be in the full works squad. Now the preparation is over and we’re going racing. I like racing in Qatar, and riding under the floodlights at night is very special. It has an amazing, unique atmosphere and the layout of the track is different from the other circuits, in particular the turns are very long and it is not easy to get high speed corner. Still, I have always had good results in Qatar and last year, at my debut in MotoGP, I had a fantastic race. At the last test in Jerez our machine had improved compared to the previous test we did in Qatar at the beginning of March, so I’m confident for the first race of the season and I will be doing my best to fight up front.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Bridgestone MotoGP Preview – Round 1: Qatar, Losail Tuesday 7 April 2009 The opening round of the 2009 MotoGP season gets underway at the Losail International Circuit on 10-12 April, and the sixth running of this Qatari grand prix marks the first race for Bridgestone as the series’ official tyre supplier. Having worked with 12 riders and seven teams by the end of last year, the tyre manufacturer will now support all 18 riders and 11 teams. The off-season has been punctuated by rider changes, with only four teams retaining their 2008 line-up. The rider pairings of Fiat Yamaha, Rizla Suzuki, Monster Yamaha Tech3 and LCR Honda remain unchanged, whilst there are four new entries. The Pramac pairing of Mika Kallio and Niccolo Canepa step up from the 250cc championship and Ducati testing duties respectively, grand prix veteran Sete Gibernau makes a return from retirement with the new Grupo Francisco Hernando team, and Yuki Takahashi also graduates from the 250cc class. Marco Melandri will make the newly-formed Hayate Racing Team’s competitive debut. Also notable for his fight to regain fitness in time for the season-opener is Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa. The Spaniard crashed during the second evening of the pre-season night test at this circuit and aggravated a knee injury that sidelined him from the final pre-season test in Jerez. The Qatar GP was the first ever MotoGP round to be run at night at the start of the 2008 season, and for a second year the MotoGP field will take to the track under the glow of floodlights. Ducati Team’s Casey Stoner has won in Qatar for the last two years, and in 2008 was also the highest Bridgestone-shod qualifier. During March’s pre-season night test the Australian once again set a dominating pace. The grand prix last year was the scene of Jorge Lorenzo’s stunning debut for Fiat Yamaha, snatching pole and finishing second in his first MotoGP race. It was also Valentino Rossi’s first race since opting for Bridgestone tyres. Despite being in the desert, the conditions during the test were anything but predictable as proceedings were interrupted by rain and high winds, leaving the riders to hope that the race will be free of such interruptions. The cool night-time temperatures, coupled with the venue’s sand-strewn tarmac, make Losail a unique challenge for Bridgestone’s engineers and a stern test for its tyres. Hiroshi Yamada – Bridgestone Motorsport Manager Motorcycle Sport Unit “Now pre-season testing is over we are looking forward excitedly to the first race which is when we will really see how the title fight will develop throughout the year. Qatar has been a tricky event in the past for us because the whole race requires a different approach to deal with the cool night temperatures and the sand that litters the circuit, but Casey has taken the last two wins here on our tyres so we are confident of the experience we can draw upon. “Last month’s three-day test gave us more valuable data, although we expect slightly different conditions for the race, hopefully without the high winds and the rain. Nevertheless, we will bring the same soft and medium compounds to the race as we selected for the test, so all the riders who were there will already have experience of these tyres at the Losail circuit. “Yes in the recent tests we have seen some gaps between the front-runners like last year, but I believe we need to wait until the first few races to see just how close the competition will be. As we continue to support all teams and riders fairly, I believe we can have very close racing this year. “We’re proud to be the series’ official supplier at the start of a new era for MotoGP, and as we approach our first MotoGP round as single supplier, I’d like to thank everyone for all their support.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Five months on from the final race of the 2008 FIM MotoGP World Championship, the 2009 edition of the series starts up on April 12th with the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar. The first of 17 races to decide who will be crowned the king of the premier class takes place at the Losail International Circuit in the Arab emirate, which opens the season for the third consecutive year. The only night race on the MotoGP calendar, the visit to Qatar is a showpiece event for both the state and the FIM World Championship. The inaugural event under the floodlights took place last year, and was won by Ducati Marlboro’s Casey Stoner. Reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi has won races at every track to be used in 2009, but is still pending victory after sunset. The Fiat Yamaha rider was victorious by day in the desert in 2005 and 2006, engaging in his first head-to-head battle with future title rival Stoner at the latter event. Last season he finished fifth in Qatar, off the podium for the first of only two occasions. The Losail International Circuit is a favoured track for former champion Stoner, the scene of his first pole position and MotoGP victory. The Australian begins the season fresh from a triumph in the BMW M Award competition in testing at Jerez, a ‘qualifying’ competition in which he rolled over the opposition with an outstanding lap. Attention will be focused on Stoner’s endurance, called into question by his not having undertaken any long runouts since undergoing scaphoid surgery in November. Guaranteed to be at less than 100% is 2008’s third place finisher Dani Pedrosa, who missed the final test of preseason through injury and was a doubt for the Qatari round up until Tuesday morning. A testing crash at the scene of this weekend’s race left Repsol Honda’s Spanish star requiring surgery on his arm and leg, with his estimated return to fitness extremely close to opening night. Jorge Lorenzo returns to the scene of his amazing MotoGP debut – where he took pole and finished second – after an injury-free preseason. He will be racing with Bridgestone rubber on his Fiat Yamaha M1 for the first time in what will be the maiden race for the series under the new single tyre supplier regulations. Four more factory riders will be in action in Qatar, as Ducati Marlboro’s Nicky Hayden lines up alongside Repsol Honda replacement Andrea Dovizioso and Rizla Suzuki’s unchanged lineup of Loris Capirossi & Chris Vermeulen. 2004 Qatar race winner Sete Gibernau will be participating in his first MotoGP race since the 2006 Portuguese Grand Prix, whilst premier class bows will be made by Pramac Racing’s Niccolo Canepa & Mika Kallio and Scot Racing’s Yuki Takahashi. The 800cc field is completed by Monster Yamaha Tech3 riders Colin Edwards & James Toseland, San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Alex de Angelis and Toni Elias and Hayate Racing man Marco Melandri. Practice for the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar begins on Friday night, with the first 45-minute practice session for the MotoGP riders taking place at 10.30pm local time. 250cc The lower cylinder categories of the MotoGP World Championship are on double duty in Qatar this week, concluding their preseason testing just days before the opening race of the 2009 season. Virtually the entire 250cc and 125cc grids are already in the Arab emirate for two nights of fine-tuning. One rider, however, is notable by his absence. 250cc World Champion Marco Simoncelli is facing a battle for fitness after suffering a fractured scaphoid at the most inopportune of moments. The injury – picked up in a motocross training session – has required the insertion of a screw, leaving the Metis Gilera rider with a tough start to his title defence. He had been the fastest rider in testing at the Circuito de Jerez in the week prior to his crash. Simoncelli’s late setback contrasts with the recuperation of rival Alvaro Bautista, who is in the final stages of recovery from a fractured collarbone. The Spaniard has returned to action with no signs of taking things easy, and looks to begin his quest to go one better than his 2008 runner-up spot on the right foot. Another favourite ready to ride through the pain barrier is Hector Barbera, recently re-injured in preseason. Pepe World’s Spanish star incurred a knock to his knee in Jerez, but the blow pales in comparison to the back injury that forced him to spend five months on the sidelines. Prominent riders making their debuts in the class at the Qatari race include Mike di Meglio and Gabor Talmacsi, the two most recent 125cc World Champions. Add last year’s racewinner Mattia Pasini into the equation, and the first race of the season looks to be a wide open affair. 125cc The 125cc category has seen a preseason on-track battle taking place between Bancaja Aspar teammates Julian Simon and Bradley Smith, the standout riders of the past few months. Simon took the advantage at the penultimate preseason test in Jerez, but Qatar is one of Smith’s favoured tracks and the scene of his first Grand Prix pole position. The duo’s teammate Sergio Gadea is the winner of the only 125cc night race to date, and as such features amongst the favourites for victory in a list that also includes 2009 World Championship runner-up Simone Corsi, German star Stefan Bradl and the dangerous Bainet Derbi duo of Joan Olive & Pol Espargaro. The Losail International Circuit lies on the outskirts of Doha, the capital city of Qatar. Built in little over a year, the track cost $58 million USD and required round-the-clock dedication from almost 1,000 workers in order to get it ready for the inaugural event on October 2nd 2004. The clockwise-running track itself has a flowing layout of 5.4 km, surrounded by artificial grass designed to prevent sand from the neighbouring desert from blowing onto the circuit. The main straight is over a 1000m in length and there is a good mix of medium and high-speed corners.