From a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

EUROPEAN MOTOGP SECTOR PASSES HALFWAY STAGE

After driving 1200 km in a day-and-a-half since Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix in Mugello, the Fortuna Yamaha Team trucks rolled into the Circuit de Catalunya on Tuesday. The track, located at Montmelo just to the north of Barcelona, will play host to Sunday’s Gran Premio de Catalunya – the sixth installment of the 16-round MotoGP World Championship.

After a tough weekend in Mugello played out in over 30 degree temperatures, the team came away disappointed after a typically close and thrilling MotoGP race. After showing some good early pace Carlos Checa slipped to eighth at the flag and MotoGP-rookie Marco Melandri came home eleventh. The result was another blow for the Fortuna Yamaha Team that has not had the start to the 2003 season that it wanted or expected. The first Grand Prix in Suzuka saw 20-year-old Melandri fracture his ankle in the opening practice session and he consequently missed that race and the Africa’s Grand Prix. When Melandri did return to action at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez he was hampered by a back problem that left him struggling in the race before an off-track excursion dropped him to a 17-place finish. Checa, meanwhile, seemed to have found some good pace in the opening two laps at Jerez but was denied the chance to prove it by a rare electrical failure on his YZR-M1. At the following race in Le Mans Melandri looked to be back to full place with a front-row qualifying performance only to be frustrated by rain and the wrong tyre-choice. Checa, meanwhile, was out of luck again as he slid out on a damp patch before the race was interrupted for the conditions.

CHECA’S HOME AS FORTUNA YAMAHA TEAM ARRIVE IN BARCELONA

As Carlos Checa returns to his native Catalunya this weekend it is important that he also arrives back to where he belongs – in the leading pack of MotoGP riders! Checa will be hoping to put an end to the team’s run of poor luck and to show the speed and fight he is famous for in this bike-mad area of Spain.

Marco Melandri loses the pressure of his own home race this week, but still keeps the pressure on himself as he looks to establish himself as a major force in the premier class. The 2002 250cc World Champion tested the YZR-M1 at the Barcelona track pre-season and hopes to be able to maintain the steady progression he’s made with the bike since returning from injury.

Fortuna Yamaha Team director Davide Brivio is also keen to see a return to winning ways. “There’s no doubt that as a team we have not achieved what we wanted from the first five races of the season,” he admits. “We have had our fair share of bad luck, but that’s racing. We’re an experienced crew and we know that it is vital to remain positive and focused. I am confident that our season will turn around. I hope this weekend will be the start of that. Certainly Carlos will be very motivated and I hope he has a good race like last year.

“We tested at Barcelona a few times during the winter but, of course, conditions were very different from now and we’ve also made a few changes to the M1 since then. It will be very hot this weekend so we’ll have to look again at set-up and tyres during practice.

“There are some positives that we’ve taken away from last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix. Carlos found a good feeling on the bike and ran in the leading group for quite a while. For Marco it was, once again, just important to build up his experience over race distance.”

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING

As a MotoGP circuit Catalunya offers a main straight capable of encouraging speeds exceeding 330kmh, and is completed by a sequence of long radius, medium/high speed sweeping turns and two tight left-hand hairpins. In some regards Barcelona resembles Jerez (Spain); with bumps an issue for riders on the entry to the braking areas – although less intense. But the combination of long radius corners riddled with a variety of cambers makes it more demanding on chassis balance. For this reason the 4727m circuit is always a feature on the pre-season IRTA test calendar, and is often considered to be the true indicator of a bike’s full potential.

Due to the long-radius corners front-end feel will be a key concern for both Fortuna Yamaha Team riders. But it must be found without sacrificing the overall balance of the M1, as too much time is spent feathering the power through the sides of the tyres before punching the bike out onto the next straight. With handling the M1’s strength the Fortuna Yamaha Team will make little modification to the geometry, when compared with what is used in Mugello. And of this minimal modification, the good base geometry will be fettled for a little extra front-end bias. Most of this will be achieved, however, not through chassis modifications, but rather straightforward suspension preload and damping adjustments.

CHECA HOPES TO FIND MORE STABILITY FOR HOME GRAND PRIX

Local favourite Fortuna Yamaha rider Carlos Checa knows that he needs to pull off a top result in Catalunya to give him the chance to improve his position in the World Championship standings, in which he currently lies 13th. Checa finished last year’s season in sixth position so needs to progress significantly to regain the points he has missed out on so far and regain his old form. His season has been uncharacteristically bleak, with his best result of the five races that have passed at the Italian Grand Prix last weekend where he finished eighth. He was as high as fifth in the opening laps of the race but lost his rhythm and slipped back to eight before the chequered flag. The Spaniard has been unlucky in the other races, being forced to stop with electronic problems in Jerez, and slipping on a wet patch in Le Mans, although his qualifying performances and lap times have been fair, coming within tenths of seconds of the fastest riders.

Although notoriously one of the more challenging circuits of the championship calendar, Checa’s performance in Catalunya last year bodes well for the forthcoming race. He started from the second row on the grid and went on to lead much of the race but slipped back to finish third, his second podium finish of last season after the opening round in Japan. Checa has had several tests during the winter at his local circuit which gave him more time to familiarise himself with the set-up of his YZR-M1 machine there.

Despite his tricky start to the 2003 season, the Spanish rider remains both objective and determined to change his run of bad luck, “The key to the Catalunya circuit is to keep stability and consistency from beginning to end of the race,” said Checa about the circuit, which is situated north of Barcelona. “In my experience at Catalunya I have not really been able to do this and keep the pace from beginning to end. If I could do that there, I could probably gain a few seconds. The track doesn’t have so much grip level, and as soon as I lose grip with the rear I can’t turn the bike on an angle – that’s my biggest concern at this circuit.

“Overall you need to find a good combination there with the bike, of tyres and suspension. I find it difficult to spin the rear with this bike and I never lose traction but it’s important not to lose any time at the last two turns at this circuit. If you compare the practice times in Catalunya with the race times, there is always a big difference. The front tyre must be stable for the downhill sections and the suspension must be good to cope with the bumps.”

Despite the extra pressure that all riders feel when it comes to performing in front of their home crowds, Checa tries not to let it affect him, “Catalunya is just one more race,” he said, “and I must try as hard there as I do at other races. I feel a lot of mixed emotions when I race in Spain but professionally I must look upon it as just another race, and aim to do well everywhere.”

YAMAHA’S YOUNG HOPEFUL MELANDRI IS OUT TO IMPRESS

The new recruit to Yamaha’s factory team Marco Melandri is impatient to show his potential with his YZR-M1 machine, perhaps more so than any other rider as the young Italian had a late start to his first season in the premier MotoGP class. A damaging fall at the opening round in Suzuka and fractured ankle bones meant Melandri missed the first two races, and then used the next race to get used to riding again. At the fourth Grand Prix at the Le Mans circuit in France he showed a flicker of his capability when he earned himself a front row start and fought his way up to as high as third position in the race, which was stopped because of rain after 16 laps. Unfortunately his luck ran out when he made a wrong tyre choice in the ensuing interval and was unable to find his former force in the latter part of the race.

Melandri also had a disappointing home Grand Prix in Mugello, Italy, last weekend as a technical problem prevented him from achieving his goal at the most crucial point during the race. He had featured as high as sixth and looked set to go even higher when problems in third gear meant he could not push hard in the corners, and he crossed the finish line in eleventh place. This was a disappointing conclusion to the weekend for Melandri, who has been feeling increasingly confident on his Yamaha machine since his unlucky season outset.

He is more determined than ever to have the chance to push himself for a full race with no complications, either physical or technical, “I like the Catalunya circuit,” he enthused, “I think we’ll find some combination set-up from our winter test feedback there which takes into account the difference in the weather, which is sure to be very different. Since our last test there my bike has changed a lot, and mostly during last weekend in Mugello. If we continue to work as we did there I think we can improve every time.

“In Catalunya you have to use the throttle a lot when the rear tyre is down. I won the 250cc race there last year, so feel quite comfortable on that track. I was very disappointed with the result in Mugello last week – it’s always frustrating when you don’t get what you want. But that is part of the sport. It’s not good to dwell on what has happened before but just to take with you the positive experiences. I was feeling very good with the bike until things started to go wrong last week, so I need to get that feeling again and have the chance to run a whole race with no complications.”


CARLOS CHECA : INFORMATION
Age: 30
Lives: Great Ayton, England
Bike: Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1
GP victories: 2 (500)
First GP victory: Catalunya, 1996 (500)
First GP: Europe, 1993 (125)
GP starts: 141 (21 x MotoGP, 92×500, 27×250, 1×125)
Pole positions: 2 (1 x MotoGP, 1 x 500)
First pole: Spain, 1998 (500)
Catalunya 2002 results. Grid: 7th, Race: 3rd

MARCO MELANDRI : INFORMATION
Age: 20
Lives: Derby, England
Bike: Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1
GP victories: 17 (10 x 250, 7 x 125)
First GP victory: Assen, 1998 (125)
First GP: Brno, 1997 (125)
GP starts: 79 (3 x MotoGP, 42 x 250, 34 x 125)
Pole positions: 8
First pole: Sachsenring, 1998 (125)

Catalunya MotoGP lap record
Valentino Rossi 1:45.594 (2002)

Circuit best lap
Max Biaggi 1:44.523 (2002)


More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

Catalan Grand Prix at Catalunya
13/14/15 June

CATALAN RACE KEY TO TITLE CHALLENGERS

MotoGP rolls into Catalunya this weekend with three Honda riders pulling clear in the overall points standings. Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V) tops the table with 115, Max Biaggi (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) lies second with 83 and Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) sits third with 72.

There’s a 26-point gap from Gibernau to Alex Barros (Yamaha) who is fourth on 46. With 25 points for a race win any of the riders below the top three need a win with any of the leaders failing to score before they can get on terms. But Loris Capirossi (Ducati) looks like he may be the man to close the gap on the top men.

The Italian finished a strong second at Mugello last weekend only 1.4 seconds behind winner Rossi and Capirossi proved that the Ducati is not short of speed as they head to the Catalunya track that features one of the longest straights in the MotoGP calendar.

Capirossi’s V4 machine recorded a top speed of 332.4km/h during Sunday’s race. And with the key to a fast lap time at Catalunya dependent to a large extent on a high top speed, the Ducati machine looks well-equipped to repeat or even better the second place Capirossi achieved last weekend.

The 4.727km track 20 km north of Barcelona is a challenging mixture of straights (there are two significant chutes), sweeping turns and two tight-radius corners. The emphasis on machine set-up is to achieve a well-balanced chassis to cope with the various demands of the very different type of corners and achieve a high top speed to make the most of the two straights.

The track requires a flowing riding style through the long, constant-radius turns. And as the bikes spend a great deal of time at maximum lean angle (especially on the right-hand side of the tyre) wear and grip levels are of critical importance. Two of the 13 turns feature negative camber so the track ‘drops away’ to the outside of the turn, effectively offering less grip for more lean angle.

The surface also suffers from unpredictability in grip levels too. There is sometimes a lot of dust thrown up by the wind and this can settle on the track surface making it slippy, until the circulating bikes have cleared the thin layer of dust and ‘laid down’ rubber. Owing to the amount of Formula 1 car testing that also takes place here, the surface is also bumpy in places where the tarmac takes a pounding from their 850bhp engines and massive braking forces.

But the Formula 1 cars top speeds are unlikely to match the speeds achieved by the new breed of four-stroke MotoGP machines that are now among the fastest machines in motorsport. The 328km/h top speed record at Catalunya is bound to be broken by the top riders.

Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V) won here last year and the year before, he also set the fastest race lap here in 2002 with a 1:45.594 lap. With the total race time 12 seconds faster than last year in Mugello it looks likely that records will tumble at Catalunya too.

The World Championship leader is ready to shoot for his fourth race win of the season and is relishing the challenge put up by his two Italian rivals and the home hero Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) who is itching to win a third race this season. And if he could do it at home in Spain in front of a crowd expected to number close to 100,000, it would be some spectacle.

And Spain’s main man can’t wait to get down to business. “It really feels like home here,” he said. “I tried so hard at Jerez and got nothing and now I can’t wait to try and give the fans something back for supporting me. At Le Mans I won and it re-charged my energy levels after my disappointment at Jerez and now I really want to do the same here after a tough time at Mugello. But I have complete confidence the team can find a solution to the problems and I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to racing here.”

Rossi loves the Catalunya track and knows it’s another opportunity to grab vital early season points. “It’s my favourite track,” he said. “The last two rights onto the long straight are key to a good lap here. Mugello was great for me, but Sete will also be very strong here and the race will be spectacular – that’s for sure. We all need the points.”

Max Biaggi lies second on the points standings and the Roman is keen to record a first win of the season after showing great consistency so far scoring points in every race with four podium positions achieved too.

“I like the Montmelo circuit and have been successful there with four wins on a 250. Last year I took pole for the race.” Biaggi said. “But I’ve had mixed fortunes at the track in the last couple of years. The one problem I always seem to have at Catalunya is to get the bike to steer into the corners. The asphalt is quite bumpy, especially at turn one at the end of the straight. The track is similar to Mugello in some ways. The straight is not as long as Mugello but the corner leading onto the straight is faster. The race could be just like Mugello last week.” He concluded.

Hero of Mugello was fourth-placed Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda RC211V) who rode through the entire field bar the top three after being as far back as 18th after a poor start from the third row of the grid. And the Japanese rookie will be looking for a repeat performance at Catalunya.

“We’ve had time to enjoy the success of Mugello,” he said. “And now we have to focus on the next step we must take at Catalunya. The track is sort of similar to Mugello with a long straight and my bike is certainly fast enough to take advantage of that. The rest of the track I’ll try to learn as I go and then I really have to get a good start in the race.”

Tohru Ukawa (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) goes to Catalunya keen to put a disappointing Mugello behind him. “Catalunya is my favourite track and I can’t wait to race there,” he said. “The combination of high speeds and some really demanding turns is one thing but the Spanish fans and the whole atmosphere there is another and I like two races back-to-back because I can stay focussed.”

Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) is looking forward to racing at a track he’s already tested at. “Mugello wasn’t so good for me,” said the American rookie. “And I really want to get on the bike instead of sitting around so this weekend can’t come too soon for me. We’ve got a good foundations to build on from testing here and I’m getting lots of help from Mick Doohan and Tady Okada.”

Rookie Ryuichi Kiyonari (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) who finished 13th at Mugello last weekend is keen to accelerate his learning curve at Catalunya. “I’ve heard there is excellent ham there,” he joked. “My performances so far have been helped by the support of an excellent team and I can improve still more here I hope. I just have to learn fast and ride fast.”

The 250cc Championship is lead by San Marinese rider Manuel Poggiali (Aprilia) who has had three wins so far this season, but home hero Tony Elias (Aprilia) who has won twice so far this season, most memorably at Jerez last month, will be aiming to complete a home ‘double’.

Lying second in the World Championship points standings is Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) who sits only 19 points behind Poggiali after five races. The Italian is itching to get racing here and trying to close the gap still further on his title rival.

“I like Catalunya and you’ve got to concentrate really hard to get a quick lap,” said Rolfo. “And the Aprilias will be fast there on that long straight. But we proved we can get among them at Mugello and if we can maintain the progress we make at every Grand Prix we have reason to be pretty optimistic for the immediate future.”

Sebastian Porto (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW) lies seventh in the Championship with 44 points but the Argentine is by no means out of contention and he’s looking to getting his Championship challenge back on track here in Catalunya.

“I like the track, but we haven’t quite found enough speed yet for me to be really confident about our performance there,” he said. “We’ll have some new parts to try and at least the long straight is slightly downhill unlike the uphill Mugello straight. We’ve got to get a good qualifying lap in and then stay in touch with the leaders in the race – and I haven’t been able to do that recently.”

Daniel Pedrosa (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS125R) heads to a home Grand Prix heading the points standings after a perfectly judged race to second place at Mugello last weekend. “I love Catalunya,” said Pedrosa. “But not the track unfortunately. There are too many bumps on the old asphalt and that really affects the smaller bikes. But it’s a race and I’m a racer so we’ll be riding hard no matter what.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) is third in the World Championship standings and keen to close the gap on second-placed Lucio Cecchinello (Aprilia). “Barcelona will be hard work, if the weather conditions are the same as in Mugello,” he said. “The temperature will make the engine run too hot, unless we can find a solution. If I can get the same tyres from Dunlop that we raced with in South Africa then I will go into the race with much more confidence.”



More, from a press release issued by Pramac Honda:

PRAMAC RACING PREVIEW
MotoGP – Round 6 – Catalunya (Spain)
Montmelo’ – 13/14/15 June 2003

SIXTH ROUND OF MOTO GP AT MONTMELO’, CATALUNYA, THE LAND OF SUNSHINE AND MOVIDA.

One of the most modern motorcycling racetracks can be found in the municipality of Montmelo’ just a few kilometres outside Barcelona. Inaugurated in 1991, it made its debut as the venue for a top-level event: the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix. Then it hosted the European Motorcycling GP and went on to become the arena of excellence for the Catalunya GP. It is considered to be one of the finest circuits ever designed: an enormous amphitheatre where the public in the grandstands can see the entire track, and where often no fewer than 100,000 turn up for the race. One of those MotoGP rendezvous where the most likely forecast is that it will be sold out. Being just 20 kilometres from one of the most dynamic and frenetic cities in Europe means that Montmelo’ is going to have fans just pouring in. For three days the spirit of the “Movida” will shift from La Rambla in Barcelona to the ‘Circuito de Catalunya’.

The circuit: 4,727 metres
lefthanders: 5
righthanders: 8
longest straight: 1,047 metres
Maximum width: 12 metres
built in 1991
modified in 1995.

2002 winners.
125 class: Poggiali (RSM) Gilera
250 Class: Melandri (ITA) Aprilia
MotoGP: Rossi (ITA) Honda.

Circuit records.
125: Ui 1:51.443 (Derby) (2002)
250: Rossi 1:47.585 (Aprilia) (1998)
MotoGP: Rossi 1:45.594 (2002).

FOUR PODIUMS OUT OF FIVE FOR MAX BIAGGI AND THE CAMEL PRAMAC PONS TEAM
Once again Max Biaggi and the Camel Pramac Pons Team reach the rostrum. This was at Mugello, where the four-times World Champion came third after a dogged race filled with excitement. Fighting elbow to elbow with the other contenders to the podium, Massimiliano unleashed his inborn talent once again. Firmly in second place in the world championship ratings, with 83 points, Max Biaggi is now 32 behind the leader. Sixth at Mugello, the other Camel Pramac Pons rider Ukawa Ukawa: now fifth overall with 42 points.


MAKOTO TAMADA AND THE PRAMAC HONDA TEAM MAKE A MAGICAL FOURTH AT MUGELLO
An extraordinary result for Makoto Tamada at the Italian Grand Prix. From 18th position at the end of the first lap to 4th past the chequered flag. Absolutely phenomenal. And a most eloquent performance. First of all, it tells us that Makoto Tamada is a highly competitive rider of extraordinary might. The strength to battle his way up like that through the ranks comes from the determination he has already showed in the past. But it also tells us that Bridgestone, the great Japanese tyre manufacturer, has shown it can get extremely close to the level of competitiveness needed to beat the rest.

A few hours and another weekend of races is about to start up. It is expected to be extremely hot, and this is one of the very few tracks where Tamada has already done some laps – and where he can have real hopes of getting a good result. We shall be able to see the progress he has made since the IRTA tests in March. In mid-March, Makoto’s best lap took him 1:45.817.

MAKOTO TAMADA AT THE CANTEEN OF THE PRAMAC PLANT IN CASOLE D’ELSA: THE FANS GO WILD.

Just the time to ride back home through the night from Mugello to Casole d’ Elsa for a few hours sleep, and Makoto went to the canteen at the Pramac headquarters in Casole d’Elsa. At 12:30 on Monday when all the men and women who work in the company stop for lunch. Greeted by a standing ovation with cheering fans, the young Japanese rider again met the employees of the company who had greeted him so warmly on 5 March this year for thepresentation of the team.

The best banner of all:
MAKOTO 6 MAGICO.a play on words with “6”, the rider’s race number, creating the slogan “Makoto You’re Magic”.



More, from a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

PROTON KR FACES THE HEAT AGAIN IN SPAIN

Proton Team KR riders are not the only people looking forward to the all-new Proton KR V5 four-stroke prototype’s second race–the Catalunyan GP at the Montmelo circuit outside Barcelona on Sunday.

The huge crowds of Spanish MotoGP aficionados will also be all agog. After news of the radical new racer’s fantastic debut at the Italian GP just one week before, they want to hear for themselves the exhaust note unanimously declared the best-sounding yet of the noisy new four-strokes.

The ground-breaking V5, with a unique configuration and firing order, had only spent one full day of shake-down tests before arriving for the Italian GP at Mugello. First time out, Jeremy McWilliams set a qualifying time good enough for the fourth row of the provisional grid. This was in spite of having no alternative gear ratios to suit the circuit, and being some 30km/h down on top speed as a result.

Team-mate Nobuatsu Aoki also qualified, but his times were spoiled by fuel delivery problems. In the race, McWilliams also succumbed to the same problem–exacerbated by searing heat and baking track temperatures, and both retired. Not before McWilliams had moved through from a slow start to take a confident 15th place, threatening to finish in the points first time out.

The heat is bound to continue at the Catalunyan GP, sixth of 16 World Championship rounds. The first back-to-back race, just one week after Mugello, has left technicians only a few days to make modifications. Even so, the England-based team–the only fully independent manufacturer in racing–has been able to respond to the problems, believed to have been the result of overheating fuel.

At the same time, engineers have been working flat out to take the next step forward ? to get more power and revs from the engine, which was still in early bench-testing tune in Italy.

“We have some modifications that will improve the power, and we’re hoping to have everything made in time for the race–but we’re going right to the wire,” said team manager Chuck Aksland.

“We got a lot of information from Mugello, and we think we can make the fuel pump situation better. We’d never run in that sort of heat before, and we’re learning as we go along.

“We’re still in testing mode, and normally these sort of things would take place behind closed doors,” he continued.

“Because of the situation, we’re doing it at the races. We’re clicking off problems one by one. But it’s obvious that the bike has a lot of potential,” said Aksland.

The radical V5 was designed and built in record time at Proton Team KR’s Banbury headquarters, and was rushed to the tracks for first circuit testing only three weeks before the Catalunyan GP.

FOOTNOTE: Jeremy McWilliams will line up for his 150th GP start at Catalunya on Sunday. His first GP start was in Australian in 1993, and he won the Dutch TT in the 250 class in 2001.

JEREMY McWILLIAMS : A POSITIVE STRUGGLE
I am looking positively towards ths race. We’re all aware that it’s going to be quite a struggle to get the bike up to full racing speed, and this is another opportunity to make it better. We all know what we need–more speed, reliability, and a few issues about the way the bike responds to the throttle and in the corners. We had some problems at Mugello. Now even though it’s only last weekend we will see how quickly the team can respond. I think it will be better than Mugello.

NOBUATSU AOKI : GOING FOR THE GOOD TIMES
I knew right from the start of the race at Mugello that I was going to have fuel pump problems again, so I just enjoyed the first five laps. The bike feels so good, but there are lots of little problems to be sorted out before we can even think about fine-tuning the chassis and things like that. I’m really looking forward to this race.