The MotoGP carnival rolled up at the Circuit de Catalunya for the seventh Grand Prix weekend of 2008, just four days after an exciting visit to Mugello. Making a quick dash across the Mediterranean from Italy, the World Championship paddock has been rapidly reassembled at the track which lies a few kilometres north of Barcelona, after the MotoGP teams packed up in Tuscany on Sunday evening. Thursday’s Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya pre-event press conference was attended by the top four riders in the MotoGP World Championship standings as Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner lined up alongside Toni Elias. For Pedrosa, Lorenzo and Elias the Barcelona date is a special occasion of course, being the home race for all three. Championship leader Rossi has a superb record of eight wins and eleven consecutive podiums at Catalunya, across all three classes, and is currently on his best run of form since 2005, with three successive victories from China, France and Italy. He looked forward to Sunday’s race saying, “This is my favourite track along with Mugello and to have the two races together in one week is very positive for me. So I will try to do as well this weekend as I did last Sunday.” Having won at his home track as a 125cc and 250cc rider Pedrosa said of the biggest date on his calendar, “It’s a special place because it is so close to my hometown. I am happy to race here and it always a great feeling. We hope to have good weather and to enjoy the Grand Prix, because it is important for my family, friends and fans who come here to support us.” Last year’s Barcelona race-winner, reigning World Champion Casey Stoner, is also anticipating a great race this weekend and a possible post-GP test of the new Desmosedici GP09, which will be given a run-out by a Ducati test-rider first thing on Monday. “The new bike will be here this weekend and Vito (Guareschi) will take it round on Monday morning, so if we are happy with how it is going I might get to try it too,” confirmed the brilliant young Australian. After the press conference, 250cc World Champion and local hero Lorenzo attended a brief ceremony at the circuit’s ‘Avenida de los Campeones’ where a plaque was unveiled in his honour inducting him into the Catalunya venue’s ‘Hall of Fame’ in the presence of Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta. Earlier in the day, meanwhile, in acknowledgement of World Environment Day, Yuki Takahashi, Alvaro Bautista, Stefan Bradl, Sergio Gadea and Raffaele de Rosa visited a local recycling plant, in an attempt to raise environmental awareness. To round off a busy day at the track, fund-raising activity at the Catalunya circuit has taken place all afternoon commencing with a ride-in lap of the circuit, followed by fan visits to the paddock and pit-lane, in aid of Riders for Health (Motos Solidarias in Spain). Dr. Xavier Mir, the Barcelona-based specialist who is regularly consulted by MotoGP riders, also hosted a press conference at the circuit promoting the `Fundacion Dakar Solidario´ charity programme.