USA Grand Prix, Laguna Seca 21/22/23 July 2006 DUCATI MEN READY FOR WILD WEST ADVENTURE Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Sete Gibernau are all set for their Wild West adventure at Laguna Seca – MotoGP’s most westerly venue and almost certainly its wildest racetrack. The undulating Californian circuit is a veritable rodeo ride for MotoGP riders who must control their 340kmh/211mph motorcycles around its tight, twisting layout where the average speed is just 155kmh/96mph, slower than any other MotoGP venue. Capirossi, who led the 2006 MotoGP World Championship until he crashed at last month’s Catalan Grand Prix, has already enjoyed success at Laguna. The Italian won the US 250 GP at the track way back in 1993 and is delighted to be returning to a circuit that really excites him. Team-mate Sete Gibernau hopes to be in better shape than he was at last weekend’s German GP, where he rode for the first time following surgery to the left collarbone he broke at Catalunya on June 18. On the Tuesday preceding the US GP Gibernau took part in a spectacular Los Angeles event to promote ‘The Doctor, The Tornado and the Kentucky Kid’, a spectacular MotoGP documentary movie. Gibernau and several other MotoGP stars rode down Hollywood Boulevard, specially closed off for the event, aboard a variety of bikes. Gibernau rode a Ducati 749 in team livery, while former GP winner Randy Mamola rode the Ducati Team two-seater. Loris Capirossi, 5th overall, 118 “In Germany last week I was maybe 85 per cent fit and I will be even stronger for this race. I am very happy to be returning to Laguna Seca. The track is so good, so technical and now that they have made some more changes to improve safety it will be even better. From what I have heard they have given us more run-off and smoothed out the brow at Turn One. And they have also taken away the hump on the hill before the Corkscrew. They have also resurfaced the whole track which is good news because the old surface was quite old and slippery. I love most of the circuit but especially from the Corkscrew to the end of the lap. You need a very reactive chassis to be fast at Laguna, because there are a lot of places where you need to change direction quickly. You also need really good engine control because parts of the track are so tight, too tight for MotoGP really.” Sete Gibernau, 13th overall , 52 “I first went to Laguna in 1993, just to watch that year’s GP. It’s one of those tracks that everyone knows about even if they haven’t raced there, because of the Corkscrew and layout, which is so different to what we’re used to. “I raced there for the first time last year and really enjoyed myself. I enjoyed the atmosphere, I enjoyed the crowd and I enjoyed being in the US. In fact everything was really good except that I had two difficult days of practice, so it seemed like a difficult track for me but I think this visit will be very different. The team is working so well with me that I believe we will be able to have some fun but much will depend on the condition of my shoulder. It wasn’t good in Germany but I’ve been back to my surgeon in Barcelona, and I hope that it will be a bit stronger for Laguna because it is a tough track, tight and bumpy.” Livio Suppo, Ducati MotoGP project manager “We are really looking forward to Laguna. Last year’s US GP was a fantastic event and, of course, the USA is an important market for us and there are a lot of Ducati fans in the country. Loris and Sete should be in better physical shape for this race after some difficult races following the Catalan GP accident that hurt both of them. Laguna will be interesting because it has been resurfaced and changed somewhat, so we hope it works well with our package.” THE TRACK Laguna Seca is a spectacular circuit, twisting this way and that across rolling Californian hillsides. It is best known for its infamous Corkscrew section, a tight left-right chicane on a steep hillside. In fact the entire circuit is a bit of a rollercoaster, starting with Turn One, an ultra-quick lefthander over a brow that is one of MotoGP’s greatest tests of bravery. The infield section (completed in the late 1980s to bring the track up to GP spec) is relatively straightforward, then the fun starts again as riders tackle the high-speed run up to the Corkscrew, then plunge downhill to the finish line. Laguna’s many downhill corners make front-tyre performance particularly crucial, since riders need extra confidence to attack off-camber turns. Machines need to be particularly well balanced for this circuit. Laguna hosted six GPs between 1988 and 1994, then slipped off the calendar. The track underwent major safety revisions for last year’s first MotoGP event and has been further improved for 2006. Lap record: Colin Edwards (Yamaha), 1m 23.915s, 154.871kmh/96.232mph) Pole position 2005: Nicky Hayden (Honda), 1m 22.670s DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS LORIS CAPIROSSI Age: 33 (born April 4, 1973) Lives: Monaco Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP6 GP starts: 241 (71xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125) GP victories: 26 (4xMotoGP, 2×500, 12×250, 8×125) First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125) First GP: Japan, 1990 (125) Pole positions: 40 (7xMotoGP, 5×500, 23×250, 5×125) First pole: Australia, 1991 (125) World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998) Laguna Seca 2005 results: Grid: 14th. Race: 10th SETE GIBERNAU Age: 33 (born December 15, 1972) Lives: Switzerland Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP6 GP starts: 168 (72xMotoGP, 76×500, 19×250) GP victories: 9 (8xMotoGP, 1×500) First GP victory: Valencia, 2001 (500) First GP: Spain, 1993 (250) Pole positions: 13 (12xMotoGP, 1×500) First pole: South Africa, 2000 (500) Laguna Seca 2005 results: Grid: 13nd. Race: 5nd More, from a press release issued by Gresini Honda: MOTOGP SET FOR CRUCIAL CLASH AT US GP After one of the most exciting races of the season in Germany, the MotoGP tour heads to Laguna Seca for the eagerly anticipated US Grand Prix. The Fortuna Honda riders Marco Melandri and Toni Elias look forward to the American round that will be disputed on the historical track of Laguna Seca in California. Marco MelandrI “I like the layout of Laguna Seca, it’s an impressive track where it’s fun to race. Last year I made a mistake in the approach to a track that was new to me and this spoiled my race weekend. Fortunately during the warm up we found a good set up and I started to understand the track. This year my approach will be completely different as I have learnt a lot from that experience. I look forward to race in the United States. I feel confident and also my physical conditions have improved a lot. After two incredible races in England and in Germany, I know that I have all what I need to battle every weekend for the front positions. I’m motivated and I want to face one race at the time.” TONI ELIAS: “Laguna Seca is an historical track, a myth. I remember that I was watching with great admiration the races at Laguna since I was a child so it’s great to race there. I like the track, it’s so different from every other circuits. It’s difficult and demanding. From the TV you cannot realize how is the Corkscrew, it’s an impressive curve, similar to a big wave. I really look forward to go to the States. I’d like to do a good race, hoping to be able to get some rest in before and to improve my physical conditions. In fact last week in Germany I suffered a lot form the injury at the left shoulder.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca July 21, 22, 23 2006 RIDERS HEAD STATESIDE FOR KEY RACE AT LAGUNA This is the big race before the summer break and the importance of this, the 11th round of a 17 race series, cannot be underestimated. The rider who goes into the holiday period with a win will be able to let his rivals worry about what is to come in the six remaining rounds. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) won here in 2005. His maiden MotoGP victory seemed a long time coming, but when it did, it gave the genial American a springboard with which to attack the remaining races of the season and begin this year in confident, consistent, series-leading form. He leads the overall points standings with 169 to nearest rival Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) who has 143, with Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) on 140 and Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V) on 134. These four are the main contenders, although fifth-placed Loris Capirossi (Ducati) cannot be ruled out of the running on 118. Winning this race is vital, but there is also the small matter of not losing it too. Hayden knows he cannot afford to let Rossi beat him in his backyard. He also knows last year’s second-placed rider Colin Edwards (Yamaha) still aches for a MotoGP win and Laguna Seca is likely to represent his best chance of achieving that. Rossi knows that a win now would damage the confidence of his rivals for the World Crown, but he is unlikely to be expecting anything other than a hard fight from Hayden here. There’s also the small matter of a resurgent Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V). Former World Champion Roberts is enjoying a new lease of life on the Honda-powered KR bike. His front row qualifying performance and third place finish in Catalunya was encouraging and his second place on the grid in Germany last weekend before crashing out of the race showed that he could be a major force here too. Kenny would like nothing better than a ‘home’ win at a track his father did so much to put on the MotoGP map. Melandri had a torrid time here last year, struggling to 11th in qualifying and then crashing out on the first lap. But this is a chance for the Italian star to show what he can do now he has a second chance to shine here. He knows what to expect and he is almost back to a proper level of fitness after his Catalunya crash. One title contender does not know what to expect. Dani Pedrosa in his rookie MotoGP season has never been here before and he will need all his methodical mastery of a new track to get to grips with this wild circuit. Built in 1957 near Monterey, California, Laguna Seca ticks all the boxes for a track in terms of rider involvement. There’s gradient aplenty, long sweeping curves which invite adventurous riders to carve radical lines through. It’s track that rewards momentum everywhere except the Andretti Hairpin and the infamous Corkscrew. If ever a turn defined a track it’s Laguna’s Corkscrew. Variously described as ‘riding off the end of the earth’, ‘surfing a 30ft wave’ and ‘dropping down a lift shaft’, this is one of the great corners in MotoGP. The approach to it has been changed this year and the whole track has been resurfaced. The longest straight is just 996m long on a 3.610km track that winds around a compact footprint and turns back on itself providing four right-hand turns and seven lefts. Set-up requires a bike that turns-in accurately and yet remains stable for the two main braking points, the Hairpin and that critical Corkscrew Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V) managed a 13th place here last year, but the young Spaniard is now much better equipped to deal with this track than he was in 2005. With his broken shoulder now on the mend, he might not be quite at full fitness stamina-wise, but he will lack nothing in speed. Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V) is another rider who, like Dani, will have to expecdite the track learning process if he is to go well here. After a heavy fall in morning warm-up at the Sachsenring last weekend, he will be eager to stay on the bike and take what points he can. Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) is eager to get on track again after looking like the rider he used to be in Germany last weekend. The Japanese ace has been struggling for form this season, and looked to have found it before he was accidentally punted off the track by Kenny Roberts in mid-crash. Nicky said, “It’s a pretty good feeling to be leading the world going into my home race. Even though there’s a lot racing still to go and I really want to be leading the championship at the end of the season, I’m proud to go home to my fans out in front. Plus it’s a while since an American has been on top so I’m excited. But more importantly we’re going to go to Laguna and try to get 25 points.” Dani said, “I’m not sure how I’m going to find things at Laguna because it’s a new track to me. It’s a long time since I’ve raced at a track I don’t already know and most of the others have seen it before, so it will be difficult for me and the other new MotoGP riders at first. My job will be to adapt to the track as quickly as possible, find a base setting for the RC211V and have another strong weekend. I was a little disappointed to finish fourth at the last race in Germany, but I believe in myself and I’m still pretty confident. We are having a great season so far and I’ve just got keep working on the areas where I can improve.” Kenny said, “It’s going to be fun. We want to do as we’ve been doing. I’ve got a great family and friends type of thing going on here and as long as I have a safe race and I give it 100% and the team gives it 100%, I’m happy with that. That’s what I did last year and I rode around in 80th or whatever it was. This year we’re going to try to maybe have a shot at the podium or a victory. It doesn’t change the outlook or my preparations for it.” Makoto Tamada said, “I’m still aching from last Sunday at Sachsenring. I feel confident I will recover fast and be ready to be on track again for Friday two free practice hours. I’m really sorry for the big occasion I lost in Germany; the rhythm I kept during the laps I covered was very high and I’m convinced I could remain there with the others up to the end. Last Sunday I had good feelings when riding my Honda RC211V and that’s what I want to feel again at Laguna Seca. I can’t wait to ride the track to show the competitive level we’ve reached.” “I like the layout of Laguna Seca,” said Melandri. “It’s an impressive track where it’s fun to race. Last year I made a mistake in the approach to a track that was new to me and this spoiled my race weekend. Fortunately during the warm up we found a good set-up and I started to understand the track. This year my approach will be completely different because I learned a lot from that experience. My physical condition has improved a lot and after two incredible races in England and in Germany, I know that I have all what I need to battle every weekend for the front positions.” Elias said, “Laguna Seca is a historic track, a legend. I remember watching races at Laguna when I was a kid, so it’s great to race there. I like the track because it’s so different from every other circuit. It’s difficult and demanding. From the TV you just don’t realize how wild the Corkscrew is. It’s an impressive curve, similar to a big wave.” Stoner said, “It’s vital to get a good result here before the break and we owe it to ourselves to do well. We’ve just got to keep everything going in the right direction and see how we get on. The track’s new to me so we’ll have to get down to business straight away.”