After two consecutive flag-to-flag races for the first time ever in MotoGP, blazing sunshine was a welcome relief for the FIM World Championship paddock as they gathered at Montmeló on Thursday for the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya build-up. Basking in both the sun and the glory of his favourite football team’s recent success, Jorge Lorenzo provided the first media event of the day with the unveiling of a special livery and helmet. The only Spaniard in MotoGP not to hail from the Barcelona area, Lorenzo is nonetheless a big fan of the city’s football club, and showed off the F.C. Barcelona colours on his Fiat Yamaha M1 in front of two of their delegates. Lorenzo later featured in the press conference alongside Dani Pedrosa, Toni Elías, Sete Gibernau and series leader Casey Stoner the winner of the previous round at Mugello in Italy. When asked by journalists whether he felt extra responsibility this weekend on home soil, as he prepares to make his premier class Barcelona race debut, a confident Lorenzo replied, “I don’t feel any extra pressure. For me riding here is just as important in terms of the championship as riding in Australia or Malaysia. Of course it would be great to get a good result because I have my friends and family here, but all the races in MotoGP are important.” Meanwhile, in his own calm and collected style the level-headed Stoner previewed the weekend’s action by stating: “Although I’ve had some ups and downs here I’ve always enjoyed this track. Mugello worked out very well for us even though we’ve had some problems this year, lucked out in a couple of races and made some bad decisions. We have always had reasonably good pace at races where we weren’t normally fast and I think we’ve got a better chance here than last year.” The remaining trio in the press conference have all had their injuries in the past few months, the most recent rider to pick up damage being Repsol Honda Pedrosa. In his first conversation with the media since confirming his presence at his home round, he said of the hip/femur injury: “I was in a lot of pain on the bike in Mugello but things have improved in the last two weeks. In everyday activities it has got much better but I won’t know how well I can ride until I actually get on the bike on Friday and test it out.” Pressed on whether rumours that he had signed a new contract with Honda for 2010 were true Pedrosa responded: “We have not even had that conversation yet.” Ducati satellite veteran Gibernau had to miss races at both Le Mans and Mugello with shoulder damage, but is back for his own local round and in high spirits. “After listening to what Dani and Toni have been through recently I think I’m absolutely fine!” he joked. “My shoulder is getting much better and I feel ok. The whole project with this new team in 2009 has been a big job but I love riding and I still feel I can show my potential again this year.” The riders will get their first runout at the Circuit de Catalunya on Friday afternoon, as practice begins for round six of the 2009 season. More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway: MotoGP PREVIEW: GRAND PRIX OF CATALUNYA EVENT: Grand Prix of Catalunya WHERE: Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. Circuit is 2.937 miles (4.727 km), with 13 turns. Race is 25 laps. WHEN: Sunday, June 14. It is the sixth of 17 events this season. 2008 RACE WINNER: Dani Pedrosa, by 2.806 seconds over Valentino Rossi 2008 POLE WINNER: Casey Stoner, 1 minute, 41.186 seconds U.S. TV: MotoGP: 6-7 p.m. (ET), Sunday, June 14, SPEED. 250cc: 5-6 p.m., Sunday, June 14, SPEED. THE AMERICANS: U.S. riders Colin Edwards (Houston, Yamaha Tech 3) and Nicky Hayden (Owensboro, Ky., Ducati Team) will compete in this race. Edwards is seventh and Hayden is 15th in the MotoGP standings after five races this season. “¢Colin Edwards: “Going into the corner (at Catalunya), you need just about everything to be balanced. Weight distribution, front and rear. That’s pretty much the 800s, summed up. Barcelona, for sure, you have long-radius corners where you’re leaned over for a long time, so you can’t have too much crazy transfer on the front or the rear. You just have to have it settle pretty evenly.” “¢Nicky Hayden: “Barcelona is a track I like a lot, with some really hard braking areas, like Turn 1, but also with some really fast and technical sections. We can’t do much in terms of preparing for the Grand Prix, and this obviously isn’t an easy period for me, but I have to think positive and continue to give it everything. That is my way of dealing with things, and that is what I’ll continue to do alongside my team. I’m looking forward to getting out there and racing again, but I’m also looking forward to the test afterward. I really need some testing and more time in the saddle. This year I’m really feeling the testing ban that has been brought in, and I know it’s the same for everybody. But for me, in particular, I know I’d really benefit from some test time, so hopefully we can get some good work done in Barcelona that will help me take a step forward.” THEY SAID IT: “Being leader of the championship at this stage means absolutely nothing. My rivals are very clever, mature and capable of winning races, so we have to stay focused, do our best to be competing for the top step of the podium again, and if that’s not possible, then make sure we are bringing home the maximum number of points.” Ducati Team rider Casey Stoner about leading the points entering this event FAST FACTS: Over the last seven years, the only MotoGP rider to win this event from pole is Valentino Rossi in 2006 “¦ Last year, Dani Pedrosa became the first Spanish rider to win this event since Alex Criville in 1999 “¦ Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa are the only riders to have won at the Circuit de Catalunya in all three classes, MotoGP, 250cc and 125cc “¦ World Championship contender Jorge Lorenzo has beaten teammate Valentino Rossi three times this season in races in which both riders have finished. Since 2002, Rossi has lost to a teammate three times in a season only one other year, in 2006 “¦ Jorge Lorenzo will compete at this event on a Yamaha featuring the colors of his favorite soccer team, 2009 Champions League winner FC Barcelona. Lorenzo’s helmet also will feature an image of him wearing an FC Barcelona jersey with his name and number 99 “¦ American standouts Nicky Hayden and Colin Edwards have best finishes of second and fifth at the Circuit de Catalunya during their respective careers “¦ This is the 18th consecutive year that the Circuit de Catalunya has played host to a MotoGP World Championship round. Only Jerez (Spain), Mugello (Italy), Donington Park (United Kingdom) and Assen (Netherlands) have been on the schedule more successive years “¦ One of the rare in-season MotoGP test sessions will take place Monday, June 15 at Catalunya “¦ American Stevie Bonsey will make his 250cc World Championship debut at this event aboard an Aprilia for the Milar-Juegos Lucky Racing Team. Bonsey, from Salinas, Calif., will race for the team for the rest of the season. He was scheduled to race the entire 250cc schedule in 2009 with the Aprilia Madrid team, which encountered financial problems during the offseason and has not raced. Bonsey, 19, competed in the 125cc class the last two seasons and is the first full-time American rider in 250cc since Kurtis Roberts in 1997 “¦ American Cameron Beaubier will continue his first season in the 125cc class at this event. Beaubier, 16, from Roseville, Calif., is 26th in the World Championship standings this season for the Red Bull KTM 125 factory team. *** 2009 IMS tickets: Established in 1909, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has long prevailed as an icon of motorsports excellence. Beginning in 2009, the Speedway celebrates its Centennial Era, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the facility in 2009 and the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in 2011. Tickets for the two remaining events in 2009 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard and Red Bull Indianapolis GP can be purchased online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time. Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.