After the season-opening race in Qatar just over a week ago, the MotoGP World Championship heads to Jerez this weekend for the first European round of the year, the Gran Premio bwin.com de España. 21 year old Casey Stoner currently leads the way in the MotoGP overall standings for the first time in his career, having taken his maiden victory in the class with a perfect ride at Losail. The Australian made his debut for the official Ducati team one to remember, and the sight of all four of the Italian factory’s bikes at the head of the speed charts demonstrates that the Desmosedici GP7 is in tremendous shape for the 800cc era. Stoner’s win also makes it the first time since the year 2000 that there have been six or more different winners in consecutive races. Unable to do anything to catch Stoner on the straights, Valentino Rossi took second at the Qatari race. The five-time MotoGP World Champion is currently on a run of five races without a win, his worst drought since his debut victory at Donington in 2000, and will be eager to break the streak as he begins his revenge mission for the world title in earnest. The Italian has been in blistering qualifying form as of late, including a magnificent run at the Jerez Circuit during last month’s MotoGP Official Test. On the podium once more at Losail, Dani Pedrosa broke Rossi’s record to become the youngest ever rider to take 50 Grand Prix podiums. He was also fast at his home track during testing, with an extremely impressive race simulation on the final day of the 2007 preseason, and will remember with fondness a thrilling debut MotoGP ride into second place in last year’s event. One rider with slightly less recent experience of the circuit is Suzuki’s John Hopkins. The Anglo-American is still on the mend from a hand injury which forced him to miss his final chance to test the GSV-R800 at Jerez, and was in obvious pain after an impressive race in Qatar where he equalled his best ever result of fourth. Marco Melandri put in some fast runs at Jerez during preseason and subsequently at the opening race of 2007, but will hope his calls for more power are answered in Spain. He is joined in the overall top eight by Colin Edwards, Chris Vermeulen and Nicky Hayden, with the latter having had a start to his title defence with a result far from that which he would have liked. The World Champion will need to pick up the pace early on this year if he is to keep up with the top riders who are out for his crown. Andrew Pitt and Jeremy McWilliams will be absent from the race in Jerez as their Ilmor GP team temporarily suspended its participation in the championship at the end of last week. Meanwhile, Suzuki will be running a wildcard rider at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España, their regular tester Kousuke Akiyoshi. The Japanese rider stepped in for Hopkins to complete testing work last month, and has been rewarded with a race outing for Paul Denning’s MotoGP outfit. Circuit Info Built in 1986 and hosting its first Grand Prix one year later, the Circuito de Jerez is now one of the most popular MotoGP venues and the focal point for a city fanatical about the sport. Set in a slight valley in the south of Spain, Jerez is blessed with consistently good weather and beautiful scenery, its numerous grandstands providing the perfect viewing facilities for up to 250,000 spectators throughout the weekend. With two alternative road circuits (4,423m and 4,428m), which were resurfaced during 2005, Jerez is a popular venue used by many race teams for testing throughout the year, whilst its recently updated corporate and media facilities have proven to be a popular addition to the complex. 250cc In 250cc, Jorge Lorenzo leads the way after a repeat of his 2006 triumph. The quarter litre World Champion claims to have regained the ‘eye of the tiger’ which inspired his excited post-race celebration, something which will be essential for the Spaniard in a fiercely competitive 250cc field. He leads Aspar rider Alex de Angelis and Team Toth’s Hector Barbera in the standings, although the championship seems to have already been shaken up by the arrival of some new faces. Thomas Luthi, Mika Kallio and Alvaro Bautista all qualified well for their first race in the class, with the Finn suffering mechanical problems and the Spaniard a crash which left them without a tangible reward for their efforts. Former 125cc World Champion Luthi had a fantastic Grand Prix, taking fourth and battling for a podium spot. 125cc After a closely-fought win to open his 2007 account, Hector Faubel became the first rider in the 125cc class to win the last race of one season and the first race of the next since Masao Azuma in 2000/2001. The Spaniard edged out team-mate Gabor Talmacsi to deny the Hungarian his first victory for the Aspar outfit on the line, and both reaffirmed their title credentials with fine performances on the Aprilia. Another rider sure to be in contention for glory this season, Lukas Pesek added another podium to his account with third in Qatar. The Czech rider is still chasing his first win in the class, something which he will be hoping to amend at Jerez despite the presence of many local riders. Practice for the Gran Premio bwin.com de España begins on Friday March 23rd, with the race itself taking place on Sunday in a return to the regular European schedule. More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Will Spanish Eyes be smiling for Rizla Suzuki MotoGP at Jerez? Rizla Suzuki MotoGP travels back to Europe for the second round of the 2007 MotoGP World Championship this week, looking to expand upon a strong showing in Qatar. Both John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen have been encouraged by their first round performances. Hopkins finished fourth in Doha, despite being below-strength due to injuries sustained at the same circuit in testing last month. Suzuki’s Anglo-American star is determined to carry the momentum to Spain and ride to the maximum of his and the GSV-R’s ability. Team-mate Vermeulen finished a creditable seventh in Qatar and believes his route to success lies in getting a better qualifying position. He qualified in 13th for the first round and fought his way through the field. Vermeulen has had little chance to test Bridgestone’s qualifying tyres and was planning on a thorough evaluation at last week’s Qatar test after the race but strong winds at Losail meant this was not possible. Jerez is the most visited Grand Prix on the calendar, housing nearly a quarter-of-a-million people at trackside throughout the three days last year. The 4.423km circuit is a great racing circuit due to its undulating layout, hard-braking corners and endless camber changes. This is a track that should suit the new 800cc bikes with their higher cornering speed and a fast exciting race should be provided for the massive crowds to enjoy. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will also be joined at Jerez by Team Test rider Kousuke Akiyoshi. He is making not only his race debut at the Jerez circuit, but also his first European MotoGP appearance. He tested at Jerez with the team last month and will be looking to get a good result in his first wild-card race of the season. All three Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racers will take to the track on Friday for two free practice sessions. This is followed by a further free practice session on Saturday morning and then the hour-long qualifying session to determine grid positions for Sunday 27-lap race, which gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT). John Hopkins: “I am ready for this race! I am hoping to be fully fit, unlike Qatar, and to give it all I’ve got. We tested here a couple of times and I know that I have the pace to run at the front. Jerez has a lot of heavy braking but my hand is ok now, and I’ve been training really hard in Miami to make sure that I’m 100% when the lights change to ‘go’ on raceday!” Chris Vermeulen: “I was not that pleased to finish seventh in Qatar, but from where I started on the grid it was a good result. I realise that I have to get a better place to start from so that I can challenge with the front guys. The new tyre rule might have had something to do with the qualifying tyres I chose, but this week I will be sure to get what I want and make the most of them. I like the Jerez circuit and know that I can perform well on race tyres there so I am really looking forward to getting out there and going for it!” Kousuke Akiyoshi: “I am very happy to have the chance to race at Jerez. I did my first GP in Japan last year, but this will be something very different to that. I want to perform well and make sure that I can get a good result.” More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: Fiat Yamaha Team look to build on strong start at Jerez The second round of the MotoGP World Championship welcomes the Fiat Yamaha Team to Europe next weekend with Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards looking to continue their strong start to the season at Jerez. After starring in an intriguing curtain-raiser to the season in Qatar, where the pair dominated in practice only to see Casey Stoner (Ducati) storm to his debut victory in the race, the Italian and the American will be looking to use data from positive tests at the Spanish circuit just over three weeks ago to propel them to victory next Sunday. Second place for Rossi in the desert dust of Doha leaves him lying second in the championship, five points behind the Australian youngster, whilst Edwards holds sixth place after suffering grip problems on the unpredictable Losail surface in the race. Both riders lapped well at Jerez in the final Official Test of the pre-season, when Rossi took the top spot in a televised ‘qualifying’ session – smashing the pole record with a best lap of 1’38.394. Rossi’s record at Jerez in competitive action is unmatched, the 28-year-old having won there on six occasions riding five different types of motorcycle since his first appearance in the 125cc class in 1996. Edwards, meanwhile, had never ridden at the Spanish venue previous to his debut MotoGP appearance in 2003 and the Texan has enjoyed limited success at the circuit since then, his best finish coming with seventh spot in a wet race three seasons ago. Jerez could barely provide a starker contrast to the scenes at Losail, with the rolling green Andalusian hills providing the ideal setting for a natural amphitheatre that has become known as the Spanish Mecca of motorcycle racing, with upwards of 120,000 fans making the annual pilgrimage. The track itself challenges the riders to pick the most effective racing line, with few hard braking points and little opportunity to fully open the throttle. The 4.423km layout features regular and quick changes in direction, meaning that the rider requires a responsive overall set-up and good grip at maximum lean angles. Valentino Rossi – “We’re in good shape” Valentino Rossi has reiterated his confidence in the ability of Yamaha’s engineers to respond to the top-speed challenge laid down by Ducati at Qatar as he looks to end his longest run without a win since his debut victory at Donington Park in 2000. Stoner’s machine had the top speed advantage over Rossi’s down the long Losail straight but ‘The Doctor’ fully expects the deficit to reduce over the coming weeks and says that the extra corner speed of his M1 will prove crucial at tighter circuits such as Jerez. “I think Qatar showed that, although we have some areas to improve, our bike is working well and we won’t be making the same mistakes as last year,” said Rossi. “I’m feeling confident for Jerez, I think it will suit our bike very well, even better than Qatar, and we were very strong there in the test. We know we lack a bit of horsepower but I think this will improve race-by-race and Yamaha are working very hard. I don’t expect it to be a big problem in Jerez as it’s a different type of track”. “Jerez is one of my favourite circuits and I’ve had some great races there in the past so I hope this is another good year for me there. Qatar was very quiet, which was a good way to start the season because there were no distractions for me, but Jerez is always a great party with a fantastic atmosphere, so now I am really looking forward to that and I hope we can give the fans a good show. I expect that Pedrosa will be very fast here, as he was in the test, and I expect a big battle with him at his home race.” Colin Edwards – “Learn and move on” Despite his unexpected problems in the race at Losail, sixth place for Colin Edwards was still a decent points haul for the opening round and the Texan is confident of adding considerably to that tally at Jerez. The more predictable nature of the Spanish track conditions should allow the 33-year-old to fully exploit the excellent set-up work he completed there during pre-season testing and allow him to once again run at the top of the time sheets throughout the Grand Prix. “I’m looking forward to Jerez, our bike worked pretty well there during the test and we made some good changes to it there so I am expecting to be running at the top again – just this time I hope to be able to do it in the race, too!” says Edwards. “Qatar was disappointing of course because we were so good all week and then the race didn’t work out. It wasn’t what we expected but we just have to learn from it and move on”. “Last year Jerez wasn’t great for us, I got a good start but then got caught up in Valentino’s crash and ran through the gravel at turn one but both he and I will be looking to avoid anything like that this year! We’ve got a good setting to start with in Jerez and we’ll go from there. We know we need to work on a few things and I know Yamaha are working hard to improve our top speed a bit, but hopefully that won’t be too much of an issue in Jerez”. Davide Brivio – “Podium priority” Fiat Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio outlined the importance of Rossi’s opening-race podium in what promises to be another unpredictable season of MotoGP racing. Whilst the team’s focus is clearly on winning races, Brivio points out that the priority is to be on the rostrum in as many events as possible as the team put together another championship tilt. The Italian added that his staff are now looking forward to the next challenge, with Jerez high on the list of favourite venues for any paddock regular. “We’re happy with the way the season started in Qatar because we saw that our bike is competitive and ready to win races ” says Brivio. “We were on the podium and that is our target at every race this season because that’s where the serious points are. Now we’re looking forward to Jerez, a circuit where we tested well at and got lots of good information, so hopefully there will be no surprises. We’re also confident that the difference between our bike and others in straight-line speed won’t be as much of an issue there”. “Qatar is a nice place to go but it clearly doesn’t have the atmosphere and sense of occasion of Jerez. It’s nice to be in such a great motorcycling arena, with lots of people bustling around the paddock and thousands of screaming fans in the grandstand. I think it is the kind of atmosphere Valentino responds to and he will want to put on a great show for the fans. It’s a great motivation for all the riders and there is no reason why Colin can’t repeat his form at the tests and challenge with Valentino for the podium this Sunday.” Valentino Rossi: Information Age: 28 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 84 (57 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 174 (115 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 46 World Championships: 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) Colin Edwards: Information Age: 33 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 67 x MotoGP World Championships: 2 World Superbike Jerez Lap Record (990cc) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005, 1’40,596 Jerez Best Lap (800cc) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2007, 1’38,394 2006 Spanish Grand Prix Results 1. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 45’57.733 2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda +4.375 3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda +9.996 11. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha +37.930 14. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha +1’05.766