Round 1 – Qatar Grand Prix – Preview
THE PRAMAC D’ANTIN MOTOGP TEAM IS PRIMED AND
READY TO START THE 2007 MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
 It's
officially World Championship race-season at the Losail Circuit
of Qatar, where the new, prototype 800cc machines will compete
in their first race during the New Era of MotoGP, replacing
the 990 four-strokes utilized in past seasons. The PRAMAC
D’ANTIN MotoGP Team is excited to begin the fantastic
new challenge that the 2007 MotoGP World Championship presents,
and comes equipped with a fierce determination to achieve
maximum results. After a successful pre-season, which saw
the team regularly challenging for the lead amidst the front-runners,
and an internal revolution in both the technical and organizational
departments, the Team is primed and ready to fight, and it
is with this new attitude for the new era that PRAMAC DANTIN
MotoGP will contest the 2007 MotoGP World Championship. The
return of Alex Barros, whose extensive experience in MotoGP
is invaluable, the resurgence of Alex Hofmann, who brings
youth and vitality, the excellent material provided by Ducati,
our new tire supplier, Bridgestone, and the Team’s restyling
and new image for 2007, are all vital elements of the Italospan
Team, which wants to be as competitive as possible. The race
weekend will begin on Thursday, March 8th, with free practice,
while the race will will be run on Saturday, March 10th.
Luis d’ Antin – Team Principal:“
Finally the first race has arrived and we are looking forward
at this moment! After the good results of the winter tests,
in particular at the Losail Circuit, we are confident to do
a good race this weekend . We know that we have a lot of work
to do to be very competitive in this new World Championship,
but we have an high potential at our disposal and both the
riders have excellent qualities. If we are able to work well
on the bike, I’m sure we will achieve important results!”
Alex Barros: “I’m anxious to
get the 2007 World Championship started! The tests in Qatar
went very well for us, and we found a good race setting and
a good tire solution, also; this make me very confident that
we are able to make a good performance. Despite one year away
from MotoGP, I reached good feeling with my Ducati GP7 almost
immediately, at the first winter test of '07. I’m deeply
motivated and I can't wait to mix it up again with the fastest
riders in the world!".
Alex Hofmann: “I’m ready and
very excited to get down to the track! For us, it's very important
start the season well from the very first race. We have solid
foundation to start from, thanks to the excellent test we
just had this past month at this circuit. This track itself
isn’t very fast, and there are lots of direction changes,
so for this reason it's important to have an agile and balanced
bike. I really love this kind of course, where our tires work
really well, and I hope to performance at my best and obtain
excellent results. This year is very important for me, because
with the material at our disposition we can be highly competitive.
I want do my best, and forget about the past!”
THE CIRCUIT
The International Losail Circuit was built in the 2004, when
it hosted it's first MotoGP World Championship race. It's
the third longest circuit in the Championship, at 5.380 meters
(3.34 miles), with a straightaway 1,068 meters long (.66 miles),
and 16 difficult and tricky turns. One of the essential characteristics
of this circuit has been the incredible heat from the surrounding
desert, and for this reason the race is now contested in March,
instead of April. Riders never forget about the sand that
blows continuously onto the track, making it slippery and
treacherous.
Open: 2004
Lenght: 5380 meters (3.34miles)
Width: 12m (39 feet)
Straight: 1068m
Left Turns: 6
Right Turns: 10
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