DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM SET FOR CATALAN CHALLENGE
This week the Ducati Marlboro Team dashes from its home Grand
Prix at Mugello to Barcelona for the Catalan GP, the second
of four races during June, MotoGP's busiest month.
Stoner has scored three wins, plus a third, a fourth and
a fifth place from the first six races, proving that he has
both speed and consistency. Capirossi meanwhile has scored
one podium so far this season and is currently working hard
to refine a new engine spec developed by Ducati Corse to suit
his riding style. Capirossi won Ducati's historic debut MotoGP
win at Catalunya in June 2003, so the Italian will be aiming
to fight up front once again this weekend as he and Stoner
continue to work hard with the team and with their Desmosedici
GP7s.
LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager
"Barcelona will be another big challenge, so we go there
working to do our best. The big thing is that we didn't race
there last year [both Capirossi and team-mate Sete Gibernau
were injured in a first-corner accident and didn't take part
in the restarted race], so we don't have any recent race tyre
data for this track. But Casey proved to be very good under
pressure once more at Mugello, so we go to Spain feeling optimistic.
Loris won our first race there four years ago, and we hope
he will have more time to work on the new engine spec he used
for the first time at Mugello."
CASEY STONER, World Championship leader on 115 points
"We learned a few more things at Mugello last weekend
and that should help us at Barcelona. As always, we will do
the best we can and whatever happens, happens. We've been
doing a very good job so far this season, so now we go into
every race a little more relaxed, a bit more confident in
my ability. Barcelona used to be one of my favourite tracks,
until they resurfaced it and it got a bit too rough, then
it started to really play up with the bikes. My first couple
of years it was really good, 2001 to 2003, then in 2004 it
started getting too rough and in 2005 they resurfaced it.
But it wasn't resurfaced really well and the F1 cars make
it worse. The track is pretty hard work, it's got some really
good points and some fast corners. The first sector's not
too bad, most people are pretty similar through there, then
the next section is really hard, but it's the last few turns
that are really crucial, especially the last two right-handers.
It's a very technical circuit, so hopefully it'll be another
good one for us. Ducati's first ever win was here and even
if it'd be nice to have another one our target is still to
do our best and see what happens.
LORIS CAPIROSSI, 7th overall on 47 points
"I'm looking forward to this race because I hope we
will have good weather that will allow us to continue the
work we did on our new engine spec at Mugello. The new spec
works well for me - it gives more linear power delivery which
is better for my riding style. I use more lean angle than
other riders through the corners, so I need a more gentle
feeling from the engine when I begin to use the throttle out
of the turns. We made a good jump forward with the engine
and the chassis at Mugello. We improved my feeling with the
front end of the bike, which is vital for my style, but I
still need more improvements in that area. Last year we had
quite a tough weekend at Catalunya, even before the big crash,
but I think this visit will be very different, I love this
circuit, I got Ducati's first win there in 2003. It's a great
track with a lot of long corners where you need good traction
from the rear."
THE TRACK
Catalunya is another challenging racetrack, characterised
by long, constant-radius corners that place the emphasis on
a flowing riding style, as well as excellent chassis and tyre
performance. The circuit was resurfaced before the 2005 event.
Catalunya is in the centre of Spain's motorcycle racing heartland
and joined the GP fixture list in 1992, hosting the Grand
Prix of Europe. Wayne Rainey won the first-ever 500 GP at
the track in May '92. In '96 the event was renamed the Catalan
Grand Prix.
Lap record: Nicky Hayden (Honda), 1m 43.048s, 165.139km-h/102.613mph
(2006)
Pole position 2006: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), 1m 36.411s
DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS
LORIS CAPIROSSI
Age: 34 (born 4 April 1973)
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP7
GP starts: 254 (84xMotoGP, 59x500, 84x250, 27x125)
GP victories: 28 (6xMotoGP, 2x500, 12x250, 8x125)
First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125)
First GP: Japan, 1990 (125)
Pole positions: 41 (8xMotoGP, 5x500, 23x250, 5x125)
First pole: Australia, 1991 (125)
World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998)
Catalunya 2006 results: Grid: 6th. Race: did not start restarted
race
CASEY STONER
Age: 21 (born 16 October 16 1985)
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP7
GP starts: 83 (22xMotoGP, 31x250, 30x125)
GP victories: 10 (3xMotoGP, 5x250, 2x125)
First GP victory: Valencia, 2003 (125)
First GP: Britain, 2001 (125)
Pole positions: 6 (2xMotoGP, 2x250, 2x125)
First pole: Netherlands, 2003 (125)
Catalunya 2006 results: Grid: 8th. Race: DNF
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