Spanish GP - Preview
DUCATI MARLBORO MEN AIM TO MAINTAIN MOMENTUM
The Ducati Marlboro Team goes to Jerez aiming to maintain
momentum following Casey Stoner's awesome maiden MotoGP victory
at the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix on March 10. Last year's
Jerez winner Loris Capirossi was out of luck at Losail but
is confident he will be back up front in Spain, round two
of MotoGP's longest-ever season.
Stoner and his Bridgestone-equipped Desmosedici GP7 stunned
with their speed at Losail, proving the success of the team's
800cc winter development programme. Both the Australian and
Capirossi tested at Jerez last month and will make use of
the lessons learned during that session to help them achieve
the best possible result in Sunday's race.
Jerez is one of the most popular events on the MotoGP calendar,
regularly attracting weekend crowds in excess of 200,000.
LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager
"It's great to start the season with a win, just as we
did last year, but we must keep our feet on the ground. It's
a long season and it won't always be so easy. It was especially
satisfying to start the 800cc era with victory, the same way
we ended the 990 era; it proves that we are doing a good job.
I'm really happy for Casey because scoring your debut MotoGP
victory on a new bike and new tyres isn't easy. He was fast
and smart at Losail, and he rode the fastest lap of the race
on the last lap, proving he had everything under control and
is physically very strong. Loris' crash was a pity, he didn't
make one mistake all last season and mistakes happen in racing.
We are sure he would've been on the podium if he hadn't crashed."
CASEY STONER, World Championship leader, 25 points
"We go to Jerez in pretty good mood after the win. I'm
so happy with the team and everything, and I feel like we'll
get stronger as I get more used to the strengths of the Ducati
and the Bridgestones. Qatar was perfect - I was able to set
my own pace throughout the race, not pushing too much. At
Jerez I always seem to do reasonably well, never that great,
but we'll see how things pan out this time. Around a lot of
the track you need a quick-turning bike, so you can enter
the corners quick and get on the gas quick. And you need a
bike with good acceleration too. The other thing about Jerez
is the first corner - it's always quite scary. The atmosphere
is great, you really feel it during the build-up to the race
but once the racing starts you just concentrate on the job
in hand."
LORIS CAPIROSSI, World Championship ranking: no score
"My crash is already well behind me and I'm really looking
forward to Jerez. The tests we did there last month were very
important to understand our 2007 package, especially since
the tests there at the end of last year didn't go so well.
With the information we learned in February we hope to be
able to make some good decisions for the race. The GP7 feels
very good around Jerez, it's a little easier to ride than
last year's GP6 - more agile and more stable on the brakes.
Jerez is also good for Bridgestone, as our 2006 win proved.
It's a good track, nice to ride and very technical. To go
quick you need a well-balanced bike and a good front end because
you need confidence to attack the fast corners."
THE TRACK
Constructed in 1986, Jerez hosted its first Grand Prix the
following year and has remained on the World Championship
calendar ever since. Most riders love the Andalucian venue
because it rewards rider talent. Many of the circuit's 13
corners flow into one another, placing the emphasis on smooth,
neat riding and stable, all-round machine performance. The
circuit character places particular emphasis on front-tyre
grip, though the many slow-speed turns also require MotoGP
riders to control wheelspin as they power out of the corners.
Five years ago the track underwent resurfacing and total reconstruction
of its infrastructure.
JEREZ: 4.423km/2.748 miles
Lap record: Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team), 1m 41.248s,
157.265kmh/98.915mph (2006)
Pole position 2006: Loris Capirossi, (Ducati Marlboro Team),
1m 39.064s (2006)
DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS
LORIS CAPIROSSI
Age: 33 (born 4 April 1973)
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP7
GP starts: 249 (79xMotoGP, 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)
Jerez 2006 results: Grid: pole. Race: 1st
CASEY STONER
Age: 21 (born 16 October 16 1985)
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP7
GP starts: 78 (17xMotoGP, 31x250, 30x125)
GP victories: 8 (1xMotoGP, 5x250, 2x125)
First GP victory: Valencia, 2003 (125)
First GP: Britain, 2001 (125)
Pole positions: 5 (1xMotoGP, 2x250, 2x125)
First pole: Italy, 2003 (125)
Jerez 2006 results: Grid: 15th. Race: 6th
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