ROUND 6 GP 0F CATALUNYA - PREVIEW
#15 SETE GIBERNAU - THE HOME RACE
With Mugello behind him, Sete Gibernau returned to Spain
where Sunday the GP of Catalonia will be held. A very special
Grand Prix for the rider of team Movistar Honda as this track
is only 20 minutes from where Sete was born and where his
family lives.
“Barcelona is my real home race, my parents live here
and I was born in Barcelona. I really enjoy the circuit, and
after having won in Valencia in 2001 and in Jerez in 2004,
I am really only missing a victory on my home track. It would
be fantastic, here the atmosphere is incredible, plus I’m
Spanish, I’m Catalonian and I am very happy to race
here. I’m positive that my Spanish fans will be here
to support me and in particular during this home race, just
like the Italians did during the Mugello GP. I can’t
wait to race here. Barcelona will surely be a fantastic party,
like it is every year.”
WAITING FOR THE 2005 BARCELONA GP
“On this track we did some really good pre-season work,
so we are setting off with a great base and we are very prepared
and competitive.
I hope that racing on my home track will work to my advantage.
I really want to use this to the best of our potential, especially
for a race that is surely going to be full of tension and
emotions.
I would like to give a fantastic result to the spectators
and to my fans who have always believed in me. The warmth
of the public gives me an extra boost. The Spanish fans helped
me in March during the “mini GP” by giving me
the energy I needed when it was my turn to put it my fastest
lap and go on to win the 1 Series BMW that was up for grabs
by the quickest rider of the day! I cannot wait to ride again
for the Spanish fans.
I’d like Catalunya to be a turning point infact I can’t
explain why we can do such a good job all weekend and then
not come out with the result in the race because we are capable
o! f being competitive. I can’t deny that the championship
is slipping away from me already but I’m not going to
throw the towel in. I just want to win as many races as possible
and not think any further than that.”
SETE GIBERNAU’S COMMENTS ON MONTMELO’
“The best section of the track: the Renault corner,
the first long corner after the first chicane. The best place
to overtake is the Seat corner
The slowest part of the track: the Respol corner, it is slow
because the track here is very slippery. The most famous corner
of the track is Corner 4, a 180 degree corner where the bike
remains in leaning for a long time.
How to take on the circuit of Barcelona: It is a circuit which
requires two different driving styles: in fact it has a very
quick part and an part where you need to be very aggressive.
The secret to a good lap: a good pace and above all a perfect
setup”.
#33 MARCO MELANDRI - CALLED TO REPEAT HIMSELF
Marco Melandri arrives in Barcelona with all the motivation
of his fourth GP placement during the Italian GP. Author of
an incredible race, the twenty two year old Team Movistar
Honda rider kept up with the most expert of the Italian riders
like Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi and ended up in a real
duel with Loris Capirossi, fighting and overtaking until the
last corner. Even with the pressure of racing on his home
track and the desire to get a good result in front of his
fans, Marco conducted a difficult race and brought home a
fourth place finish which to him tastes like a victory as
this allows him to keep his second place standing in the Championship.
“It was an incredible race, definitely the best of the
season. I really enjoyed riding, braking at the limit and
having a breathtaking duel as well.”
MARCO MELANDRI AND THE CATALONIAN TRACK
Marco comes back to a friendly track which saw him on the
! third step of the podium last year. During his career, Marco
has stepped onto the podium three times on the Catalonian
track. The first time was in 1999 when he earned the third
place (class 125 cc). He returns to the podium, on the highest
step, in 2002, the year in which he won the 250cc World Championship
title.
In 2004 Marco steps onto the third step of the podium. This
was the first MotoGP podium of his career.
“I can’t wait to get back onto the track. I am
very serene and I really want to continue growing and bettering
myself. In Mugello we had a bit of trouble finding a perfect
setting. In Barcelona we have a bit of an advantage as we
rode here during the IRTA test at the beginning of the season.
For this reason we have a really solid base to begin with.”
Marco in fact proved to be quick and competitive during the
IRTA tests at the beginning of the season. On that occasion,
Marco Melandri, still growing and just getting accustomed
! to the RC211V, finished with a solid fourth place on the
occasion of the “mini GP” with a 1 Series BMW
up for grabs. In only three months, Marco has made giant steps
forward at arrives to the GP of Catalonia, sixth round of
the Championship, in second place of the championship standings.
A LAP OF THE TRACK WITH MARCO MELANDRI
“I really like the circuit of Barcelona, it is a great
track for the spectators and it is a difficult and technical
track for who is riding.
As I said, it is a technical track where it is quite easy
to let the bike slide while exiting from the corners.
One fault: the track is a bit undulated (not hole yet).
The session I prefer: The first variation and the first two
corners. These are two very long corners and they are also
very quick.
Best point to overtake: at the end of the starting straight
and at the variation at the end of the straight behind the
pits.
The slowest point: Caxio and Europec! ar, the two corners
when you enter the stadium.
The secret to a good lap: not letting the bike slide and having
a clean ride.
Atmosphere: it is incredible, you can’t hear the fans
as well as you can in Jerez, but this is only because the
track is bigger, but you can still hear them plenty. When
you enter the stadium, you can see all the tribunes full of
people waving their flags. It is a pleasure to ride in front
of all these people.
Best Memory: My first podium in MotoGP, GP of Catalonia 2003.
Worse Memory: When I fell during the 2001 GP. I was fighting
for the victory with Tetsuya Harada and Daijiro Kato.”
THE TRACK – TECHNICAL GUIDE
Circuit: Circuit de Catalunya.
Opened: 1991
modified: 1995
Length: 4.727 m
Width : 12 m
Pole position: right
Right corner: 8
Left corner: 5
Longest straight: 1047 m
RECORD:
track recor! d: 2004 Gibernau (Honda) 1’44”641
pole position: 2004 Gibernau (Honda) 1’42”596
2004 race : 1° Rossi (Yamaha), 2° Gibernau (Honda),
3° Melandri (Yamaha)
|
