GP OF QATAR - PREVIEW
LOSAIL, A STEP INTO THE DESERT
The World Championship circus is now well underway. After
the opening round of the 2006 season at the Jerez de la Frontera
circuit in Spain, the bikes, parts and equipment have been
boxed up and transported to Qatar, where the second race of
the campaign will take place on the 8th April.
LOOKING FORWARD TO QATAR
MARCO MELANDRI: "I am really confident
about the next GP. The day of testing after the race in Jerez
was important to understand the direction we need to go in.
I am focused and motivated. The track is complete and challenging.
I've got good memories of Losail - the race last year was
a real turning point in my season."
TONI ELIAS: "I'm arriving feeling very
motivated. The Spanish GP gave me a real injection of confidence
- not just because fourth place was my best result so far
in MotoGP but also because I have overcome a mental limitation.
Now I know I am in the right shape to battle with the front
guys. Qatar will be a different kettle of fish because the
track conditions don't allow for errors. We didn't test here
in the winter so we'll only have four hours available to find
the best possible set-up."
THE TRACK
Located 10km outside the capital city of Doha, the Losail
International Circuit is surrounded by desert landscape. Built
in record time, the track was met by the immediate approval
of the riders not only for the excellent safety features (the
run off areas are more than adequate in an area where space
is not an issue) but also for the challenge it proposes. The
track has only one true straight, measuring 1068m (the second
longest on the World Championship calendar) followed by a
series of varied corners which are all linked together and
give the riders little chance to rest in the searing heat.
A distinctive feature of the track is the sequence of three
fast right corners. Another characteristic is how difficult
it is to overtake - not because there aren't enough suitable
points but because of the danger of running off the racing
line, due to the conditions of the track.
The main unknown factor this year will be the level of grip,
which will depend on the temperature and the amount of sand
that has been left on the track surface by the wind.
Qatar 2005 : The GP of Qatar 2005 represented a real turnaround
in fortunes for Marco Melandri, who had come through a period
of tough races following his injury at Motegi. He started
from the second row but Marco soon became the protagonist
of an intense head to head with the World Champion, Valentino
Rossi. The battle went down to the final lap and saw Marco
finish in second place, moving up to third in the championship,
just two points behind Max Biaggi.
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Circuit name: Losail International Circuit
Opened: 2004
Latest modification: 2004
Length: 5,400m
Width: 12m
Pole position: Left
Right corners: 10
Left corners: 6
Longest straight: 1068m
RECORDS
Circuit record: 2004 Edwards (Honda) 1'59"293
Pole position: 2005 Capirossi (Ducati) 1'56"917
Race 2005: 1st Rossi (Yamaha) 2nd Melandri (Honda) 3rd Hayden
(Honda)
MotoGP World Championship
Loris Capirossi (Ita/Ducati) 25 points
Dani Pedrosa (Sp/Honda) 20 points
Nicky Hayden (Usa/Honda) 16 points
Toni Elias (Sp/Honda) 13 points
Marco Melandri (Ita/Honda) 11 points
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