MELANDRI CHASES AMERICAN DREAM AT LAGUNA SECA
PREVIEW GP USA - LAGUNA SECA ROUND 11
Just five days after racing at the Sachsenring in Germany,
where Marco Melandri returned to the battle for podium positions,
the MotoGP World Championship paddock is preparing itself
for one final big effort before the three-week summer break.
The eleventh round of the season sees MotoGP return to the
USA for the third successive year amidst increasing expectation
and excitement from the American public.
The track has been completely relaid after the problems of
last year and the riders can't wait to reacquaint themselves
with the legendary "Corkscrew", a breathtaking downhill
'S' bend that is synonymous with the Californian circuit.
Having already stood on the podium here last year and following
on from his outstanding performance at Sachsenring, Marco
Melandri arrives at Laguna Seca with a special motivation.
This weekend the Italian will be joined by a local expert
in the shape of Miguel Duhamel, who steps in to replace the
injured Toni Elias in what promises to be a special home debut.
It is a proud moment for Duhamel, who returns to the Grand
Prix fold after an absence of more than a decade, although
it is sure to be a massive physical challenge for the veteran
as he will combine the one-off ride with his regular duties
in the AMA Superbike category.
Marco MelandrI: "Thanks to the help
we had from Honda in Germany we were able to take a big step
forward and we were competitive again straight away. For a
lot of laps I was thinking I was going to finish up on the
podium but in the end I did what I could. The main thing is
that I had fun again and got the feeling back with my bike.
Now I'm happy to be racing again so soon. I like Laguna Seca
a lot - I finished third there last year and the track is
really nice, so technical. We'll have to see what the weather
is like, above all the temperature, but I'm convinced the
bike and the Bridgestone tyres can work well in America. I
want to fight for the podium again, I'm optimistic and I can't
wait to taste that champagne once more. It will be another
tough race, though, and I'm going there to have fun. I really
like the USA as a country and this year I'll be wearing a
special 'stars and stripes' helmet for the occasion."
MIGUEL DUHAMEL: "I still can't believe
it. I've been waiting for this moment for such a long time
and it is nice to be a part of a team as important as Fausto
Gresini's. I feel bad for Toni Elias and I wish him a speedy
recovery, hopefully he will be back on track soon, but I am
very excited. My physical training programme has had an extra
motivation to it in the build up to this weekend."
THE AMA CHAMPIONSHIP: On Sunday the MotoGP
main event will not be supported by the 125 and 250 races,
as it is usually, and instead will be joined on the race schedule
by the AMA Superbike and Supersport series'. Before the return
of the world's premier motorcycle racing series to Laguna
Seca, national attention was focused on the production series,
which has been a huge success since the 1970s, producing top
international racers such as Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Freddie
Spencer, Kevin Schwantz and even the current MotoGP World
Champion Nicky Hayden. Miguel Duhamel, 38, is one of the leading
riders in the current series and has been for a number of
years. The Duhamel name is hugely popular in the States thanks
to the success of Miguel's father Yvonne, who was a huge part
of American motorcycling in the '60s and '70s as a street
racer. He would later contest the World Championship with
the unmistakable green colours of Kawasaki - emblazoned with
the number 17 that would later be adopted by Miguel. The AMA
Superbike Championship, where Duhamel competes against other
big names such as Ben Spies, Mat Mladin and the brothers of
Nicky Hayden - Tommy and Roger Lee - has a similar formula
to WSBK: two races at each event (with the exception of Daytona),
one taking place on Saturday and one on Sunday. The difference
is that many riders compete in a variety of different categories
on the same day - Superstock, Supersport or Formula Xtreme
- in a similar way to Grand Prix riders back in the '70s.
Thanks to the popularity of motorcycle imports in the American
market and particularly in California, the biggest market
in the world in terms of sales, the AMA series continues to
generate great interest and excitement, as well as attracting
major investment from sponsors.
MIGUEL DUHAMEL -Rider profile
Date of birth: 26.05. 1968
Born in LaSalle, Quebec, Canada, but now a resident of Las
Vegas.
Rider with Honda America, contests the AMA Superbike series
with the number 17 he inherited from his father, Yvonne.
First race: 1976, aged 8
AMA debut: 12.03.1989, Daytona 600 Supersport
First AMA National victory: 05.05.1990, 750 Supersport, Road
Atlanta, Suzuki
Total AMA National series victories: 87.
32 in Superbike
41 in Supersport
13 in Formula Xtreme
1 in Superstock
AMA titles: 8
1 x Superbike, 5 x Supersport 600, 2 x Formula Xtreme.
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