TEAM SAN CARLO HONDA GRESINI HEAD TO ATLANTIC COAST FOR
GRAND PRIX OF PORTUGAL
Team San Carlo Honda Gresini make the trip from their base
on the Adriatic coast to the edge of the Atlantic this weekend
in preparation for the third round of the MotoGP World Championship
2008, the Grand Prix of Portugal.
The action resumes at the Estoril circuit, located just a
few kilometres from the capital city of Lisbon, from 11th
to 13th April, with Alex De Angelis and Shinya Nakano back
in the hunt for points on board their Bridgestone-shod Honda
RC212V machines.
Shinya’s objective is to continue on the upward trend
he set at Losail and Jerez in the opening two rounds, followed
by a test on the Monday following the Spanish round, where
the Japanese rider and his chief mechanic Antonio Jimenez
were able to improve his feeling with the bike and tyres.
Alex takes on the Estoril circuit for the first time on a
MotoGP bike having stepped on the podium there in both the
125 and 250 classes and the San Marino man should have no
trouble getting back on to the pace of the leading pack, as
he did in Qatar.
#15 ALEX DE ANGELIS
“Unlike Losail and Jerez, in Portugal I’ll be
taking on a circuit where I’ve never ridden before on
a MotoGP bike because we haven’t tested at Estoril so
it’s difficult to make predictions but I’m confident
there will be an improvement on recent performances. We were
fast all through winter testing but the results of the first
two races were not satisfactory. At Estoril we can do really
well, I’m sure of that. The test at Jerez following
the Grand Prix of Spain was really important because we were
able to work on certain things that hadn’t worked during
the race weekend. Bridgestone worked closely with the team
and brought along a new structure that made the bike more
stable. At this point it’s a case of trying to find
a little more traction on the rear, which is the area we’re
struggling the most with right now.”
# 56 SHINYA NAKANO
“Estoril is another circuit that I know really well.
To go there after such a positive test on the Monday after
the race at Jerez gives me a lot of confidence for the race.
We’ll go into first free practice with a few small modifications
from the base set-up we found at Jerez, which allowed me to
ride much more aggressively. The clear objective is to improve
and get a better finish than at Jerez – we can do it!”
FAUSTO GRESINI – TEAM MANAGER
“I’m sure that in Shinya can continue with the
positive trend he has set lately – in the test at Jerez
he found a good solution for the setting which gives him a
little more over race distance, not just for a single lap.
Alex is on a steep learning curve, which has been held up
a little by a few crashes lately that haven’t helped
– especially in terms of his confidence. But I’m
convinced that he’ll soon be able to get the maximum
out of his potential, which I think is at the same level as
Lorenzo and Dovizioso, who Alex fought with regularly in 250cc.
For the whole team Estoril is a place that holds great memories
- in 2006 we took victory with Toni Elias, showing once again
our strength amongst the Honda satellite teams – so
for that reason also Estoril is the perfect occasion for us
to improve on the first two races.”
RACE FACTS
The Estoril circuit, which opened in 1972, has always brought
good luck to Gresini Racing, who have had a rider finish in
the top five at the Grand Prix of Portugal for the last four
years – capped by a fantastic victory for Toni Elias
in 2006. Two years ago the Spaniard became embroiled in a
breathtaking victory with Valentino Rossi that went down to
the final lap, Elias winning a drag race to the line with
his Honda to beat the Yamaha by just 0.005 seconds.
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