British GP. Preview
ENGLAND, NEXT SETTING THIS WEEKEND FOR THE 2008 WORLD
CHAMPIONSHIP
Dani Pedrosa, recovered from the crash last week, ready to
keep up the fight for the victory at Donington Park. Nicky
Hayden, waiting to see if he can use the new HRC engine. Esteve
Rabat, also recovered, will be back on his bike this weekend
The 2008 World Motorcycling Championship is back in action
this weekend for the British Grand Prix, eighth test for points
in the current season. After the impeccable victory by Repsol
Honda Team rider Dani Pedrosa at the Catalunya Grand Prix
held a week ago, the Spaniard arrives at Donington just 7
points behind the classification leader, none other than Italian
Valentino Rossi. Behind these riders, the third classified
rider, Jorge Lorenzo, is already 41 points behind the Spaniard,
and the fourth, Stoner, 43.
Dani Pedrosa's experience on the British track can be boiled
down to two victories, one in MotoGP in 2006, and another
in 250cc, in 2004. In spite of being a circuit he likes, the
unstable weather plays an important role on the British track,
making it a particularly complicated challenge. In spite of
the crash on the Monday following the Catalunya grand Prix
while training, Pedrosa reaches Donington recovered, after
enjoying a week and a half's rest. Repsol Honda Team Teammate,
American rider Nicky Hayden, will arrive at Donington awaiting
the reply from his team as to whether or not he will use the
new pneumatic-valve engine. After trying it out for two days
on the Catalonian track after the Grand Prix, Hayden is confident
the new engine will be available, as the 2006 World Championship
feels much more comfortable with it. The answer will be known
on Friday 20th July.
For the young riders in the 125cc and 250cc categories, a
new challenge on a complicated and demanding track. For Julián
Simón the British event means returning to the circuit
where he claimed his only victory to date. This happened in
2005, when Simón was racing in 125cc with a KTM. Now,
with the change in displacement and on a circuit which brings
him happy memories, Simón hopes to be competitve again
and leave behind the various problems dogging him, which until
now have prevented him from showing his full potential. In
the smallest of the three categories, Esteve Rabat is back
in action once again recovered from the fall in Barcelona
a couple of weeks ago. Rabat is anxious to get back on his
bike as soon as possible, to continue working and improving
now that he has a new chassis for his KTM, which gave him
a lot more speed during the last few races. Marc Márquex
again faces the challenge of a new circuit. After the successful
tenth position taken in Barcelona a couple of weeks ago, Márquez
is sure to be looking forward to the British Grand Prix.
Quotes
MotoGP
Dani Pedrosa >>
“Winning in Catalunya was great but there are still
many races to go, we have to keep pushing. I crashed on the
day after the race, hurting my back and shoulders, but I will
be okay for the next race. Donington is quite a strange circuit,
quite smooth but not so grippy, and it often rains there.
My favourite part of the track is the uphill section all the
way to Coppice.
I don’t like the last part, it’s very slow and
tight. You need a set-up similar to Le Mans, so the bike accelerates
hard and brakes well too. You also need as much grip as you
can get because the surface is quite slippery. The two different
parts of the circuit require different riding styles: the
first requires a smooth style, the second a very aggressive
style. The atmosphere at Donington is different, not as Latin
as the last two races. The crowd seems to be much more enthusiastic
about motorcycling in general rather than just supporting
individual riders.”
Nicky Hayden >>
“I’m quite excited about Donington. I hope I’ll
be able to use the pneumatic-valve engine but we’ll
see what the decision is, we’ll go with what the team
says. Going into a race weekend with new parts is never easy,
so if we use the engine we’ll just try to learn as the
weekend goes on and get it dialled in.
The weather can be a big issue at Donington – it can
do anything. The track itself is almost like two tracks. The
first bit is awesome – you’ve got to be brave
through Craner, you need some guts, because it’s pretty
exciting down through there, I quite like it if the bike is
working good. The last bit of the track is a lot of hard braking.
No matter how good you hit the first part of the track, if
you can’t get through the two little hairpins at the
end of the lap it kills your lap times. The two sections are
completely different so it’s a compromise with the set-up.
What works through the first part can be a bit different to
what works through the last part, so it’s not an easy
track for the suspension guys and the chassis guys.”
250cc
Julián Simón >>
“It's a circuit I like a lot and a special Grand Prix
for me. I won my first racet there three years ago and I'm
optimistic about it, because I think this track is good for
the KTM's. It's a much shorter circuit, where I hope we can
defend ourselves better.
As for the weather, we know England isn't the ideal location,
so we'll have an eye on the rain, which has been very present
during the races lately. In any case, I'm going there feeling
confident and really looking forward to it, so let's hope
we can run a good race.”
125cc
Esteve Rabat >>
“All the tests went well and we've seen that when I
make efforts I don't feel dizzy or anything. I'm very excited
and just want to get back on the bike. I'm really looking
forward to it, and to be honest I don't feel scared at all
after what happened in Catalunya, quite the opposite, I'm
motivated about doing well.
Donington Park is a circuit I like a lot, where I feel very
comfortable. I think the KTM's will adapt well and that there
won't be much of a difference with Aprilia. The first day
we'll see how it goes, where we are and how I feel; from then
on, my aim will be to make progress. Then, if possible, we'll
try to make it to the leading pack”.
Marc Márquez >>
“Once again we're off to a circuit which, like most
this season, is new to me. I know it'll be complicated, because
I've been told the weather changes a lot and that complicates
things. What's more, there's an airport right beside it, and
apparently the track is very slippery when it rains.
Regarding the track, I know there's a downhill part where
it's difficult to pick up speed. The rest of the circuit isn't
very technical, but you have to be careful taking the right
line in the curves. I still don't know for sure, but I was
told that in England I'd have the new chassis I already used
in Catalunya, which was my teammate Tito's. It would be good,
because it performs better than the old one, but we'll have
to see how I adapt to the circuit.”
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