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.
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”.
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”.
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”.
