Spain GP. Previous Info

The Repsol Honda team arrives in Europa leading the new MotoGP class
The 2002 World Championship promises to be, after what we’ve been able to see in the two first races of the season, a year filled with strong emotions with the Repsol riders playing the leading roles. In the new highest class, called MotoGP, the riders of the Repsol Honda MotoGP team have shared out between them the victories of the two first races of the season. Only Ukawa’s crash in Japan have prevented Rossi and the Japanese rider from leading together the overall classification. Yet, Rossi arrives in Europe leading the classification with 45 points while his teammate Ukawa is third with 25 points. For the Repsol riders in the 250cc class, Fonsi Nieto and Toni Elías, the Spanish Grand Prix is with no doubt a great challenge. For Nieto, because what he wants above all is to offer a victory to all the fans that are going to be in Jerez this weekend and for Elías, because he expects to make a good race in his first home grand prix on the 250cc Aprilia. All over the weekend, the fans will be an extra power booster for both riders of the team managed by two of the greatest ex-riders of the Spanish motorcycling history, Angel Nieto and Jorge Martínez Aspar. Fonsi Nieto, eighth and only seven points away from the championship leader Marco Melandri, will try in Jerez to make up positions in the classification and get closer to the Italian rider. In the lowest of the three classes, Alberto Puig’s pupils will try to get more points in this long weekend. These young riders cause great expectation, with Daniel Pedrosa third in the overall classification and two pole positions in both races held so far. Joan Olivé, with a lot of problems in Japan, seemed to feel much more comfortable on his bike during the practices in South Africa. Unfortunately his crash on the first lap of the race hindered him from finishing the weekend with the good result he will be seeking again in Jerez.