Repsol Honda Team ready to strengthen their lead in England.
The leading team of the MotoGP class is on top of the overall riders and teams’ classification.
The World Championship is moving on quickly and this weekend it will be reaching its halfway point at the British Grand Prix. The last two weeks have been exhausting with two races in a row and the next race to be staged next Sunday. Before starting this trio, all riders knew what three races in a row could mean for their title ambitions. In Barcelona, Gibernau was left completely out of the game and both Capirossi and Melandri were physically handicapped. Last weekend Elias and Rossi increased the long list of injured riders. Elias was forced to fly back home to start the recovery process, while Rossi decided to race despite not being 100% fit. And while many of them are already looking forward to the week of rest they are going to enjoy after Donington, the riders of the Repsol Honda Team remain focussed after last weekend.
Nicky Haydens victory in Holland strengthened his leading position with an advantage of 42 points over the second classified, no other than his team mate Dani Pedrosa, who after the third place achieved in Assen is now second, leading the group of riders following the single leader. Four riders Pedrosa, Capirossi, Rossi and Melandri are separated by only four points, an insignificant difference considering that there is still a lot of Championship ahead. In Donington, where Nicky Hayden did not finish the race last year due to a crash under a real flood, and Dani Pedrosa was fourth in the 250cc, well be able to see a new chapter of the intense fight for the MotoGP world title next week. In the 250cc, Shuhei Aoyama will be back to a venue he already knows, because he raced there in 2002 in the 125cc scoring two points after finishing the race tenth.
Aoyama will be alone in the pit garage since his new team mate, Colombian rider Martín Cárdenas who is substituting Sebastián Porto, will have to wait until Germany for his comeback after the collar bone injury sustained during the first lap in Assen. Cárdenas was successfully operated by Dr. Mir on Sunday at 10 oclock in the morning at the USP Institut Universitari Dexeus in Barcelona, where the fracture with four fragments of the left collarbone was reduced using a titanium plate with 6 screws fixed to the plate. Martín left the hospital on Monday noon and will start with rehabilitation on Friday.
Should his evolution by satisfactory, Cárdenas will be back on his bike at the German Grand Prix in two weeks time. In the minor class, Bradley Smith will race at home this weekend. Despite the pressure he might feel for the fact of racing at the highest level in front of his people, young Bradley states that he doesnt really feel nervous but that the is conscious about the big chance he will be facing in Donington to make good use of his track knowledge in order to make a good race.
Rider´s comments:
Nicky Hayden:
The win last weekend was pretty exciting but it doesnt last long weve got to go right back to work and just try to keep this level of performance going. Well go into Donington and try to be smart and strong all weekend, get a good qualifying position and have a good package for Sunday so we can fight again for a victory. Its nice to have a lead in the championship but its still really early in the year and the main thing is to stay focussed and stay hungry. Donington is a home GP for some of my team theres a lot people in the Repsol Honda Team based in England and we want to get the best possible for them. I really like the first section of the track and Ive been quick there before. The Craner Curves really separate the men from the boys pretty quickly you need some guts and a good set-up to get through there fast. I havent always been so quick in the last section with the hairpin and the chicanes, so thats what Ill be trying to improve this weekend.
Dani Pedrosa:
I will try to improve my overall performance at Donington because, even though third was ok at Assen, I was not so satisfied with the race. The main thing to work on for me is the beginning of the race where sometimes I have not been so strong. And making better use of the practice and qualifying sessions on Saturday will help with this too. Donington is not my favourite track, although they have improved the surface and made it less bumpy. I can imagine that the extra speed on the MotoGP bike will make for some really hard braking into the Esses and the hairpin towards the end of the lap. And its going to be tough to control the bike because there will be a lot of wheelying on the exit of those corners as well. The other thing to consider is the weather. Well have to wait to see what it does as last year it was raining a lot.
Shuhei Aoyama:
I scored my first points of the World Championship on European ground in Donington; it was back in 2002 in the 125cc class. Its a circuit I like so this time I wont have the handicap of having to learn the layout again. As opposed to Assen, which I also knew, there have been no changes made to this circuit so I hope to be able to be fast from the first practice. After the disappointing race in Assen I want to offer my team a good result in England. My objective is no other than finishing on the podium.
Martín Cárdenas:
I left the hospital on Monday and Ive already started to move my arm slightly. Im having my stitches out in one week and I hope to be again at a 100% in Germany. It was actually a stupid crash in Assen because I wasn’t being fast and everything happened really quickly. When I touched the clutch a bit to avoid the confusion on the first lap, the rear tyre skidded and I flew off the bike. It was a shame because I had made a very good start seventh – and I had good chances to make a good race. Im sorry for the team, for Alberto Puig and for Repsol, but the only thing left to do now is to wait until Germany where I’ll try to make up for this incident.
Bradley Smith:
Its always nice to go back home. It wont be any extra pressure because I think that I have the same pressure on all the other times. A little bit more motivation because its your home Grand Prix; and another good bonus is that Ive ridden there before and I know all the differences and things you need to do to ride there so. It will be like Catalunya, Ive ridden there before which means that were getting there running and it should be good.
The venue of the GP:
Donington circuit Built in 1931 in Leicestershire, only 20 Km from Nottingham, Donington Park is one of the oldest circuits of the calendar. It was the venue of epic racing confrontations, but with the outbreak of the Second World War, the circuit had to be closed and the events cancelled. In 1977, after several years of dereliction, Donington was re-opened thanks to Tom Wheatcroft, local businessman and motor sports enthusiast. The track was rebuilt with the intention of hosting a Formula 1 race, but the race never took place. Modified again in 1985, Donington Park has been hosting the British Grand Prix since 1987.
Owned by the Wheatcroft family, Donington Park is the only private circuit of the calendar and is regarded as one of the best circuits in Britain. Its 4023 m long track, with 4 left-hand and 7 right-hand corners, is set in a natural amphitheatre, offering excellent viewing possibilities for spectators. The fast track makes its way through the British countryside, putting the riders abilities to the test with its steep descents and tight corners forcing them to last-gasp braking and hard acceleration. The adjacent museum houses the Donington Collection, one of the best racing car collections of the world.
Official website: http://www.donington-park.co.uk
