After this year’s first encounter in Qatar at the beginning of March, the 2008 World Motorcycling Championship lands in Europe, and does so on one of the most charismatic tracks on the agenda. This weekend, the excitement, colour and cheerful atmosphere of the Spanish fans are sure to be present on the Jerez Circuit to watch the Spanish Grand Prix. The Repsol riders will also be there, who faced with the challenge of riding at home are looking forward to this special event.
After a great race by Dani Pedrosa in Qatar, the Repsol Honda Team rider will be back in action now fully recovered from the injury in his right hand. These last two and a half weeks’ rest have allowed him to recover and relax in order to be fully prepared for the Spanish race. In spite of the fact that there is still a lot of work to be done within the Repsol Honda Team in order to get the full potential of the Honda RC212V 2008, the podium in Qatar showed that the bike is potentially very good, and that with the necessary development it can become very competitive. Qatar is now fortunately in the past and forgotten for Nicky Hayden, as he now faces this new challenge with optimism.
Apart from being a track he particularly likes, the American enjoys competing in the Spanish Grand Prix thanks to the atmosphere there, and because he has always felt the warm support from the Spanish fans. In spite of the fact that the winter tests carried out by the Repsol Honda Team on the Spanish track did not go exceedingly well, Jerez is a track on which both riders have always been very competitive. In the two lower categories, it is an important event for the Repsol riders. Julián Simón was one of the riders who stood out during the winter tests on his new KTM 250 FFR, and both Esteve Rabat and Marc Márquez impatiently await the weekend in order to get the results that escaped them in Qatar. In the case of young rider Marc Márquez, injured during the winter training sessions on the same track where the Spanish Grand Prix will be held this weekend, the recovery of his injured right arm is going as expected and next Friday he will see if he is in shape to participate in the second event of the 2008 season.
Dani Pedrosa >> Audio
“I’ve been training since Qatar to get back to full strength and I hope my right hand should be 100 per cent at Jerez. It’s a very important race for me and I really enjoy it. What I like most about racing at Jerez is the huge crowd and the great atmosphere, it’s always very special to race there because you can really feel the crowd, especially through the Nieto and Peluqui corners where the fans are really close. There’s a lot of commotion, you can see everyone and that’s great. But the big crowd does have its negative side – I can’t get around the paddock easily, which can make it difficult to do my job. I like everything about the circuit, thouh maybe the Sito Pons corner onto the back straight is the most beautiful corner. The last part of the circuit is the most important when you’re chasing good lap times – the two fast right-hand curves approaching the end of the lap are crucial. The track is quite safe, though it could be improved in a few areas. There are a few bumps too, though not too many, and the tarmac offers good grip. Top speed doesn’t matter too much at Jerez, what you need is an engine that looks after the tyres. But above all you need a very well balanced chassis that allows you to brake hard and tackle both fast and slow corners. It’s a circuit that requires quite an aggressive riding style”.
Nicky Hayden
“Qatar wasn’t a great weekend for us but we’ll be working hard to move on from that at Jerez. Our bike should work good at Jerez and in the past the Michelin tyres have worked really good there. I think it’s a cool track and it’s not a top-speed track. I like tracks where you’ve got to put sections together, and Jerez all flows together pretty good. The atmosphere is pretty cool – you come into the stadium section [the Nieto and Peluqui turns] on Sunday morning and it’s wild. Nowadays you can design a racetrack on the computer, you can do whatever you want – make that, generate this, design that – you can use every trick in the book, but if the place don’t have that atmosphere, money can’t buy that. Even if a racetrack gives tickets away you can’t guarantee the atmosphere you get at Jerez – there’s explosios going off, it just wild and that’s what makes it so good. From a riding point of view you definitely need edge grip for all the long corners and you need a bike that steers good in those long corners. It’s a good tracks and one of my favourites. But it’s the atmosphere that really makes it – if you haven’t been there you need to go”.
Julián Simón >> Audio
“Jerez is a very special circuit for all the Spanish riders. It is also the case with me, and I really like this circuit. With the new bike, during the winter tests, we did quite well and managed to run competitive times. I’m looking forward to getting there and running a good race. I reckon that in Jerez, with the huge support from the fans, we’ll be able to complete a good Grand Prix”.
Esteve Rabat >>Audio
“We’ve reached Jerez at last, and the truth is that I’m looking forward to it after the poor results in Qatar. We’ll continue to try improving, leave this bad patch I’m having behind, and if possible, try to finish in a leading position. We’ll have a good chance there as we’re riding at home, on one of my favourite tracks, and the Spanish fans are sure to be there to support me to try and take a leading position”.
Marc Márquez
“After watching the Qatar race on television, the Grand Prix has finally reached Spain. Since my fall and after the operation, I’ve been working hard on recovery in my right arm. I’m much better, the recovery has gone as expected, and I’m really looking forward to getting into action again. We’ll see this Friday in Jerez how I feel on the bike, and whether I’m in shape to compete at the weekend”.
