MotoGP 2009 steps into the spotlight
| In Qatar | http://www.moto-live.com/ 07/04/09 14:37 |
The restrictions imposed by single tyre rule have already become a familiar part of the teams' working system within the pit box during the winter tests, although the next major examination will be how they can adapt to the severely reduced track time during a Grand Prix weekend. The action starts on Friday with a single free practice session of 45 minutes, followed by two further sessions of the same length on Saturday – the second of those deciding the grid positions for Sunday, which retains the same programme of a 20-minute warm-up before the race. |
MotoGP 2009 season factbox
Eurosport - Thu, 09 Apr 12:37:00 2009
The MotoGP championship starts in Qatar on Sunday with a night-time race. Check out these facts ahead of the 2009 season.
* Four riders have left the championship since 2008: France's Sylvain Guintoli, American John Hopkins, Japan's Shinya Nakano and Australian Anthony West. Four have come in: Italian Niccolo Canepa, Spain's Sete Gibernau, Finland's Mika Kallio and Japan's Yuki Takahashi.
*The average age of riders is 27 years and 32 weeks. The oldest is Gibernau at 36; the youngest is 20-year-old Canepa.
*World champion Valentino Rossi has eight world titles, six in MotoGP/500cc and one from each of 250cc and 125cc) He has a total of 97 race wins, 71 in the top category.
*Rossi's tally of wins is the second highest in grand prix racing but still well short of compatriot Giacomo Agostini's record of 122.
*American Nicky Hayden, the 2006 champion with Honda who has now switched to Ducati, will be starting his 100th grand prix this weekend.
*Last year's Qatar Grand Prix saw the youngest podium in the top category with an average age of 21 years 47 weeks.
*Ducati riders have won the season-opening race for the last three years. Australian Casey Stoner has won for the past two years in Qatar.
*There are 17 races this season and Rossi has previously won at all of the circuits involved. However he has not won after dark in Qatar, with his last victory there in 2006 when the race was held in the afternoon.
*All riders are now using Bridgestone tyres after the switch to a single supplier. Each rider has a maximum of 12 rear and eight front tyres per weekend, excluding rain tyres.
*Friday morning practice has been cancelled this season and all other sessions shortened to 45 minutes to reduce engine mileage and cut costs.
a few words from the riders:
from: http://www.moto-live.com
he Ducati Marlboro Team is once again ready to take up the challenge head-on, with Casey Stoner having enjoyed an excellent preseason of testing and feeling satisfied both with the work done by the Ducati engineers on the GP9 and with the recovery of his injured wrist following an operation.
“I'm leaving behind the end of the summer holidays in Australia but to tell you the truth I really can't wait for the new season to start”, he said. “I'm really pleased with the progress we've made together with the Ducati engineers behind the scenes and with the tests we've done out on the track. Everybody has worked really hard, the bike has improved in a variety of areas and it's much easier to ride. The power delivery from the engine is better, the carbon frame has improved stability and I'm happy with the carbon swingarm too, even though we have only tried it in the last two tests and it still needs a little more work before we full understand it. So testing has been positive but we know that racing is another story and we simply cannot afford to drop our guard at any point – we have to keep working hard to make sure we don't make the same mistakes as last season, which we went into with too much confidence. Qatar is not a particularly exciting track, it is very flat, but it's not too bad. We're just hoping the temperature is higher than it was for the test.”
Nicky Hayden, set to contest his 100th Grand Prix in Qatar, has worked hard over the winter to adapt to a completely new bike, new tyres and new team.
Despite not quite obtaining the desired results in the last test at Jerez, he has made constant progress throughout the preseason and is excited about making his race debut for Ducati.
“It's nice to be going racing again. The season is starting out much later than usual this year even though we haven't been doing much testing. To be honest with you I'd like to have had a little more time with the bike in preseason but this is what we've got to deal with and now it's time to get serious. If I could have chosen anywhere to be making my debut on the Ducati I would have chosen Qatar, where we had a good test session a few weeks ago, so I guess I'm lucky in that respect!”, he commented.
“I can't hide the fact that I'd like to be closer to the front than where we're at right now and further down the road in terms of the work we've got to do with the team but I'm still really pleased that the season is starting because I love the races, I love racing and I love competing against those other guys. I'm looking forward to getting out to Qatar, where the temperature should be a bit higher than it was in the test, and we'll try to start out the season on the right foot by getting a decent result and enjoying myself as much as possible”, he added. “I can't believe it's already been a hundred GP starts - I have really enjoyed them all… well some a lot more than others! But it's been an honour to race in Grand Prix with all these great riders, sweet tracks, and the awesome fans all over the world! I know it won't be easy but I really hope my best GPs are ahead of me. It seems only fitting to start my 100th race with a new bike and team!”
from:yamaha-network.com
Valentino Rossi - "We're in good shape"
"Qatar isn't one of our strongest tracks but we still have a few cards to play and I hope that a little more work will see us improve for the first race. Tests really mean nothing once you get to raving, the situation is totally different and really we have little idea what will happen until we get there, it's very exciting! I'm feeling confident, we're in good shape even if we're going to what was our worst track during testing, but I am happy about the performance of my M1 in general; Yamaha have done a great job and so this makes me happy. With the new single tyre rule the tactics will become clearer race by race. I think a lot of new factors will come into play and strategy is going to be quite important to determine where you start the race. I think luck will also be a factor in qualifying, more so than previously! In fact, I am quite curious to see what will happen in a 45 minute race with so few tyres, it's going to be interesting. I've used the last week to relax, recharge and train. It's going to be a very long season and we need to be consistently at 100%. We will take it race by race and keep focused on the target, which is of course winning the championship once again."
Jorge Lorenzo - "Eager to start"
"I am feeling good and I'm eager to start the championship. Preseason has been hard work, but finally I understood how to be fast with the new Bridgestone tyres and the last day in Qatar and the test in Jerez have left me feeling confident and hopeful for a good start to the season. The tyres are very different and I have had to adapt my riding style, but step-by-step we have become accustomed to them. For qualifying it's a bit of a pity because I was a rider that was always strong on qualifying tyres, but it's the same for everyone so we will get used to it. I feel much more experienced than this time last year and much stronger as well, even if I was on pole for this race last year! My target for the season is to improve on my fourth position of last year; I want to make sure I improve year by year. The championship is too big to think about yet, for now I am just concentrating on Qatar. I also have a new number, 99, which I think looks good on my M1 and I hope that it will bring me luck!"
from: http://www.moto-live.com
Starting his fourth season in the factory Repsol Honda Team, Spanish ace Dani Pedrosa flies to Qatar determined to take part in the opening event of the year. The tough 24-year-old has made encouraging progress since undergoing surgery on his left wrist and left knee at the beginning of March and is cautiously confident that he will have sufficient flexibility and strength in his left leg to compete in Sunday's 22-lap race.
While Pedrosa is not expecting to be at his peak this weekend, having missed out on significant fitness training time and been absent for several days of pre-season practice, the three-time World Champion is nevertheless fully focused on beginning his 2009 campaign by pushing for the best result possible.
On the other side of the Repsol Honda garage is Italian star Andrea Dovizioso who will be making his race debut as a works Honda MotoGP rider this weekend. The former 125cc World Champion has quickly adapted to life in Repsol Honda colours and has enjoyed a profitable winter testing programme, ably dealing with the extra demands of being a factory rider. He'll be relishing his first race outing on the works-specification RC212V at a circuit he performed so well at last year in his debut MotoGP race. On that occasion, Dovizioso finished in fourth place, one place behind his new team-mate Pedrosa, and ahead of 2008 World Champion Valentino Rossi.
“I like racing in Qatar, and riding under the floodlights at night is very special. It has an amazing, unique atmosphere and the layout of the track is different from the other circuits, in particular the turns are very long and it is not easy to get high speed corner. Still, I have always had good results in Qatar and last year, at my debut in MotoGP, I had a fantastic race. At the last test in Jerez our machine had improved compared to the previous test we did in Qatar at the beginning of March, so I'm confident for the first race of the season and I will be doing my best to fight up front.”
Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen were regularly amongst the top riders at all of the 2009 tests, culminating with Capirossi recording the third quickest time at the final test in Spain last month, with teammate Vermeulen narrowly behind with the fifth fastest lap.
Now both riders will be planning to continue with the good run of form that has seen the 2009 Suzuki GSV-R emerge as one of the most improved bikes of the year.
"It was pleasing to finish the test schedule with a good result at Jerez and it shows how far the bike has come on in the winter. But now we have to be focused on racing, because we have to keep improving and try to get the best position we can”, said Capirossi. “We want to be on the podium and winning races and I believe that is where we can be. Qatar has been a tough track for Suzuki in the past, but the test there earlier this year was quite good and hopefully we can get the season off to a strong start!"
"Last week at Jerez we had a very good test and it gave us a chance to check a few things and get right into the racing mode in time for Qatar”, added Vermeulen. “We had an important test at Doha last month and we are going there a lot better prepared than the same time last year. Qatar has been a track that we have struggled at in the past, but the new GSV-R seems to be working very well there this year and both Loris and I were well on the pace in the test.Hopefully we can stay in the top-five at Qatar, because that is certainly what we are aiming for and if we can it will get the season off to a strong start and give us something to build on throughout the year!"
The Pramac Racing Team, after renovating its structure between the end of the past season and the winter break, is ready more than ever for this challenging year at full speed.
The new red and white riders are in fact two of the three rookies of the year: Finnish rider Mika Kallio, who has concluded in third position the past season in the quarter liter class, and Italian Niccolò Canepa, the youngest rider in MotoGP of the season who still has to turn 21. Two young riders eager to show their potential and that for sure will never even think about giving up.
Paolo Campinoti - Team Principal Pramac Racing
"Finally! This hasn't only been one of the hardest winter breaks for our sport, but it has been one of the longest. After all the talk over the winter, we can now get back to track action. It has been a constructive period for all of us, we have united our strength to improve our world and soon we will receive the benefits. Our team has worked very well during winter testing and the proof is the good sixth position conquered by Mika Kallio during the only important hour in Jerez official test. In addition in Qatar we will have a small advantage: we will have more energy than all the others because this marvellous circuit will be under floodlights also thanks to 44 Pramac generators. Jokes apart, we are really happy and trustful in the choices we made, Niccolò and Mika want to do really well and this is energizing the Pramac Racing Team for the long season that is about to start."
Mika Kallio - Pramac Racing rider
Our last performance in Jerez official test have been really satisfying for us, but we have to keep our feet on the ground, in Qatar everyone will be eager to begin in the best way the season. Losail is a track that I like and surely we can have a lot of fun. My first race in MotoGP is about to begin: many sensations are going thru my head, but surely no fear."
Niccolò Canepa - Pramac Racing rider
"I am so happy to be at the first race, my MotoGP adventure is about to begin. I can't wait to step on my Ducati Friday afternoon. I had a really intense winter; I worked hard on and off track to be at the best. I am ready! I will only need a bit of time to get used to racing shoulder to shoulder again because it has been basically more than a year that I don't properly compete in a race. I like the layout of Losail circuit, we have done quite well during the last test and I hope to be able to even improve."
San Carlo Honda Gresini Team hoping to shine
For Elias the Grand Prix of Qatar signals a welcome race return to the team he competed with for two seasons in 2006 and 2007, during which time he scored three podiums and clinched his first MotoGP win. The Spaniard will be riding a factory-spec Honda RC212V machine, which Fausto Gresini's team are proud to have been entrusted with by the Japanese manufacturer.
“We have struggled a little more than we expected in testing but we know where the problems lie and it is good to be going back to a circuit where we already have lots of data”, he explained. “I'm happy to be going racing with this team again, with Honda and on this fantastic bike. Ideally I'd like to be starting the season in better shape but the truth is we have work to do in a short space of time when we get out to Qatar and we'll be pushing hard in every aspect to approach the race in the best possible way. Racing at night makes it a bit tricky but Losail is one of my favourite circuits and I've started on the front row there twice before – both times with this team. I remember in particular three years ago we were three seconds off the pace on the first day and still managed to qualify on the front row. That just shows how quickly things can change in racing so we'll go there with optimism, fight hard and see what happens.”
For the second season in succession De Angelis will also be on board an RC212V as he looks to build on an encouraging rookie year.
“I love Qatar as a circuit, it is one of my favourites, but I just hope it is a little warmer than when we were there for the test so that we can get more heat into the tyre because this is the area we're struggling with the most”, he said.“We haven't had much time to work on the bike this winter and it was a real shame that it started to rain after the ‘qualifying' session at Jerez because we were planning to do a race simulation, which I haven't managed to do yet this preseason. It means we go out there with a few question marks, particularly regarding tyre wear over race distance, but even so I am confident and excited to be going racing again.”
“We are going to Qatar armed with a lot of data from testing and with the determination to work hard and sort out the few doubts than we still have”, added Team Manager Fausto Gresini. “We know it is a good machine but we're struggling to get 100% performance out of the chassis and making progress with this is our target for Qatar. I know my team well enough to have confidence that they will do it and of course we are all excited to be going racing again. This spirit of competition is why we are all here.”
