Monday, February 12, 2007
MOTO GP | 2006 MOTO GP
MOTO GP 2006 MOTO GP
Moto GP - Five years to the week since he won the Moto GP World Championship for the first time, Valentino Rossi heads into the penultimate round of the 2006 season at Estoril in Portugal next Sunday aiming to finally overthrow Nicky Hayden from the top of the standings and set-up his sixth premier-class title in a row. After an amazing run of form for the Italian, who has made up 39 points over the last four races, he is now just 12 behind and on course to catch the American moto GP attention by the final round at Valencia. A slip-up for Rossi, of course, could see Hayden take the number 1 plate this Sunday, but the formbook suggests that this should not be the case, with Rossi having finished on the podium in each of his previous six visits to Estoril moto GP. The 27 year old has won the race four times, including his first appearance there for Yamaha moto GP in 2004, whilst conversely for Hayden it is one of his least successful circuits - his best result coming last year when he finished seventh.
Estoril’s location on the western tip of Europe, just seven kilometres from the Atlantic coast, makes it vulnerable to dramatic changes in weather and high gusts of wind, meaning the riders moto GP can take nothing for granted. An autumn visit promises to deliver similarly wild conditions to those encountered when the event was held last year in the spring, culminating in the first ever flag-to-flag race in Moto GP – although unlike at Phillip Island three weeks ago none of the riders opted to come in and change bikes. Rossi’s team-mate Colin Edwards was a victim of the conditions on that occasion, the Texan sliding off his bike on lap twenty-four and then remounting to finish in sixth place. This year the 31-year-old is hoping for much better fortune as he looks to build on excellent recent progress with the set-up of his YZR-M1 moto GP machine, including sensational lap times in the recent one-day test at Motegi, and end his season on a high moto GP tracking.
VALENTINO ROSSI: TWO DIFFICULT TRACKSMoto gp team, Valentino Rossi remains confident that he has the speed to beat Nicky Hayden in any situation although he admits that the upcoming circuits are not amongst his favourites. An intense summer of hard work by Yamaha’s moto GP engineers on the YZR-M1 has given Rossi a competitive and adaptable package that he believes can adjust to the demands of both Estoril and Valencia moto GP circuits and give him every chance of retaining the title, which he has made his own in recent seasons.
“Now we have two difficult moto GP tracks but I think our M1 can be fast at both of them,” says Rossi. “Since Brno, when we finally understood everything about what we needed to do to make our bike work at 100% again, we’ve been very strong everywhere and on the podium each time. I think that we’re as strong as our rivals now and when we’re at the maximum we’re always going to be fighting at the front within moto GP Circuits . Of course we know we could have won more if we’d been like this earlier in the season moto GP fighting but we can’t do anything about that. Anyway we know our potential and when we’ve started from the front lately we’ve been on the podium each time, so we have to carry on like this. “Everyone involved has helped bring us back to this level. I think the team’s level of motivation and concentration is the best in the paddock, it’s incredible, more than anyone else, so I have to say thank you again. I actually like Portugal moto GP Circuit - the ‘04 bike especially was very good there. It’s twisty but we can go well there. In ‘05 we had some problems with the tyre, plus it was only the second race and early in the year so the weather was bad. I hope that it will be a bit warmer and won’t rain, and that we can find a good tyre with Michelin.”
The penultimate round of this enthralling 2006 Moto GP season begins at the Estoril circuit in one week’s time with everything to play for in the riders’ moto GP world championship. Repsol Honda moto GP race Nicky Hayden goes to the Grand Prix of Portugal holding a 12-point lead in the standings with a maximum of 50 points available from the final two races. A strong result at the 4.182km (2.597 miles) moto GP track near Lisbon will set Hayden up nicely for the last round at Valencia.
With further development work carried out on his evolution RC211V during two days of testing following the previous race at Motegi moto GP circuits, moto GP racer Hayden aims to reclaim the dominant form he’s shown for much of the season. The 25-year-old American is the only Moto GP rider to have scored points at every race this year and, having signed a new two-year deal with Repsol Honda at the Grand Prix of Japan moto GP last month, he’ll be more determined than ever to take the coveted crown.
On paper there are four other riders in with a chance of the world title and one of them is Hayden’s moto GP team-mate, Dani Pedrosa, who celebrated his 21st birthday five days after the Grand Prix of Japan. The reigning 250cc moto GP world champion has suffered some bad luck in the last two races and slipped from second place to fifth in the riders’ standings. Despite this, Pedrosa was crowned Moto GP Rookie of the Year in Japan and is only 34 points behind Hayden. Mathematically he still has a chance of the overall title, though with four moto GP riders ahead of him in the points standings it’s looking like a tough task for the young Spaniard.
Last year’s Grand Prix of Portugal was the second race of the 2005 season meaning it’s a full eighteen months since the Moto GP series last visited Estoril. Situated on a hill 30km from Lisbon and a short distance from the Atlantic coast, Estoril has a reputation as a windy circuit. Rain showers are frequent too, and last year’s race was the first where the new flag-to-flag wet race regulations came into play. On that occasion Alex Barros completed the triple of pole position, race win, and fastest lap for Camel Honda on the moto GP type RC211V. Though Repsol Honda moto GP riders Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa don’t rate Estoril among their favourite tracks, they’ll be striving to replicate such a dominant performance this weekend for fighting team of moto GP
Nicky Hayden – Moto GP World Championship Position: 1st – 236 points “I’m quite excited about the whole weekend in Portugal. It’s a Moto GP huge race for me – I know that and I’m prepared for it. The Moto GP team had a couple of days testing after the last race in Japan and we made some progress there, so I’m definitely looking forward to this one. It seems like a long time since we were last at Estoril Moto GP Circuits because it was the second race last year. It’s probably the track on the whole Moto GP calendar that I’ve got the least experience at. I missed one year there because of my knee and collarbone, and last year it was a wet race, and I’ve never tested at Estori Moto GP Circuitl. Last year I didn’t have a very good result there and I struggled a lot so I’m looking forward to definitely improve this time around.”
Mathematically, the 2006 Moto GP World Championship is not yet out of Capirossi's reach. The man who has scored seven podium finishes this year with wins in Spain, the Czech Republic and Japan Moto GP Circuits, runner-up results in France, Italy and Malaysia and a third place in Qatar is currently fourth overall, 31 points behind series leader Nick Hayden and 19 behind the second, Valentino Rossi Racer Moto GP.
Loris Capirossi, Ducati Marlboro Moto GP Team rider, 4th overall, 205 points"I am happy to go to these last two races because I understand our potential and I feel confident, especially after our win at Motegi Moto GP Circuit. I am quite optimistic because both Estoril and Valencia Moto GP circuits could be run in cool conditions and Bridgestone have understood some important things and made some big steps forward with their cold-tyre performance. Our tyres worked very well in the cool at Phillip Island, in fact I think we had an advantage in those conditions, though we were out of luck in the Moto GP race. Estoril isn't a bad track, it's not that interesting or that boring either, it's in the middle really, though it does have one of the greatest corners in Moto GP. You attack Turn Five at 230km/h, it's a lot of fun, when you get it right! As far as the Moto GP championship goes, it isn't over until it's over. We have seen many big changes in the points situation throughout the year, which proves that anything can happen. Like at Phillip Island Moto GP, going into that race (Dani) Pedrosa was second in the Moto GP championship but he got only one point there and that changed everything for him”. Said Loris Capirossi, Team rider Ducati Marlboro Moto GP
Moto GP - Five years to the week since he won the Moto GP World Championship for the first time, Valentino Rossi heads into the penultimate round of the 2006 season at Estoril in Portugal next Sunday aiming to finally overthrow Nicky Hayden from the top of the standings and set-up his sixth premier-class title in a row. After an amazing run of form for the Italian, who has made up 39 points over the last four races, he is now just 12 behind and on course to catch the American moto GP attention by the final round at Valencia. A slip-up for Rossi, of course, could see Hayden take the number 1 plate this Sunday, but the formbook suggests that this should not be the case, with Rossi having finished on the podium in each of his previous six visits to Estoril moto GP. The 27 year old has won the race four times, including his first appearance there for Yamaha moto GP in 2004, whilst conversely for Hayden it is one of his least successful circuits - his best result coming last year when he finished seventh.
Estoril’s location on the western tip of Europe, just seven kilometres from the Atlantic coast, makes it vulnerable to dramatic changes in weather and high gusts of wind, meaning the riders moto GP can take nothing for granted. An autumn visit promises to deliver similarly wild conditions to those encountered when the event was held last year in the spring, culminating in the first ever flag-to-flag race in Moto GP – although unlike at Phillip Island three weeks ago none of the riders opted to come in and change bikes. Rossi’s team-mate Colin Edwards was a victim of the conditions on that occasion, the Texan sliding off his bike on lap twenty-four and then remounting to finish in sixth place. This year the 31-year-old is hoping for much better fortune as he looks to build on excellent recent progress with the set-up of his YZR-M1 moto GP machine, including sensational lap times in the recent one-day test at Motegi, and end his season on a high moto GP tracking.
VALENTINO ROSSI: TWO DIFFICULT TRACKSMoto gp team, Valentino Rossi remains confident that he has the speed to beat Nicky Hayden in any situation although he admits that the upcoming circuits are not amongst his favourites. An intense summer of hard work by Yamaha’s moto GP engineers on the YZR-M1 has given Rossi a competitive and adaptable package that he believes can adjust to the demands of both Estoril and Valencia moto GP circuits and give him every chance of retaining the title, which he has made his own in recent seasons.
“Now we have two difficult moto GP tracks but I think our M1 can be fast at both of them,” says Rossi. “Since Brno, when we finally understood everything about what we needed to do to make our bike work at 100% again, we’ve been very strong everywhere and on the podium each time. I think that we’re as strong as our rivals now and when we’re at the maximum we’re always going to be fighting at the front within moto GP Circuits . Of course we know we could have won more if we’d been like this earlier in the season moto GP fighting but we can’t do anything about that. Anyway we know our potential and when we’ve started from the front lately we’ve been on the podium each time, so we have to carry on like this. “Everyone involved has helped bring us back to this level. I think the team’s level of motivation and concentration is the best in the paddock, it’s incredible, more than anyone else, so I have to say thank you again. I actually like Portugal moto GP Circuit - the ‘04 bike especially was very good there. It’s twisty but we can go well there. In ‘05 we had some problems with the tyre, plus it was only the second race and early in the year so the weather was bad. I hope that it will be a bit warmer and won’t rain, and that we can find a good tyre with Michelin.”
The penultimate round of this enthralling 2006 Moto GP season begins at the Estoril circuit in one week’s time with everything to play for in the riders’ moto GP world championship. Repsol Honda moto GP race Nicky Hayden goes to the Grand Prix of Portugal holding a 12-point lead in the standings with a maximum of 50 points available from the final two races. A strong result at the 4.182km (2.597 miles) moto GP track near Lisbon will set Hayden up nicely for the last round at Valencia.
With further development work carried out on his evolution RC211V during two days of testing following the previous race at Motegi moto GP circuits, moto GP racer Hayden aims to reclaim the dominant form he’s shown for much of the season. The 25-year-old American is the only Moto GP rider to have scored points at every race this year and, having signed a new two-year deal with Repsol Honda at the Grand Prix of Japan moto GP last month, he’ll be more determined than ever to take the coveted crown.
On paper there are four other riders in with a chance of the world title and one of them is Hayden’s moto GP team-mate, Dani Pedrosa, who celebrated his 21st birthday five days after the Grand Prix of Japan. The reigning 250cc moto GP world champion has suffered some bad luck in the last two races and slipped from second place to fifth in the riders’ standings. Despite this, Pedrosa was crowned Moto GP Rookie of the Year in Japan and is only 34 points behind Hayden. Mathematically he still has a chance of the overall title, though with four moto GP riders ahead of him in the points standings it’s looking like a tough task for the young Spaniard.
Last year’s Grand Prix of Portugal was the second race of the 2005 season meaning it’s a full eighteen months since the Moto GP series last visited Estoril. Situated on a hill 30km from Lisbon and a short distance from the Atlantic coast, Estoril has a reputation as a windy circuit. Rain showers are frequent too, and last year’s race was the first where the new flag-to-flag wet race regulations came into play. On that occasion Alex Barros completed the triple of pole position, race win, and fastest lap for Camel Honda on the moto GP type RC211V. Though Repsol Honda moto GP riders Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa don’t rate Estoril among their favourite tracks, they’ll be striving to replicate such a dominant performance this weekend for fighting team of moto GP
Nicky Hayden – Moto GP World Championship Position: 1st – 236 points “I’m quite excited about the whole weekend in Portugal. It’s a Moto GP huge race for me – I know that and I’m prepared for it. The Moto GP team had a couple of days testing after the last race in Japan and we made some progress there, so I’m definitely looking forward to this one. It seems like a long time since we were last at Estoril Moto GP Circuits because it was the second race last year. It’s probably the track on the whole Moto GP calendar that I’ve got the least experience at. I missed one year there because of my knee and collarbone, and last year it was a wet race, and I’ve never tested at Estori Moto GP Circuitl. Last year I didn’t have a very good result there and I struggled a lot so I’m looking forward to definitely improve this time around.”
Mathematically, the 2006 Moto GP World Championship is not yet out of Capirossi's reach. The man who has scored seven podium finishes this year with wins in Spain, the Czech Republic and Japan Moto GP Circuits, runner-up results in France, Italy and Malaysia and a third place in Qatar is currently fourth overall, 31 points behind series leader Nick Hayden and 19 behind the second, Valentino Rossi Racer Moto GP.
Loris Capirossi, Ducati Marlboro Moto GP Team rider, 4th overall, 205 points"I am happy to go to these last two races because I understand our potential and I feel confident, especially after our win at Motegi Moto GP Circuit. I am quite optimistic because both Estoril and Valencia Moto GP circuits could be run in cool conditions and Bridgestone have understood some important things and made some big steps forward with their cold-tyre performance. Our tyres worked very well in the cool at Phillip Island, in fact I think we had an advantage in those conditions, though we were out of luck in the Moto GP race. Estoril isn't a bad track, it's not that interesting or that boring either, it's in the middle really, though it does have one of the greatest corners in Moto GP. You attack Turn Five at 230km/h, it's a lot of fun, when you get it right! As far as the Moto GP championship goes, it isn't over until it's over. We have seen many big changes in the points situation throughout the year, which proves that anything can happen. Like at Phillip Island Moto GP, going into that race (Dani) Pedrosa was second in the Moto GP championship but he got only one point there and that changed everything for him”. Said Loris Capirossi, Team rider Ducati Marlboro Moto GP
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