By Paul Kelly
redbullindianapolisgp.com
Thursday, June 5, 2008
EVENT: Grand Prix of Catalunya
WHERE: Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. Circuit is 2.937 miles (4.727 km), with 13 turns. Race is 25 laps.
WHEN: Sunday, June 8. It is the seventh of 18 events this season.
2007 RACE WINNER: Casey Stoner, by .069 of a second over Valentino Rossi
2007 POLE WINNER: Valentino Rossi, 1 minutes, 41.840 seconds
U.S. TV: 3-4 p.m. (ET), Sunday, June 8, Speed
THE AMERICANS: U.S. riders Colin Edwards (Houston, Yamaha Tech 3), Nicky Hayden (Owensboro, Ky., Repsol Honda Team) and John Hopkins (Ramona, Calif., Kawasaki Racing Team) will compete in this race. Edwards is fifth, Hayden ninth and Hopkins 12th in the MotoGP standings after six races this season.
•Colin Edwards: "Everything seems to be working pretty good. Michelin seems to be working good. The bike, as well. Don't go off on a tangent somewhere if you've got a problem or an issue somewhere, just a little minor thing. We don't have to reinvent the wheel; we've got the bike working pretty good. Little improvements. We don't have to do anything drastic."
•Nicky Hayden: "I quite like the track. If I had to play a video game, it might not be the first I'd choose, but it would be somewhere near the top. There are a lot of corners where you're on the side of the tires for a long time, so edge grip is really important, especially on the right side. It's also important to have a bike that steers good and finishes the corner. The electronics can come in quite handy; it's a place where you can really use them to help the rear tire. The last two corners are probably my favorites. They're really important. You start dropping down that hill, and you need to carry some momentum onto the main straightaway. And qualifying is really important because the first chicane is tight, so we'll be looking to get in a good qualifying lap to give us a good grid position. Any time we race in Spain, you can expect it to be a bit of a party, which makes it a good weekend."
THEY SAID IT: "Like I said on Sunday, I really needed to go to sleep for some days after my win in Mugello, but instead we have to keep going to Barcelona! Honestly, I would prefer that these two races weren't back to back because they are two of my favorite tracks, and I would prefer to be able to focus on them both separately. But anyway, our motivation is high, and I am sure we will have all recovered by Friday morning." - Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi
FAST FACTS: Five-time MotoGP World Champion and current points leader Valentino Rossi will race this weekend with a special paint scheme honoring the Italian national soccer team, which starts competition in the European Championship tournament Monday, June 9 … Rossi leads Dani Pedrosa by 12 points in the standings, his largest gap since the final race of the 2005 season, at Valencia … Honda has seven MotoGP victories at Barcelona, more than any other manufacturer, but none since 2002. It's the longest dry spell at an active track for Honda … Only one rider has won this event from pole since 2002, Valentino Rossi in 2006 … The last Spaniard to win this event before his home crowd was Alex Criville in 1999 … American Colin Edwards has scored 58 points in six races, his best total during that span in his career. "The Texas Tornado" scored 57 points in the first six races of 2005 … American John Hopkins has finished fourth in this event each of the last two years … The Repsol Honda Team will not debut its pneumatic-valve engine for riders Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa this weekend as planned … The 125cc and 250cc classes also compete this weekend. American Stevie Bonsey, from Salinas, Calif., is 10th in the 125cc standings for the DeGraaf Grand Prix team … Just .036 of a second separated the top three riders in the 125cc race June 1 at Mugello, Italy, the closest 125cc finish in history.
***
Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets: Tickets are on sale for the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14, 2008.
Tickets can be purchased either online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time; on the phone by calling (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or (317) 492-6700 locally between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday; or visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Ticket Office on the first floor of the IMS Administration Building at 4790 W. 16th St. in Indianapolis from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
All tickets for this event are three-day tickets, with both reserved and general admission seating available.
Related Stories
- MotoGP Preview: Grand Prix Of Valencia
- Grand Prix Of Valencia Schedule
- Tornado Warning: Grand Prix Of Valencia
| Red Bull Indianapolis GP Talkback | Post Comment |
|
|
|