[954Stealth]

Here comes another one! It should be a great weekend for racing. Between Lorenzo, Marquez and Rossi I expect some great back-and-forth racing flag to flag!

Here's the deets:



About the circuit
In 1989, through the joint collaboration of the Catalan Autonomous Government, the Montmeló Town Council and the Royal Automobile Club of Catalunya (RACC), work began on giving one of Europe’s most beautiful cities a state of the art race track to match. The Circuit de Catalunya opened on the doorstep of Barcelona in September 1991 and welcomed its first international event that same month, hosting the Spanish F1 Grand Prix. It went on to host the European Motorcycle Grand Prix and in 1995 became home to the Gran Premio de Catalunya. Considered to be one of the best designed circuits of the recent era, the Circuito de Catalunya won the much coveted IRTA ‘Best Grand Prix’ trophy for 2001 and has a general admission capacity of 104,000 spectators.

Laps 25
Total Distance 118.2 km - 73.5 miles
Fastest lap Dani Pedrosa (2013) 1'40.893 @ 168.6
Circuit Record Marquez in 1'42.182 @ 166.5
Best Pole DP 1'40.893 @ 168.6
Top Speed Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso @ 346.0
Average Speed 165.0 (km/h)
Track Length 4.7 km / 2.94 miles
Left Corners 5
Right Corners 8
WIDTH 12 m. / 39.37 ft.
Longest Straight 1047 m. / 3435.04 ft.

Lorenzo the man to beat in Catalunya



he one question on everyone’s lips as we head to the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya is, can anyone stop Jorge Lorenzo?
The Movistar Yamaha rider has won the last three races in a row at a canter, and has looked simply untouchable, although he currently occupies second in the MotoGP™ World Championship standings, six points behind his teammate Rossi.

Lorenzo has three premier class victories to his name at the Circuit de Barcelona, which will host the seventh round of the 2015 MotoGP™ Championship, and finished last year’s race in fourth.

Rossi is the most successful rider at the Barcelona track ever since it was introduced to the World Championship calendar in 1992, with nine victories to his name across all classes (1x125cc, 2x250cc, 1x500cc & 5xMotoGP), although the last of these came back in 2009. The Italian finished second in the race last year, just 0.5s behind the winner Marc Marquez.

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/0...talunya/177299

Season Points So Far
1. V. Rossi 118
2. J. Lorenzo 112
3. A. Dovizioso 83
4. A. Iannone 81
5. M. Marquez 69
6. B. Smith 57
7. C. Crutchlow 47
8. P. Espargaró 45
9. M. Vinales 36
10. D. Petrucci

[954Stealth]

Smith: “I'll be gunning for another top finish”



Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Bradley Smith is aiming to follow up his best results of the season so far in Mugello at the Catalan GP.
Bradley Smith produced his best performance so far this season by clinching a hard fought result of 5th at Mugello. He currently sits in 6th in the championship and is the leading Satellite rider with a tally of 57 points.

Bradley Smith: “I will arrive at the Monster Energy sponsored Catalunya round confident of opening the weekend in positive style as we have been strong at almost every GP this season. It is a circuit that I enjoy with it's variety of different corners and the crowd is always amazing, especially in the last part of the track! In addition, the layout seems to suit the characteristics of the Yamaha YZR-M1 quite well, therefore, I'll be gunning for another top finish. In Mugello, the qualifying didn't go to plan so I aim to rectify this in Catalunya and grab a solid starting position to give me the best possible chance of success in the race. We also have a test on Monday where we will try out a few new ideas in order to help me in various areas as we look to bridge the gap to the leading riders. However, before that, there's the Catalan Grand Prix and my fists are clenched already for the battle on Sunday, which I can't wait to partake in.”

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/0...-finish/177370

[954Stealth]

[954Stealth]

Difficulty for the braking system @ Catalogna | Catalunya: HARD

It is considered a very technical track with abrupt braking which stress the brakes considerably.
The first brake after the finishing line at the end of a very long straight stretch where the motorcycles are involved in one of the most difficult cut off of the World Championship, must be pointed out in particular. The major criticalities for the braking system derive precisely because of the difficulty in cooling the brakes. The cut outs, all decisive and very close together, determine very high operating temperatures for the discs and brake pads which cannot cool sufficiently in the mixed part of the track.

[954Stealth]

Some Quotes

Bradley Smith Championship: 6th Points: 57
"I will arrive at the Monster Energy sponsored Catalunya round confident of opening the weekend in positive style as we have been strong at almost every GP this season. It is a circuit that I enjoy with it's variety of different corners and the crowd is always amazing, especially in the last part of the track! In addition, the layout seems to suit the characteristics of the Yamaha YZR-M1 quite well, therefore, I'll be gunning for another top finish. In Mugello, the qualifying didn't go to plan so I aim to rectify this in Catalunya and grab a solid starting position to give me the best possible chance of success in the race. We also have a test on Monday where we will try out a few new ideas in order to help me in various areas as we look to bridge the gap to the leading riders. However, before that, there's the Catalan Grand Prix and my fists are clenched already for the battle on Sunday, which I can't wait to partake in. "



Pol Espargaro Championship: 8th Points: 45
"Round 7 means it's time for my home Grand Prix and of course, this is one of the highlights of my season, especially as it's also sponsored by our title partner Monster Energy! To hear my fans cheering is an amazing feeling and I will do my very best to please them particularly as I grew up very close to this circuit, therefore it doesn't get any more of a home GP than this for me! Mugello was quite a positive race and most importantly a definite improvement after my recent arm surgery and so, I intend to do even better this weekend as I was able to start training again. I definitely have some good memories of racing at this track, like winning the Moto2 race from pole in 2013 which was the year I became champion and I aim to add another one to the collection this time. We also have a test after the race which will be very useful as we have a few things to adjust and amend, so I look forward to this week at home and I can't wait to get the show on the road! "

[954Stealth]

Originally Posted by 954Stealth

Some Quotes

Bradley Smith Championship: 6th Points: 57
"I will arrive at the Monster Energy sponsored Catalunya round confident of opening the weekend in positive style as we have been strong at almost every GP this season. It is a circuit that I enjoy with it's variety of different corners and the crowd is always amazing, especially in the last part of the track! In addition, the layout seems to suit the characteristics of the Yamaha YZR-M1 quite well, therefore, I'll be gunning for another top finish. In Mugello, the qualifying didn't go to plan so I aim to rectify this in Catalunya and grab a solid starting position to give me the best possible chance of success in the race. We also have a test on Monday where we will try out a few new ideas in order to help me in various areas as we look to bridge the gap to the leading riders. However, before that, there's the Catalan Grand Prix and my fists are clenched already for the battle on Sunday, which I can't wait to partake in. "



Pol Espargaro Championship: 8th Points: 45
"Round 7 means it's time for my home Grand Prix and of course, this is one of the highlights of my season, especially as it's also sponsored by our title partner Monster Energy! To hear my fans cheering is an amazing feeling and I will do my very best to please them particularly as I grew up very close to this circuit, therefore it doesn't get any more of a home GP than this for me! Mugello was quite a positive race and most importantly a definite improvement after my recent arm surgery and so, I intend to do even better this weekend as I was able to start training again. I definitely have some good memories of racing at this track, like winning the Moto2 race from pole in 2013 which was the year I became champion and I aim to add another one to the collection this time. We also have a test after the race which will be very useful as we have a few things to adjust and amend, so I look forward to this week at home and I can't wait to get the show on the road! "

Marc Marquez
It was disappointing to crash out in Mugello but this can happen when you're on the limit. This weekend we head to Catalunya for my home GP and we have a lot of work to do to prepare the bike. I've had good results at this track and won there last year, so will hope to do the same in front of all my fan club!
"Let's hope we can have a good battle and put on a good show."

Dani Pedrosa
"Mugello was pretty positive as I can feel my arm improving all the time,"
"I've continued my rehabilitation since the race and now we head to my home race in Montmelò. "We have a busy weekend ahead as we need to work hard on the bike to solve some issues."

[954Stealth]

ENEA BASTIANINI
"Montmelò is a track where last year I found myself immediately at ease, taking my career-first podium, so I think that I can be fast also this year, even if I will race with another bike. In addition, it seems that the base set-up we achieved during the last races is allowing us to be competitive on all tracks and that makes me confident ahead the start of the weekend. We are looking for another strong result and we will also try to close the gap in the Championship from Kent, who already collected a lot of points. It won’t be easy to beat him, but we will try to do it!".

ANDREA LOCATELLI
"In the last Grand Prix I started to feel comfortable on the bike and in fact I managed to do a good race, despite being affected by a rear tyre issue. I’m therefore confident ahead of this event, on a track that in some ways is similar to Mugello. We will start from a good base and we will try to take another step forward; from my side I will try to be consistent right from the start, in order to try to stay with the fastest riders thus gaining even more confidence. During these days I also took advantage of the hot weather to train hard, so I feel ready for this new challenge".

[954Stealth]

Nicky Hayden:
"We found a pretty good pace at Mugello so it was a shame that we didn't manage to finish the race off with a good result. Luckily I wasn't injured in the crash and we can look forward to the Catalunya round, another great GP at a great track. The team is doing a fantastic job and each time I ride the bike I feel more confident. Catalunya is a really difficult track, where tyre wear is always an issue because of the number of long corners spent on the edge of the tyre. The good thing about Catalunya is that is has a bit of everything - some tight corners, some fast ones and some sections with hard braking. It is always a challenge to ride and I am looking forward to taking it on this weekend and scoring the best possible result."

Eugene Laverty:
"These past two rounds have been really difficult and so I really want to rediscover the pace we'd shown earlier in the season. Catalunya is essentially a 'new' circuit for me as I haven't ridden there since 2008. I don't see that as a big hurdle as I'll do my homework and prepare well beforehand. The team are working hard to improve the balance of the bike to help me in the flowing corners and I'm confident that we're moving in the right direction. My aim is to regain ground in the Open class battle and fight my way up into the top three by the summer break."

XAVIER SIMEON
“We head to Barcelona after a sequence of three positive races where our performance has been constantly growing, so I’m confident that we can continue to fight for the top five. To stay at the top we just need to work on the bike to try to be even more competitive, because in some areas we lack something compared to the fastest. In particular, we are looking for more rear grip on corner exit, yet managing to retain an agile bike. If we succeed, we will have all it takes to fight with the fastest. I like the track a lot, so we will attack!”.

[954Stealth]

Congratulations to JL99!!

A dominant Jorge Lorenzo works his magic to match Mike Hailwood’s record of 37 premier class victories at the Catalan GP.



http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/0...-effect/177988

[954Stealth]

No more title shot for Marquez this year, I suppose ...

[MikeyV]

Originally Posted by 954Stealth

Congratulations to JL99!!

A dominant Jorge Lorenzo works his magic to match Mike Hailwood’s record of 37 premier class victories at the Catalan GP.

I went to school with Hailwood's son David and daughter Michelle when the family lived in New Zealand.

[954Stealth]

Originally Posted by MikeyV

I went to school with Hailwood's son David and daughter Michelle when the family lived in New Zealand.

Awesome! Bet you heard some good stories

[hellrotm]

I really wish Rossi would start qualifying better.