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The Fiat Yamaha Team head to California
this weekend for the eleventh round of the MotoGP World
Championship in determined mood as they look to bury the
memory of a nightmare race at Laguna Seca last year and
avenge Valentino Rossi's misfortune in the last round at
Sachsenring just a few days ago.
A bittersweet weekend in Germany saw
Rossi lose ground on series leader Casey Stoner, who now
holds an advantage of 32 points with eight rounds remaining,
and the Italian is relieved to have the chance to redress
the balance so soon and narrow the gap ahead of the summer
break. The high point of last weekend was a fourth place
finish for Colin Edwards from thirteenth on the grid and
that strong result has provided the Texan with a much-needed
confidence boost ahead of his home race.
The situation going into the
eagerly-anticipated California date could not be in starker
contrast to last season, when Rossi made the Transatlantic
trip in great spirits on the back of a scintillating victory
at Sachsenring. However, the Laguna race ended in disaster
as the searing 56ºC track temperatures took a heavy toll and
Rossi was forced to retire just four laps from the end with
tyre and engine problems. Similar tyre issues for Edwards
compounded the effects of flu symptoms and an upset stomach
that he had suffered throughout the weekend, limiting him to
a ninth place finish despite qualifying on the front row.
Famed, feared and revered for the
world-famous ‘Corkscrew' corner, the Laguna Seca circuit
near has lived up to its billing as one of the most exciting
circuits in the world since MotoGP returned in 2005. With
only a few short straights, a series of fast and sweeping
corners and elevation changes that leave front wheels
frequently spinning through thin air, the 3.602km circuit
provides the ideal viewing spectacle for fans but is
surprisingly straightforward when it comes to machine
set-up. Throttle connection is much more important than
top-end power and the riders require a well balanced chassis
set-up to deal with the frequent and dramatic elevation
changes and corner variation.
Valentino Rossi
After missing the chance to recover ground on Stoner in this
year's championship following his sixth-lap crash in
Germany, Valentino Rossi says he is relieved to have such an
early chance to put things right - with just seven days
between the tenth and eleventh rounds of the season. Laguna
Seca is one of only three circuits on this year's calendar
where Rossi has never previously won, a record he is also
looking to set straight this Sunday.
"Laguna was a great disappointment
for me last year because I wasn't able to finish," says
Rossi, who has also yet to take victory at Istanbul Park
(Turkey) and Misano (San Marino). "I have never won
there and after the disappointment of Germany I am
determined to do so this time! I'm really glad we have such
a short time between races because there's no time to dwell
on what happened on Sunday, we just have to focus on Laguna
Seca. With the way that our bike and tyres are working now,
I think we have a great potential there."
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A bittersweet weekend in Germany saw Valentino Rossi
(above) lose ground on series leader Casey Stoner,
who now holds an advantage of 32 points with eight
rounds remaining. |
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The high point of last weekend was a fourth place
finish for Colin Edwards (above) from thirteenth on
the grid and that strong result has provided the
Texan with a much-needed confidence boost ahead of
his home race.
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"It's a great place to race and I think if they've made the
improvements we hope to the track then it will be a good
weekend. The championship is long and the important thing is
to get as many points as possible from every race and arrive
at the end still fighting."
Colin Edwards
Laguna Seca is one of the tracks that Colin Edwards
pinpointed at the start of the season as having the
potential of staging his first victory in the MotoGP class.
The former World Superbike Champion has finished second on
several occasions during his premier-class career, including
the US Grand Prix in 2005, and is hoping to finally go one
better and break his duck in front of his home fans.
"Germany turned into a really good
weekend for us and I was very happy with the performance of
my bike in the end - especially the tyres," reflects
Edwards. "Fourth place at a track I don't like has given
me a lot of confidence for Laguna Seca, a place I love, and
it's good to go there on a roll. It's my home race and I've
got lots of friends and family coming down to add to the
support of a few fans, I hope! Last year I was pretty sick on race
day and it wasn't a good experience but this time I'm
feeling in great shape and I'm determined to go one step
higher than in 2005. I know the track better than anyone and
the fans always give me a real boost so I'll be giving it my
all from Friday morning."
Davide Brivio - Team Director
Fiat Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio has pinpointed twin
objectives for his riders this weekend, with short and long
term goals in mind. In both cases the target is to challenge
for victory at Laguna Seca and put Yamaha back on the podium
at a circuit they enjoyed so much success at during its
first period on the Grand Prix calendar, when the factory
won five of the six races premier-class races held between
1988 and 1994.
"We've got a double target for
Laguna; a great home race for Colin and making up for
Germany with Valentino," stated Brivio. "2006
wasn't a great year for us at Laguna and we were very
unlucky but it's a nice place to go and race with a
fantastic atmosphere so hopefully this time we can make the
most of it! We know our package is very good now and our
tyres are working very well, so we have the potential to do
a great job with both riders in America. This is another demanding weekend
for the team because it is a long way to travel in such a
short space of time, especially with the time difference.
Logistically it is quite tough but the situation is the same
for all the teams and we will be working hard to make sure
everything is in place for our riders to come out fighting
on Friday morning."
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