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The MotoGP paddock heads
to ‘Motorland' Aragon this weekend for its last European
stop before the triple-leg overseas tour later this
month. The Spanish track is a new addition to the
calendar and both championship leader Jorge Lorenzo and
reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi are looking
forward to getting to the grips with what is known as a
spectacular racing circuit.
This will be 23-year-old Lorenzo's third race on home
soil this season and, with wins already chalked up at
Jerez and Barcelona, the championship leader is eager to
get another chance to thrill the Spanish fans. He
continues in the imperious form he has shown all season,
having won or stood on the podium at every round and
with his podium last time out in Misano his 30th since
he began in MotoGP in 2008. Lorenzo spent a day testing
a Yamaha road bike at Aragon last month in order to
familiarise himself with the track and is excited about
the challenge of racing there.
Rossi took a trip out to Aragon last week, like Lorenzo
taking a day to learn the nuances of the track aboard a
Yamaha R1, and reporting back positively. The nine-time
World Champion is gradually building back to full
strength and was delighted with his podium in Misano
last time out, feeling that both his bike and he are
nearly back to their best after his injury-hit season.
He currently lies fourth in the championship but third
is a possible target and would be a superb result
considering his troubles this year.
Aragon was drafted in as a replacement for the doomed
Hungarian MotoGP round and will remain as a ‘reserve'
circuit for the MotoGP championship for the next five
years. The track lies near the town of Alcaniz in
northern Spain, a few hours drive from Barcelona. It was
designed by Hermann Tillke and is well known to be an
impressive track with spectacular elevation changes and
fast, flowing corners. In order to give the riders
adequate time to get to know the new track there will be
four 45-minute practice sessions over Friday and
Saturday instead of the usual three one hour-long ones.
Jorge Lorenzo - "A fun place"
"It's our third race in Spain but the first time at
Aragon and I'm excited. I went to test there last month
and it's an amazing track. The first corner reminds me
of Turkey and there's a lot of up and down, it's a fun
place. I would like to do a great race and dedicate it
to Tomizawa. I hope lots of people but especially my fan
club are coming because I think it will be a good
weekend. My aim is to get on the podium again and to
push as hard as I can. We're ready to start working."
Valentino Rossi - "Complicated and fun"
"Last week I rode an R1 at the track and I really like
it. It's quite complicated but it's a lot of fun and
it's fast, so I think it will be a real test. I think
the best bit is the entry to turn 16 and I am looking
forward to riding my M1 there. Misano was a very sad
weekend for our sport but now we're looking forward to a
new race and we are hoping for a good weekend for
everyone in memory of Tomizawa. I am feeling stronger
and fitter every day so I will be aiming for the podium
again this time."
Wilco Zeelenberg - "Not easy to learn"
"It's a great circuit and Jorge really loved it when we
went there last month. It's very hilly, which is always
fun, and it has many different types of corners so it's
not too easy to learn but is an exciting challenge for
the riders. Our target once again will be the podium and
to keep working towards our target of the championship."
Davide Brivio - "A new challenge"
"It's exciting to be heading to a new place and of
course after Misano it will be very interesting to see
Valentino's progress on his way to recovery. It's a
fantastic track. We went to see it last Wednesday and
Valentino had the chance to learn it; he liked it a lot.
It's very technical, fun to ride and for sure all the
riders will enjoy the new challenge."
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