This weekend the Repsol Honda Team faces the second round of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship aiming to repeat their strong start to the season in Qatar. The three factory team riders, Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso, first, third and fourth respectively in Losail, are motivated by the change of scene. From the desert and cold nights in Doha to the the warmth of Jerez, the gateway to the MotoGP World Championship in Europe.
On route to Jerez, Dani, Andrea and Casey stopped off in Puertollano, Sports European City of 2011, where they were hosted by main team sponsor Repsol. The three riders visited the refinery, the Museum City Hall and the Sports Pavilion, where a presentation of Repsol’s 2011 participation in Motorsports took place.
Casey Stoner lands in Jerez as championship leader and with the ambition to improve his feelings on this circuit. The Aussie climbed to a podium finish with third place in 2009 and now he knows he has a good chance to be there again with his Honda RC212V. Dani Pedrosa is also very motivated. During his time in MotoGP, Dani has always been on the podium in Jerez, winning in 2008, being second in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010 and also having the circuit record from last year. The Spaniard will do everything possible to prevent the shoulder injury separating him from the top places.
Andrea Dovizioso, fourth in Qatar after an intense battle with Marco Simoncelli, aims to improve his record on this track as well, where he gained a third place finish in 2007 and in 2006 in the 250cc class.
The MotoGP Grand Prix of Spain 2011 starts on Friday with the first free practice from 10.10 am. The World Championship now slots into the usual schedule, with two free practice sessions on Friday, the third practice and qualifying on Saturday and warm up and the race, from 14.00, on Sunday.
DANI PEDROSA
“This is the second time I visit Puertollano and it is very interesting to see how they manufacture elements such as fuel, lubricants or plastics you use in the races and in your everyday life away from the circuits. About this weekend, Jerez is always a very special race, where the support of the fans gives you an extra motivation that allows you to be even faster. I like the circuit and it has always been good for me, although last season I had a technical problem that prevented me from winning. We need to focus from the start, work as hard as we can on the bike’s set-up and the tyre choice and then we will see where we are. Regarding my shoulder, this week I had some more medical checks and tomorrow we will have the results and the doctors’ evaluations and recommendations”.
ANDREA DOVIZIOSO
“I was very interesting to visit Puertollano, as only the experts who work here can explain in details how they make the different fuels or which materials are used for the tarmac, very technical questions I had never thought about before. Tonight we go to Jerez, to a race weekend I’m facing with a lot of motivation especially considering the good performance of this year package. Jerez is not an easy circuit for me, but I am confident I will be able to do a good job together with my team”.
CASEY STONER
“I was surprised by the size of the Puertollano complex. I didn’t know a refinery could be so impressive. It was a nice experience to come here before the second round of the World Championship. In the last few years, I haven’t had very good results at Jerez, as I could be fast but in the race things didn’t always go my way. After the good start of this season, we have the chance to complete a positive weekend. The Championship has just started and we have a lot of work to do”.
| 
|