After a long break caused by the postponement of the Grand Prix of Japan the MotoGP World Championship gets back underway this weekend at Estoril. Team San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli travels to Portugal looking for the kind of result that slipped through his fingers at Jerez. It was at Estoril last year where “Super Sic” began a run of late season form that he has carried through into this campaign. He missed the podium by a fraction of a second on that occasion but it now seems a matter of time before the Italian celebrates his first MotoGP victory. Marco’s record in the smaller classes at Estoril is also impressive, finishing on the 250cc podium in 2008 and winning the intermediate category race in 2009. Hopes are high for Hiroshi Aoyama too, the Japanese rider narrowly missing out on the podium himself in the last race at Jerez. Fourth place was his best MotoGP result so far and a timely boost in confidence as he looks to consolidate his place amongst the best riders in the category. Estoril is considered by many to be the fifth home race of the season for the Spanish riders because of the volume of supporters that make their way across the border. Its position on the westernmost point of Europe makes it prone to unpredictable weather and both wind and rain are common factors at this race.
Marco Simoncelli: “I still have a bitter taste in my mouth from Jerez. I was having a great race and the crash obviously wasn’t what I wanted, it was a real shame. I know I will have the chance to make up for it though because I know I am fast and have a good feeling with a competitive bike. I have made progress and so have the team, we are getting on better and better and I am sure we will soon be celebrating together because everything is in place. It has been a long break and I have had time to go with my friends and ‘finish off the ski season’ before getting into some serious training ahead of Estoril. I had my best result of last season in Portugal and just missed out on the podium so this time I want to be on it. I like the track a lot, I won there in 250cc in 2009 and was on the podium the previous season. I am confident we can have a good weekend.”
Hiroshi Aoyama: ”The result at Jerez was an important confidence boost for me. The conditions were particulary difficult but I managed to keep things under control from lap to lap. My only regret is that I was a little too careful with my overtaking in the early stages of the race otherwise I could have been on the podium but overall I am happy. Apart from a crash in the dry we established a good feeling with the bike and that gives me high hopes for Estoril. I have stayed in Europe over the break and just trained hard for the next race. Estoril is not an easy circuit because of the unpredictable weather conditions. The wind is a real problem and unexpected rain showers can make things really difficult. Hopefully this weekend it stays nice.”
Fausto Gresini: “After the race at Jerez I am more convinced than ever that Team San Carlo Honda Gresini have two riders capable of giving us a lot to celebrate in 2011. Honda have given us a competitive bike and both Simoncelli and Aoyama are very determined. Marco was unlucky in Spain but he showed his potential. Now he is ready to fight with the best riders in the class and a top result is around the corner. He has made huge progress along with his crew and he’s going to be fun to watch. Hiroshi was solid at Jerez and he managed the conditions very well to bring home an important result. It is a confidence boost for him and he will also soon be amongst the frontrunners in MotoGP. The whole of Team San Carlo Honda Gresini is calm in the knowledge that we can be fighting for top results every week. It is a return to the good old days for us and we now have the enthusiasm to go along with the professionalism we have always shown.”
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