The MotoGP Championship returns to the Motorland circuit in Aragon this weekend for round 14 of the 2011 season. This will be only the second visit to the Spanish circuit, the third home race of the year for Reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo. The Mallorcan arrives in Aragon with renewed confidence and motivation in the battle for the title after taking a perfect victory last week in Misano. The race win reduces his points gap from leader Casey Stoner to 35 points with five races remaining. The 2010 Aragon race saw Lorenzo start from second on the front row having narrowly missed pole and finish just off the podium in fourth after a battle with Nicky Hayden.
Aragon provides one of the few circuits which put Lorenzos team mate Ben Spies on a relatively equal footing to the GP grid, all sharing the same level of track experience there. Spies delivered an exciting performance in last years race, battling and ultimately bettering Andrea Dovizioso with a last lap thriller to take fifth. The Texan prepares for the final five races in fifth position in the Championship, 15 points behind Dani Pedrosa in fourth.
Aragon was first scheduled as a replacement for the Hungarian MotoGP round last year. The track is situated near the town of Alcaniz in northern Spain, a few hours drive from Barcelona. Designed by Hermann Tillke, the circuit is impressive and challenging with spectacular elevation changes and fast, flowing corners.
Jorge Lorenzo
“I am very happy to be riding at home again and for a second time in Aragon. Im looking forward to seeing all the fans there, and especially my Fan Club who are coming. Last year I couldn’t get the podium which was a big shame. I wanted it because I was competing in Spain and the season had been perfect and also because I was wearing Shoya’s helmet in his memory. I had a good race two weeks ago in Misano and now I am very confident we can obtain another podium, we believe we can again reduce our gap to Casey.”
Ben Spies
Its great to come to a track on the calendar where I have the same level of experience as the rest of the field. Last year was one of my most enjoyable races, it was great fun fighting with Dovi to keep fifth and we werent so far from the battle for third until I made a small mistake. Ive had a chance to relax at my home in Como after the Indianapolis and Misano back to back races so Im feeling good and looking forward to seeing what we can do.
Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
Jorge is in a winning mood, we saw that in Misano. All our efforts are focused on another victory which is what we need to close the gap. We didnt have a very good weekend at Aragon last year but in the meantime many things have changed so I believe we are able to change our feeling for the track. Jorge is well rested and physically fit so we are in the best place to challenge for another win.
Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
We left Misano last week in a great mood after a fantastic result. We still have five races to go and 35 points to make up so we are going to Aragon ready to fight. Ben is recovering well from his trapped nerve issue and is getting closer to full fitness again. Apart from one corner the Aragon circuit layout should be good for us and suit the YZR-M1, so our expectations are quite high for this weekend.
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