Press release:Niccolò Canepa will be the only Pramac Racing rider to step on the Laguna Seca track this weekend for the eight MotoGP 2009 World Championship round. His teammate Mika Kallio is, in fact, obligated to skip the US Grand Prix due to the injury at his left ring finger occurred on the Assen circuit during last Saturday race. The Italian rider will make his debut on the Californian circuit and will have to learn in the quickest time the secrets of this track. One of the main characteristics of this enthralling circuit is the corkscrew, a unique downhill chicane for the MotoGP Championship. The track is 3610 metres long with its final straight that is 966 metres long.
Fabiano Sterlacchini - Pramac Racing Technical Director:
"This will surely be a different weekend for us as Mika will not be here, but we are sure that the decision taken on Tuesday it's the best for the rest of the season. We preferred to have him in the best condition possible at Sachsenring without risking to compromise more races. As it was supposed to be for Mika, this will be the first time also for Niccolò at Laguna Seca. It is a really technical track and he will need some time to completely learn it. He will have to be really calm and maybe follow some other riders that already know the track in the first free practice to learn the best lines to follow. From our side we are working hard to give to Niccolò the possibility to demonstrate his qualities and we believe we will see the results soon."
Niccolò Canepa - Pramac Racing Rider:
"I am really sorry Mika will not be here with us this weekend and it will be strange. I hope he will be able to get back on track really soon. He is a really nice guy and a great rider and I hope to see him again in our box for the German race. It will not be easy for us this weekend as it's my first time in my career here. For what I have seen on the television in the past years it isn't a really fast track but with many insidious turns. I think that my heart rate will be really fast at my first time at the corkscrew. On paper this is a really fascinating track and I hope to be able to be fast from the first few laps. On Indianapolis track, when I have ridden on it for the first time last year, I registered very interesting lap times straight away: who knows that maybe the same will happen here."
