After his exciting victory in the Australian GP and a podium in Motegi, the chase for the title is back on for Marco Melandri. Currently third in the championship on 209 points, 27 behind series leader Nicky Hayden, the Fortuna Honda rider has two more races to make up the gap – a difficult but not impossible mission for the 24year-old rider, who has already shown this season that he is a winning rider, ready to tackle any situation.
Thanks to the renewal of the contract with the Honda Gresini team for next season, Marco Melandri can tackle the final two races with extra motivation. “We are very pleased to announce the renewal of the contract with Marco for 2007” announced officially Fausto Gresini last Saturday, the 7th of October, during the ceremony of the 35th anniversary of Honda Italy. “This was our main target and we are happy to have met it. I have always believed in Marco’s potential, and during these two seasons together he has reached great results, demonstrating to be a top rider and gaining in Honda’s estimation.”
Since the start of their MotoGP alliance in fact, Melandri and the Gresini team have claimed so far 14 podiums and 5 wins. Second in the champion at his debut on the Rc211V, this season Marco has taken 3 victories and is still fighting for the championship. “I’m really happy“ said Marco Melandri, delighted with the contract renovation. “For me it was very important to find a team that allowed me to work at the top and at ease. Now we have all the elements to do a big step forward. After two difficult months, I’m happy to keep on working with Fausto Gresini who has always believed in me, supporting me in all situations. After two years together I look confident to next year and hope to reach important goals. I'm really happy with the team around me, we're all working well together. Now I can focus on the two final races, trying to do my best every GP”. Estoril and Valencia promise to deliver a cliff-hanger of a season finale – two races with any number of riders ready to go for the win and challenge for the maximum points haul of 50.
The 16th round of a demanding season takes place at a challenging circuit that combines tight corners and long straights. The changeable conditions always represent an added area of risk because of the circuit’s proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, which can provoke drastic weather changes and strong winds.
Marco Melandri:"Now we go to two circuits that I like – I’m ready for this final challenge. I have shown that I am competitive in all conditions and I’m ready to fight to win every Sunday. The championship has never been as open as it is this year and I’m not in a position to defend, I can take a few risks and just focus on setting the bike up to enjoy myself. It’s important at this circuit that the bike is well balanced, stable under braking and agile in the direction changes. It’s actually quite a slow circuit, characterised by one long straight and five first gear corners. Last year the race was spoilt by the rain – it was a strange race and I finished fifth. Now I feel motivated, I’m in good form and the recent good results have given me extraordinary energy.”
Toni Elias:"Together with the team we’re doing a really good job now and we take another step forward every time. A second row start and sixth place in the race in Japan mean I can look forward to the next round with optimism. I’m determined to turn this difficult season around and I hope things can go well from the start at Estoril. I like the track, especially the uphill chicane, which is the distinctive section of the track – a really slow but technical ‘S’, probably the slowest on the calendar. The straight, which is almost a kilometre long, is fast and is followed by really hard braking into turn 1 whilst the last corner is also quite fast and is crucial to a good lap time."
From The Racetrack To The Street: "Trizone" Technology*30,000 kilometres covered in a season by the Fortuna Honda riders
*2.600 litres of fuel used by each rider in a year
*700/800 tyres per rider in a season
*400 litres of oil per rider in a season
*50/60 chains per rider in a season
*20 front and 20 rear wheel per rider
*10 sets of carbon brake discs and 2 sets of carbon pads per rider in a season.
The success of a winning rider is possible thanks to the work of an entire team and the support of their sponsors and commercial and technical partners, who provide high quality products that respond to the demands of the most competitive category in the world: MotoGP. One of those is CASTROL, who produce the oil and lubricants for Team Fortuna Honda, products born through the highest possible level of technical research.
"MotoGP represents a huge challenge and stimulus for a technical partner because it allows you to explore otherwise inaccessible limits," comments John Bristow, Marketing Manager for CASTROL. "MotoGP opens the door to technical research at the highest level and this gives us an advantage not only in racing but also in our products. In fact it was from our racing research that we came up with the revolutionary "TRIZONE" technology – a single oil that responds to the specific demands of the engine, clutch and gearbox."
Trizone four-stroke oil improves acceleration and power at maximum revs. Whilst an ordinary car requires three different kinds of lubricant, a street bike can use one single product for the three areas (in MotoGP the clutch is dry so the oil is only needed for the engine and gearbox). Trizone technology allows for maximum engine performance, protecting it from the deposits created at high temperatures and aiding the cooling process. As far as the clutch is concerned the oil helps to transmit the maximum amount of power from the engine to the rear wheel. In recent years this power has improved by 50%, whilst the current four-stroke engines now rev at 16,000rpm, compared to 12,000 in 1980. This increase in performance demands perfect lubrication, with oil developed specifically in racing. The gearbox, which is constantly reducing in size as the engine gets smaller, is therefore required to operate on as small an amount of oil as possible – meaning the quality of the lubricant has to be extremely high in order to reduce friction and improve performance.
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