It’s three dark decades since British riders achieved World Championship success but there is a light at the end of that long dark tunnel. The new breed of British stars look set to continue the sensational start they made to the 2008 MotoGP World Championship season in the second round of the Championship at the bwin.com Grand Prix of Spain at the magnificent Jerez circuit on Sunday.
A weekend crowd approaching a quarter of a million fans will witness the British revival in the most demanding of all World sporting arenas at the first European race of the season. Spearheading that challenge will be Yorkshire man James Toseland who made a sensational MotoGP debut under the Qatar floodlights a couple of weeks ago. The reigning World Superbike Champion qualified in second place on the front row of the grid and then pushed seven times World Champion Valentino Rossi to the limit to finish sixth on his debut riding the Tech 3 Yamaha.
Toseland had already shown how brilliantly he’d adapted to the 800cc Yamaha at the official test around the 2.748 mile Jerez circuit in Southern Spain last month and there is absolutely no reason why he can’t continue where he left off in Qatar.
There was an equally stunning debut in the 125 cc race in Qatar where 15 year old Gloucestershire rider Scott Redding shook up the World Championship stars with his riding and confidence. Riding the Blusens Aprilia, he became the youngster ever rider in the 60 year history of grand prix racing to start from the front row when he qualified in fourth place. It got even better in the race where he failed by just 0.1s to finish on the podium and was fifth after the long drag to the line. Redding is no stranger to Jerez having won the final round of the CEV Buckler Spanish Championship there last year. Also he was in tremendous form at the official Jerez test session last month.
Equally impressive was 16 year Kent-based Danny Webb who grabbed his best ever grand prix result with a hard fought sixth place. The switch from Honda to Aprilia machinery by his Dutch DeGraff Grand Prix team has made an enormous difference to Webb who also knows the circuit well after racing in Spain for many years.
Seventeen year old Bradley Smith will be looking for a change of fortune on his return to Spain. The Polaris World Aprilia rider led all the practice and qualifying sessions in Qatar. He led the race from the start only to slow dramatically with a broken steering damper and eventually finish out of the points. He returns to Jerez still brimming with confidence after he led both the pre-season testing sessions at the Spanish circuit.
Ulsterman Eugene Laverty will also be looking for his luck to change. The 21 year old Blusens Aprilia rider crashed on the first lap of the 250cc race in Qatar. He had a really tough time also in practice and qualifying after looking far happier pre-season to his second grand prix season after making the switch from Honda to Aprilia.
Three Decades – The Stark Facts & Figures- Barry Sheene is the last British rider to win a premier class grand prix. It was 26 years ago at the Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp riding the 500cc Yamaha.
- Barry Sheene is the last British rider to win the MotoGP Premier Class Championship. He won his second successive 500 cc World Championship for Suzuki in 1977. That is 31 years ago.
- Chas Mortimer is the last British rider to win a 125 cc Grand Prix. He was riding a Yamaha when he won the 1973 Spanish Grand Prix at Jarama. That is 35 years ago.
- Dave Simmonds is the last British 125 cc World Champion. Thirty nine years ago he won the 1969 World 125 cc title for Kawasaki.
- Ulsterman Jeremy McWilliams is the last British rider to win a grand prix in any class. He brought Aprilia victory in the 2001 250cc Dutch TT at Assen. That is a gap of seven years.
James Toseland: “The race in Qatar made me realise it’s possible for me to be competitive at this level. In Qatar the bike just lacked a bit of grunt but I’m hopeful I will get the new engine by the third round at Estoril in Portugal. I’ve already tested the MotoGP Yamaha at Jerez and I’m really looking forward to carry on where I left off in Qatar.”
Scott Redding: "I wasn’t intimidated at all in Qatar. I know they are established World Championship riders but I could stay with them no problem. I’m only riding last year’s bike and it’s a shame I was not on something quicker but I know Jerez very well and will be looking to go even better.”
Danny Webb: “I’ve come into this season with a clear head and the bike is so much better than last year. I raced and tested at Jerez many times. I’m really confident about the race because I’m much fitter, more relaxed and taking a different approach.”
Bradley Smith:“Despite having to ride catch up after scoring no points in Qatar we are taking all the positives from that opening weekend. I led all the practice and qualifying session and also the race. I’ve also led the two pre-season testing sessions at Jerez this year and so we going into the race with plenty of confidence and just looking for that change of luck.”
Eugene Laverty: “The weekend in Qatar was one to forget but I must draw on the positives from the nine days we spent there and look forward to Jerez. My lap times on the bike exceeded those expected by the team and so with a bit more luck expect to see us closer to the sharp end at Jerez where I scored my first World Championship points last year.”
Bwin.com MotoGP Of Spain – Preview
Stoner The Man To Beat Twenty – two year old Australian Casey Stoner will be the man to beat in Jerez after a superb winning ride at the opening round of the Championship in Qatar. The combination of World Champion Stoner, the Marlboro Ducati and Bridgestone tyres once again proved too strong although there were clear indications of a new breed of challengers ready to take them on around the 2.748 mile Jerez circuit.
Leading that challenge is double 250cc World Champion Jorge Lorenzo who made an impressive MotoGP debut in Qatar. Riding the Michelin shod Fiat Yamaha he finished second in the race he started from pole position. The 20 year old Spaniard has won the last 250cc grands prix at Jerez and will be a massive threat in the 27 lap race on Sunday.
Alongside him will be his old 250cc sparring partner Andre Dovizioso who was fourth in Qatar on his MotoGP debut riding the JiR Scot Team Honda. The Italian won the 125 cc World Championship before finishing runner-up to Lorenzo in the 250cc Championship for the last two years. Throw in James Toseland and you have three rookies already giving the MotoGP stars a tough time after just one race.
However don’t rule out those established stars. Spaniard Dani Pedrosa finished third on the Qatar podium riding the Repsol Honda with an injured right hand following a testing crash. Seven times World Champion Valentino Rossi was fourth on the Bridgestone-shod Fiat Yamaha and he’s won six times at Jerez in all classes.
Former 125 and 250cc World Champion Italian Loris Capirossi won the MotoGP race for Ducati at Jerez two years ago. He made his Rizla Suzuki debut in Qatar to finish behind the Tech 3 Yamaha of American Colin Edwards in eighth place. Frenchman Randy De Puniet was ninth on his LCR Honda debut with Italian Marco Melandri slowly getting to grips on the Ducati behind former World Champion Nicky Hayden in 11th place.
American John Hopkins will be happy with the three week gap between races after finishing 12th in Qatar on his Kawasaki debut despite an injured groin while Australian Chris Vermeulen seeks a change of fortune after front tyre problems kept him out of the points in Qatar.
Italian Mattia Pasini won the hard fought 250cc encounter in Qatar. The Polaris World Aprilia rider can expect much the same in Jerez especially from previous Jerez winners Alvaro Bautista and Marco Simoncelli and his fellow Qatar podium finishers Hector Barbera and Mika Kallio.
The 125 cc race in Qatar was even better with the brave Spaniard Sergio Gadea winning an epic battle with Joan Olive, Stefan Bradl, Mike Di Meglio and Scott Redding despite riding with a cracked collarbone. The three week gap will do his healing collarbone a power of good and he will need that strength to fight off World Champion Gabor Talmacsi and Bradley Smith who suffered mechanical problems in the first round.
Event Time Schedule- Spanish times:
Friday 28 March:09.00 – 09.45 - 125cc Practice
10.00 – 11.00 - MotoGP Practice
11.15 – 12.15 - 250cc Practice
13.10 – 13.40 - 125cc Qualifying 1
13.55 – 14.55 - MotoGP Practice
15.10 – 15.55 - 250cc Qualifying 1
Saturday 29 March:09.00 – 09.45 - 125cc Practice
10.00 – 11.00 - MotoGP Practice
11.15 – 12.15 - 250cc Practice
13.10 – 13.40 - 125cc Qualifying 2
13.55 – 14.55 - MotoGP Qualifying
15.10 – 15.55 - 250cc Qualifying 2
Sunday 30 March:08.40 – 09.00 - 125cc Warm Up
09.10 – 09.30 - 250cc Warm Up
09.40 – 10.05 - MotoGP Warm Up
11.00 - 125cc RACE (23 laps)
12.15 - 250cc RACE (26 laps)
14.00 - MotoGP RACE (27 laps)
TELEVISION TIMES Practice, qualifying and the races will be shown at the following times on British television:
BBC
Saturday 29 March: 13.45 – 15.00 - MotoGP Qualifying live BBCi and BBC Sport website
Sunday 30 March:10.45 – 13.15 - 125 and 250cc races live BBCi and BBC Sport website
12.30 – 14.30 - MotoGP race live BBC Two and BBC Sport website
14.30 - MotoGP Extra BBCi and BBC Sport website
BRITISH EUROSPORT
Friday 28 March:14.30 – 15.00 - 250cc Practice Live
15.00 – 16.00 - MotoGP Practice Live
18.00 – 19.00 - MotoGP
23.30 – 00.30 - MotoGP
Saturday 29 March:
12.00 – 14.00 - 125cc and MotoGP Qualifying Live
21.00 – 22.30 - MotoGP
Sunday 30 March:08.45 – 14.00 - 125cc, 250cc and MotoGP Races Live
18.00 – 19.30 - MotoGP
