MotoGP – Hayden and Rossi go to Portugal –

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Hayden and Rossi go to Portugal

MotoGP - Hayden and Rossi go to Portugal -

Sunday, the tension will be at its height: Rossi recovered to 12 points from leader Nicky Hayden intends to pocket a sixth consecutive title. The battle promises to be all the more distressing as around them, a band of furious people also clash… Action !

The Portuguese Estoril circuit is hosting the penultimate round of the World Sprint Championship this weekend…

In 125, Bautista was crowned while in 250, Lorenzo was in the process of being.

But in MotoGP, the two best riders are only 12 points apart … and five riders can still – mathematically – claim the world crown !
Cologne, 10/10/2006 – Nicky Hayden confident on the eve of the penultimate race of the season… Video Site.

It has been 14 years since we have seen such suspense seize the premier class … And the track that the drivers will have to complete 28 times as quickly as possible this Sunday is up to the meeting.

Indeed, the Portuguese circuit offers a serious challenge since it includes a wide variety of sequences. The straight line is one of the longest in the championship: almost a kilometer! Controlled by a long right where "pilots take a lot of angle when fully loaded", confirms Nicolas Goubert, responsible for motorcycle racing at Michelin, this portion allows MotoGP to exceed 330 km / h.

But this route also includes the slowest chicane on the calendar and five of its turns are negotiated in 1st, which makes Estoril the slowest circuit of the season: 150 km / h on average during the last completely dry race. in 2004.

"Completely dry in 2004" because last year, we remember that the white flag – allowing pilots to change mounts and therefore tires during the race – was waved for the first time (read). However, the pilots had not gone through the pits, the rain not being heavy enough to justify such a change..

Because this is the second difficulty of this meeting: located at the edge of the Atlantic: Estoril likes to play with the nerves of the pilots and their mechanics by modifying the climatic conditions in no time. "The race comes quite late this year and the weather could be quite cool or even rainy. And since the circuit is close to the sea, the weather is unpredictable and can change very quickly, a bit like in Phillip Island", insists Nicolas Goubert…

This Lusitanian test is delicate for the tires which are particularly put to the test on their left sidewall in long turns while the right sidewall is used more often but on shorter turns..

Finally, two portions have been resurfaced – from the 1st turn to the 3rd, then from the 9th to the last – in order to remove as many bumps as possible. Suddenly, some teams already fear a lack of grip…

Kentucky "Podium" Kid Vs Doctor "On-Off"…

On Sunday, all eyes will be on two motorcycles: n ° 69 and n ° 46 … Driven respectively by Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi, the Honda RCV and the Yamaha M1 will fight their penultimate battle, before giving way to the up to their little sisters 800 cc. But in the meantime, the 2006 title remains to be awarded between the Kentucky "Podium" Kid and the Doctor "On-Off"…

The two contenders are only 12 points apart and they have both collected nine podiums this year. However, the profiles of their 2006 season could not be more different: while the young American is the only driver to have scored points in the 15 events contested so far and won two victories, the Italian has retired three times. but won five times…

"From Brno, where we finally figured out everything it takes to make our bike run 100% again, we’ve been strong everywhere and on the podium every time", warns the seven-time world champion. The abandonment during the GP of the United States is therefore now totally forgotten.

In addition to his talent, according to him Vale has a team of which "the level of motivation and concentration is the best in the whole paddock"and he should naturally be one of the very best in the race on Sunday … It remains to be seen where his enemy n ° 69 will be. !

Hayden’s results show a development opposite to that of Rossi: since his victory at home, the American has not been on the podium. In fact, in the last four races, the official HRC rider has only scored 46 points (!) While the Yamaha rider has scored 81 points. !

To make matters worse, Estoril "has to be the track in the whole championship where I have the least experience. I missed an event a year because of my knee and collarbone, last year the race was wet and I never did any tests here", says Nicky.

But what does it matter: during the press presentation of the Honda 2007 innovations in Cologne, the young American clearly stated his intentions (see our video): "So far, my season has gone pretty well. Repsol Honda already has the title of world champion constructor and I am looking forward to the last two races to try to obtain the title of world champion !"

Nicky knows above all that to deserve his title in the eyes of his friends, his fans and especially his detractors, he will have to show the same sense of attack as in Assen, where he had finally cracked – but Edwards even more – at the last braking of the very last chicane … But Rossi is much more badass !

Confident Capirossi

Obviously, the race will not be limited to this single duel: the confrontation of the other drivers – whether they are very fit lately or eager to return to the forefront – also promises to be disputed..

Thus, the members of the official Ducati team will seek to continue their streak of excellent results. And while we expect rather cool temperatures supposed to serve the bubbling Bridgestone, Capirossi is particularly confident: "our tires worked great in the cold Phillip Island! In fact, I think we had an advantage in these conditions", he assures !

Gibernau for his part is making a brilliant comeback and considers himself "very close to achieving the kind of results we’ve been deserving for a little while now". Leading the race last year, Sete was surprised by a semi-dry, half-wet track. This year, if the weather remains good, he could well repeat his 4th places in 2003 and 2004 … but will have to do even better to secure a handlebar in 2007 !

Subscribed in 5th place, Carlos Checa greatly appreciates the complex Estoril track. Much like Capi to his Bridgestones, Checa firmly believes that the low temperatures in Portugal will be favorable to his Dunlops. After celebrating his 200th departure for Japan three weeks ago, Carlos will celebrate his 34th birthday this Sunday: no need to ask him what would make him most happy. !

Shinya Nakano, who blew his 29th birthday last Tuesday, also intends to perform well in this GP. If Estoril is not one of his favorite circuits, the Japanese have nevertheless completed a four-day training camp near Clermont-Ferrand which should allow him to calmly tackle the fast curves and the sudden braking of the route….

De Puniet optimist

On the Green side always, our national Randy is full of optimism: "I like the Estoril circuit. I qualified on pole last year in my 250, set the fastest time in the race and finished on the podium", remembers the French.

But Randy knows that it will be very different riding the ZX-RR … Moreover, if he finished third in the 2005 race, he was beaten by a certain Casey Stoner, who is evolving this season in MotoGP riding the a RRS…

The Australian, who has looked at Honda’s results in years past, realized that they were doing well: two podium steps in each event since 2002 … And if Stoner managed to steal one in turn ?

Tamada hopes…

A once very serious Honda customer, Tamada never ceases to disappoint with each outing … "I like the Estoril trail. In 2004, I took pole position there and obtained a second place. These moments are still very much in my memory. I hope to find the solution to the problems that I have encountered for a long time and to become competitive again. I also hope that the weather will be nice so that we can start working on the race settings as soon as possible.". There is nothing to add !

For his part, Melandri – who has finally signed for an additional year with Gresini – feels "ready for the final challenge". According to him, "the championship has never been so open". So since Marco has nothing to lose, he decided to"take some risks". 27 points behind the leader, this is his only alternative !

As you might expect, Dani Pedrosa is more measured. First of all, unlike his Italian colleague, his last two races have been disappointing. In addition, he is not particularly fond of the track – although he has obtained two poles in the past – and the fluctuating weather is no reassurance..

But on the other hand, Dani took advantage of the three week break to recover from his knee injury and should come back to us in great shape: "I can’t wait to get back on the bike and achieve a good result", concludes the young Spanish.

Hopkins aims for the podium

At Suzuki, Hopkins is aiming for the podium considering that with two good results, he could reach the top 6 in the world. "Estoril is a track that I really like, although last year I fell", recalls the Anglo-American who had to warn his teammate of the malevolence of the Portuguese rain…

Because if Vermeulen will put the wheels for the first time in Portugal, he nevertheless knows "the type of weather that awaits us here". And if he hopes to have"as much dry time as possible to learn the circuit and be sure to be competitive for Sunday’s race", we must not forget his superb second in Australia. A podium obtained without doubt more thanks to his virtuosity in precarious conditions than to his good knowledge of the track.

Finally, we will watch the first outing of the X3 Ilmor, piloted by the spectacular Garry McCoy. "Even though our tests have gone well so far, I have no false hopes in the next two races.", warns the Australian who had nevertheless managed to beat Rossi twice in a row in 2000 … in Estoril, precisely, and in Valencia !

Good races and see you on Moto-Net on Monday for our famous world-exclusive turn-based !

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