MotoGP – Prince Rossi summons his subjects to Donington –

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Prince Rossi summons his subjects to Donington

MotoGP - Prince Rossi summons his subjects to Donington -

Well off to a 5th title, Rossi is running this weekend on one of his favorite circuits and designates his rivals at mid-season: that the "forgotten" console themselves as best they can, on this contrasting track requiring fine adjustments and committed management…

Like Assen, Donington Park is one of the legendary trails. And like its Dutch counterpart, the superb English circuit has had to evolve over time to meet Continental Circus standards..

If the British Grand Prix was originally held on the Isle of Man dear to Chevalier Sergei (read), it was first transferred to the track considered safer at Silverstone before landing in 1987 at Donington Park . The track was then lengthened by 900 m, a portion deemed unattractive by most pilots. But the approval was at this price…

A "two-stroke" circuit

Donington is not just for 2-stroke engines, although the 125s and 250s do enjoy it! In fact, the track is made up of two very distinct parts which make driving and especially the settings particularly difficult..

The first portion is characterized by very fast sequences where the settings of the front axle constitute a major issue. Of Red gate at Coppice included, the pilots must carefully trajectory, as the exit of one of the turns conditions the entry into the next and therefore the speed of passage. The most representative bend is undoubtedly Show off, a long downhill left which is negotiated in fourth – even in fifth gear for the more daring! – despite the total absence of benchmarks … This blind turn, one of the most impressive in the championship, requires a good dose of determination and confidence in its front end !

It is therefore more the guts of the pilot than the power of the engine that will set the clock, as successively testified by the pole of Nakano on Yamaha in 2001, the third place of Harada on the Aprilia V2 in 1999 less than a second. of the winner, or Crafar’s victory over Yamaha, eleven seconds before the living god Doohan !

Like Phillip Island, qualifying offers some nice surprises that are rarely seen in the race, with the busiest engines taking over the intrepid pilots but handicapped by insufficient horsepower….

The second part of the circuit, particularly slow, looks more like the "Stop and Go" format of Le Mans and, therefore, much less pleased the riders of MotoGP. Melbourne, the penultimate corner, is one of the very rare curves of the year to come first! But it is in this section that overtaking is easiest and it is not Vale who will contradict us, he who particularly likes to surprise his opponents in the esses of Fogarty !

The dual profile of this track forces the teams to observe a constant compromise between a stable and safe motorcycle at high speed as well as on the angle for the first portion, and a motorcycle agile and dynamic under braking as well as acceleration for the second….

The brakes, subjected to severe testing throughout the course, require special attention. The grip, despite last year’s resurfacing, is greatly reduced by kerosene dropped by planes from the nearby airport … and the highly fluctuating weather conditions in the East Midlands, even over a single weekend. end, don’t make it easy !

They call me Robin Hood !

The Donington track is located near Sherwood Forest … So it’s no coincidence that Valentino Rossi appeared there as Robin Hood to celebrate one of his many 125cc victories in 1997! The "Prince of Thieves" (of victories at Donington!) Thus does not usurp his reputation, he who has no less than six first places in nine participations! And again: in 2003, the top step of the podium escaped him simply because of an overtaking under the yellow flag (read) … Rossi is also the only driver of the field to have won a victory on this circuit in category Queen ! So it would not be surprising to see Princess Anne (great royal sportswoman) knight the archer of Sherwood !

"I still look forward to running in Donington as it is near my home", rejoices the Italian who has lived in London since 2000."It’s like a second national GP for me! It is one of my favorite circuits since I have driven in 125 and I have a lot of good memories there, especially my first victory in 500 in 2001". And when it comes to nominating your opponents for this test, The Doctor quotes"Colin, who was very strong here last year and who will be very strong again this weekend. Marco Melandri is quick at Donington and Nicky Hayden is in a good period so I think it will be a big battle !"

Rossi’s VIPs

The first competitor to which His Holiness alludes is therefore his own teammate at Gauloises Yamaha. And it’s not out of politeness or out of contractual obligation, as it is true that the Texan Tornado is in good shape lately. After his third place in Assen and his second place in Laguna Seca, the American gets caught up in the game and aims for victory: "Third, second … I guess it’s time to be first !"

Colin is all the more confident that the Donington track holds almost no secrets for him, having frequented it many times during his years in Superbike. In MotoGP last year he finished second despite "a motorcycle on which I was not completely comfortable". The American can reasonably hope to win his first victory of his career in MotoGP … But if this hypothesis is possible, it is very far from being written in advance. !

Do hedgehogs fall back on their feet ?

Marco Melandri, who did not score any points in the American GP, ​​is in search of revenge … And we will finally know if the hedgehogs manage, like cats, to land on their feet! Hopefully for him, especially as his position as Dauphin becomes uncertain as the return of his colleagues at Honda is confirmed: Biaggi and Gibernau are respectively 7 and 12 points in the general classification…

For him too, Donington represents a second national GP since Marco Melandri resides "less than 3 km from the circuit"And although his fond memories of winning the 250 in 2002 were dampened by last year’s race, in which he broke his right thumb and had to undergo surgery."tarnishing the rest of my season", Marco will undoubtedly return among the leading men this weekend.

Third and last guest invited to the Sunday "battle" on the lands of Lord Rossi: Nicky Hayden. The Kentucky Kid is hoping his Laguna Seca display "is the start of something goodLast year at Donington, Nicky finished fourth after a discreet but efficient start and a good fight with Bayliss (cut short by a slight slip from the back of the Australian in Show off, exiting the track and forcing him to cross a large expanse of slippery grass before joining the track far behind the American!) Will he be as comfortable in Donington as in Laguna? It is quite possible, insofar as the sinuosity and the bumps of the English circuit him "recall the American circuits".

The ignored

It will be understood: Rossi has already forgotten the "old men" of the Continental Circus! Of course, the "Palme de l’alpe number one" goes to the two other official HRC drivers, Biaggi and Gibernau. And the two agree that the Donington Park circuit is not their cup of tea… but for different reasons.

The Italian complains mainly about the asphalt, despite his replacement last year. "It’s a rather slow and technical circuit", adds the Roman Emperor who never succeeded – like his grandfather Caesar – in conquering England (except in 2003 thanks to Rossi’s inattention and in 250 cc in 1995 and 1996). Worse, the year last he finished in twelfth place … At the time, "the funniest part of this tour (turn 1 to turn 3)"didn’t make Max laugh so much…

Unlike the vast majority of the plateau, the preferred portion of the Spanish Sete Gibernau is in "the last two stretches of stretches, traditionally the scene of spectacular overtaking". Sete also complains of the often insufficient grip but finds unlike Biaggi that"the new asphalt deposited last year has significantly improved the situation".

Capirossi is also not one of Lord Valentino’s guests. Loris, suffering from gastric problems in the United States, is however not clumsy on the British circuit: he has four victories there, including his very first in 125 at the age of 17 in 1990! But it is true that since his arrival in 500 and then in MotoGP, Capirex has never returned to the podium. Blame it on a Ducati too powerful for slow passage, "which is OK for the 125 and the 250 but is not so easy when you have so much power"…

Finally Bridgestone, which equips the Ducati, Suzuki and Kawasaki, despite its efforts remains inferior to Michelin. An observation that Capirex and its counterparts, Checa in the first place, would like to see evolve. Carlos, who was still fighting for fifth place when he fell in Laguna, also lives in England like most of his comrades. He finds the first section of Donington to be a good playground, but is more adamant about the rest of the circuit: "I would like them to change this portion (esses of Fogarty at the finish line, editor’s note) and I would also like them to build a new complex for booths and toilets !"… To each his own concerns !

For Suzuki, whose MotoGP team headquarters are in England, the English event serves as a showcase in which it will be "to impress Red Bull and all potential partners with further progress in our performance on the track", explains team manager Paul Denning. But this conquering speech hardly hides results which were not particularly brilliant during the last race at Laguna: 8th place for Hopkins and 14th for Roberts Jr, while the other two Americans made the double..

At Kawasaki, third in the constructors’ championship, we expect a lot from Nakano, the leading Bridgestone rider in the standings. Unfortunately for the Greens, the Japanese did "never had the right feeling for Donington". As for Hofmann,"very happy"of his piloting in Laguna where he passed"from 15th to 11th place", it is still far from the performances of Rossi … I can’t wait for Olivier Jaque to return to the Sachsenring next week, as Harald Eckl told us exclusively at the beginning of May (read) !

Good Sunday to all and see you on Monday for the turn by turn of J. Arsouille, with the great return of the 125 and 250 unfairly deprived of Laguna Seca !

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