MotoGP – Stoner’s opponents have nothing more to lose! –

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Stoner’s opponents have nothing more to lose !

MotoGP - Stoner's opponents have nothing more to lose! -

This weekend, the National Grand Prix of the new MotoGP world champion, Casey Stoner, takes place in Australia! To achieve a ninth victory this season, the Ducati rider will have to fight a horde of "unbridled" riders… Trailer.

Three weeks after Motegi, MotoGP riders meet at Phillip Island, one of the most beautiful tracks on the calendar! Located south of Melbourne (Australia), the circuit is nestled at the top of a cliff and is therefore swept by strong winds: gaffe aux gullets !

Even more annoying for pilots and their equipment, Phillip Island is located in a temperate zone … in the southern hemisphere! Which means that at this time of year, the weather can change dramatically in no time, as it happened last year during the race (read) !

Admittedly, the 2006 event took place a month earlier in the season than this year. But the severe hailstorms that recently hit Canberra – Australia’s capital, 650 km from Melbourne – are a perfect illustration of the kind of surprises that Intercontinental Circus attendees can expect….

From a more technical point of view, the layout is not lacking in interests: fast, fluid, technical and asymmetrical. Jean-Philippe Weber, responsible for motorcycle racing at Michelin, does not hesitate to present it as "the biggest challenge of the year for tire manufacturers" !

"The nature of the circuit demands a lot of tires, especially with the highest operating temperatures of the MotoGP season. The circuit is characterized by several long curves to the left at high speed where the pilots use the gas in full", specifies Weber.

The right side of the tire therefore remains unused for long periods of time and the turn at the end of the straight line, in particular, offers the rider, his mount and his tires a particularly high challenge: "it’s a quick straight downhill, with negative camber, which puts a lot of strain on the rear tire", noted last year Nicolas Goubert, the predecessor of Jean-Philippe Weber.

Hopefully this peculiarity of the Australian track will not lead to an outrageous domination of one of the two main rubber brands (Michelin or Bridgestone) over the other … But if this were the case, a capricious weather could prove to be interesting. ! It would even be a great opportunity for Sylvain Guintoli and his Dunlops to seize….

While in 2006 the tension gradually rose until the final in Valencia, this year the last three races will take place in a completely different atmosphere: the 2007 world title has already been awarded to Casey Stoner and the two places following appear to be promised to Rossi and Pedrosa…

As a result, the drivers will have only one goal on Sunday: to cross the finish line first, for the honor! But "honor" (no, the fatigue of the World Cup is not completely erased …), the new world champion will look for him in front of his audience !

Because Casey Stoner will also run more freely, the weight of the championship having now taken off from his shoulders! "I can’t wait to see the Australian fans, although once I get on the bike I will do my job like everywhere", notes the young champion.

Last year, Casey finished 6th in the race riding his RCV. This year, he naturally intends to do much better: "Phillip Island is my favorite trail", warns the now famous n ° 27!"This is one of the few places where you can really shoot a MotoGP", insists Stoner who will certainly offer a superb show to the" Aussies "this weekend.

But level "honor and spectacle" – even victory! -, Stoner will have competition in the person of Chris Vermeulen! Even before having completed his first lap, the second Australian in the championship (5th with 152 points) is already attracting a lot of attention….

"It’s a great honor for me to race on the latest generation of MotoGP Suzuki in colors inspired by my hero, Barry Sheene", testifies the n ° 71 in company of the son of Barry. Taking the decorations of the XR14 of the seventies, the leather and the helmet of Sheene, the GSV-R800 and Chris pay homage to the double world champion, carried away by a cancer he more than four years ago (read).

In his official press release, Paul Denning, Suzuki Rizla team manager, remembers with some emotion the phone call he received at the end of 1998 from Barry: exiled to Australia to treat his osteoarthritis since at the end of the 80s, Barry had spotted the young Vermeulen in the Australian championship…

"I worked for the Suzuki team in British Superbike", Denning recalls."One day my wife answered the phone and yelled at me that Barry Sheene wanted to talk to me. "Yeah that’s it, of course it’s him", I retorted before realizing that it was indeed him and that he wanted to ride an Australian kid on our motorcycle for 1999! We couldn’t, as our contracts were signed, but it was a great pleasure to shake hands with Chris when he joined Team Suzuki from Grand Prix and I’m sure Barry would have approved it.".

Vermeulen will not be the only one to take on a special decoration, since Rossi and Edwards will ride in the colors of Abarth, the famous Fiat preparer relaunched this year through the Grande Punto Abarth model in particular. The M1s will feature the Italian brand’s Scorpio, astrological sign of Carlo Abarth, its founder…

Rossi’s scorpion will however be harmless: for the first time in his career, the Italian driver is preparing to compete in the last three races of the season without being able to win the championship! It doesn’t matter, "we still want to win and finish this season correctly", warns n ° 46.

Especially since the Doctor has in his ranks a good number of Australian mechanics from Mick Doohan’s team: "for them, it’s their home race", recalls Vale !

Winner of this GP between 2001 and 2005, we especially remember his victory in 2003 despite his penalty of 10 seconds, and his two titles brilliantly obtained in 2001 and in 2004 against Biaggi then Gibernau … Rossi will know- he this time lose the championship with panache? Answer Sunday !

Third Australian to take the start on Sunday, Anthony West could well create a surprise, especially if the weather confuses the favorites! Very fast on his first outing in the rain of Donington Park, the Kawasaki rider will benefit from his excellent knowledge of the track to play at the forefront..

"I can’t wait to be in Phillip Island as it’s my home, although I haven’t always been varnished here in the past", explains the n ° 13, second of the GP 250cc in 2003 but victim of a violent fall to 267 km / h in the first curve the following year…

Marco Melandri, for his part, has fond memories of the 2006 Grand Prix: during the race which saw the drivers return to the pits for the first time to change mounts, Marco Melandri did the best, winning the GP with more than 10 seconds ahead of Vermeulen !

"I won in all three categories", underlines the Italian Hedgehog who considers that this year, he will again have the possibility of fighting for the first three places whatever the weather."In the wet, the bike works very well and in Motegi I was even close to the podium. In the dry, we have improved but we still have a little work to do", admits Honda Gresini n ° 33.

In tune with his time, Marco keeps a sort of diary on his official website: after writing on October 6 that life should be fully enjoyed, the Italian pilot made a point of sending a last message to his driver two days later. former teammate Norick Abe, missing in a traffic accident (read). He reveals a funny anecdote, "something different from what the newspapers will write": the day after the Brazilian GP, ​​Melandri had crossed paths with Abe in a Rio club and had visibly been persuaded to have a drink or two or twelve (in moderation). Friendly and touching…

On the French side, thanks to his podium obtained at Motegi, Randy de Puniet feels motivated and "with the support of my team who have worked so hard, I am aiming for at least the top 5, although another podium before the end of the season would be perfect", launches the n ° 14 of the Kawasaki team.

On the official Australian GP website (see the link in our "Learn more" section opposite), an intervention by Casey Stoner has enough to give Randy confidence and hope to his fans: "I felt a certain pressure from people who saw me as a "crasher" and that kind of stuff, when they didn’t understand at all what was going on.", explains the world champion.

"I think I’ve nailed a few folks about me, and not just other pilots as well. I was not the only one targeted, other pilots had this label", explains Casey who thus defends our national Randy but also those of Tamada or Xaus !

"I think the others should look at them a little differently and consider that it is not all the pilot’s fault, but that it is a whole", continues Stoner. Word of the only driver to have completed all the races of this season – so far – with a 6th place as a worse result…

The other French hope, Sylvain Guintoli, will have to rely on changing weather conditions – and therefore difficult – to slide his M1 Chaussee de Dunlop back to the forefront. Fourth in the incredible Japanese race three weeks ago (read), "Syl" still has to refine some points.

"What I only regret is that we were surprised when he came back to change bikes as we had agreed that he would wave us the previous lap. He was so quick on the wet tires that we thought there would be a few more laps to go. We lost precious seconds during his pit stop, and maybe second place", admits Gary Reynders, his chief mechanic…

Makoto Tamada, Sylvain’s teammate on the Yamaha Tech3, will also have to count on a helping hand to compete with the riders equipped with Michelin and Bridgestone. As in Japan (a little rain at the start of the race but not too much): "in these drying conditions, we had an interesting package", confirms Herve Poncharal, manager of the French team !

A French team which will team up with an English driver next year: James Toseland! And while waiting for the arrival of the double Superbike world champion (2004 and 2007) next season, English fans will not be outdone: Chaz Davies has been offered the opportunity to cover the last three events of the championship instead. by Alex Hofmann !

It was in the United States that the young Briton had made a strong impression, donning the leather that the German had just left after being mown down by Guintoli and setting very respectable lap times on the Team d’Antin’s GP7. Pramac.

Already replaced by Shinichi Itoh in Japan, Alex Hofmann does not hear him wearing that ear! Thanked for throwing in the towel too hastily during the Estoril GP and evoking a lack of performance on the part of his equipment, the German wants to return to the team by making amends: "I was not really able to express my feelings about what had just happened (…). It would have been enough to give me a warning", pleads n ° 66, determined to enforce his one-year contract…

For his part, Alex Barros will try to reconnect with his best level, which seems difficult … Although Loris Capirossi, by masterfully winning the GP of Motegi, has proved that the "old" can still steal victories from the dashing Stoner, Rossi, Pedrosa or Vermeulen !

Especially since Capi-T-Rex considers that "on this type of track, a good driver can really make the difference"… Trapped in 2005 by the turn n ° 1, Loris does not hold it against him:"i love australia and i love phillip island", insists the n ° 65, who remembers having won his first title here,"it seems a long time ago"…

As for the third former, Carlos Checa, he is preparing to deliver his last battles in MotoGP. Because it’s now official: the Spaniard will race next year for Team Ten Kate in the World Superbike! "I can’t wait to take on this new challenge, it’s an interesting step in my career", indicates n ° 7.

"Participating in the Suzuka 8H allowed me to realize the potential of Superbike machines, I felt good with the Honda and the way of driving it", explains on his site the pilot of the LCR team."Without a doubt, this is a great opportunity, as I know that my results will not be penalized by technical difficulties, as has been the case for the last two years"loose Carlos, who did not have to follow the adventures of James – Toseland – and the electronic management of his CBR…

Former Superbike king, Colin Edwards has not been on the top step of the podium since his victory in the very last round of the 2002 WSBK championship at Imola, decisive for his title against Troy Bayliss.

The Texas tornado hopes the weather will be better than last year and that he will be able to take full advantage of his good knowledge of the route! "I have raced here in Superbike as well and it has always worked well", underlines the n ° 5 of the Yamaha Fiat team, climbed eight times on the Australian podium in Superbike but never in MotoGP…

His compatriot Nicky Hayden may have a better chance of being in the lead on Sunday, the Kentucky Kid having completed the last two poles on this circuit. "It’s like we’ve been waiting all year for our dose of Phillip Island"says Number One !

Great fan of this track "old-school"which turns in the same direction as the dirt-tracks of his early childhood (anti-clockwise), the HRC rider knows he will need grip on the angle"because we spend a lot of time on the sidewalls of the tires"…

And although he said at this time of year, Phillip Island "could be called Phillip Iceland", Nicky is also counting on good weather to get back on the podium, which he had found three times this summer…

On Honda RC212V also but in Bridgestone, Toni Elias still does not know what he will do next year … And if his podium in Japan was able to reassure Fausto Gresini somewhat, the Spanish star will have to confirm his potential on dry track !

However, the n ° 24 largely deserves a handlebar in MotoGP: still young and fast, one should not forget his serious injury contracted in Assen! "I followed an intensive physiotherapy program to get back on track and on the podium as quickly as possible in Japan", insists Toni.

Shinya Nakano does not know what to expect next season … At the controls of his Honda paved with Michelin, the Japanese rider has not yet managed to do better than tenth. And next year, his Honda will be driven by Andrea Dovizioso…

"I love Phillip Island, even though it was there that I lost the 250 title in 2000 to my teammate Olivier Jacque for just a few yards at the finish line !", remembers Super Shinya who knows that he has to sign at least one good performance…

"The only thing I don’t like there is the weather because it changes frequently. I hope the sun will be with us this weekend because it is imperative to do well in the last three Grands Prix", confirms the Honda Konica Minolta rider.

Kurtis Roberts for his part will be keen to do better than in Japan: started with uncontrollable rain tires then slicks insufficiently resized to function properly, the son was again very disappointed … "Typical of our luck this year"Kurtis sighs, disillusioned..

Also lacking in success on his last two GPs, John Hopkins is counting on Phillip Island to defend his fourth place in the general classification! "We had two weeks of vacation so I feel completely revived and ready to go"… Direction podium !

Closely followed in the provisional by Melandri and Vermeulen, the Anglo-American knows that his teammate will be a serious customer … "Chris is at home this week and it is only natural that he will want to shine here"John innocently explains … before concluding:"but he beat me in the US in my GP so I have to take revenge !".

Finally, Dani Pedrosa hopes the Australian GP will smile on him: "it’s funny because i never get an average result on this track", confides the Spaniard … So last year in the rain, Dani had finished 15th – with a complete round of the leaders -, whereas he had won the event in 250 the previous season…

Victim of an ugly high side at Motegi, the n ° 26 suffered a lot with his left foot but he told us during the interview he gave to Site during the World Cup (to be published tomorrow) that he was better . "There are a lot of left turns on this circuit which will work my left foot", predicts the three-time world champion. As for the weather fluctuations, he knows that they will make the choice of tires on Thursday decisive…

See you tomorrow to read Dani Pedrosa’s interview, then Monday to discover J. Arsouille’s "Magical Mystery Tour by Tour" … on Site, of course !

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