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Sunday's preview guide to MotoGP at Jerez |
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Posted by Staff
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Sunday, 30 March 2008 |
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• Jorge Lorenzo is the first rider since 1974 to score
back-to-back pole positions on his first two rides in the premier-class. If
Lorenzo finishes in the top three at Jerez he will be the first rider since Max
Biaggi in 1998 to have back-to-back podium finishes on his first two appearances
in the premier-class.
• Lorenzo’s qualifying time is the fastest ever lap
of the Jerez circuit by a motorcycle. The top eight riders on the grid have
lapped faster than Pedrosa’s pole time from last year.
• If Lorenzo wins
the race he will be the fifth youngest rider ever to win in the premier-class
after Freddie Spencer, Norick Abe, Dani Pedrosa and Randy Mamola.
• A top
three finish for Dani Pedrosa would be his fourth successive podium – the first
time he will have achieved this in the premier-class.
• This is only the
second time in the 60-year history of Grand Prix racing that Spanish riders have
taken the top two places on the grid in the premier-class. The previous occasion
was at Le Mans in 2004 when Sete Gibernau was on pole and Carlos Checa qualified
in second place.
• Colin Edwards has qualified on the front row for the
first time at the Jerez circuit. His third at Jerez last year was one of two
podium finishes Edwards scored during 2007 – the other being at
Donington.
• Nicky Hayden will be aiming to finish on the podium for the
first time since he was third at the Czech GP last year.
• The last time
that Michelin riders filled the top four places on the grid was at Donington in
2007.
• Valentino Rossi, in fifth place, is the highest qualifier using
Bridgestone tyres. If Rossi does not win at Jerez it will be six races without a
victory - his longest barren period without a win since he took his debut
premier-class victory at Donington in 2000.
• Randy de Puniet, who is
scheduled to make his 150th Grand Prix start, has had a best result of 13th from
his two previous starts in the premier-class at Jerez.
• Since moving to
Ducati at the start of last year, Casey Stoner has only once qualified lower
than his seventh on the grid - at the Japanese GP at Motegi when he qualified
ninth.
• Andrea Dovizioso will be making his 100th Grand Prix start,
including 49 races in both the 125cc and 250cc classes. |
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• Alvaro Bautista starts from pole for the
second time in the 250cc class – his other was at Mugello last year.
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This is the fourth successive year that a Spanish rider will be starting from
pole in the 250cc class at Jerez. For the past three years the rider starting on
pole has gone on to win the race – Pedrosa in 2005 and Lorenzo in 2006 and
2007.
• Mika Kallio is going for a third successive podium finish having
won the last race of 2007 at Valencia and having finished third at Qatar three
weeks ago.
• Alex Debon has qualified on the front row for the first time
in his home Grand prix at Jerez in what will be his ninth appearance in a 250cc
GP at the circuit.
• Thomas Luthi has qualified on the front row for the
first time since the Italian Grand Prix last year.
• Roberto Locatelli
(8th) will be starting from his best grid position since joining Gilera at the
start of last year. Locatelli will be making his 100th start in the 250cc
class.
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• Bradley Smith has
qualified on pole for the second successive race. The last British rider to have
back-to-back poles in any class of Grand Prix racing was Barry Sheene in the
500cc class back in 1979.
• If Smith wins the race it would be the first
win by a British rider in the 125cc class since Chas Mortimer won at Jarama in
Spain in 1973 riding a Yamaha. Smith could also become the youngest ever British
rider at the age of 17 years and 123 days to win a Grand Prix taking the record
from Alan Carter who was 18 years and 227 days old when he won the 250cc race at
the French GP at Le Mans in 1983.
• Nicolas Terol will be starting from
the front row for the first time in his GP career. His previous best qualifying
was fifth on the grid in Germany last year. Terol is making his 49th GP start
and his best results have been seventh in Germany and Czech Republic in
2006.
• Stefan Bradl has qualified on the front row for the first time –
his previous best efforts were ninth on the grid at Assen and Estoril last
year.
• Gabor Talmacsi won at Jerez last year on his way to taking the
125cc world title.
• Steve Bonsey has qualified in his best ever grid
position in sixth place, which is a great improvement on his previous best of
14th at Qatar three weeks ago.
• The last time that Aprilia riders filled
the top six places on the grid was at the Italian Grand Prix in 2003.
from InfoMotoGP
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