Thursday, 27 September 2012
As the MotoGP™ grid descended on Spain once more for the
14th round of the world championship at the Gran Premio Iveco de Aragón, Yamaha
Factory Racing’s championship leader Jorge Lorenzo was joined by Dani Pedrosa,
Cal Crutchlow, Valentino Rossi and Álvaro Bautista at the Thursday
press-conference kicking off the event.
Lorenzo, who is currently 38-points ahead of Repsol Honda
Team’s Pedrosa, is cautious not to get carried away and highlighted that racing
is not just about points: "There are five more races until the end and 125
points to take, and yes, the situation is much better than before Misano. But
there is still a lot of pressure, so we have to be concentrated in every
practice and every session. For me it’s not very comfortable [thinking about
points]; I don’t like to think about the points and mathematics. I like to go
fast."
The Spaniard, who undertook a private test at Aragón before
the Misano round with Yamaha along with the Repsol Honda team, said that it was
important to gain further information on the track: "It’s quite new [the
circuit], so we don’t have a lot of information like we do at other tracks.
[The test] was a big help, for getting the right setting for the bike."
Pedrosa, who’s race in Misano was cut short due to being
taken out in the first set of corners is keen to put those thoughts behind him,
and, like Lorenzo, does not want to dwell on points alone: "The past is in
the past. If you stick in the past, you can’t move forward. I’m trying to keep
focussed on every session, every lap. We hope the bike is working well. I like
to enjoy my riding, but obviously the championship is there. It is not such a
good feeling when you only think about the points."
Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Crutchlow is also looking to put his
Misano weekend behind him, and get back to the good run of form that saw him
take the podium in Brno: "I don’t think Misano could have gone any worse.
The next race will be crucial. If I do well here we’ll head into the next races
[triple header] with confidence. We’re trying to take positives from the last
race." And speaking about the Aragón track, the British rider said:
"It seems a difficult circuit for me, I don’t know why. I could have done
with a test here, but we were unable to come [when the Yamaha and Honda
factories tested here]."
Ducati Team’s Rossi, fresh from his second place finish in
Misano, is keen to verify the team’s progress once he heads out on track:
"It is a big test for us this weekend to understand our level a bit
better. We have to see here, and in the next four races, if it was a step forward.
I like this track, but it’s difficult to go fast. I need to improve my line and
my style." With regards to the post-Misano test he carried out with the
team the Italian commented: "We found something that I didn’t like, but
also something that is better."
San Carlo
Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista, who scored his first ever podium in the last
race, would welcome a continuation of this form, and will test some parts in
practice to help him achieve this: "For sure it’s a big test. But the
weather forecast is not the best to test our new Showa parts. I will again try
and stay in the fight for the podium. In the past I did two good races here,
but I’m on a new bike with new suspension now." Much speculation has
surrounded the Spaniard’s future with the team next season, to which he said:
"At the moment I can’t say anything about next year. Nothing is
clear."
