Repsol Honda trio refreshed and ready - Printable Version +- TT Website Forum (https://www.ttwebsite.com/forums) +-- Forum: Isle of Man TT Website (https://www.ttwebsite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=3) +--- Forum: Other Race Meetings - MotoGP, WSB & BSB, Irish Roads etc - (https://www.ttwebsite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=13) +--- Thread: Repsol Honda trio refreshed and ready (/showthread.php?tid=11944)

Repsol Honda trio refreshed and ready - Malcolm - 15-09-2011 This weekend Alcañiz plays host for the second year to the MotoGP World Championship in the Gran Premio de Aragón. After a one-week break following two very demanding races in Indianapolis and Misano, the Repsol Honda riders are ready to enjoy one of the most impressive facilities on the MotoGP calendar. In 2010, Motorland was rewarded with the IRTA Best Grand Prix of the Year Award - the first time a circuit has received the prize in its debut year. Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso and Casey Stoner head into the decisive stage of the Championship very determined and Aragón is a place to shine. Stoner, who is currently leading the Championship, won there last season and will look to repeat his outstanding performances to further increase his gap over Jorge Lorenzo. Dani Pedrosa, who missed his home race in Catalunya due to injury, wants to enjoy this third race of the year in Spain together with his fans and will also be chasing victory after his second place in 2010. With five races to go the Spaniard currently lies in fourth position, 35 points behind team-mate Andrea Dovizioso who will be looking to return on the podium after two fifth places in the last two races. The records set in 2010 by Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa will be the reference in Motorland. Stoner set the pole position with a lap time of 1'48.942 and Pedrosa established the fastest lap in the race with 1'49.521. Casey Stoner: "I've managed to rest since the hard race in Misano, where I was totally worn out. The hectic schedule we follow had drained me completely and I had no energy, nothing left to give, so I've enjoyed relaxing this past week and getting back to some training. The Aragón track is ok, it's not one of my favourite circuits, I feel it could be a little faster. We ran well there last year, mainly due to the fact we took a big step in the set up on the bike. This year we arrive there with a totally different bike so we have a lot of things to learn in FP1, getting the gearbox set up right and a few other things in general. It will be interesting to go there on the Honda, Dani was competitive there last year and I think we can work well there also, and expect a good result. We'll get there and see what we can do.” Andrea Dovizioso: “We arrive in Aragón third in the Championship looking to close the gap to Lorenzo in second, but also needing to defend from Dani in fourth. I like Motorland Aragón, the circuit is very nice and it’s fun to ride. The key characteristic is the downhill braking areas and it has some similarities to the Istanbul circuit with interesting corners and changes of direction. It’s not so fast but all in all I like to race there. Last year it was a new track so I think that with one year of experience we can be even more competitive. Last year I crashed on the very last lap while I was fighting with Ben Spies for fifth position, this year we arrive confident that we can have a strong race.” Dani Pedrosa: "I have very good memories of the Grand Prix of Aragón, last year we started well and we had a good race. I'm satisfied with our performance in the past few weeks and I feel better every day. This week I've been able to rest and recover some energy and now I'm really looking forward to this race. People from all around Spain attend the Aragón GP and the atmosphere there is incredible. The circuit is spectacular and very technical, it combines fast and slow corners, some of them complicated and blind where you need to find points of reference outside the track. We need to set up the bike very well for this track and make the most of all the practice sessions. The data we have from last year can help us on this and it will be important to start in a good direction but we cannot relax. I'm excited to see the Spanish fans again after missing the Catalunya race and I hope the home support will give me an extra boost so that we can enjoy this race together.” .