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Honda teams all set for 65th Grand Prix season - Malcolm - 03-04-2013 The 65th season of motorcycle Grand Prix racing roars into action when the floodlights go up and the starting lights go out at Losail on April 7. The Qatar Grand Prix is MotoGP’s only night-time event and its desert setting makes it a doubly unique way to start the new season. Qatar follows a busy two months of preseason testing that has seen the top teams evaluating their new machines across three different continents: in Malaysia, in the USA and in Spain. The 2013 MotoGP season also marks the 55th anniversary of Honda’s arrival in Grand Prix racing. The world’s biggest motorcycle manufacturer made its World Championship debut at the Isle of Man TT in June 1959, scoring points at its very first attempt. Five and a half decades later the company is still driven by the same racing spirit and by the same determination to achieve technical excellence. Repsol Honda’s latest RC213V is the embodiment of that quest. Last year Honda won the coveted manufacturers’ World Championship but lost out in the race for the riders’ title due to issues caused by an unreasonably late change to the technical regulations. Long-time factory rider Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) ended 2012 second overall after winning six of the last eight races. The 27-year-old Spaniard is determined to start off where he left off at the end of last season and is feeling quietly confident about his eighth season with Repsol Honda after four very constructive preseason tests. Following the retirement of his former team-mate Casey Stoner – who won the 2011 MotoGP World Championship on his RC212V – Pedrosa now shares the Repsol Honda garage with new team-mate and compatriot Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V). Marquez’s talent has astonished during preseason testing; the 20-year-old even topping the session at the brand-new COTA circuit in Austin, Texas, venue for round two of the 2013 campaign on April 21. The reigning Moto2 World Champion is certainly a very welcome addition to the premier class. Honda has two other riders on full prototype MotoGP bikes in 2013: former Moto2 World Champion Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V) and former 125 World Champion Alvaro Bautista (Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini RC213V). Bradl contests his second MotoGP season this year, after taking the Rookie of the Year award in 2012. The 23-year-old German has a very intelligent approach to racing and learns every time he goes out on the bike. After some strong showings during his rookie season – including seven second-row starts and a fighting fourth-place finish at Mugello – Bradl is aiming to take the next step towards the front aboard his factory RC213V. Bautista also did a lot of learning last year, switching to a Honda MotoGP machine after two seasons with Suzuki. The 28-year-old Spaniard adapted well, scoring his first MotoGP pole position at Silverstone and podium finishes at Misano and Motegi. Like Bradl, he too is ready to take the next step forward this year. Stoner’s exit from MotoGP leaves the class with just one Australian on the grid – rookie Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda) who rides an FTR-framed CRT bike powered by a tuned Honda CBR1000RR engine. This is a big move for the 26-year-old who won four races in last year’s hotly contested Superstock 1000 FIM Cup. The Qatar Grand Prix has another unique aspect – it is the only MotoGP event that takes place over four days, rather than three. This is because there is window of just five hours between dusk and 11pm, when plummeting temperatures coat the circuit with dew, which dramatically reduces grip. Practice sessions begin at 6pm on Thursday and Friday, followed by qualifying at 6pm on Saturday and racing from 7pm on Sunday. During race weekend the track is lit by an amazing 5.4 million watt lighting system, the biggest of its kind, which could illuminate a road from Doha to Moscow or 70 FIFA football fields. The circuit itself, constructed in 2004 to bring MotoGP to the Middle East for the first time, is a sinuous test for man and machine, with the layout of individual corners inspired by famous corners at racetracks from around the world. Corner speed and machine agility are vitally important at Losail with only one straight worthy of the name – the 1.068km/0.664 mile start-finish, which demands plenty of horsepower. After Losail the MotoGP circuit heads west, setting up camp outside Austin in Texas for the Grand Prix of the Americas at the new Circuit of Americas. Practice starts on April 19. Racing takes place on April 21. Then it’s back to Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez on May 5. MotoGP Rider Quotes Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa says: “After a long testing period I am now really ready to go racing! The team has worked hard to get us in the best place for the start of the season and I’m pleased with my physical situation. It’s a long weekend in Qatar, with the schedule over four days, and the grip level takes some time to improve with the sand and other conditions there. It will be interesting to see how the new qualifying format works and I’m really looking forward to the race. I’m just excited to get the season started!” Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez says: “We’ve had a good winter testing and now it’s time to go racing. Qatar isn’t one of my favourite tracks but I still enjoy it. There are many factors to consider there with the sand from the desert which affects the grip, and also the fact that it’s a night race. Also, as I saw in Jerez, everything is different on the MotoGP bike compared to Moto2 so we will need some time. Let’s see when we get there. For sure I will be nervous going into my first MotoGP race but I’m also excited.” LCR Honda rider Stefan Bradl says: “I am happy to go to Qatar and I feel ready for the first race of the season. It’s a circuit where I normally go fast and like the layout and the atmosphere because racing in the nighttime is awesome. Now I have more experience on this bike in this class and won’t be as nervous as last year at my debut and I feel this circuit could be a good chance to obtain a good result”. GO&FUN Honda Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista says: “The new season is about to start and I think we are ready. We did a great job through preseason testing, even though we weren’t helped by the weather in the final session at Jerez. Unfortunately we still had some things we needed to test, but we didn’t get the chance. Anyway, overall we have made a big step from last year. Racing in Qatar is always very special and it’s exciting to go out on track under the lights. It’s a nice track, but the fact that you’re racing at night and the varying levels of grip make it strange to ride. I’m curious to see how the new qualifying system works, but I think it will be exciting. We’ll keep working to make the bike more rideable and make sure we’re as competitive as we can be for the first race. I had a lot of problems last year in practice in Qatar and only managed to finish seventh in the race, which I wasn’t happy with, so this year we’ll certainly look to make up for that.” GO&FUN Honda Gresini rider Bryan Staring says: “I am nervous and excited about making my debut in MotoGP. After an encouraging test at Jerez I am highly motivated and confident we can do well. I don’t know Losail but I have watched all the races there on television and I’m curious to experience it myself. I have worked hard with the team throughout the winter and gradually I am getting used to the bike, which is very different to anything I have ridden before. I have gradually adapted my riding style to cope with the power of the FTR Honda and I am ready for this new experience now. Obviously racing at night will be completely new to me too, but that just makes me feel even more excited about making my debut in MotoGP. Hopefully I can have a good race and start the season in the right way. .