Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) goes into his home race outside Barcelona this weekend still leading the way in the battle for the 2013 MotoGP World Championship. His rookie team-mate Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V) is also still very much in the hunt for the title despite crashing out of the Italian Grand Prix a fortnight ago.

This is the first time that local rider Pedrosa – born in Sabadell, just 18km from the Catalunya circuit – has led the points chase going into his home event. The Spaniard leads the way thanks to an excellent start to his 2013 campaign: so far he has scored two victories (at Jerez and Le Mans) and two runner-up finishes (at COTA and Mugello) which followed a tricky first race in Qatar, where he finished fourth.

This weekend’s Catalan Grand Prix should mark another milestone for the 27-year-old – his 200th Grand Prix start. The former 125 and 250 World Champion made his GP debut at Motegi, Japan, in October 2001. Since then he has won 47 GPs across all three classes, an impressive win rate of 23.7 per cent.

Catalunya – usually called Montmelo by the locals – is also the home race for Marquez, born in Cervera, 108km inland from the circuit. The reigning Moto2 World Champion will be hoping for an easier weekend in front of his home fans after an eventful three days at the Italian GP. Marquez, who became the youngest-ever winner of a premier-class GP when he won April’s Grand of the Americas, fell four times at Mugello. After three tumbles in practice he was once again on remarkable form in the race, moving into second place during the closing stages, only to crash one more time.

Despite that DNF, the 20-year-old is only 14 points behind second-placed Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) and 26 points behind Pedrosa. Marquez certainly has form at Catalunya, where he won several regional and national races as he worked his way towards the World Championships. He has finished on the podium on his last three visits, including victory in the 2010 125 race, on his way to securing that year’s 125 World Championship

Alvaro Bautista (Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini RC213V) hopes to put the disappointment of the Italian GP behind him this weekend. At Mugello he was involved in a collision with Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) at the third corner of the race, which took out both riders. Now performing in front of a home crowd for the second time this year, Bautista will be working to continue the progress he had made at earlier races.

Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V) goes into the Catalan GP still buzzing from a brilliant ride at Mugello, where he equalled his best premier-class finish with a hard-fought fourth place. Last year at Catalunya the 2011 Moto2 World Champion enjoyed a thrilling race, taking eighth place after an entertaining battle with several more experienced rivals.

Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda) is still chasing his first points in MotoGP. The Aussie rookie – who rides a CBR1000RR CRT bike – has been close on several occasions and knows that he is learning more about MotoGP on every outing.

Catalunya was built in the early 1990s to bring the motorcycling World Championship to Spain’s biking heartland for the first time since 1976, when the Montjuich Park street circuit in downtown Barcelona was deemed too dangerous for GP racing. The magnificent Catalunya circuit hosted its first Grand Prix in May 1992 and has been a popular fixture on the calendar ever since. The track layout is highly technical with an enthralling mix of fast, long corners and slow, tight turns, camber changes and bumps, plus a long start-finish where horsepower and slipstreaming are crucial.

After the Catalan Grand Prix the MotoGP circus heads north west to the historic Dutch TT at Assen, the only surviving event from the World Championship’s inaugural season in 1949.



Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda says:

“Mugello was a tricky weekend but in the end to come away with second place and 20 Championship points is a good result. I’ve been able to rest a little since returning from Italy and now we head to my home Grand Prix in Catalunya, still leading the World Championship. This track is one of the circuits where you stay on the edge of the tyre longer and also a long time turning right so it’s important to have a good feeling with the tyres. In general it’s a nice track and with a very special atmosphere, all my family and friends come to support me and the fans are incredible. Hopefully the weather is good there and we can put on a good race for everyone at my 200th Grand Prix start!”

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda says:

“After crashing out in Mugello I really can’t wait to get back on the bike at my home GP in Montmelo! I am more relaxed after seeing Dr Mir last week and he confirmed there are no complications with my injuries and I am on my way to feeling 100 per cent again. I really hope we have good weather in Barcelona so that once again we can make the most out of all the free practice sessions. This is another track where all the other riders have much more experience than me and they will be extra tough to beat! But we will keep to our own programme, work hard and try our best.”

Alvaro Bautista, Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini says:

“The collision with Valentino at Mugello has left a really bitter taste. I really wanted to score a good result in Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini's home race and I had a good feeling about it after working so well throughout the weekend. Unfortunately these things happen in racing and you have to deal with setbacks that you don't expect. The important thing is that physically I am okay and this Sunday I will have the chance to finally put this disappointment behind me. I am very focused on this weekend's racing at Montmelo, another home track for me where I will no doubt get a lot of support from the fans. It is a good circuit for me, I have always gone well there in the past and I remember last year I had a great feeling with the bike and only narrowly missed out on the podium. We have improved this year so I am convinced we can do an even better job. Me and the team are all highly motivated and on Sunday we want to run in the lead group. It is not an easy track because of the elevation changes and the long corners, where the bike slides around a lot. It will also be important to get the bike feeling stable under heavy braking so that we can overtake. Montmelo is one of my favourite circuits, because of the layout and the fact it is so safe for the riders.”

Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP says:

“I really enjoyed the Mugello GP and the battle with Dovizioso till the last corner. I arrive in Spain with the aim to improve last year’s result on the RCV because I know the circuit very well and I have the poise of a veteran now! This is another important track for me. I like the layout with fast corners and not so many hard braking areas.”

Bryan Staring, GO&FUN Honda Gresini says:

“I struggled quite a lot at Mugello but since then I have been thinking hard about Catalunya. I have also been dealing with a bout of food poisoning but I am over it now and feeling fit. I am really excited to get out on track at Montmelo. I am really determined to get a good result here for all the guys in the team who are working so hard to help me. Without them the step up to MotoGP would have been even harder, if not impossible, so to give them a little something to smile about is the least I can do in return.”


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