Marco Simoncelli will look to take the momentum of a stunning last lap at Misano into the Aragón Grand Prix this weekend as a springboard to a positive finish to his second season in MotoGP.

The Italian's aim over the final five races of the season is to pick up the kind of results that escaped him in the early stages of the campaign. The courageous and combative temperament that may have cost him on occasion has now helped to form a strong working relationship with his team and created the necessary confidence to take on the challenge.

This is the second visit that MotoGP makes to the Aragón circuit, where last year Simoncelli finished in seventh place though was less than a second behind Valentino Rossi in sixth as he gradually improved his pace around the varied mixture of corners. Hiroshi Aoyama made a less convincing debut at the Spanish circuit but he is doubly determined to make up for that this weekend having rediscovered his form and fitness at Misano.

Marco Simoncelli:

“The last lap at Misano was a wonderful moment for me – I had great fun battling with Dovizioso and Spies, passing each other two or three times, and to have won that particular fight was great for me and my fans. Now we have to keep this momentum going and make sure we have more to shout about before the end of the season. We are improving and I have been more consistent in recent races but even though the race was exciting at Misano we really need to be fighting for the podium positions. Aragón didn't go badly for me last year and I like the track so hopefully I can have a good race. We need to find a bit more pace in practice so that we can be challenging for better grid positions, like we were at the start of the season. It goes without saying that my feeling with the team is brilliant and that is just further motivation to fight for good results.”

Hiroshi Aoyama:

“I could maybe have finished with a better result at Misano, but I’m pleased that I have my confidence back with the bike as well as my own physical fitness. I feel in good shape to improve my results throughout the final stages of the season, starting at Aragón. Even though I didn't go so well there last year I feel I can improve on my result at Misano. Living in Barcelona, I consider this to be another 'home' race for me and I want to make a good job of it. We are in good shape to do well and with the help of the team I think I can do it. We are improving and on our way back to being as competitive as we were at the start of the season.”

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