Race Weekend - Jerez

The 125cc race of the Gran Premio bwin.com De España has given the deGraaf Grand Prix Team the second top 10 finish in a row. The British rider Danny Webb couldn’t connect with the Group in front of him but still manage to take a 8th position. Randy Krummenacher finisht on a 17th position and just lost the fight for the points

Both DeGraaf Grand Prix riders had a good start. Danny Webb was closed up in the first turn and felt back to the 10th position. In the same lap Webb was able to connect to the leading group. The other British rider Bradley Smith already left the rest of the field and had a gap of over 10 seconds halfway the race. Webb tried to keep the connection to the group. The little Brit had problems to pass the Swiss rider Dominique Aergerter and when he did the group had a big gap. At the end Webb was able to hold the 8^th position and scored valuable points for the championship.

Danny Webb (8^th):

‘It was a though race today. There was still a strong wind and I tried to get the maximum out of the Aprilia. The engine was very strong but I didn’t had the grip in the rear what I wanted. I tried to hold on with the group in front of me but I had difficulties to pass Aergerter and took too much time. By the time I passed him the gap was to big to close.

At the end I finished 8^th and scored good points for the championship. We are getting there and I’m confident that I can battle for a top 5 position in the future.”

On the Saturday of the Gran Premio bwin.com De España it was all about the wind. After rain at Qatar and Japan, there is a lot of sun but also a lot of wind in Spain. The lightweight Danny Webb was in advance with his weight and manages to grab the second row with an 8^th position. Randy Krummenacher was smart in this session and used other riders their slipstream and ended up at a nice 13th starting position.

In the Saturday morning session the wind wasn’t as strong as in the qualification session but still much more compare to the Friday. Randy Krummenacher was the fastest DeGraaf Grand Prix rider with a 14th position. Danny Webb was struggled with the set-up and wasn’t happy with his 16th position.

The wind was so hard during the qualification session that it was hard for the mechanics to hold their light weight carbon pit boards. Also the DeGraaf Grand Prix riders found it difficult to ride with this wind but manage to have both a good qualification. Danny Webb grabbed the second row and Swiss rider Randy Krummenacher just missed the third row and will start tomorrow from a 13^th position.

Danny Webb (8^th, 1:49,353):

"‘This second row feels good. It is the best qualification we had for this season. I’m happy with the progression we make. We not on a perfect set-up yet but we working in the right direction and it feels better and better on the bike. The wind was really extreme today. I had to work hard to hold mine line but manage to ride to the second row. For tomorrow in the race I hope to fight for a top 5 position but it will be tough to get there!"

During the Gran Premio bwin.com De España today started the first and only session in sunny weather circumstances. The 40 minutes session brought the Young British rider Danny Webb a 10th position. Swiss rider Randy Krummenacher made it in this session to a 20th place.

After rain in Qatar and Japan it seems to be dry all weekend here in Jerez. The temperatures are very nice and was today about 25 degrees. For the DeGraaf Grand Prix rider Danny Webb it was his second dry session of the season with the other front fork. During the GP of Japan, Webb showed the world that he feels good with this set-up in the wet by claiming the first position during the warm-up session and leading the race till the 11^th lap out of 20. In this dry circumstances, Webb is searching for the fine tuning of the suspension set-up and it is going into the right direction.

Danny Webb (10^th,1:49,321):

"I’m happy that we can expect a dry and sunny weekend during this Grand Prix. I didn’t have much time yet to ride this suspension configuration in dry circumstances. That’s why we still searching for the set-up which pleases me. We’re going in the right direction and every change brings me a better lap time. I’m confident for tomorrow and will use the morning session to finalize the set-up. For the qualification session I’m aiming for the second row."

In his 50th Grand Prix Bradley Smith shot to his first ever victory by a 13 second margin at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España on Sunday. Scott Redding was close to the podium in fourth place and Danny Webb was in the top ten, on a great day for the British 125cc riders.

Not always a great starter Smith got away brilliantly, taking the holeshot and immediately building up a good lead at the front. By the midway point in the race the 18 year-old from Oxfordshire, had given himself an 18 second advantage, riding a lonely race to eventually cross the line still well ahead of the chasing pack for his maiden GP triumph.

After poleman Julián Simón and series leader Andrea Iannone both crashed Smith went unchallenged en route to victory, the Briton closing to within one point of Iannone in the standings.

“I have waited a long time for this moment, but when it finally arrives you just don’t know how it feels” explained Smith. “Everything with the bike and team worked perfectly and it was the perfect way to win my first grand prix at Jerez in front of such a massive crowd.”

Behind Smith there was a superb race-long battle for the podium with his team-mate Sergio Gadea eventually edging out Marc Márquez. Gloucestershire youngster Redding missed the podium by less than a second and Kent rider Webb was just three seconds behind Redding in eighth place.

There was further frustration for Yorkshire’s James Toseland in the MotoGP race, however, as he could do no better than an unlucky 13th having qualified in 14th place. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider will hope for better form at Le Mans in two weeks time.

The MotoGP contest was won by Valentino Rossi with his first victory of 2009, as Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner completed the podium.

A great 250cc contest saw Hiroshi Aoyama beat home favourite Álvaro Bautista on the last corner. As the front four crossed the line within three seconds of each other, Metis Gilera’s World Champion Marco Simoncelli completed the podium ahead of fourth placed Héctor Barberá.

TOSELAND TO BUILD ON MOTEGI RESULT IN SPAIN

James Toseland returns to Europe to face the third round of the MotoGP World Championship at Jerez in Spain on Sunday buoyed by his ninth place in the Japanese Grand Prix.

The gritty Yorkshireman has endured a tough time in pre-season testing and at the first grand prix but he bounced back in Japan riding the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha. He faces the first European race of the season round the 2.748 miles Andulcian circuit which both the rider and his team know well.

The British 125 cc riders know Jerez even better after cutting their teeth in the Spanish Championship races before embarking on their grand prix careers. Eighteen year old Bradley Smith finished third last year and chases a good result on Sunday after a tough start to the season. Riding the Aspar Aprilia he lies seventh in the Championship 26 points adrift of Championship leader Italian Andrea Iannone and must finish on the podium on Sunday to keep those leaders in sight.

Eighteen year old Kent-based Danny Webb arrives brimming with confidence together with his DeGraff Grand Prix team. Gambling on using wet weather tyres on the drying track he led for over half the race in Japan but eventually finished 11th when the circuit dried out.

Sixteen year old Scott Redding seeks a change of fortune after a misfiring engine caused him to retire in Motegi. Like Smith and Webb he has ridden at Jerez on countless occasions and it’s a big race for him and his Spanish-based Blusens Aprilia team.

Yorkshire teenager Matthew Hoyle missed the race in Japan when his Chinese Haojue team was forced to withdraw through a lack of engine parts. They hope to be at Jerez on Sunday where Hoyle has plenty of experience in the Red Bull Rookies Cup.

QUOTES

James Toseland

“I needed to be back in the top ten, so Motegi was the step I've been looking for. I'm happy for my team because they've stood behind me and everybody has kept their morale up, and now we've got a result we can build on starting at Jerez on Sunday.”

Bradley Smith

“I had some engine problems at Motegi which resulted in me smashing my throat into the screen which broke. In the end I was just happy to finish the race although tenth is not what I expected but at least there are a few more points on the board. In Jerez I’m convinced that we can be much more successful at a circuit we know so well.”

Danny Webb

“I took the gamble with the wet tyres in Motegi and although it didn’t work out it was great for me and the team to lead a grand prix for so long. It’s been a very good weekend for all of us and we go into the Jerez race full of confidence.”

Scott Redding

“I had engine problems in Motegi which in the end forced me to retire. Hopefully we can cure the misfire in Jerez, we have already tested there this year and it’s a circuit both me and the team know well.”

MORE OF THE SAME PLEASE IN JEREZ

The MotoGP race in Montegi was just what the Championship wanted as it rushes back into Europe for the first time this year at the bwin.com Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez.

The fans who will be flocking from all over Europe just want more of what they witnessed on their television screens from Japan last Sunday. Bright sunshine after the recent horrendous weather, a tremendous battle between the very best motorcycle riders in the world won by a 21 year old Spaniard and three riders separated by just three points at the top of the Championship table .

Around 130,000 race day fans are expected to pack the 2.742 miles Jerez circuit for this third round of the Championship which is led by a single point by Jorge Lorenzo after his famous victory in Japan.

The Fiat Yamaha rider arrives home brimming with confidence after his morale – boosting victory over his team-mate and World Champion Valentino Rossi who is second in the title race that single point down. The Italian seeks his first victory of the season at the Andalusian circuit where he has achieved great success, winning five times in the Premier class.

Lorenzo in turn has won two 250 grands prix at the track while his great rival and fellow countryman Danny Pedrosa, who finished third in Motegi riding the Repsol Honda, won the MotoGP race last year. The former 125 and 250 cc World Champion is fighting his way back to full fitness and could be near the front once again on Sunday.

Australian Casey Stoner suffered front brake problems in Motegi but still finished fourth on the Marlboro Ducati. He trails Lorenzo by just three points in the Championship as he seeks his first win in Jerez. His new team-mate Nicky Hayden is having a torrid time summed up in Motegi when he was knocked off on the first lap by the flying Scott Honda of Yuki Takahashi.

Pedrosa’s team-mate Andrea Dovizioso has made a steady start to his second MotoGP season with two fifth places giving him fourth place in the title chase while Finnish Pramac Ducati rider Mika Kallio is pleased on his debut. He has finished eighth in both races and is seventh in the Championship going into the Jerez race where he won the 250 cc race last year.

It’s been a tough start to the campaign for the Rizla Suzuki team with Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi eighth and 12th respectively. Veteran Capirossi will be looking for a repeat of his Jerez victory on the Ducati in 2006.

American Colin Edwards will seek a change of fortune after problems in Motegi following his fine fourth place in Qatar on the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha while Italian Marco Melandri would be delighted to repeat his sixth place at Motegi riding the Hayate Kawasaki.

Thirty six year old Sete Gibernau makes an emotional return to Jerez after a two year absence. He crashed in Motegi but will be fit to ride Grupo Francisco Ducati at the track where he won for Honda in 2004.

Another Spaniard to get a great reception at his home race will be Alvaro Bautista after his 250 cc win in Motegi. In a similar scenario to MotoGP the Aspar rider leads the Championship by a single point from Hiroshi Aoyama with Qatar winner Hector Barbara just a further three points adrift. World Champion Marco Simoncelli has yet to score a point after before forced out of the lead in Motegi with a front tyre puncture. Simoncelli has won two 125 cc races at Jerez but last year crashed out with Bautista when they were contesting the lead on the last lap.

Nineteen year old Italian Andrea Iannone has won the opening two races in the 125 cc class and leads pre-season favourite Julian Simon by 7.5 points after the Spanish rider finished second in both races.

EVENT TIME SCHEDULE

Friday 1 May

13.05 – 13.45              125cc Free Practice 1
14.05 – 14.50              MotoGP Free Practice 1
15.05 – 15.50              250cc Practice 1

Saturday 2 May

09.05 – 09.45              125cc Free Practice 2
10.05 – 10.50              MotoGP Free Practice 2
11.05 – 11.50              250cc Free Practice 2
13.05 – 13.45              125cc Qualifying
14.05 – 14.50              MotoGP Qualifying
15.05 – 15.50              250cc Qualifying

Sunday 3 May

08.40 – 09.00              125cc Warm Up
09.10 – 09.30              250cc Warm Up
09.40 – 10.00              MotoGP Warm Up
11.00                           125cc RACE (23 laps)
12.15                           250cc RACE (26 laps)
14.00                           MotoGP RACE (27 laps)