Local hero Pedrosa leads the way to Catalunya

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. 

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.

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!”