bwin Grand Prix of Spain 2013

Posted on Apr 29, 2013 by Nick Harris

ROUND THREE 2013 MotoGP™ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP - SUNDAY MAY 5th

Bradley Smith won his first grand prix at Jerez in the 2009 125cc race. The Oxfordshire rider scored his first ever MotoGP points in Texas with a 12th place and will be looking to push on over the weekend at a track he knows well and on which he has tested the MotoGP Yamaha.

EUROPEAN KICK OFF WITH MIGHTY JEREZ CONFRONTATION
The first MotoGP European grand prix of the season promises to provide a mighty confrontation at the bwin Grand Prix of Spain at Jerez on Sunday. After two superb opening races in Qatar and Texas the action switches to Europe around the 2.748 mile circuit in Southern Spain and all the components are in place for a continuation of the battle.

World Champion Jorge Lorenzo and the youngest ever Premier class winner 20 year old Marc Marquez share the lead in the championship after a victory apiece at the opening two races. Factory Yamaha mounted Lorenzo has already two MotoGP victories in Jerez but Marquez has never won a grand prix there.  Their respective team-mates Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi have both tasted MotoGP success at Jerez and will be desperate to claw back the points advantage. Pedrosa riding the Repsol Honda was successful five years ago while Rossi has secured six wins on both Honda and Yamaha machinery.

Diving right into the middle of those four factory riders will be Cal Crutchlow who has looked more than capable of mixing it with them in the opening two rounds. Riding the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha he has grabbed fifth and fourth places and also led the final day of testing this year at the track where he was fourth last year. Spaniard Alvaro Bautista injured his hand at that final test but has made a steady start on the Go and Fun Gresini Honda while the new Ducati pairing of Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden have made a solid start. It’s a marathon rather than a sprint for the Italian factory and so Dovizioso’s two seventh places represent the start of what could prove a long journey. They will be joined by test rider Michele Pirro in the 27 lap race.

Former Moto2 World Champion Stefan Bradl was mighty relieved to finish fifth in America after crashing out on the LCR Honda in Qatar and will seek to climb from his tenth place just one point in front of the impressive Aleix Espargaro. The Spaniard was the top CRT bike last year and has put the Power Electronics Aspar ART top CRT  at the opening two rounds, giving the likes of MotoGP newcomers Bradley Smith and Andrea Iannone a tough time. Iannone’s Pramac Ducati team-mate Ben Spies will miss the race still suffering from a shoulder injury sustained last year despite finishing 13th in his native Texas.

JEREZ  FACTS AND FIGURES
Circuit Length: 4.423 km
Width: 11 m
Pole Position: Left
Longest Straight: 607m
Left Corners: Five
Right Corners: Eight
Pole Position Record: Jorge Lorenzo/Yamaha1.38.189/162.164 km/h (2008)
Lap Record: Dani Pedrosa/Honda1'39.731/159.7 Km/h (2010)

TELEVISION TIMES
BBC/BRITISH EUROSPORT
Friday 3 May
12.05 – 15:00 Free Practice  British Eurosport 2

Saturday 4 May
11.30 – 15:00 Live Qualifying  Red Button and British Eurosport 2

Sunday 5 May
09.45 – 12.30 Live Moto3 and Moto2 Races  Red Button and British Eurosport
12.30 – 14:00 Live MotoGP Race  BBC2