I don't know about 10km/h! It didn't do well at Mugello,

14 T. OKADA JPN Repsol Honda Team + 58.849 that doesn't look fast to me.

Apparently Tady said it was POSSIBLE to get another 10km p/h with further work - I read it somewhere, can't remember where though .

Dani and Nicky will decide on Thursday night whether to use it or not.

My guess is that Nicky will use it (I also read somewhere that he like the new engine with the old chassis)

Dani might wait. I think he will bet on reliability rather than the unknown at this stage of the championship.

I don't think the current engine is that bad - just look at start Dani got at Mugello - beating a Ducati into the first corner!!!!! :-P

Thanks for the link Larisa - except these damn comps are never open to anyone else but Italians/Europeans!!!!!

I want to enter

Catalunya is like 2nd home ground to Rossi. Last year KC was very lucky he got an advantage speed of Ducati. But next Sunday is gonna be different. Yamaha is done a good job early this season. Vale will take another big win here.
GO VALE !!!!

The following is from Yamaha...

Valentino Rossi chases his fourth consecutive victory this weekend as the MotoGP World Championship sets sail across the Mediterranean to Barcelona, following the Italian's epic seventh Mugello win on Sunday. The Circuit de Catalunya is another happy hunting ground for Rossi, who has graced the top step of the podium there on no fewer than eight occasions in all classes, whilst fellow Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo will hope for plenty of local backing as he targets a return to podium form in the seventh round of the season.
Rossi's magical home victory has extended his series lead to 12 points over Spain's Dani Pedrosa and, as the Bridgestone rider senses a serious opportunity to recover his crown, the five-time former MotoGP World Champion will look to consolidate that cushion at a circuit where he remains the only rider to have taken victory in all three Grand Prix classes. Rossi went from a record-setting pole position to second place at Catalunya last year but is determined to return to the form he showed there when dominating for the previous three seasons.
Michelin-shod Jorge Lorenzo, who lived in Barcelona for much of his early career and hails from Mallorca - just a short ferry ride from the city - also started from pole there last year with a new lap record in the 250cc class, when he qualified over a second clear of his nearest rival. The 21-year-old took the fifth victory of his second title-winning season in that race and after escaping further injury when he crashed out at Mugello on Sunday he would like nothing more than to consolidate his MotoGP progress with a podium revisit.
Like Mugello, the Circuit de Catalunya features a main straight that is amongst the longest in the world. The rest of the track is characterised by long radius, medium and high-speed sweepers, with two tight left-hand hairpins thrown into the mix. This variation combined with regular changes in camber makes the circuit particularly demanding on chassis balance and means that front-end feel is a key concern for every rider.
Valentino Rossi; "Like I said on Sunday, I really needed to go to sleep for some days after my win in Mugello, but instead we have to keep going to Barcelona! Honestly I would prefer that these two races weren't back to back because they are two of my favourite tracks and I would prefer to be able to focus on them both separately, but anyway our motivation is high and I am sure we will have all recovered by Friday morning. Mugello was a fantastic victory and it's a great feeling to have won three races in a row this season, only one less than we won in the whole of last season! Last year I had a great fight with Stoner at Catalunya but I couldn't quite beat him, however this year our bike and tyres are working brilliantly and so I am confident that we will be able to fight be very motivated and hard to beat. Anyway I love racing in Spain and I always have a lot of fans there so I am looking forward to another good weekend."
Davide Brivio Team Manager; "Barcelona last year was a fantastic race between Valentino and Casey Stoner, but unfortunately we finished second! This year our first aim is to fight like that again and the second target is to arrive at the finish in front. With this race coming so soon after Mugello we're still on a high after our exciting win there and now we must try to do the same again in Spain. Our rider, our bike and our tyres are working very well together and so I hope we can remain concentrated and focused and try to make the most of another of Valentino's favourite tracks."
Jorge Lorenzo; "I'm quite lucky because after the crash at Mugello there's no time to dwell on it. We're straight back to business this week and on Friday I'll be back on the bike. I'm also going there in good spirits because it's my home Grand Prix and I'm looking forward to making my MotoGP debut there. Finally yesterday we found what the problem had been over the past two races and now it's just a case of working to solve it. Montmeló is a circuit I like, for its corners and its long straight, as well as for all the fans who fill the grandstands year after year."
Daniele Romganoli Team Manager; "This is a home Grand Prix for Jorge and we're confident that the work we did at Mugello can be very useful there and for the other races coming up. We know why he wasn't so competitive on Sunday and at Barcelona we'll try a different set-up, concentrating on the traction control setting. We're sure that the fans will help to make him feel at home and give him even more motivation to succeed this weekend. Physically he is growing stronger with each passing day and thankfully he escaped without any setbacks to his ankles in his crash at Mugello so we think he'll be in good shape again in Barcelona. I believe we can be competitive in the way Yamaha showed at Mugello."

The following is from Honda...

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V), the man who currently spearheads Honda’s challenge in MotoGP, is ready to make home advantage count in this weekend’s eagerly awaited Catalan Grand Prix. He knows this race represents a great chance to seize the initiative in what looks like a gripping 2008 World Championship struggle.
Dani lies just twelve points behind series leader Valentino Rossi and 16 ahead of current third-place man Jorge Lorenzo (both Yamaha).
Reigning World Champion Casey Stoner (Ducati) sits fourth 18 points behind Lorenzo. Pedrosa has won once already in Spain at Jerez this year and another victory, this time in his native Catalonia, would be a timely boost for the former World 125 and 250cc Champion.
His record here bears close scrutiny. A win in the 125cc class in 2003, and another on a 250 in 2005 would suggest he has the measure of this spectacular circuit, but a crash in 2006, his debut season in MotoGP, means he has some unfinished business here. That multi-bike turn one pile-up was not his fault and he managed a podium here last year, He lives just 20km away from Montmelo at Sabadell and a win here would give Dani maximum momentum for the coming rounds.
This Barcelona round is the seventh in an 18-race series and it assumes extra significance as there is the possibility of Honda unleashing its potent pneumatic-valve engine this weekend. The Repsol team has not yet decided if the new powerplant will be deployed here at Montmelo.
Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V), Dani’s team-mate has had a slow start to his season and the American former World Champion needs a big result to get his 2008 season back on track. He notched a podium finish here in his title-winning 2006 season and another such reward for his unstinting efforts would be timely.
Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Scot Honda RC212V) has been consistently rapid in his rookie MotoGP season. The Italian former World 125cc Champion who lies seventh overall in the World Championship having scored at all but one round so far and another good result here would be the least he deserves.
The evergreen Gresini Team celebrates its 200th Grand Prix here and riders Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) and Shinya Nakano (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) will be aiming to make this a Grand Prix to remember, especially as De Angelis arrives here following a strong fourth place at Mugello last weekend.
The 4.727km Montmelo track lies 20km north of Barcelona and features two long straights. Two of the 13 turns at this track feature negative camber, making lean angle increase for a decrease in tyre grip. The rest of the corners are largely constant radius and hard on tyres especially the longer right-handers.
Chassis set-up requires good front/rear balance so that the bikes are easy to turn-in under hard barking and also so they have enough weight transfer under hard acceleration to allow the rear tyre to ‘hook-up’ and drive the bike out of turns without too much wheelspin. A relaxed ‘flowing’ style from riders is the key to a fast lap here.
And the highly vocal crowd will have an affect too. Nearly 200,000 fans can pack this hilltop venue over the weekend and there’s every sign that these sorts of numbers will be repeated this year making this one of the most atmospheric events of the season.
Pedrosa said: “This is a great weekend because I’m riding in front of my home crowd, near where I grew up, and I really feel and appreciate the fans’ support. The atmosphere is always very special at Montmeló, with a big and enthusiastic crowd throughout the weekend. I will do everything I can to offer them a good race. I really like some parts of the track, especially from the left-hander after Repsol, down the hill from there, into that little left-right chicane and then uphill towards the next right. The surface is quite bumpy, probably due Formula 1 cars, racing trucks and so on. The start-finish straight is very long, so you need a fast bike for this track. As for the new engine, we will see. It’s not easy to set up a new engine during a race weekend, so we need to wait a bit before making the final decision.”
Hayden said: “There are a lot of corners where you’re on the side of the tyres for a long time so edge grip is really important, especially on the right side. It’s also important to have a bike that steers good and finishes the corner. The electronics can come in quite handy, it’s a place where you can really use them to help the rear tyre. The last two corners are probably my favourites, they’re really important, you start dropping down that hill and you need to carry some momentum onto the main straightaway. The pneumatic engine is interesting, because for me the 2008 chassis works better with that engine, so hopefully it can be more than just a good engine for us. But we’ve got to check all the data before we make the decision.”
De Angelis said: “At Mugello, for the first time, I was able to take my form into the race, not just practice, and this is what really made the difference. This result gives us a morale boost for the next few races, starting off with Barcelona. Last year I finished second in the 250 race during a really good period in my season, when I got six consecutive podiums. Obviously MotoGP is a world away from that and there is no comparison but I hope MotoGP is only the start of good things for us. It would be nice just to get six good results in a row.”
His team-mate Nakano said: “The Grand Prix of Catalunya takes place on another really fast track. Montmelò is a circuit I like a lot and in the past I’ve had good results there. For that reason I’m confident I can have a good race. Add to that the progress we have made recently, developing the setting of the bike and the tyres, and I can’t wait to get back out there. I finished the Italian Grand Prix in ninth place but I was very close to the group ahead of me so my objective this weekend is to get involved with them and cap it off with a top six finish.”
Dovi said: “I like the circuit a lot and I’ve taken some good points and finishes from this place before, so this could be another chance to do well again and maybe move up another position in the World Championship rankings. Technically this is a circuit that requires careful development of the chassis for riding on the fast and long corners that stress the tyres so much. We must work with commitment like always but we’re getting better race-by-race and Barcelona could be a good point to continue our progress.”
Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) said: “Barcelona is one of my favourite tracks. When I raced in 250cc class I got two victories with the LCR Team and I have good memories of this track. The main straight is very long and we might lack some engine power but the mixed part suits my riding style.”

The following is from Suzuki...

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP makes the short trip over the Mediterranean from Italy to the Catalan region of Spain for Sunday’s Grand Prix at Montmelo near Barcelona. The team are in high spirits and looking to get back on the pace straight away following last weekend’s slightly disappointing results at Mugello. The crew and mechanics made several improvements at last weekend’s Grand Prix despite the mixed weather, and the recent test in France, that should hold them in good stead over the 4,727m Circuit de Catalunya.
Loris Capirossi is currently in sixth place in the riders’ championship and will be looking to move into the top five at a circuit that he knows well, and one that he has tasted four-stroke success at by winning there in 2003. Chris Vermeulen has performed strongly at Catalunya during his previous two Grand Prix visits and will be looking to get a good result to get his season back-on-track following a tough start for the 26-year-old Australian.
Vermeulen had a long-race battle with new team-mate Capirossi at Barcelona last year, before the latter just out-dragged him on the final straight to deny Vermeulen a top-six finish. The Circuit de Catalunya is situated near Granollers, less than an hour’s drive from the centre of Barcelona. It is a modern circuit and has all the ingredients you could want for a fantastic Grand Prix event. A kilometre-long straight, tyre-smoking right-handers, elevation changes, an adrenalin-fuelled downhill section into a sharp right-hand bend and a huge grandstand along the start-finish straight filled to capacity with highly excited and colourful Spanish fans. It makes the event one of the most vibrant and highly anticipated on the Grand Prix calendar.
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP takes to the track on Friday for two free practice sessions. Saturday has another free session followed by an hour of qualifying in readiness for Sunday’s 25-lap race. Round seven of the 2008 MotoGP World Championship gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT) on Sunday 8th June.
Loris Capirossi:
“I cannot wait to get back on the track this weekend. Barcelona is a good circuit and I can go well there. The technicians have been working hard since Italy, but with a back-to-back race like this it doesn’t give you much time to make many changes. We still need to make the bike more competitive to be up with the front guys consistently. I am riding as hard as I can and always giving 100% and I know Suzuki will get it right soon and we will challenge for podiums and wins when we get the package right.”
Chris Vermeulen: “I have only raced at Catalunya a couple of times, but I enjoy the track a lot. I live just up the road in Andorra so this also feels a bit like a home GP for me. We we’re very disappointed after Mugello, but we will put that behind us and go for it from the start. We had some tyre problems in Italy so we will be working hard with Bridgestone this weekend to make sure we can get the best out of the bike and the tyres at Catalunya. I have got some circuits coming up that I really like and need to get my season going and get some better results, not just for me but the whole crew as they are working so hard and not getting the returns they deserve.”

Well Nicky has nothing to loose by using the new pneumatic value bike but Dani would be asking for trouble if he uses it now and it's not ready yet, i remember Vales first ride with it.

You can sleep when you're dead, Valentino, sleep when you're dead!
Get that skinny ass back on the bike and entertain us! WE LOVE IT when the races are back to back!

And ten bucks says michelin aren't going to pull any miracles out of their a**es tyre wise to go with a faster bike. I still think Dani was done in by tyres at Mugello... The total silence actually speaks volumes...

The 10km/hr extra speed might also be possible with top class rider... someone commented somewhere in a broadcast about Tady is doing very well... wonder what the bike would be capable of with Pedrosa on it...

Larisa posted something about Valentino wearing azzurro in honour of i azzurri... good, good. I still live in fear, especially hearing that Fiat isn't going to sponsor the team next year, of getting that crappy camel yellow back. It was an eyesore the whole year... just hated it!

Who believes Loris when he starts saying that they are feeling competitive. I think Suzuki are miles off...

Pneumtaic engine is hard to develop, it took Loris Capirossi years of adapting, Kawasaki and Suzuki can't make anything of that engine. But it seems that Vale found fast way trough.

hope we ALL have a good race.... and whatever the engine or bike... rider talent counts for how it is used... lets hope Vale comes on top.... thanks for all the info guys....

THE COSTUM OF VALE WILL BGE THE COSTUM OF A FOOTBALL PLAYER; ITALIAN PLAYER...BLUE T-SHIRT, WHITE SHORT PANTS AND RED SOCKS.ON HIS BACK WILL BE HIS NAME AND THE NUMBER WILL BE ON HIS BACK; LIKE AT A FOOTBALL PLAYER

CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HIM

GOOO VALE
FORZA AZZURRI

I can picture a guy in football kit and I can picture Vale in his leathers..
But the two together? Can`t wait!!