Following an exciting two weeks that saw Team San Carlo Honda Gresini contest their home race at Mugello before celebrating their 200th Grand Prix on the 8th June at Montmelò, the next challenge on the calendar is a trip across the English Channel for the British Grand Prix, which takes place this weekend at Donington Park. Fausto Gresini's squad left Barcelona following an important test session on the day after the race, when Alex De Angelis and Shinya Nakano worked closely with the Bridgestone technicians on a series of new tyres for both qualifying and race conditions. The pair also got the opportunity to try out a new front brake from Nissin, which instantly gave positive results and has raised optimism ahead of the eighth round of the season.

Shinya Nakano
Donington is a very unique track and it is difficult to understand, with lots of slow and tight corners. Also, the weather can change really quickly, from sunshine to rain, which can slow down your work on the track. I’m not satisfied with the results at Mugello and Barcelona: my target is higher than ninth place and I think we have the tools to do it. In the test after the race at Montmelò we managed to lower my lap times consistently and we also had the chance to test some new Bridgestone qualifying tyres, which could help us get a better position on the grid and a higher chance of challenging in the race.

Alex de Angelis
Donington is a circuit I like a lot and I have always gone well there. Things have been going good for us lately so I’m confident about this weekend. We think we can do a decent job in any conditions so we feel relaxed in the knowledge that at this time of year in England there is always a good chance of rain. In the post-race test at Barcelona we worked really well once again with Bridgestone – the only question mark will be the weather. At Mugello and Montmelò we raced in hot conditions but at Donington the temperatures should be lower so we won’t know how the tyres will adapt until we’re out on track. We have to try and make sure we pick the right compound but I’m confident because I’m sure Bridgestone will bring something that suits my style. We’ll fit the new Nissin brakes, which are lighter and more powerful, and are another weapon in the overtaking battles.

Fausto Gresini
Before we left for Donington, on the 13th June, the team visited the headquarters of Honda Italia for a meeting with all our sponsors. I would like to highlight the importance of this meeting, which is a very useful way to plan our future together with our partners. Returning to racing, Donington is a track that could be good for us – our recent performances have improved a lot in comparison to the start of the season and that positive trend makes us confident. Even though we’re obviously disappointed there was no result to speak of at Barcelona, Alex could have finished well up the order and we know what we’re capable of. We go to Donington on the back of a very good test, in which we were able to confirm improved performance in a variety of areas.

Race Facts
Gresini Racing scored the first of its 92 podiums so far in the British Grand Prix of 1997 at Donington Park, when Alex Barros brought his Honda NSR 500 V Twin home in third place behind the factory Honda V4s of race winner Mick Doohan and Tadayuki Okada. It went down in history as the only podium for a Honda 500 twin by a privateer team. Since that day eleven years ago, the Midlands circuit has always brought good fortune to the team, who have celebrated another six podiums – including victory in the 250cc race for Daijiro Kato in 2001.

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