Yesterday we featured Dani Pedrosa’s official Repsol mid-season interview, and today it is Andrea Dovizioso’s turn.

What are your plans for these free days?
“Family holidays, five days in Sardinia, resting at the beach with my family and my friends to relax and gather energy for Brno”.

Are you satisfied with your third overall position?
“With the third position, yes, but not with the difference to Casey and Jorge. Fifty points are too many, but there is nothing impossible”.

What is your assessment of this first half of the season?
“I want to see the positive side and we are third of the championship, I had never been so strong in all races as this year. So I am very happy with the job of the team and of the feeling of the bike, but naturally, our aim is to fight for the championship and right now, we are not competitive enough to set up an strategy to do it. Anyway, we are well placed in the championship and there are still eight races ahead, so we have to believe. We will see which result we get in the end”.

We have seen you in the second and third steps of the podium. What does Andrea Dovizioso need to fight for victory?
“It is very difficult because the level is very high. Lorenzo is having a great season, Casey [Stoner] is very strong and Dani [Pedrosa], when he is in good form, sets the difference. It is really very difficult to try and beat them. I mean, beating all of them at the same time, because sometimes one and sometimes the other is in front”.

Which race do you prefer of the rounds held with Repsol Honda until now?
“I think the Mugello race this year was beautiful. To ride in Mugello, fighting for victory and achieving the second position after a battle in front of the Italian fans was something important. Feeling their support was such a great feeling that I will always remember it”.

If you could go back in time, is there a decision of the ones you took during the first half of the season, both out or in a race, that you would change?
“No. I think that we have achieved the maximum we could do with what we had, except in Laguna Seca, where the max was to be fourth and we did not get it. But until then I did all I could. It is not enough, because we want to fight for the Championship, but I believe we could do nothing more”.

How do you see Pedrosa, Stoner and Lorenzo at this moment and what do you think it can happen in the fight for the title between Stoner and Lorenzo?
“It will undoubtedly be very difficult to reduce the distance to Lorenzo and Casey, because when they go well, they win, and if not, they are on the podium. It is very difficult, but I want to believe in my chances and we will see. I think Dani is in a better situation, because he has less pressure and he is very fast, so he can fight for victory in all races”.

Of the races left, which one you are most looking forward too?
“Probably Malaysia. The Sepang circuit is one of my favourite tracks. It is amazing to ride there with a MotoGP bike”.

Repsol Honda have been taking advantage of the MotoGP summer break to get their riders to sit down and take part in a series of intereviews.

The full Dani Pedrosa interview can be read below, where he reflects on his return from his collar-bone injury, and talks about his aims and goals for the rest ofthe season.

Dani Pedrosa Interview:

Laguna Seca is always the halfway point of the season and the start of the short summer break. Will you be able to switch off? What are your plans?
“My plan is to recover, because my muscles are very stiff, so I will try to rest a bit to allow them to relax. When I feel better, I intend to train in order to avoid feeling so weak in the second half of the races”.

This season you had very high expectations, but you had a really difficult first half. Despite that, you nearly did more wheelies than ever, in Jerez, Estoril and Sachsenring. What is your assessment of this first half of the season?
“My opinion of these races is that I competed well, but I was unlucky”.

They say that after falling, the important thing is to pick yourself up. You really picked yourself up in style! You had unexpected victories in Portugal and Germany. Do your wins of this year have a special flavour?
“These victories have a very special taste indeed. Especially after the injuries I suffered, as I was never at 100%. These wins give me a high level of confidence. My rivals are in full form, so I am eager to recover my form too so that I can fight against them on equal terms”.

The end of your bike’s life cycle is approaching, but until the end of the season, in which areas should it be improved?
“The stability and the entrance of the corners are always complicated matters; especially in the tracks with more bumps. Anyway, the bike is responding very well for now”.

This year we have seen some falls in the first minutes of the practices, due to the difficulty to warm and feel the tyres. Have you gone backwards in that area?
“Yes, undoubtedly. Now the tyres, both the front and the rear, when they are cold they are a bit more dangerous. In this first half of the season we saw that nearly all crashes occurred when the tyres were new”.

How do you see your main rivals?
“They are doing a good job. I have been out of competition, which made it a bit easier for them. The competition is very close. There is a very high level, but we could say that none of us is at 100%. Jorge made some mistakes and only Stoner has been the most consistent”.

What aims do you set for yourself in the rest of the races?
“My aim is to recover my full form and thus be able to win some races”.

How do you feel both physically and mentally for these eight Grand Prix?
“Right now I am not at 100%, but I hope to recover progressively race after race and let’s hope that I will be able to fight back in the end”.

Rossi is quizzed on his life so far at Ducati, his leg and shoulder injuries, his plans for the 2012 season when MotoGP returns to 1000cc engines, and which riders he manages to maintain friendly relationships with (hint – the Italian ones).

Also, special praise goes out to Gavin Emmett for managing to keep a straight face throughout with those girls randomly placed behind him in a hot-tub by the Monster Energy promotional team. Although he does seem to be smirking.

Watch the video interview with Valentino Rossi below:

InTentsGP is a relatively new idea from a company that wants to make it easier for fans to camp at MotoGP races in Europe.

The basic premise is simple – they take the pain out of the race weekend by providing affordable camping accommodation for race-fans. All you need to do is show up – no need to lug along all your camping equipment, no need to set-it all up, just arrive and relax.

Currently, prices range from £249 all the way up to £849 (with various options in-between), depending on the size of tent you want. For the remainder of the 2011 MotoGP season they are offering the service at Silverstone and Assen (and potentially Mugello, and Sachsenring). FIND OUT MORE

InTentsGP have been getting some great feedback (and now cover F1 as well as MotoGP) so we caught up with Len from the company to find out a bit more about what these guys are up to.

Q: How long have you guys been running InTentsGP and how did it all come about?
A. We started in 2009 at the Valencia MotoGP although the idea had been gelling in our minds for a few years. We had been riding to MotoGPs all over Europe and got thoroughly hacked off with lugging all our camping gear around with us. There was just no one else doing what intentsGP do now so we thought let’s give it a go.

Q: Do you sell race tickets as well, or is it just the accommodation that you provide?
A: Accommodation and all the extras for now. We may well sell race tickets next season.

Q: What can customers expect when they arrive?
A: Very good quality tents, inflatable airbeds and all the bedding they want, tables, chairs, crockery and cutlery, coolboxes and ice, BBQ and bits to go with it, night light, electrics. Oh and a marquee with tv.

Q: What do race fans need to bring with them – it looks like you guys cover most things (cooking equipment etc…) – anything that fans should come prepared with?
A:. The only extra thing they need is to buy their race tickets. Everything else is sorted for them. Because we stay on established campsites close to the circuit, there are lots of additional facilities if they need anything else important…….beer for example.

Q: What safety measures are in place for when customers are out at the track? Are the tents watched over when the race is on?
A: Each of the campsites has its own security and in addition we are around a lot of the time but we do recommend customers keep their valuables on them.

Q: How close to the track are the campsites usually set-up?
A: We want to be as close as possible to the circuit as long as the campsite is of an acceptable quality. For example, at the Silverstone MotoGP we are at Litchlake Farm which is literally opposite the circuit entrance. Susie and the team there do a great job.

Q: Is the intentsGP experience suitable for families, or is it mostly aimed towards adults and hardened race fans?
A: Everyone. We have had both large families and groups of hardened race fans. We love it how everyone mixes in.

Q: I presume all InTentsGP customers camp in the same area? Does this mean there is scope to pick apart the day’s action over a beer or a BBQ in the evening with fellow race fans?
A: Yes we arrange it with the campsite that we have our own area. It’s really a mini-community which is great. When we started out we did not really know what customers would want to do in the evenings. What happens now is most of us sit around the BBQs and discuss the day’s events and anything else that comes to mind. We have customers from all walks of life but they all have at least one thing in common which is bike racing….actually two things……I forgot beer!

Q: What MotoGP rounds are you covering this year, and what plans have you got to expand your events coverage?
A: At the moment we are covering the Silverstone and Assen MotoGPs although we are looking at a couple of extra races right now. The key is finding a good campsite with acceptable facilities which is close to the circuit and of course a race that people want to go to. If anyone wants to let us know their thoughts they are most welcome. We also cover the British and Belgian F1 Grand Prix as well by the way. For 2012, we are very keen to cover more races.

Q: Atmosphere wise, what have been your most memorable races where InTentsGP have set up?
A: Silverstone MotoGP last year was brilliant. Fantastic race and superb atmosphere. Very much looking forward to it this year. An evening with professional snowboarders and some Belgian Royalty (incognito – yes really!) was ace but a nondisclosure agreement and the Belgian Official Secrets Act prevents me from saying any more…….

Q: Any predictions for the 2011 MotoGP season?
A: Phew. That’s a difficult one. I will take the easy way out and say it will be a vintage season. We’ve had great racing already and there is so much of the season still to come. I do think the class act Rossi will be in the mix perhaps more than people thought initially.

If you want to find out more and want to check out the events and prices that are being offered by InTentsGP then check them out HERE

This is a two part interview that has been released by Yamaha Japan featuring a conversation between Valentino Rossi and Masao Furusawa interviewing each other on their past 7 years together as a team at Yamaha.

Check out the video in 2 parts below:

ONE on ONE : Valentino Rossi and Masao Furusawa [Part-1]

ONE on ONE : Valentino Rossi and Masao Furusawa [Part-2]

On his future and the expectations that surround his move to Ducati, Rossi states:
“Things will be more difficult with Ducati then they were with Yamaha, because everyone is expecting us to win right away. What motivates me? Passion and the desire to finish first. But winning isn’t the only thing that makes me happy. When a day is going to be special, you can feel it when you wake up in the morning, but that doesn’t mean it is doubt free.”

Rossi also states that 2010 was a bad year for him as his rivals, both old and new, took World Championships (Jorge Lorenzo and Max Biaggi):
“2010 has seen both Lorenzo and Max Biaggi win, so it could not have gone any worse.”

On Inter Milan:
“Inter gave me a lot of satisfaction during this sporting season. I liked Mourinho a lot, but Benitez is showing that he is a very smart coach. Ibrahimovic? I’m not the nostalgic type. But even I once asked the president of Barcellona to give us Messi.”

Source: GPOne

The interviews are always fascinating, engaging; and Ben Spies has a real gift for providing insight and exlpaining the intricacies of racing a MotoGP bike that would often go unseen by the average fan watching the race on the TV or at the track.

Ben Spies interview after Indianapolis MotoGP:

Ben Spies Interview after Aragon MotoGP:

Valentino Rossi hosted a Q & A session for the press in Germany following today’s practice session. Rossi talked about his return to MotoGP after breaking his leg a month ago at Mugello, and talked at length on how he felt being back in the paddock and on the bike.

Read the transcript below:

Q. How are you feeling after the session?
Valentino Rossi: I’m happy because I feel quite good on the bike. This is the most important thing. This track helps me quite a lot, because it has a lot of left-hand corners. So it’s a good track for coming back.

My leg is good. I had some pain, but I can move on the bike and I can ride the bike like I want. I feel better than on the Superbike, because my bike is more comfortable for my riding style and my riding position.

And I’m finally very happy about the shoulder. We worked a lot in this period and I have a lot less pain compared to Mugello. This is so important, because the shoulder gave me a lot of problems riding.

So we have to understand my physical condition tomorrow after today’s practice – if the leg has some problems. But I feel good. So I think it’s possible. The only concern is doing 30 laps in a row on Sunday.

Q. Is there anything you’re finding difficult on the bike?
VR:When I’m on the bike, I have to move my foot backwards for a different position on the footpeg. With this movement I am in quite a lot of pain because all the rear muscles of the leg are not 100 per cent.

My knee suffered quite a lot. But I’m happy because after Monday at Brno, I feel better. I’ve improved.

Q. How competitive do you expect to be?

VR: Maybe I can be quite competitive for the race. We’ll have to wait and see. We’ve also improved the bike, because we have an easier bike to ride and on the electronics side we’ve improved some settings, so I’m happy.

Q. Are you surprised to be back so soon?
VR: After the crash everything went well, from the surgery to all the period in the hospital. I had a lot of good people that helped me improve my condition, and they worked five or six hours every day for three weeks. So it’s a big surprise to be here in this shape.

Q. Have you had to make any changes to the bike?
VR: The riding position, I feel very good with. We modified the rear brake position a little bit to make it more soft, because I don’t have 100 per cent of my strength.

Q. Have you changed your leathers at all?
VR: We modified the leathers and the boots, from the knee to the end – we made different protection on my knee, bigger and more soft.

We modified the boots because the foot, especially on the inside, is bigger, and made the boots softer inside for less pain – and easier to pull in and pull out.

Q. Are you having to ride carefully this weekend, can you not afford to have any accidents?
VR: No, I cannot crash. I have to be quiet and not make mistakes.

Q. How close are you to full fitness?
VR: I have 90 per cent movement in the knee and 90 to 95 per cent in the ankle, so I’m very surprised it’s easy to be quick and I’m able to walk.

Jorge Lorenzo conducted a Q&A session with the assembled press before he started his weekend’s work for the Spanish GP.

Catalunya marks Lorenzo’s first return to the circuit since last year’s dramatic battle with Valentino Rossi that culminated in a stunning final few laps that saw Lorenzo out-smarted by Rossi on the final corner.

The transcript of the Q&A session with Jorge Lorenzo is below:

Q. Four wins, two second places and a 47-point championship lead… how are you going to make this season exciting?

Jorge Lorenzo: You like bikes? You do? So for sure you will enjoy it, it doesn’t matter how the races are. If you like the racing and the bikes, you will enjoy it.

For sure for people who only like overtaking and things like this, this year at the moment we don’t have so many races like this, but maybe we will have.

Q. The nature of this circuit seems to produce fights. Are you expecting a close battle this weekend or to be able to escape?

JL: From my side, I would like to pull away. But if this is not possible, I will fight with the other riders. I think I prefer to fight.

Q. Is it more difficult to escape here at Catalunya because of the nature of the circuit?

JL: No, I think the most easy tracks for this at Sachsenring and Laguna Seca because they’re short and have tight corners.

Q. Now you have a 47-point lead, can you be more relaxed about the races and take less risks?

JL: I accept that possibility of crashing, this could happen. When you are a rider and you compete in the world championship, you must accept that. But every year I know the bike more, I know more about the category and I crash less. So I always want to do the maximum. At this moment, I don’t think so much about the championship, to be honest.

Q. Do you have any concerns about Yamaha’s engine performance with the long straight here?

JL: Of course we know that Yamaha’s engine is not so powerful. But we do have other skills. So at this track with that long straight, for sure to overtake at that point will be difficult, but we will have a lot of corners to try on.

Q. The way you’re riding at the moment, it looks like it requires very little effort. Does it feel comfortable and easy? Or like you’re having to push?

JL: I don’t know if the sofa in my lounge is more comfortable, or the bike… I’ll have to think about it.

But it’s certainly not easy, what I’m doing. I am pushing. My riding style is smooth, it’s something that I’ve always tried and now I’m perfecting it.

Q. Does it require more concentration if you’re pulling away rather than battling? Like what happened at Assen at the chicane, does it require more concentration?

JL: Yes. It is difficult. When you are in a race and you have to close the gap because you are the second rider, you must not think about anything different from the race. When I entered the chicane, I thought to faster in the chicane I’d try to change my riding style. It was not a good thing to do. So I thought that I needed to finish the race, not to be faster.