Honda's World Championship leaders come to Valencia this weekend aiming to conclude their European campaigns in winning style. With just four out-of-Europe races remaining after Sunday, Honda riders currently head all three categories, Valentino Rossi (Nastro Azzurro Honda NSR500) leading the premier 500 class, Daijiro Katoh (Telefonica Movistar Honda NSR250) out front in the 250s and Toni Elias (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team Honda RSR125) ahead in the 125s.

A victory at Valencia would give Rossi his second hat trick of the year and take him one step closer to his first 500 crown. Winner of seven of the 11 GPs so far, including the last two races at Brno and Estoril, the Italian is in confident mood for the season's third encounter on Spanish tarmac. No surprises there, for he won both May's Jerez GP and June's Catalan GP.

"We went testing at Valencia before Estoril and the results were quite positive," says Rossi, who commenced 2001 in dominant style, winning the first three GPs in Japan, South Africa and Spain. "We worked on some of the new parts we got at Brno, mainly suspension stuff, and I think we're in good shape. Valencia isn't my favourite circuit but I think we'll be okay. You'll remember that I crashed there last year. This time I'm leading the championship, so I don't want to do that again!"

Rossi's chief engineer Jerry Burgess has revealed that Honda is still working hard at developing its NSR500 even though the last-ever 500 World Championship is entering its final stages. "We've changed a lot over the last few weeks - shocks, suspension links, geometry, engine bits, everything," says the Australian. "That has allowed us to make big improvements in handling, through suspension and geometry. Also, we're now going to tracks where Valentino was right on the pace last year, so he's giving more relevant feedback. Earlier in the season we were racing at tracks where he'd been a 500 novice last year. Plus Valencia is where we first raced the NV4A last year, so from now we can more direct comparisons from last year to this, with the NV4B."

Burgess has also warned against complacency, now that his man enjoys a 43-point lead over arch-rival Max Biaggi (Yamaha), who crashed at Brno and Estoril. "We've got a good gap on Max, but no one can go on holiday just yet!" he grins.

As usual, Rossi won't only have to worry about Biaggi this weekend. The man who pushed him hardest at Estoril a fortnight ago was fellow Honda rider Loris Capirossi (West Honda Pons NSR500). Capirossi, who rides for Sito Pons' SWS (Special Works Support) crew, rode an inspired race which boosted his claim to third place in the World Championship, and also brought him to within 30 points of Biaggi.

"My Estoril result has changed things - I now consider myself to be fighting for second in the World Championship," said Capirossi, like Rossi a former 125 and 250 World Champion. "Once again I will do everything I can to win my first race of the year at Valencia, but I know it won't be easy because Valentino and his bike are so strong at the moment."

Capirossi tumbled out of last year's Valencia GP, as did team-mate Alex Barros (West Honda Pons NSR500) at Estoril two weeks back. But Barros' exit from the Portuguese GP wasn't his own fault - the Brazilian was an innocent victim of a turn-one pile-up. "That was a very unlucky weekend, nothing really went right for us," said Barros, the only man to have won a 500 GP this year apart from Rossi and Biaggi. "We had some trouble trying to find a good machine balance and we hope we'll have less trouble at Valencia. If practice goes okay, I'll be aiming for a podium finish."

Alex Crivillé (Repsol YPF Honda NSR500) also hopes for a change of luck after a miserable race day at Estoril, where he also suffered in the first-turn melee. The 1999 World Champion, currently seventh on points, broke the Valencia lap record during tests that followed last month's Czech GP and is desperate to score well in front of his home fans. His record at
the track isn't great - he crashed out of the venue's first two GPs in 1999 and 2000 - but he is determined to do well in his last ride of 2001 on home tarmac.

"This is a very important race for me," says the Spaniard, whose ride to third place at May's Jerez GP was greeted by rapturous applause. "We should start the weekend in good shape, following our tests at the track, during which we focused on suspension set-up. I also tried a new front fork during the session, which really improved the bike in the turns. If things go well I hope to be able to repeat my podium results from Jerez and Brno."

Team-mate Tohru Ukawa (Repsol YPF Honda NSR500) contests his first Valencia 500 GP on Sunday and feels he is ready to confirm the progress made at recent races. The Japanese showed promising speed at Brno and Estoril after making strides with machine set-up. "The bike is much better now, and that's why I was able to qualify on the front row for the first time at Estoril," says Ukawa, who was another tumbler at the first corner of the Portuguese GP. "That was such a disappointment but I feel we can make up for that this weekend, especially since we already have a good base set-up after testing at Valencia at the end of August."

World 250 leader Katoh comes to Valencia with a marginally greater points advantage than Honda's 500 leader Rossi. The little Japanese genius is currently 44 points ahead of arch-rival Tetsuya Harada (Aprilia). With five races remaining that's a good lead, but with 125 points still to play for, Katoh knows he can't afford to ease off just yet.

Like his HRC 500 team-mates, Katoh recently spent two days testing at Valencia and believes he's in good shape for the GP. "I think we found a good direction with bike set-up, even though the track was pretty slippery," says Katoh, who maintains his remarkable record of having scored
points in every GP since he commenced his full-time GP career in March 2000. "I want to win again, of course, that's always my target. I prefer to stay focused on winning races, rather than lose focus by thinking too much about the championship."

Team boss Fausto Gresini knows this is a particularly important weekend for Katoh, who has already won twice in Spain this year, at Jerez and Catalunya. "Our main sponsors are Spanish so these races are very special to us," says the former 125 World Champion. "And it will be a very interesting race because we expect to have two riders up front - both Katoh San and Emilio."

Spanish hero Emilio Alzamora (Telefonica Movistar Honda NSR250) has a straightforward aim this weekend - to score his first-ever 250 podium at home. The former 125 World Champion has already scored one top-three finish this year, at June's Dutch GP, and his recent form suggest he is more than ready to repeat the feat.

"Now we've found a good overall set-up, I feel at ease on my bike," says Alzamora, who won the 1999 125 crown before moving back to 250s this year. "Home races are always important for me but I'm particularly looking forward to this one because I feel capable of fighting for a podium finish, and I don't think I was really ready for that at Jerez or Catalunya."

Alzamora isn't the only local hoping for an extra boost from the fervent home crowd on Sunday. World 125 leader Elias faces his first home GP as a national hero at Valencia. The 18-year old went to the top of the 125 points table at Brno last month and currently holds a 13-point advantage over fellow teenager Manuel Poggiali (Gilera).

Elias has been the focus of interest from Spanish race fans since his first podium finish at May's French GP. Since then he has made a real name for himself, becoming the youngest Spanish rider to win a Grand Prix at June's Dutch GP. And if he does win the world title he will become Spain's youngest world champ. At the same time he would also become the third youngest world champion in GP history, after Capirossi, who won the 1990 125 title at the age of 17 years and 165 days, and Rossi, who won the 1997 125 crown aged 18 years and 196 days.

"Valencia will probably be the biggest weekend of my career, so it will be important to keep my concentration," says Elias, who is coached and advised by former 500 winner Alberto Puig. "I am leading the championship but not by much, so I'll be aiming to win again. The track is tight so the racing will be very tough, there's no room to even think about the title just yet. Just get out there and race"

Honda's other 125 hope Masao Azuma (Liégeois Competition Honda RS125) is pretty much out of the title race after DNFing at Estoril but the Japanese will be keen to at least prove himself with a good result at Valencia. Last year Azuma was second at the track, just four tenths shy of victory.

Four out-of-Europe events follow Valencia to conclude the 2001 GP season. First stop on GP racing's season-ending world tour is Japan, for the Pacific GP at Motegi on October 7. The Australian and Malaysian GPs follow on consecutive weekends, before the GP circus heads to South America for the Rio GP finale on Saturday November 3.