RCV team-mates Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda Team RCV211V) and Tohru Ukawa (Repsol Honda Team RCV211V) shared honours at the first two GPs, Rossi winning in Japan, Ukawa in South Africa. Both men are sure to be in the hunt for victory once again at Jerez, though their two-stroke rivals, especially Loris Capirossi (West Honda Pons NSR500) and Daijiro Katoh (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR500), are expected to offer more of a challenge at this tight, demanding circuit.

Rossi, who started both the Japanese and South African GPs from pole position and leads the championship points standings, is undoubtedly the man of the moment and is looking forward to maintaining his amazing Spanish GP record. The 23-year old is the only rider to have scored victories in all three GP categories at Jerez he won the 125 Spanish GP in '97, the 250 in '99 and the 500 last year, following each of those successes by taking a cast-iron grip on each of those World Championships. So another victory this Sunday would be the best of omens for the dazzling Italian.

"I always look forward to Jerez," says Rossi who also holds the track record. "I like the circuit, the place has a great atmosphere and I have a good record there. I've raced at Jerez six times, won three times and never finished lower than fourth. The season so far is going well. We knew the bike had great potential during the winter testing programme and I'm pleased to be leading the championship at this stage of the season on a totally new machine."

If Rossi is the man of the moment, there's no doubt that the RCV is machine of the moment. Fast, easy to ride and utterly reliable, it is everything that Rossi and Ukawa could've hoped for. The bike's performance is such that the HRC duo finished the South African GP a gaping 27 seconds ahead of the pack, Capirossi the only man even close in third place, eight seconds down at the flag.

Ukawa has been heavily involved with the RCV project from its inception, clocking even more testing miles on the bike than Rossi. No surprise then that he adores the machine. "The RCV is the best bike I've raced," he says. "I prefer it to the two-stroke 500 I raced last year because it's got flatter power and torque curves, so it's easier to ride out of the turns."

If many people expected Rossi to be the dominant Repsol Honda Team rider in 2002, Ukawa's victory at Welkom quickly proved them wrong. After starting the season with a tumble at rain-lashed Suzuka, the Japanese now rates as Rossi's number-one challenger.

"After the disappointing start in Suzuka I was so pleased to win in Welkom," adds Ukawa, who finished fifth in last year's Jerez 500 GP and second in the '99 Spanish 250 GP, both won by Rossi. "The team worked so hard and the Michelins I chose worked perfectly. I'm looking forward to Jerez. We have tested at the circuit over the winter and I feel confident on the bike there. I've done quite well at this track in the past. I hope to continue this trend!"

But Rossi's chief engineer Jerry Burgess believes that both men will have to ride harder than ever to beat the 500s this weekend. "Suzuka is a pretty fast track where the four-stroke definitely had an advantage, because it's just got so much horsepower," says the Australian, who has won Spanish GPs with Rossi, Mick Doohan and Wayne Gardner. "I thought the 500s would be a bit closer at Welkom but I think they really could be close at Jerez. After that we go to Le Mans and Barcelona, where I think the four-stroke will be ahead again."

Capirossi and Katoh are the 500 riders most likely to worry Rossi and Ukawa at Jerez after finishing third and fourth in South Africa.

"The four-strokes were too fast for us at Welkom," says Capirossi, who rode like a man possessed to keep the RCV duo in sight. "Maybe I can get closer at Jerez but I think it will be very difficult to beat them. And I think they get faster with every race because bikes like the RCV are still in the early stages of development."

Katoh, who only began his MotoGP career last month at Suzuka, is brimming with optimism after his fine ride in South Africa. After a difficult debut on his NSR500 at Suzuka he rode brilliantly at Welkom. "I enjoyed Welkom so much, so I can hardly wait for Jerez," says the reigning 250 World Champion who won last year's Spanish 250 GP. "We learned so much about the 500 in my first dry race on the bike and we'll use all of that knowledge to help us improve our performance and get closer to the front in Spain."

Capirossi's team-mate Alex Barros (West Honda Pons NSR500) also had a great ride at Welkom, until he fell in the closing stages. "That was a very annoying crash," says the Brazilian veteran. "At Jerez I want to get back the points I lost."

Fellow Honda 500 riders Tetsuya Harada (Pramac Honda NSR500) and Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Kanemoto Racing Honda NSR500) have their first European race n their NSRs this weekend, and both men will be looking forward to good points hauls after steady starts to their 2002 campaigns.

"We learned a lot about the bike at Welkom, especially that we need to work to improve the bike on full fuel load," says Harada, another former 250 champ. "Jerez should be good, it's the start of the European season and we should improve with every race."

Van den Goorbergh scored his first points of the year at Welkom and wants another good finish this weekend. "We've already tested at Jerez, which means we should be in better shape than at the last race," says the Dutchman. "But we are still developing tyres so every race is a learning experience for us."

After Jerez the GP circus heads to Le Mans for the French GP on May 19. The 18-week European season is followed by four 'flyaway' races in October, the last of the year's 16 GPs taking place at Valencia on November 3.