Rossi won last year's 500 GP at Catalunya after a superb ride through the pack from a slow start, and also scored 250 success at the circuit in 1999 and 1998 and a 125 victory in 1997. He's particularly looking forward to this year's Catalan event following last week's crucial private tests at Brno, venue for August's Czech GP. With a clean sweep of race victory, pole position and lap record at all five races so far this season, it might seem that the last thing that Rossi and team-mate Tohru Ukawa (Repsol Honda Team RCV211V) needed was more research and development with the amazing RCV V5.  But the RCV is still in its early stages of development and there is still much to be learned about the 220 horsepower machine which recently became the fastest GP bike in history, Ukawa clocking 324.5kmh/201.5mph at Mugello two weeks ago, and the taller, heavier Rossi hitting 321.1kmh/199.5mph.

"Although the results have been good this year we must keep developing the bike," affirms Noriaki Nakata, Repsol Honda team manager. "The other factories are working hard and we are determined to keep ahead. The aim of the tests was to improve rear traction, feel and edge grip and we think we've made progress in all those areas."

Rossi was also happy with progress during the session, which gives him extra confidence for the next few GPs, including this weekend's race, the second of the season's three MotoGP rounds in Spain. "I'm really looking forward to Catalunya," says the 23-year old, who goes for his 44th GP success at the circuit constructed outside Barcelona in the early nineties.  "We got some vital set-up data from our Catalunya tests in March and we arrive in Spain straight from Brno where we were working hard to find extra traction and grip. Michelin and Showa have been helping a lot and we are making improvements in the right direction. Although we've made a great start to the season we have to keep focused as the competition is getting closer".

Ukawa may not have recorded any victories at Catalunya, but Japan's number-one GP rider of the moment scored three podium finishes at the track during his 250 days, taking second in 2000 and 1999 and third in 1997. Last year he finished seventh in the Catalan 500 GP, less than five seconds down on winner Rossi, and this weekend he is determined to defeat his team-mate, repeating his Welkom victory in April.

"Catalunya needs to be good for me," says Ukawa, who slid off without drama during the Brno tests. "Although I'm lying second in the championship I want to close the gap between Valentino and myself. I was third fastest in pre-season testing at Catalunya in March, when I knocked 1.5 seconds off my 2001 qualifying time. Certainly the Brno tests have helped and I now feel that I have more grip mid-corner which I always had a little problem with."

The new breed of MotoGP four-strokes, like Honda's RCV, are expected to rule once again at Catalunya, where they should excel through the circuit's sweeping turns and along the 1.4km/0.87 mile start-finish straight. But as always the 'old school' 500 two-strokes will be doing everything in their power to end the four-strokes' monopoly of 2002. Leading the two-stroke charge will be Sito Pons' local-based West Honda Pons team, with riders Loris Capirossi (West Honda Pons NSR500) and Alex Barros (West Honda Pons NSR500). The Barcelona crew knows the track better than most and went testing there before the recent Italian GP. Capirossi finished third in 2001, after Barros slid off while holding second place.

"This will be another tough race for us, but maybe we'll be a bit closer to the four-strokes than we were at Mugello," says Capirossi, who was just two tenths slower than fastest-man Rossi in preseason tests at the track and is currently best-placed two-stroke in third overall. "I was close to Rossi in the tests but I think it will be more difficult in a race situation.  Although we do know this track well, this is one of the circuits that the four-strokes have visited previously, so they'll be in a better situation than they were at the last two races."

"Catalunya is always an important race for us, it's the team's home, so I want to give them a good result," says Barros, who finished top 500 in Italy. "I had a good race at Mugello and I think we can still improve from there. We should have a good set-up this weekend, so I aim to make the most of that in the fight with the four-strokes."

The team's technical director Antonio Cobas adds: "This track is completely different to Mugello, with not so much grip and plenty of ripples, which makes suspension set-up very difficult. Also, the surfaces causes a lot of tyre wear, and sometimes the front gets used more than the rear, which isn't normal."

Daijiro Kato (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR500) aims to get back on track this weekend after a couple of fraught GPs on his NSR500. The 250 World Champion had made a brilliant start to his debut campaign in the premier class, taking fourth place in round two and a close-run second at Jerez in May.  But even Kato's inspired talent is taking a while to properly cope with a doubling in horsepower, and he crashed out of both the French and Italian GPs.

"Luckily I was unhurt, now we just need to stay focused for the next few GPs," observes Kato, who won last year's 250 race at Catalunya. "I fell at Mugello after getting a bad start because the bike wheelied away from the grid, but I'm feeling good about this weekend's race because since Italy we've been working on the set-up of the machine. "

This will be an interesting GP for Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Kanemoto Racing Honda NSR500), who will be able to judge his progress and that of his new Bridgestone tyres, comparing his pace to the preseason IRTA tests in March. "We've been doing a lot of racing and testing since then, gathering data all the time," says van den Goorbergh, who has scored points in the last four Grands Prix. "I believe we still need a second a lap to be fully competitive with the other two-strokes, and we think that gap is coming down all the time. We hope to continue making forward steps at Catalunya."

Tetsuya Harada (Pramac Honda NSR500) continues to grow in stature on his NSR. After a steady start to his first season on the V4, following a broken collarbone sustained in February, Harada is on the pace. The former 250 champ qualified on the second row at the last two GPs and is looking forward to getting even quicker. "I had quite a good race in Italy two weeks ago, and I think we can do as well or better this weekend," says the Japanese. "Me and my team are beginning to understand the NSR, every race we make some more improvements on set-up, so I'm feeling quite optimistic about the next few GPs."

Former 125 World Champion Emilio Alzamora (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR250) goes into the biggest weekend of his year at Catalunya. And the local rider, who finished third at Jerez in May, hopes home-track fortune will be on his side once again.

"We've been testing since Mugello, so I think we can hope for a better result this weekend," says Alzamora, who had a difficult race at Mugello a fortnight back, finishing 11th. "We've been trying to improve our base set-up, which should allow us to make better progress during qualifying. Obviously, Catalunya is a big race for me. I'll be trying as hard as ever to give the fans something to cheer about."

Team-mate Robby Rolfo (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR250) also had a tough time at Mugello, a month after finishing a brilliant second at Jerez, but he is optimistic of his future chances following the team's tests. "Our biggest problem has been qualifying," says the Italian youngster who joined Honda this year. "If we can improve the overall set-up, then we know we can qualify better and that will help us to get closer to the front in the race."

This is also a home race for teen Spanish 125 hero Daniel Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Jr Team Honda RS125R), who hails from Sabedell, just a few kilometres from the Catalunya track. The 16-year old currently lies fourth in the 125 World Championship, just 20 points behind leader Manuel Poggiali (Gilera).

"This is my home race, so I've been dreaming about a good result!" smiles Pedrosa. "We battled hard at Mugello and ended the race just five tenths off the podium. We will keep working in the same way this weekend, but I hope to do better. All the different bikes are very close on performance at the moment, so I expect another tight race, just like Mugello."

Following this weekend's racing, the GP action shifts north for the Dutch GP at Assen, the most historic venue on the World Championship calendar. The June 29th event is one of two GPs that takes place on a Saturday, and race times have been slightly adjusted to avoid clashes with the football World Cup.