JEREZ, SPAIN - GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA, CIRCUIT PERMANENTE DE JEREZ

Introduction
Built in 1986 and hosting its first Grand Prix one year later, the circuit of Jerez is now one of the most popular MotoGP venues and the focal point for a city fanatical about sport. Set in a slight valley in the south of Spain, Jerez is blessed with consistently good weather and beautiful scenery, it´s numerous grandstands providing the perfect viewing facilities for up to 250,000 spectators.

With two alternative road circuits (4,423m and 4,428m), which have been resurfaced during the off-season, Jerez is a popular venue used by many race teams for testing throughout the year, whilst it´s recently updated corporate and media facilities have proven to be a popular addition to the complex. Other facilities such as the control tower and pit boxes have also been vastly improved

History
The 4.423 km Jerez circuit may have lost the crown of the most popular testing venue on the calendar but its location and perennial appearance of the MotoGP line-up still makes it a favourite in pre-season.

Extensive ‘primary' safety work, in the form of improved run-off, has been a direct result of the increased power and speed of the current breed of MotoGP machines and is the latest in a string of revamps at the Andalusian circuit.

The Jerez circuit features five left and eight right hand corners, a surprising degree of elevation and to some extent camber changes on what, to the casual observer is a largely flat track layout.

Exactness of line makes precise and repeatable chassis set-up a must, and to make the most of the squirts between corners a clean and predictable throttle response is needed throughout the rev-range. With only a 600m main straight, Jerez is not a long-legged track in the classic mould, but was in the vanguard of more safety-conscious arena-style tracks. Thus absolute horsepower comes into play relatively infrequently, the most important factor being set-up for predictable performance through frequent changes of direction.

Some heavy braking points around the track make that aspect of performance vital to a good race result, while the surface is neither the slickest nor most abrasive on the calendar.

With Jerez a well-known quantity, even from previous seasons, the set-up of the bike is expected to be tuned in relatively quickly, with the fight for pole position expected to be another particularly close one. The pressure to do well in qualifying has been redoubled this season, as MotoGP now features a three-rider grid row, down from the previous four. This qualifying for the front row is a more difficult task by far.

One of the truly great Motorsport venues in the World which creates the most electric atmosphere of the season. The 4.423 kms circuit has often been called the Cathedral of Grand Prix Motorcycle racing as massive crowds flock from all over Europe to pack Jerez and the surrounding Andalusian towns for a massive festival of racing and partying.

A weekend crowd around 200,000 is expected to witness the traditional first European race of the season around a circuit which is well suited to the demands of modern day MotoGP machinery. The track was built in 1986 and eight years later modified to it's present day 4.423 kms configuration. A new infrastructure was completed last year including a massive viewing bridge over the start and finish straight.

The track, which has also hosted Formula One grands prix, provides both riders and engineers with a real mixture of short straights and both fast and slow corners. This combination has hosted some very close races which have often been decided on the tight first gear left hand bend coming into the start and finish straight after a series of fast and spectacular right hand bends.

Circuit Details
Circuit: Circuit Permanente de Jerez
Venue: Jerez, Spain
Race day: 10 April 2005
Circuit length: 4.423 km
Laps: 30
Race length: 0.000 km

Circuit Permanente de Jerez
Ctra. De Arcos, km10
Apdo de Correos 1709
Spain

Tel: +34 956 15 1100
Fax: +34 956 15 1105

Track data:
Pole position: left
Length: 4423m, 2.748miles
Width: 11m
Right corners: 8
Left corners: 5
Longest straight: 600m, 0.373miles