…And that ‘bitter taste’ is probably tarmac after Simoncelli ate dirt in the last round in Spain.

Marco Simoncelli will be looking for redemption in Estroril, after suffering the frustration of crashing out of a commanding lead at the last race at Jerez. Despite his personal disappointment in the last race, Simoncelli is confident that his team and the bike has what it takes to secure his first race win and he has high hopes for Estoril this weekend.

This is what Simoncelli, Aoyama, and team boss Fausto Gresini had to say about this weekend’s action in Protugal:

Marco Simoncelli
“I still have a bitter taste in my mouth from Jerez. I was having a great race and the crash obviously wasn’t what I wanted, it was a real shame. I know I will have the chance to make up for it though because I know I am fast and have a good feeling with a competitive bike. I have made progress and so have the team, we are getting on better and better and I am sure we will soon be celebrating together because everything is in place. It has been a long break and I have had time to go with my friends and ‘finish off the ski season’ before getting into some serious training ahead of Estoril. I had my best result of last season in Portugal and just missed out on the podium so this time I want to be on it. I like the track a lot, I won there in 250cc in 2009 and was on the podium the previous season. I am confident we can have a good weekend.”

Hiroshi Aoyama
“The result at Jerez was an important confidence boost for me. The conditions were particulary difficult but I managed to keep things under control from lap to lap. My only regret is that I was a little too careful with my overtaking in the early stages of the race otherwise I could have been on the podium but overall I am happy. Apart from a crash in the dry we established a good feeling with the bike and that gives me high hopes for Estoril. I have stayed in Europe over the break and just trained hard for the next race. Estoril is not an easy circuit because of the unpredictable weather conditions. The wind is a real problem and unexpected rain showers can make things really difficult. Hopefully this weekend it stays nice.”

Fausto Gresini
“After the race at Jerez I am more convinced than ever that Team San Carlo Honda Gresini have two riders capable of giving us a lot to celebrate in 2011. Honda have given us a competitive bike and both Simoncelli and Aoyama are very determined. Marco was unlucky in Spain but he showed his potential. Now he is ready to fight with the best riders in the class and a top result is around the corner. He has made huge progress along with his crew and he’s going to be fun to watch. Hiroshi was solid at Jerez and he managed the conditions very well to bring home an important result. It is a confidence boost for him and he will also soon be amongst the frontrunners in MotoGP. The whole of Team San Carlo Honda Gresini is calm in the knowledge that we can be fighting for top results every week. It is a return to the good old days for us and we now have the enthusiasm to go along with the professionalism we have always shown.”

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