Nicky Hayden - 2005 result: 3rd place

"I can't wait to see what's going to happen here. With pre-season testing followed by the first race, we were at Jerez for quite a while, so I'm really looking forward to getting out on a new track. Hopefully we've got a good package for the circuit. I quite like the layout here - it's got some fun stuff. There are a couple of banked corners that are fun and some long, long right handers which are pretty cool.

I'd say my favourite part is the combination of Turn One, Turn Two and Turn Three - two banked corners followed by a fast right-hander. Some of the teams were testing here earlier in the year while we were at a different track. Nonetheless we're ready to go. It's certainly going to be a different atmosphere compared to Jerez where it's a packed house because at this place there is a pretty thin crowd."

Dani Pedrosa - 2005 result 4th (250cc race)

"It will be a tough race I think because at the first round in Jerez many of the top riders had problems and they will not accept the situation, so I think they will be pushing hard to get back to their positions from the end of the season last year. And for sure they won't like that I'm already in front so they will be trying even harder to make sure that doesn't happen again. I think this will make the race faster. This season we're going to Qatar much earlier in the year and we will see how the conditions are because last year was very, very hot. It will be more difficult for me because I have to learn the track with this machine and find the set-up in a much shorter time than in Jerez where we had a three- day test two weeks before the race. It'll be a good challenge."