GP de catalogne 2007

[mickey]

quelques interviews (en anglais désolé ) avant le gp.bonne lecture

Fiat Yamaha Team Head to Barcelona on a High
Tuesday, June 05, 2007 - Fiat Yamaha


The Fiat Yamaha Team will float across the Mediterranean on cloud nine this week as they follow the MotoGP World Championship trail to Barcelona on the back of a stunning victory for Valentino Rossi at Mugello. Rossi's 25-point haul in front of his adoring home fans has propelled him to within striking distance of series leader Casey Stoner, who now holds a precarious advantage of just nine points, and provided a real boost in confidence as the team head to one of Rossi's happiest hunting grounds.

Not only is the Catalonian capital one of Rossi's favourite cities, but the circuit they built as part of their Olympic Games project back in 1992 has seen the multi-World Champion grace the top step of the podium on no fewer than eight occasions in all classes. For the past three seasons the 28-year-old has taken MotoGP victory there for Yamaha and, after enjoying the much-improved engine performance of the YZR-M1 down the long straight of his home track, he has every reason to be optimistic of a repeat result this Sunday.

For Colin Edwards the ferry ride to the north-eastern coast of Spain represents a welcome opportunity to put last weekend's events behind him as soon as possible. The Texan has struggled to find a comfortable set-up for his machine at the past two races and after suffering from the limited track time afforded by the changeable weather in France and Italy he will be hoping for a more traditional June climate on the Iberian peninsular.

Like Mugello, and some of this year's previously visited tracks such as Losail, Shanghai and Istanbul, the Circuit de Catalunya features a main straight that is amongst the longest in the world. The rest of the track is characterised by long radius, medium and high-speed sweepers, with two tight left-hand hairpins thrown into the mix. This variation combined with regular changes in camber makes the circuit particularly demanding on chassis balance and means that front-end feel is a key concern for every rider.

Valentino Rossi
After enjoying the raucous backing of over 85,000 fans at his home circuit, Valentino Rossi is looking forward to yet more passionate support in Barcelona this Sunday. Despite the recent success of local rider Dani Pedrosa, Rossi remains a firm favourite with the Spanish fans and always looks forward to performing for them, whether it be at Barcelona, Jerez or Valencia.

"Barcelona is always a great race for me and I've won there the last three years with Yamaha, so hopefully we can do it again," says Rossi. "I am lucky to have lots of fans in Spain, even though I have had some close rivalries with Spanish riders, and it is always a pleasure to ride in front of them. I got a fantastic reception when I won the race at Jerez earlier in the season so hopefully I can start the same kind of party in Barcelona.

"Dani Pedrosa will also have a lot of support this weekend and I expect him to be a difficult rival once again after such a good race at Mugello. Also Stoner will be strong, especially down the long straight, but Yamaha and Michelin have worked really hard to close the gap on our rivals and I think we are ready to battle with them at every track now. After Mugello we have three more races at three of my favourite tracks so hopefully we can continue with the good progress we have made recently and be back on top of the podium again!"

Colin Edwards

Despite making a bright start to the season a run of bad luck and even worse weather has hindered the progress of Colin Edwards in recent weeks, leaving him languishing in tenth place in the championship. The ‘Texas Tornado' is desperate for three fully dry free practice sessions this weekend as he aims to rediscover feeling and confidence with his YZR-M1 but in any case he has a good record at the circuit in wet conditions, having won the ultra-competitive pre-season ‘qualifying' session in a torrential downpour just over a year ago.

"Mugello was a nightmare for me but it's behind us now and luckily Barcelona is a track I like a lot more," says Edwards. "I know I'm good in the wet there too after winning the ‘qualifying' at the pre-season test in 2006 so if we get hit by the bad weather that seems to have been following us around then we should be okay this time!

"Basically we've got to get our heads down from Friday morning and be right up there from the very first session. We lost one of only two dry practices in Mugello because we were trying something that didn't work and we can't afford for that to happen again. We know we've got the package to be competitive so it's just a case of making the right decisions, getting some confidence going again and moving forward."

Davide Brivio
Fiat Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio enjoyed a short celebration after the team's home Grand Prix on Sunday evening but it was soon back to work for the whole staff as they hit the road for Barcelona. This weekend's race is the second of six over a seven-week spell that will put every team member to the test and firmly establish the serious contenders for the MotoGP World Championship title this season.

"This is a really busy time for everyone but Mugello was a great boost and we go to Barcelona full of confidence and motivation," says Brivio. "We've have an excellent record at the Catalunya Circuit over the last few years and it's another of Valentino's favourite tracks. He was in fantastic form in Mugello and hopefully this will continue in Spain.

"The team and Yamaha have done a brilliant job after some problems that we had and Valentino's win in Mugello showed that we're in a position to fight. We've found some extra top speed, although this is something we will keep on trying to improve, and Michelin have also made some good improvements with the tyres. Colin had a bad time in Italy but Barcelona suits him much better and we just need to keep working and find a way to get him back to the form he was showing a couple of races ago."

[mickey]

Pedrosa on Form For Home Race
Tuesday, June 05, 2007 - Repsol Honda Team



The Repsol Honda Team heads to this weekend’s Grand Prix of Catalunya with riders Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden in contrasting moods. Pedrosa’s combative ride to second place in last Sunday’s Italian GP sets up the Spaniard nicely for a strong showing at his home race. Hayden on the other hand will be searching for a reversal of the poor fortune the World Champion has experienced in the first third of the 2007 MotoGP season.

Pedrosa was born only 15km from the challenging Montmelo circuit and will be determined to put on a competitive display for the Barcelona crowd, which last year totaled an amazing 194,264 spectators for the weekend. As if any more motivation were necessary, the 21-year-old will be spurred on by the events of last year’s race where the MotoGP debutant was knocked down in the dramatic first corner crash that prompted a restart. The Spaniard’s subsequent retirement from the race was a blemish on his otherwise excellent record at the 4.727km (2.937-mile) track. In the 125cc class Pedrosa was 2nd in 2002 and won the race in 2003. He then took 2nd in 2004 and the win in 2005 at Catalunya on his way to back-to-back 250cc titles.

Hayden would be delighted to repeat last year’s race-long scrap for the lead he was involved in with Valentino Rossi in Catalunya. The popular American World Champion is surely due a change in fortune in Spain having endured a torrid start to the 2007 season in which a string of bad luck has compounded machine set-up difficulties. The 25-year-old will be hoping to remedy some of those problems in Barcelona – at a circuit he likes and where he holds the lap record from last year’s race.

The 25-lap Cinzano Grand Prix of Catalunya begins at 14.00hrs on Sunday, following Friday’s practice sessions, and qualifying on Saturday afternoon.

Dani Pedrosa – World Championship Position: 3rd – 82 points
“I’m really looking forward to my home race at Barcelona. We’ve had quite good results in the last two races at Le Mans and Mugello so I hope I can keep this form going. Last year’s race here was a disaster because I was involved in the big first corner crash. I was not injured which was lucky but then I crashed again in the restarted race, so I hope things go a lot smoother this year. We had a good improvement from the Michelin tyres at the last race in Mugello compared to China and Turkey so there are positive signs for our competitiveness for the next few races. The Barcelona track is one I like from a layout point of view and there are some technical and challenging corners here. There’s also a long straight like at Mugello so it will be interesting to see how the speeds compare again. I always get a lot of support at this race, and because we didn’t have the IRTA test before the season this will be the first time this year that the local fans have seen MotoGP. I really want to give them the result they’re hoping for and we’ll certainly be trying to battle right at the front again.

Nicky Hayden – World Championship Position: 11th – 36 points
“Barcelona is a track I like and I’ve had some decent results here, including second last year, so I’ll be looking to find some answers and get a strong finish this weekend. It’s a really good circuit, really safe to ride and there’s always a good atmosphere because they definitely love their bike racing in Spain. This will be the first season we’ve come here having not tested in the winter. Normally we do one pre-season test which gives us a pretty good base setting but this time there was no test so we’ll be riding the new 800cc bike for the first time here. That means they’ll be plenty of work to do in practice and we’ll be trying to find a better feeling on the machine that allows me to ride the way I want to because I need to get some stronger results going. We’ve had a pretty rough ride so far this season but the team’s working really hard and we’re giving it everything to get out of this hole we’re in.”

[mickey]

Ducati Marlboro Team Set For Catalan Challenge
Tuesday, June 05, 2007 - Ducati Marlboro



This week the Ducati Marlboro Team dashes from its home Grand Prix at Mugello to Barcelona for the Catalan GP, the second of four races during June, MotoGP's busiest month.

Stoner has scored three wins, plus a third, a fourth and a fifth place from the first six races, proving that he has both speed and consistency. Capirossi meanwhile has scored one podium so far this season and is currently working hard to refine a new engine spec developed by Ducati Corse to suit his riding style. Capirossi won Ducati's historic debut MotoGP win at Catalunya in June 2003, so the Italian will be aiming to fight up front once again this weekend as he and Stoner continue to work hard with the team and with their Desmosedici GP7s.

LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager

"Barcelona will be another big challenge, so we go there working to do our best. The big thing is that we didn't race there last year [both Capirossi and team-mate Sete Gibernau were injured in a first-corner accident and didn't take part in the restarted race], so we don't have any recent race tyre data for this track. But Casey proved to be very good under pressure once more at Mugello, so we go to Spain feeling optimistic. Loris won our first race there four years ago, and we hope he will have more time to work on the new engine spec he used for the first time at Mugello."

CASEY STONER, World Championship leader on 115 points

"We learned a few more things at Mugello last weekend and that should help us at Barcelona. As always, we will do the best we can and whatever happens, happens. We've been doing a very good job so far this season, so now we go into every race a little more relaxed, a bit more confident in my ability. Barcelona used to be one of my favourite tracks, until they resurfaced it and it got a bit too rough, then it started to really play up with the bikes. My first couple of years it was really good, 2001 to 2003, then in 2004 it started getting too rough and in 2005 they resurfaced it. But it wasn't resurfaced really well and the F1 cars make it worse. The track is pretty hard work, it's got some really good points and some fast corners. The first sector's not too bad, most people are pretty similar through there, then the next section is really hard, but it's the last few turns that are really crucial, especially the last two right-handers. It's a very technical circuit, so hopefully it'll be another good one for us. Ducati's first ever win was here and even if it'd be nice to have another one our target is still to do our best and see what happens.

LORIS CAPIROSSI, 7th overall on 47 points

"I'm looking forward to this race because I hope we will have good weather that will allow us to continue the work we did on our new engine spec at Mugello. The new spec works well for me - it gives more linear power delivery which is better for my riding style. I use more lean angle than other riders through the corners, so I need a more gentle feeling from the engine when I begin to use the throttle out of the turns. We made a good jump forward with the engine and the chassis at Mugello. We improved my feeling with the front end of the bike, which is vital for my style, but I still need more improvements in that area. Last year we had quite a tough weekend at Catalunya, even before the big crash, but I think this visit will be very different, I love this circuit, I got Ducati's first win there in 2003. It's a great track with a lot of long corners where you need good traction from the rear."

[mickey]

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP’s European Adventure Rolls on
Tuesday, June 05, 2007 - Rizla Suzuki MotoGP



Rizla Suzuki MotoGP continues its hectic European tour this coming weekend as the MotoGP circus heads to the Montmelo Circuit near Barcelona in Spain for the Catalonian GP – the second leg of a busy nine week schedule that covers six European races.

John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen will be taking to the 4.7km circuit for the first free practice session less than five days since the chequered flag dropped at the end of the Italian Grand Prix in Italy. Hopkins finished a spirited fifth in Mugello last Sunday with Vermeulen close behind in eighth, and the pair will want to keep up the good run of form that the team is enjoying. The season to date has produced a race win, a podium and ten top-10 finishes - between the two riders - in the six races so far.

Montmelo is a circuit that Hopkins particularly likes and he finished fourth there last season – his equal best result of 2006. Vermeulen too had a strong race last year, and at that time produced his best MotoGP finish by bringing his Suzuki GSV-R home in sixth. The Circuit de Catalunya is located 20km north of Barcelona and is one of the regular test tracks on the MotoGP calendar. It is a good barometer of a MotoGP bike’s performance, as it requires all elements of a machine’s performance to be at the very top level.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will start its preparations for Sunday’s 25-lap race with two free practice sessions on Friday. Saturday will have another free session and an hour of qualifying in the afternoon to determine staring positions for the race, which gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT) on Sunday 10th June.

John Hopkins:
“I really enjoy Barcelona and I always seem to go well there. The track has a bit of everything for me and the 990cc bike performed well there, so I am sure the new 800 also will – it’s a huge step forward from last year’s bike. I got a fourth there in 2006 and was very pleased with that, but I will certainly be planning to go a few steps higher than that this weekend! So far the season has been real good, but I know we have the package to make it even better!”

Chris Vermeulen:
“I know the track quite well and have enjoyed it whenever I’ve been there. It is like a home GP for me really as I live in Andorra and Barcelona is just a short drive from my house – maybe I’ll get a bit of extra Spanish support! I found Mugello last weekend pretty tough so it will be good to come to track that I like and try to be competitive from the first session. I am looking for a good result this weekend as we definitely have the bike to do it, as both John and I have shown in previous weeks. We need to keep our good run going!”

[little rossi]

euh , j'crois qu'ils parlent du gp a barcelone c'est ça ???

désolé ma prof d'english était trop moche pour m'interesser a cette langue

[pietro46]

ouai, mais si elle était trop belle, tu te serai intéréssé a autre chose ^^

[mickey]

si cela interresse quelqu un :

Pramac D’Antin Flies to Spain On Back of Mugello Podium

After the spectacular race in Mugello that resulted in Alex Barros on the podium for the first time this season, the Pramac d’Antin team flies immediately to Spain to take part in the seventh round of the 2007 championship.

Historically, Ducati has not been one of the favourites at the Circuit de Catalunya, but considering all the progress that has been made this season, the next race could be the one for “the red machine from Borgo Panigale” and an opportune time to confirm the bike’s excellent characteristics in a wide range of circuits.

For Alex Barros, who lived in Barcelona for a long time, the race will be something of a home GP which will give him renewed determination for another good race run to follow his third in Mugello and fourth place in Turkey earlier in the season.

His team-mate Alex Hofmann will be looking for a better weekend in Catalunya to make up for a disappointing weekend in Mugello.

Preparations for the race weekend will start on Friday 8th June with the usual free practice sessions and will conclude on Sunday 10th with the 25 lap race starting at 2pm local time.

Alex Barros (9° in championship): “I know the Barcelona track very well and I have raced here many times. I like very much the track and I have often been fast around there. In 2005, the last time that I raced there with MotoGP, I finished in fourth position, but this time I hope to be even faster. The track has a very long straight, which could be a good opportunity for us, so we have to take full advantage from this, to exploit the Ducati’s engine potential as much as possible. I’m confident for this race, and after the podium I got on Sunday it would be great to confirm this result. I know that it is difficult because this year all the young riders are very fast, but I will do all I can to focus on success. The most important thing will be to get ready during the two days of practice before the race, but I’m very confident because my team is doing an outstanding job.”

Alex Hofmann (12° in classification): “I’m ready for this next race in Spain and, like in Mugello last weekend, there will be exciting atmosphere from the passionate fans who support us and I would like get a good result for them. After the last race, I was not completely satisfied and I would like to enjoy a better weekend in Catalunya. In the Spanish track there is a long straight and it will be a good opportunity for us and our Ducati Desmosesidici. I hope to be able to resolve the issues that I faced in Mugello, especially with my feeling at the rear and to enjoy a great race in Barcelona.”

Luis d’Antin – General Manager: “Like the race in Mugello, this coming weekend is a very important event for us. Since we are an Italian-Spanish Team, we will have a lot of fans and sponsor to support us once again. After the podium we got in Mugello, it would be perfect to secure an excellent result in Spain. This year, as the result in Mugello highlighted, we have a real chance to be competitive. The Montmelò track hasn’t been particularly good for either Bridgestone or Ducati in the past, but this year they have both proven to be very competitive with continuous improvements. The next race in Spain could be the perfect occasion to confirm the big progress they have made.”

[mickey]

Honda Gresini
Following on from his incredible fightback at Mugello, Honda Gresini rider Toni Elias is ready to tackle another demanding weekend, this time at his home circuit. Toni's hometown of Manresa is only 30 minutes from Montmelò - an extra boost for the Spaniard, who is determined to get a top result in front of his home supporters.

Marco Melandri is looking forward to getting back on track in Catalunya and putting the events of Mugello firmly behind him. The second of six races in just seven weeks leaves little time for reflection or distraction.


TONI ELIAS: "A good result at a circuit as technical as Mugello has given me a lot of confidence and helped me fully get over the disappointment of my bad results in France and China. Now it is the turn of the Spaniards to race at home. Riding in front of so many fans in Barcelona gives you an incredible feeling and that extra motivation can help me get a top result this weekend. I feel confident and highly motivated. I know it will be tough because Montmelò is a demanding circuit, with a very long straight that will make things even harder."


MARCO MELANDRI: "Barcelona is a circuit I've always liked a lot. I scored my first MotoGP podium there but I also have the bad memory of the big crash last year. It's a nice circuit but the slow corners followed by hard acceleration and a start-finish straight of over a kilometre in length do not play in our favour. Luckily we'll be going to a few more favourable tracks after Barcelona. In any case I feel motivated and I'm looking forward to putting the Mugello race behind me."

[mickey]

KONICA MINOLTA Honda Heads to High-Speed Catalunya
Just days after a dramatic weekend at their home MotoGP race of Mugello, the KONICA MINOLTA Honda Team head to Spain and the Barcelona track of Catalunya. With a few days to analyse the data from their home race, it is hoped that the KONICA MINOLTA Honda Team will be able to improve the set-up and balance of their Honda RC212V machine before first practice on Friday. The 2.9mile Montmeló circuit is located just north of Barcelona and is similar in style to Mugello, with a long main straight and some fast and technical corners. Spanish fans also share a similar passion for motorsport as do their Italian cousins, so the race promises to be a popular and exciting event. The MotoGP season is now in full swing, with two further races in the month of June at Donington Park in Great Britain on 24th June and at Assen in the Netherlands on 30th June.

Gianluca Montiron – Team Manager KONICA MINOLTA Honda
“Catalunya is very similar to Mugello and for this reason I think we will be in a similar condition with the bike – although hopefully not the weather, which was so changeable in Italy! We hope to have more time in dry conditions so we can understand better the technical situation with the new 800cc bike and to solve the current problem that we had in the Mugello race. This will be an important weekend for us as the MotoGP challenge will continue but perhaps more importantly after the race we will stay on for a day at Catalunya and have a test the day after the race. During this weekend we hope to get to the bottom of our problems with the consistency of our lap times. We have seen that Shinya can do competitive times early in the race, but the problem for us comes from middle of the race. As tyres go off every rider has this situation at the end of the race, but we need to find out why it happens to us a little earlier. I’m sure we will be testing some very different settings to try to find a solution.”

Shinya Nakano – Rider, KONICA MINOLTA Honda
“I like Barcelona and I love racing at the Catalunya circuit, it is a very special place! We saw at Mugello that we need to solve the problem of chatter from the front-end of the bike as it stops me pushing harder in the corners, but at least we can clearly see our problem so we know exactly what we need to work on. I love racing anywhere in Spain as the Spanish fans have such a passion for bike racing and MotoGP in particular. I enjoy the circuit layout, it is one of my favourites, so I’m hoping for lots of dry practice time as well as a good race on Sunday and a positive test on the Monday.”

Giulio Bernardelle – Technical Director, KONICA MINOLTA Honda
“The Montmeló circuit is very similar to Mugello, so this should hopefully mean that we can investigate and improve the consistency of our lap times. What is very positive is that during the last two GPs it is clear that Shinya is able to run closer to the best lap time from the top riders. Now we need to make this lap time consistent during the whole race as much as we can. We are entering a very busy period in the MotoGP season, so we will be working very hard with our technical partners such as HRC and Michelin to get improved results.”

[mickey]

KAWASAKI PAY THEIR RESPECTS AT CATALUNYA


The Kawasaki Racing Team head for northern Spain this week, hoping to further their MotoGP offensive at the Gran Premi de Catalunya in Montmelo, near Barcelona.
After a few difficult rounds, which have seen both their riders injured and a disappointing lack of championship points, the aim is to get back on form at a track hugely popular with racers and spectators alike.
Both Randy de Puniet and Olivier Jacque have won races here in the past and they’re optimistic they can turn their recent run of bad luck in to something more positive on their ever-evolving Ninja ZX-RR machines. With the recent arrival of new engines revealing increased horsepower, combined with the impressive performance from their Bridgestone rubber in the season so far, the prospects look good for the two Frenchmen.
After 250cc wins at Catalunya in 2003 and 2004, de Puniet will be looking to better his luck here over last year, when he was forced off the track after unwittingly becoming entangled in a pile-up involving Sete Gibernau, Loris Capirossi and Marco Melandri, then crashing out again after a restart. Although fully recovered from the shoulder injury he sustained at Le Mans, de Puniet was left with an injured left knee after his Mugello crash less than one week ago. While the injury is not causing the 26-year-old Frenchman any pain, accumulation of fluid around the joint means that he arrived in Catalunya with a knee the size of a football! De Puniet will visit the Clinica Mobile to have the excess fluid drained from the knee ahead of the first free practice session on Friday.
The Kawasaki pilot's goal this weekend is clear; he must finish the race and, if possible, improve on his career best eighth place finishes in Istanbul and China.
Jacque, meanwhile, reached the top of the podium here, also in the 250cc world championship, in 2000 and, as he regains strength in his left arm, which was badly injured in Shanghai, he will be hoping for a fine performance on his MotoGP machine. Against the odds, Olivier succeeded in completing a hard race at Mugello last weekend and he’s feeling positive he can improve on his current four championship points.
As a mark of respect for Jan de Groot, Kawasaki's Grand Prix motocross team manager who passed away on Monday, Kawasaki Racing Team riders, de Puniet and Jacque, will run black numbers on their Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP Machines at this weekend's Gran Premi de Catalunya.
Randy de Puniet: Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #14
"I have really good memories of Montmeló. I won there twice in 250cc, achieving my first victory in a Grand Prix there in 2003, then winning again in 2004, and I’ve always enjoyed riding the circuit. I like the entire track but especially the last section: the Stadium curve and the last two corners in particular because they are fast and thrilling to ride. Everybody remembers last year’s first corner massacre and, even though I was among the riders who crashed, I came out of it well as I was able to restart the race on my second bike. I got as far as ninth position but, as I pushed to overtake Tamada, I crashed again. Our main problem there last year was the lack of top speed but that is not an issue with the 800cc Ninja ZX-RR. Not only is Catalunya one of my favourite tracks but also I’m really looking forward to getting there and making up for my crashes in the last two races. My shoulder isn’t giving me problems any more and the knee I hurt in Mugello will be alright in a couple of days. I’ll be fully fit by the time I jump on the bike and I’m sure we will run a good race there. That’s what I’ll be working for: to give my crew and the whole team a good reason to be proud of me."

Olivier Jacque: Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #19
"It was good to assess my physical condition by going the full distance during a dry race at Mugello and the only thing I suffered from was lack of strength. I will keep working on that in preparation for the GP in Barcelona and, even though I don’t have much time, I’m sure I’ll feel a huge difference. Montmeló is less physically demanding than Mugello because it is a fast and fluid track, without too much hard-braking, and there’s plenty of time to rest in between the technical parts. In theory, it is also well suited to the Ninja ZX-RR: the most important thing here is to have a powerful bike with good top speed, and the new engine Kawasaki introduced in Italy proved to be a definite step forward. And having a good-handling bike is important for La Caixa and the Stadium curves. How the tyres perform is going to be the biggest issue. Last year, Bridgestone struggled a bit in Montmeló but, looking at the Japanese tyres’ performance so far this year, I’m confident about this weekend’s race."

Michael Bartholemy: Kawasaki Competition Manager
"Our target for both riders this weekend is quite clear; they must stay on the bike, avoid crashing and finish the race. Between them Randy and Olivier have only managed six finishes out of a possible twelve so far this season; as a factory team, this is not the position we expected to be in at this point in the season. Now our riders need to focus on staying upright and giving their current injuries a chance to heal; only then can we start thinking about achieving the results we know our new Ninja ZX-RR is capable of. Both riders will ride with black numbers this weekend in memory of Jan de Groot, who sadly passed away earlier this week. Jan was a well known and well respected figure in the Motocross Grand Prix paddock and his presence will be sorely missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him or working with him. We would like to offer our sincere condolences to Jan's family and friends at this difficult time."