Lai in action, Sekiguchi in traction

Amongst the teams heading to Jerez for next week's lower cylinder class testing will be Campetella Racing, albeit only with one of their riders. Fabrizio Lai is preparing for his first season on a 250cc bike after four in the 125cc class, and will make his debut outing with Campetella at the Spanish circuit. Taro Sekiguchi, in what has become a familiar story over the past two years, finds himself once again resting in Japan after undergoing another operation on his right leg in November.

The team will be hoping that Sekiguchi's recovery strategy has enough success to allow him to join up with them next month, once again at the Circuito de Jerez, for the Official Test. However, it will take two to three months at least for the Japanese rider to get back to top form.

Lai is ready for the challenge of a new category, and Campetella may have all their hopes resting on him during the early part of the season if Sekiguchi's recovery is set back further.