Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128332
in Motor cy cling GOING TO THE SOURCE As a part of the media build-up to the Gran Premi de Catalunya , in Barcelona, Spain, Repsol-sponsored riders from the MotoGP World Championship. Alex Barros, Nicky Hayden and Ruben Xaus , visited the Spanish company's oil rig. located off the coast of Tarragona. Together with a small group of journalists, a helicopter took them to the spectacular Casablanca rig. Their tour guide was LuisGomez, who is in charge on the explo ration complex. Barros, Hayden and Xaus spent two hours checking out the complex and greeting the staff. None of them had ever visited an off-shore oil rig before and were visiblyexcited by this opportunity. "Up to now I had only seen oil rigs on television ," Xaus explained . "But I'd never been to one . It's been really impressive . Watching how this gigantic structure appears in the middle of the sea is something very unusual. I had never imagined that there was such a big plant in front of the Tarragona coast. It's been a fantastic opportunity, and we've enjoyed it a lot." After the visit the helicopter took the three riders back to the Circuit de Cata lunya, where the first official practices of the fifth round of the season commenced. Casablanca is the largest oilfield discovered so far in Spain. It is located some 28 miles off the coast at an average depth of 8580 feet and was discovered in 1975. A total of 18 wells have been drilled since then , pro ducing more than 145 million barrels of oil, with an average production of 45,000 barrels per day. The permanent Casablanca oil rig was installed in the summer of 1981 and rises 257.4 feet above sea level. The colossal steel structure, supported by eight legs with a diameter of 5.5 feet each, measures more than 561 feet and weighs some 8000 tons . In addition to the platform, the Casablanca complex consists of additional facilities, such as submarine wells and the oil pipeline. The latter, which is made of 12-inch-diameter steel tubing covered with con crete, is buried under the bottom of the sea and was installed in the summer of 1980, connecting the permanent platform with the Repsol Petroleo coast cargo terminal in Pineda, before moving the oil to the Tarragonarefinery. 104 JULY 14, 200 4 • CYCLE NEWS A NOTHER FAMOUS YA M A H A MAN While attending a press conference celebrating the Grand Prix Champions from the I990s at the MotoGP race in Catalunya, Spain, three-time World Champion Wayne Rainey had the opportunity to visit with current World Champion Valentino Rossi. What the two riders have in common is that both have won three World Championships. Rainey won all th ree of his championships riding for Yamaha, the company that Rossi cur rently rides for. As a matter of fact, Yamaha hasn't won a Wo rld Championship since Rainey's last title in 1992. It is banking on Rossi to return the crown to the company. Rainey won 24 races from 83 starts in his career, landing on the podium 64 times and starti ng from po le position 15 times iri the 500cc class. Rossi has now tasted victory in 37 500cc! MotoG P events in his 70 starts, four of which have been achieved on his new Yamaha MI MotoGP bike . Rossi has been on the podium 58 times and sta rte d from the pole position 23 times since his 500cc-c1ass deb ut in 2000. Alex Barros, Ruben Xaus and Nicky Hayden (from left) check out the Casablanca oil rig owned by the ir spons o r, Spanish oil company Rep sol . 40th AnniVErsary