Ahead of the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, the Press Conference gathered together some of the biggest names in the paddock to talk shop ahead of track action getting underway on Friday – with Championship leader Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) joined by nine-time Champion Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Austin winner Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), COTA podium finisher Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and Moto3™ Championship leader Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai). First to speak was ‘DesmoDovi’, fresh from a visit to the Fundación Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre – the Royal Andalusian Equestrian School – and that’s where the Italian started.

“Today was fun, really nice! But I was very close to the horses and it was a bit scary! The pictures are really nice though,” he smiles. And then it was back to the racing: “I’m happy with the final result in Austin, on Saturday we struggled a bit with the laptime and we started well back, but we made a good start and I was able to recover. I’m happy to get here leading the Championship, there are a lot of fast riders and I think there are more people fighting for the championship than me and Marc compared to the last two years. So it will be even harder this season but I feel more confident than last year I think we can be more competitive but here in Jerez you never know.

“Last year our speed in the race was really good but this year the asphalt is different, so it will affect everybody a lot. Let’s see if it will affect in a positive or negative way. I think it will be different this season here because the competitors are in a different situation. But the asphalt is the point, I don’t know why we can’t be competitive this year.”

Next up was Rossi, the man with a stunning record in Jerez and the winner most recently in 2016. Since then, it’s been a tougher track for Yamaha, and the Italian notes how important the weekend will be.

“It will be very important for understanding if we’re stronger and faster, if we’ve improved the bike because last year was a very difficult weekend and I wasn’t so fast, my speed wasn’t enough. It looks like in the first races we’re more competitive and we’ve improved the bike, but here will be an important weekend to see how much and understand if we’re fast enough.”

‘More competitive’ in the first races is a bit of an understatement, with the Italian second in the Championship as it stands: “I’m very happy about the start of the season because in the three races I was always quite strong and I’ve taken some important points. Now the most important part of the season starts from Jerez and we have a lot of good European tracks. The target is try to fight for the Championship and stay there, and for sure compared to last year the atmosphere in the team is better because that always correlates with the results.”

The atmosphere for Rins then, after his first premier class win in Austin, must have been a good one over the past two weeks. And he affirms it was, but he’s already reset to try and do it again – this time on home turf.

“It was incredible and unbelievable to get my first win in MotoGP in Austin, I got my first win in Moto2 and Moto3 there so I’m quite happy, these two weeks were incredible but after the race I was thinking about the next one in Jerez. I’m excited to start with the new tarmac and we’ll see how it’s going.

“I’ve not done a lot of laps with a MotoGP machine because I was out through injury in 2017 and last year I crashed early, but in testing I’ve done a lot of laps. I feel prepared and my team do too, so I think the target is the same – to go with the front group, fight, and try and win. If it’s possible we’ll try and win and if not we’ll try and finish as far forward as possible.”

After Rins came Marquez, the man who was leading that Americas GP before disaster hit and he slid out of contention. But, much like Rins, the reigning Champion says that’s already been processed and focus has moved on to Jerez – the first home race of the season.

“It was a frustrating Sunday,” replied Marquez when asked how he was feeling. “But not the whole two weeks. From Monday we were already focused on Jerez. The important thing is me and my team understand why I crashed, because I had a really good feeling and I couldn’t understand it. I was riding in a good way, I was confident on the bike and it was difficult to understand but then, after analysing things we understand. Now we need to focus on Jerez, try to keep the same level because I feel really good with the bike. I’ve felt good since Qatar, so it’s important to continue like this.

“Last year we arrived here with exactly the same points and we’ll try and be competitive this weekend, it’s a circuit I like and that goes well with my riding style but we need to understand the asphalt and the level of our competitors. We also need to understand the racetrack in the afternoon. In the morning when everything’s fresh, it’s easier, then in the afternoon everything is more difficult, so just try to understand and be competitive from the beginning.

Next the mic passed to Miller, who completed the podium in Austin and took his first ever rostrum in the dry.

“It was an achievement,” says the Queenslander. “The other podium, or victory, was in the wet and it felt great but less like I’d achieved it. To get a dry weather podium under our belt is always nice. The bike is working great, I feel super comfortable at the moment we’ve been strong at all three rounds. The team are doing an amazing job and like I said before it’s a shame we had that result in Qatar because it would be interesting, especially after how things have shaped up, to see where we would be in the Championship. We’ve been working hard during these weeks to get ready for this one. We had a great test here in November, so I look forward to carrying some of that momentum hopefully into here. As you said with the asphalt it will be a little bit of a question mark, we’ll have to go out there and see how the tyres work and having four options here it will be a little but different to see what we’ll do in the race.

“Last year we had a decent result but that was due to everyone falling off in front of us. We’ll see what we can do this year. I’ve had good pace in the past, just never really been able to put it all together in the race. So I’m hoping this year we can put it all together and have a good weekend, if it goes like it has been at the last couple of GPs and we can keep working in the same way through the practices I think it will be good.”

Finally, Masia was the final rider to speak in the opening stages. Arriving to the first home race of the season – and in the lead – is some pressure for the sophomore, but he’s more than ready to race.

“I’m really happy to be the leader. It is only the third race of the Championship but it’s nice to be there. I’m also happy to be first in the first European race, at home, so I’ll just try to continue like this.”

The Spaniard was also asked about his quick progression from the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Championship to where he is now. “In Estrella Galicia it was really hard because I was small and with a lot of weight on the bike. But it’s a dream come true to arrive in the World Championship and being here is amazing. I can’t believe it, so I’m going to try to continue like this and enjoy it!”

Marquez had some advice for him: “I’ve known Jaume for a long time and he had good talent then, he’s showing it now. He can be very competitive but it’s normal – I’m laughing because I know the feeling! First home Grand Prix, leading the Championship…” The reigning Champion turned to look at Masia and smiled again. “Just keep calm!”

Coming off a fifth place finish in Morocco last week, Lipsky, the 2014 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner, continued his good form at the Genzon Golf Club by marking his card with eight birdies and one bogey for a slender one-advantage over compatriot John Catlin as well as China’s Wu Ashun and Jin Daxing.

Catlin, who was one of the breakout stars on the Asian Tour in 2018, enjoyed a bogey-free round 66 to start promisingly at the Volvo China Open, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

Jin and Wu delighted the home crowd when they emerged as the highest placed Chinese after day one when they both traded seven birdies against one bogey to stay in the title hunt.

Blessed with a clean bill of health now, Philippines’ Miguel Tabuena fought his way back from a back injury by signing for a 65 to be bunched in tied-sixth place which was also included Malaysia’s Gavin Green and China’s Li Haotong.

Sweden’s Alexander Bjork of Sweden opened his title defence of the Volvo China Open by posting a 70 to trail the leaders by five shots in a share of 46th place.

Jurgen Klopp admitted Lionel Messi was “unstoppable” on Wednesday after he left Liverpool needing a miracle to reach the Champions League final.

Luis Suarez poked in against his former club before Messi hit a late double, the second a stunning free-kick for his 600th Barca goal, as his team took a 3-0 lead from a pulsating semi-final first leg ahead of next week’s return at Anfield.

“He’s unstoppable,” said Klopp afterwards. “Obviously we couldn’t defend the free-kick. What a strike. He’s a world-class player but I knew that already. It’s no surprise.”

Klopp could only smile after Messi’s curling shot nestled in the top corner but this result was harsh on his side.

They matched Barcelona in the first half, dominated them early in the second and could still have left with an away goal after Messi’s brilliant brace, only for Mohamed Salah to hit the post.

“I said to the boys I was proud of how we played against a side like this,” Klopp said. “If you lose away it’s not a massive problem as long as you score a goal. That’s our problem tonight – it doesn’t make our life any easier.”

Messi and Suarez did what they have done all season, their tallies now at 47 and 27 goals respectively in all competitions.

It had been a breathtaking contest befitting two of Europe’s most exhilarating teams. The first half was electric, a reel of chances, breaks and blocks, while the second was tense, a tactical battle where Barca dared Liverpool to over-exert.

The comeback will be even tougher for them given Barcelona, with La Liga wrapped up, will surely rest a host of players against Celta Vigo this weekend while Liverpool, a point behind Premier League leaders Manchester City, will have to be at full throttle again away at Newcastle on Saturday.

“They can still make us suffer,” said Barca coach Ernesto Valverde. “The result is good but the tie is open.”

– Scintillating –

Messi was already fresh, after playing just over half the La Liga minutes he could have done in April, and he looked sharp early on, weaving through the centre while for Liverpool, the sensational Sadio Mane raced down the left.

The attacks were scintillating but the defending was good too. Andy Robertson scrambled across to block Messi’s finish from six yards and moments later it was Sergi Roberto on the slide, preventing Mane from sprinting clear.

Messi wanted a penalty when the ball jumped up on Joel Matip and Naby Keita went off injured in the 25th minute, replaced by Jordan Henderson.

A minute later came the goal. Arturo Vidal sprayed the ball left to Philippe Coutinho, who cushioned back for Jordi Alba. Alba shaped to cross but instead curved a perfectly weighted pass to the near post, where Suarez nipped in.

Liverpool came again. Mane scampered in behind then flicked the ball round Sergio Busquets. He should have scored too, Henderson’s cross finding him free from eight yards but the shot flew over.

Barca took control just as Suarez began to lose it, irked by James Milner barging Messi into the sideboards after the Argentinian had danced past Robertson.

But Liverpool were re-energised at the start of the second half. Marc-Andre ter Stegen pushed away shots from Milner and Salah, and held a Milner drive.

Then Messi intervened, striking twice in seven minutes. His own run started the first, setting Sergi free to square to Suarez. Off balance, Suarez could only knee the ball against the crossbar but it came back for Messi, who chested and finished into an open net.

Two was tough on Liverpool but Messi was not done. The free-kick was central, 30 yards out. He whipped it over the wall and into the top corner.

Barca were delirious but Liverpool almost grabbed an away goal when a clearance on the line fell kindly for Salah, who hammered against the post. It could have been a lifeline. Liverpool are on the brink.

Barca have one foot in next month’s final ahead of Tuesday’s second leg at Anfield after former Reds striker Luis Suarez gave Barca the lead during a breathless opening 45 minutes before Messi struck twice late on, the second a stunning free-kick and his 600th Barca goal.

Jurgen Klopp could only smile after Messi’s curling shot nestled in the top corner but this result was harsh on his side.

They matched Barcelona in the first half, dominated them early in the second and could still have left with an away goal after Messi’s deadly double, only for Mohamed Salah to hit the post.

But Messi and Suarez did what they have done all season, their tallies now at 47 and 27 goals respectively in all competitions.

It had been a breathtaking contest befitting two of Europe’s most exhilarating teams. The first half was electric, a reel of chances, breaks and blocks, while the second was tense, a tactical battle where Barca dared Liverpool to over-exert.

The comeback will be even tougher for them given Barcelona, with La Liga wrapped up, will surely rest a host of players against Celta Vigo this weekend while Liverpool, a point behind Premier League leaders Manchester City, will have to be at full throttle again away at Newcastle on Saturday.

– Scintillating –

Messi was already fresh, after playing just over half the La Liga minutes he could have done in April, and he looked sharp early on, weaving through the centre while for Liverpool, the sensational Sadio Mane raced down the left.

The attacks were scintillating but the defending was good too. Andy Robertson scrambled across to block Messi’s finish from six yards and moments later it was Sergi Roberto on the slide, preventing Mane from racing clear.

Messi wanted a penalty when the ball jumped up on Joel Matip and Naby Keita went off injured in the 25th minute, replaced by Jordan Henderson.

A minute later came the goal. Arturo Vidal sprayed the ball left to Philippe Coutinho, who cushioned back for Jordi Alba. Alba shaped to cross but instead curved a perfectly weighted pass to the near post, where Suarez nipped in.

Liverpool came again. Mane scampered in behind then flicked the ball round Sergio Busquets. He should have scored too, Henderson’s cross finding him free from eight yards but the shot flew over.

Barca took control just as Suarez began to lose it, irked by James Milner barging Messi into the sideboards after the Argentinian had danced past Robertson.

But Liverpool were re-energised at the start of the second half. Marc-Andre ter Stegen pushed away shots from Milner and Mohamed Salah, then held a Milner drive.

Then Messi took the wind out of Liverpool’s sails, striking twice in seven minutes. His own run started the first, setting Sergi free to square to Suarez. Off balance, Suarez could only volley against the crossbar but the ball came back for Messi, who chested and finished into an open net.

Two was hard on Liverpool but Messi was not done. The free-kick was central, 30 yards out, and he whipped it over the wall and into the top corner.

Barca were delirious but Liverpool almost grabbed an away goal when a clearance on the line fell kindly for Salah, who hammered against the post and left Liverpool with little hope of making the Madrid final.

Lionel Messi warned his Barcelona teammates that their place in the Champions League final is still not certain despite his two-goal salvo in a 3-0 semi-final first leg win over Liverpool on Wednesday.

“It would have been better to win 4-0 than 3-0 but it is a very good result,” said the Argentine star.

“It’s not definitive, we are going to go into a very complicated atmosphere, with a great history.”

Messi’s second goal was the 600th of his Barca career and he reached the landmark in stunning style, majestically curling a free-kick into the top corner.

“It was beautiful when it went in but I was lucky that the ball lodged up there in the corner.”

Messi refused to take all the plaudits for the win which also Luis Suarez score against his former club.

“We must be more united than ever, all together: the team, the fans.

“We said at the beginning of the season that we will win it together.”

The Thai No 2 tees off as one of the genuine contenders for the Volvo China Open which starts on Thursday.

Jazz is currently in second place on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings and has been on a red-hot streak since the end of 2018, notching seven top-five finishes in his last 11 events, dating back to last December.

The world No 72 got his season off to a flying start by winning his third Asian Tour title in Singapore and has already secured starts in the US PGA Championship in May and The Open Championship in July.

“I’m feeling really good coming into this week,” he said. “I’m having fun and enjoying myself. The Volvo China Open is a big event and a very good opportunity to regain my No 1 spot on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

“The biggest reason why I’m playing so well is because of my new coach, Peter Cowen.

“I’ve been working with him since the middle of last year and things sort of clicked towards the end of the year and have been continuing since then.

“I owe my success to him. I’m very excited I will soon be playing the PGA Championship for the first time.

“I don’t know how I’m going to prepare myself for it yet as I heard the golf course is probably one of the toughest golf courses in America. I’m going there with an open mind and not expecting anything.

“It’s good to have options – because of my world ranking and wins I can choose which Tour I want to play and which tournament and courses I like to play in.

“I didn’t have much options in the past but now I have the flexibility of picking and choosing the best events for me.”

Jazz will be put to a stern test in China by a strong field that includes defending champion Alexander Bjork of Sweden, France’s Alexander Levy as well as the Chinese duo of Wu Ashun and Li Haotong, who is the highest ranked player at world-ranked No 39.

Li became the youngest winner of the tournament, aged 20 three years ago, and is the only player to have won the Volvo China Open twice, while Wu lifted the Volvo China Open trophy in 2015.

Frenchman Levy first won the title in 2014 when he cruised to a four-stroke victory at Genzon Golf Club, which is also this year’s host venue.

The Kingdom’s ace golfer is taking a break after damaging his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) more than a month ago, an injury that flared up and forced him to withdraw after the first round of the ADT Brunei Open last week.

He flies to the US tonight to prepare for next week’s AT&T Byron Nelson in Texas, the final warm-up before the PGA Championship, which takes place from May 16-19.

“I will have a few weeks’ rest before Texas and the PGA Championship, which should be enough for me to recover,” said Kiradech, who has just signed a two-year deal as a brand ambassador for Swiss watchmaker Avantist.

“I’m feeling so much better since Brunei. My doctor suggested that I take a break so I didn’t practise at all for a week,” added Kiradech, who will resume his training routine when he is back in the US.

The Thai No 1 insists his condition doesn’t require a surgery and is satisfied with his performance so far in his debut season on the PGA Tour, highlighted by a tie for fourth and a lone third finish at World Golf Championships tournaments in China and Mexico respectively.

“I’m quite happy to have secured my PGA card for the next season because of solid results in China and Mexico. But my goal is to win a PGA title as soon as possible,” he said.

The 29-year-old admitted he used to think that winning a PGA title was out of reach but that he changed his mind after winning four European Tour titles and earning a full PGA Tour card, the first Thai player to do so.

“I have started believing that it [winning a PGA Tour title] is possible,” he added. “I just have to work more on the physical aspects as American and European players are a lot stronger.”

Due to his success, Kiradech has become a role model for the younger generation, something that makes him proud.

“I’m very happy when young golfers get inspiration from me and want to pursue their dream on the PGA Tour,” he said. “Now we have several players like Sadom Kaewkanjana and especially Jazz Janewattanond [Thai No 2 and world No 72] who I believe can earn a card on the PGA or go even further than me.”

As a result of his deal with Avantist, Kiradech will wear a specially designed Arm Edition Sapphire Tourbillon watch which is limited to just 9 pieces. These watches feature a skeletonised tourbillon movement set on a transparent sapphire crystal plate that gives the illusion it floats mid-air inside the watch.

Combined with components in 18k gold and titanium, each individual watch is painstakingly hand-assembled in Switzerland and takes up to 6 months to complete.

The talented 25-year-old arrived in the Land of the Morning Calm on the back of a rich vein of form, having claimed two victories on his domestic circuit and notched a solid top-10 finish on the Asian Tour to sit in current seventh position on the Habitat for Humanity Standings.

Chikka’s game has matured considerably over the years. A joint runner-up outing at the Mauritius Open last November, along with his fine run so far this season, have strengthened his belief that a breakthrough is imminent.

He will feature in the 144-man field alongside defending champion Sanghyun Park of Korea, who is chasing for an unprecedented treble, in the KR₩1,200,000,000 (approx. US$1,067,000) event, which is celebrating its 38th edition this week.

Young Thai Phachara Khongwatmai, who turns 20 years old on Friday, plans to make his birthday week a memorable one as he looks to improve on his tied-12th place finish from 12 months ago at the fabled Namseoul Country Club.

Spaniard Javi Colomo endured a four-month layoff due to a shoulder injury before returning to competitive golf in Singapore earlier in January. Playing in his second start on Tour this season, Colomo is looking to get his game back on track with a fine performance in Korea.

Yikeun Chang of Korea is back seeking redemption in the event, where he had agonizingly missed out on his maiden Asian Tour win last year after being defeated by Park on the third play-off hole.

Other notable players include K.T. Kim of Korea, a two-time winner of the Maekyung Open, Thai duo Prom Meesawat and Danthai Boonma, as well as Australian Jason Norris and Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh.

The 38th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship is the first of the three Asian Tour events to be played in Korea this season. It has been dominated by Koreans since 2005. American Mark Calcavecchia was the last foreigner to win the tournament in 2004.

The Namseoul Country Club was opened in 1971 and has been the host venue of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open since 1982 except for five occasions in 1984, 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2006.

The Brazil forward missed Friday’s 5-0 Premier League win over Huddersfield with a small muscle tear, but was still included in the 23-man squad selected by coach Jurgen Klopp and took part in team training on Tuesday before flying to Spain later in the day.

“We all knew from the beginning it would be a race,” Klopp told Liverpool’s website when commenting on Firmino’s fitness.

“We don’t have to make a decision today because there’s no game today, we can wait.

“It looked good so far, but I have until tomorrow to make that decision,” added the German, whose side are also battling Manchester City in a title race that looks destined to go to the wire.

Meanwhile Fabinho was passed fit after the midfielder missed the 5-0 thrashing of Huddersfield following a head injury sustained in the previous game against Cardiff.

“Every human being needs time and he needed that time, but if the Huddersfield game had been a day later he could have played,” Klopp said.

Mohamed Salah also appeared to confound rumours of an injury scare by taking a full part in Tuesday’s training session.

Coming off the back of his first Asian Development Tour (ADT) victory in Brunei, Prom is brimming with confidence ahead of his campaign at the KR₩1,200,000,000 (approx. US$1,067,000) event, which will be staged at the Namseoul Country Club.

The 34-year-old Thai, who is set to make his second appearance at The Open this July, will also be spurred by good memories in his bid for a third Asian Tour title and a second one in Korea this week. He claimed his maiden win in Korea in 2006.

“It’s always nice to return to a place where you had very good memories of. I won my first Asian Tour title in Korea so it’s nice to be back, although I have never had a good result at the Namseoul Country Club.

But having said that, I’m hitting the ball good and putting good now so I’m looking to put up a good result this week. Winning in Brunei definitely gave me a lot of confidence coming into the week as well.

I’m happy with the season so far. I’m getting fitter, my body feels good and I feel ready to win tournaments! I am constantly working on my game as well. You need to be good in all aspects to win tournaments so I will keep working on that to stay consistent,” said Prom.

Rising Thai star Danthai Boonma, who had uncharacteristically missed the halfway cut last year, hopes to redeem himself with a fine performance at the fabled course, which is hosting the storied event for the 33th time this week.

Danthai, a one-time Asian Tour winner in 2015, is enjoying a brilliant run of form, having claimed two victories recently in Thailand and Japan. He won the Singha E-San Open on his local circuit in February and was triumphant on the Japan Challenge Tour two weeks ago.

Indian rookie Aadil Bedi is also raring to get his challenge underway as he hopes to cap a memorable Korean debut in the event that is jointly-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korea Golf Association (KGA). Bedi made the grade in his first attempt at the Qualifying School last December.

Buoyed by a third-place finish on the ADT in Brunei last week, Qualifying School graduate Austen Truslow of the United States will ride high on his confidence as he acquaints himself with the country he has learnt much from in school.

The 38th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship is the first of the three Asian Tour events to be played in Korea this season. It has been dominated by Koreans since 2005. American Mark Calcavecchia was the last foreigner to win the tournament in 2004.

The Namseoul Country Club was opened in 1971 and has been the host venue of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open since 1982 except for five occasions in 1984, 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2006.