The Jerez circuit first hosted MotoGP in 1987, a year after its construction, and the championship has made an annual pilgrimage to the track (it is always the venue for the first European round of the year) since 1989.

Situated in south west Spain, not far from the coastal city of Cadiz and on the outskirts of Jerez de la Frontera, it is a popular venue for both motorcycle and Formula 1 testing during the winter months.

It has a complex layout, offering riders a real challenge. It boasts 13 turns over its 4.42km distance, so teams will be looking to set the bikes up for some hard braking with shorter, sharper bursts of power out of the corners. Given the circuit's curvaceous nature, the machines spend much of their time at an angle, so the Kawasaki squad, along with their tyre partners Bridgestone, will aim for good stability and drive.

As the 18 riders who make up the 2008 grid take their places for Sunday's 27 lap race, there will no doubt be a very substantial crowd there to watch them. Last year, Jerez saw 132,168 spectators visit the circuit on race day with a staggering 244,461 fans attending during the whole of the weekend.

Practice sessions begin on Friday and continue, along with qualifying, on Saturday, with the race itself starting on Sunday afternoon at 2pm local time.

Kawasaki Racing