1. Casey Stoner (Duc GP07), Bridgestone, 22 laps, 72.204 miles, 44:12.891, 97.970 mph 2. Valentino Rossi (Yam YZR-M1), Michelin, -3.036 seconds 3. John Hopkins, USA (Suz GSV-R), Bridgestone, -6.663 4. Dani Pedrosa (Hon RC212V), Michelin, -14.090 5. Marco Melandri (Hon RC212V), Bridgestone, -17.267 6. Loris Capirossi (Duc GP07), Bridgestone, -26.256 7. Chris Vermeulen (Suz GSV-R), Bridgestone, -26.591 8. Randy de Puniet (Kaw ZX-RR), Bridgestone, -27.025 9. Alex Hofmann (Duc GP07), Bridgestone, -28.108 10. Carlos Checa (Hon RC212V), Michelin, -32.957 11. Colin Edwards, USA (Yam YZR-M1), Michelin, -35.053 12. Nicky Hayden, USA (Hon RC212V), Michelin, -37.327 13. Sylvain Guintoli (Yam YZR-M1), Dunlop, -50.705 14. Alex Barros (Duc GP07), Bridgestone, -55.264, crash 15. Kenny Roberts, USA (Hon KR212V), Michelin, -57.736 16. Shinya Nakano (Hon RC212V), Michelin, -19 laps, DNF, crash 17. Makoto Tamada (Yam YZR-M1), Dunlop, -19 laps, DNF, crash 18. Toni Elias (Hon RC212V), Bridgestone, -22 laps, DNF, crash Top Speed Reached In Race By Each Finisher 1. Stoner (Ducati), 333.5 kph (207.237 mph) 2. Hofmann (Ducati), 333.4 kph (207.175 mph) 3. Pedrosa (Honda), 332.6 kph (206.678 mph) 4. Capirossi (Ducati), 331.6 kph (206.056 mph) 5. de Puniet (Kawasaki), 331.0 kph (205.683 mph) 6. Barros (Ducati), 330.1 kph (205.124 mph) 7. Melandri (Honda), 325.8 kph (202.452 mph) 8. Rossi (Yamaha), 325.7 kph (202.389 mph) 9. Hayden (Honda), 325.5 kph (202.266 mph) 10. Hopkins (Suzuki), 324.8 kph (201.831 mph) 11. Edwards (Yamaha), 324.1 kph (201.396 mph) 12. Nakano (Honda), 323.1 kph (200.774 mph) 13. Guintoli (Yamaha), 321.8 kph (199.967 mph) 14. Checa (Honda), 320.0 kph (198.848 mph 15. Tamada (Honda), 319.5 kph (198.537 mph) 16. Vermeulen (Suzuki), 318.7 kph (198.040 mph) 17. Roberts (Honda), 317.9 kph (197.543 mph) Fastest Race Lap Turned By Each Finisher 1. Stoner, 1:59.857 2. Rossi, 1:59.884 3. Hopkins, 2:00.065 4. Barros, 2:00.383 5. Pedrosa, 2:00.523 6. Melandri, 2:00.715 7. de Puniet, 2:00.781 8. Capirossi, 2:00.946 9. Hofmann, 2:01.040 10. Vermeulen, 2:01.177 11. Checa, 2:01.360 12. Edwards, 2:01.405 13. Hayden, 2:01.525 14. Tamada, 2:01.588 15. Guintoli, 2:01.865 16. Nakano, 2:02.032 17. Roberts, 2:02.452 More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Stoner scores hat-trick, Hopkins takes maiden podium in China Round 04 – China – Race Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China Sunday 06 May 2007 Ducati rider Casey Stoner extended his lead at the top of the championship table with an emphatic victory on Bridgestone tyres in China this afternoon leading home second-placed Valentino Rossi by over three seconds. It was Stoner’s third win in four races this season and takes his combined points tally to 86 heading into the frenetic European season. Suzuki’s John Hopkins translated his impressive free practice performances into third position by the end of the 22-lap race to claim his maiden MotoGP podium and Suzuki’s first of the season. Hopkins has been a regular pace-setter on his 800cc Suzuki this weekend and completed the 116km race distance seven seconds quicker than he did on the 990cc machine last year, highlighting the improvements made by Suzuki and Bridgestone over the last twelve months. Strong performances from Honda Gresini’s Marco Melandri, Ducati’s Loris Capirossi, Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen, Kawasaki’s Randy de Puniet and Pramac d’Antin’s Alex Hofmann ensured that Bridgestone-shod riders swept positions five to nine in this afternoon’s race with each of Bridgestone’s five teams able to demonstrate competitive pace over the complete race distance. Alex Barros was able to extricate his Ducati from a first lap collision with fellow Bridgestone user Toni Elias to eventually regain 14th place, setting a string of competitive lap times which were on par with the fourth and fifth-placed riders. Barros set the fourth quickest lap of the entire GP, a 2m00.383s, on his 17th lap. Tomoyuki Izumisawa, Bridgestone Corporation, responsible for motorsports, in attendance at today’s GP said: “Congratulations to the entire Ducati team for another sensational victory. They have proven themselves in these first races of the season to be serious championship contenders this year and the recent results are a real testament to their technical package and teamwork. We have worked very closely with the Suzuki team since 2004 and Bridgestone also takes great pleasure in seeing John Hopkins score his debut podium position today. All five of our teams have enjoyed top ten results and our thanks and compliments go to each of them for a very competitive weekend.” Hirohide Hamashima Bridgestone Motorsport Director of Motorsport Tyre Development: “We are immensely pleased that our tyres have helped Casey Stoner and Ducati to take their third victory in just four races. With John Hopkins and Suzuki in third place and a further five riders in the top ten, we have been able to display a similar level of competitiveness and durability to what we saw in Turkey two weeks ago. The race pace was significantly faster than we saw in free practice with Casey and Valentino even breaking the 2m mark on a couple of laps, so the bike and tyres would have been put under greater demands. The fact that our tyres were able to match the riders’ increased pace in the closing stages of the race was very pleasing. Each of the three victories in Qatar, Turkey and now China have been at tracks where we have not previously been victorious, so we are happy to have made such technical advances compared to last year. However, the season is long and we are working on a race-by-race basis to continue this momentum throughout the busy European season which will soon be upon us.” Casey Stoner Ducati Corse Race Winner and Championship Leader: “That was a very nice battle to be in and I could feel Valentino right behind me all the time. We had a few close passes but the Ducati once again showed its top speed down the back straight, so I was able to repass. The lap times were unbelievable and we had a very fast pace throughout the 22 laps. Everything was perfect again and we were able to stay up front to take our third win in four races. The tyres were continuing to improve during the race and the lap times dropped a lot. I’d like to say thanks to Ducati and to Bridgestone for giving me the equipment with which to achieve these fantastic results.” Bridgestone Race Results Front Rear P1 Casey Stoner Ducati 44m12.891s WINNER Slick Hard Slick Medium P3 John Hopkins Suzuki 44m19.554s +6.663s Slick Hard Slick Medium P5 Marco Melandri Honda Gresini 44m30.167s +17.276s Slick Medium Slick Medium P6 Loris Capirossi Ducati 44m39.147s +26.256s Slick Medium Slick Medium P7 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki 44m39.482s +26.591s Slick Hard Slick Medium P8 Randy de Puniet Kawasaki 44m39.916s +27.025s Slick Hard Slick Medium P9 Alex Hofmann Pramac d’Antin 44m40.999s +28.108s Slick Hard Slick Medium P14 Alex Barros Pramac d’Antin 45m08.155s +55.264s Slick Hard Slick Medium DNF Toni Elias Honda Gresini Did not finish first lap Slick Hard Slick Medium Weather: Dry. Air 23°C, Track 32°C, Humidity 21% More, from a press release issued by Dorna Sports: Rock-solid Stoner stakes title claim in Shanghai Sinopec Great Wall Lubricants Grand Prix of China Race Report If any doubts remained in fans’ minds about Casey Stoner’s MotoGP World Championship credentials, they will surely have been quashed by the 21 year old Australian’s flawless victory in today’s Sinopec Great Wall Lubricants Grand Prix of China. The Ducati rider didn’t put a foot wrong after taking the lead at the end of lap 1, absorbing pressure from five time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi until crossing the line three seconds ahead of his rivals. Stoner started from fourth on the grid to take win number three from the opening quartet of races, and now heads the standings by 15 points from Rossi. The Italian was as ever a tough challenger, eager to avoid a Stoner escape. On the attack, he had to wait until later points on the track to make moves on his rival. The first time he took the lead was on lap seven, which Stoner almost brushed off as they headed back down the home straight. Putting the same pressure on the leader as previously seen in his epic games of cat and mouse with the likes of Sete Gibernau and Max Biaggi, this time it was Rossi who finally gave way on lap 15 as he ran wide whilst attacking on the brakes and allowed Stoner to break free from his grasp. Behind the front two, John Hopkins took his first ever MotoGP podium in a result that has been a long time coming. Starting from the front row after some great practice performances, the Rizla Suzuki rider nearly went one better than his eventual third place finish when he slipped past Rossi during his excursion off-track. The Anglo-American finished ahead of former 250cc World Champions Dani Pedrosa and Marco Melandri, who battled amongst themselves for nearly the entire duration of the race. Two riders who had a coming together in yesterday’s qualifying session were once again side-by-side in the final standings. Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen flew up the field from their poor starting positions, and indicated that they may have been a threat for positions higher than sixth or seventh respectively if they had have been able to complete their flying qualifying laps. The duo’s combined late surge denied Randy de Puniet a top six finish, and he was relegated to eighth ahead of Alex Hofmann and Carlos Checa. Behind them, Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden had disappointing races, with Edwards perhaps paying the price for his tyre choice and the reigning World Champion having to take evasive action to avoid a first lap incident involving Toni Elias and Alex Barros. Japanese riders Makoto Tamada and Shinya Nakano collided on lap four, without serious injury to either competitor. 250cc Jorge Lorenzo broke his Chinese hoodoo to take victory in the 250cc race, adding the Shanghai International circuit to the ‘Lorenzo Land’ empire. The Spaniard had run wide on lap one to let five riders go through, but quickly redressed the balance to storm ahead of the pack for a nearly uncontested victory. Alvaro Bautista and Andrea Dovizioso were eventually put in Lorenzo’s mirrors after a waiting game from the reigning World Champion on lap 7, and from then on any trailing riders were battling between themselves for second place, which went to Bautista after he muscled out Dovizioso ahead of the final corner and ran him wide. Lorenzo now leads the championship by 23 points from his persistent challenger. Alex de Angelis was again in the top four, ahead of Mika Kallio and Hector Barbera in other impressive rides. 250cc rookies Julian Simon and Thomas Luthi were once again in the top ten, accompanied by Hiroshi Aoyama and Fabrizio Lai. Aoyama’s younger brother Shuhei suffered his second spectacular crash in as many races, although he escaped serious injury. 125cc Lukas Pesek finally took his first 125cc victory in the opening race of the day, but had a hard job on his hands in what will surely be one of the closest races of the season. The Derbi rider edged out Hector Faubel and surprise challenger Esteve Rabat after all three had spent time at the front of the field, and avoided the last lap nerves that led to a heartbreaking crash in Shanghai last year. His win makes it four different winners from as many races in 2007, and previous victors Gabor Talmacsi and Simone Corsi were also involved in the dogfight until the final stages. The Czech rider’s triumph also prevents Aprilia from equalling their best ever run of six successive wins in the class. Sergio Gadea, Michael Ranseder, Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro all finished ahead of tenth placed Mattia Pasini, who finally finished a race after three successive DNFs. The Italian dropped down the field late on after starting on pole, but has at least taken his opening points in the lower cylinder class. The next round of the MotoGP World Championship takes place on May 20th at Le Mans in France. More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: BRILLIANT STONER WINS AGAIN FOR DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM, CAPIROSSI RECOVERS FROM 14TH TO SIXTH Ducati Marlboro Team rider Casey Stoner won his third Grand Prix victory of the year in superb style at Shanghai today, extending his World Championship lead to 15 points after four of 18 races. Team-mate Loris Capirossi also enjoyed a stirring ride, coming through from 14th on the grid to finish in sixth position. Stoner grabbed the lead on the second lap and spent much of the race involved in an intense duel with Valentino Rossi. Eventually Stoner and his Desmosedici GP7 were too strong for the former World Champion, the Australian ending the race three seconds in front. Capirossi, who started from the fifth row after he had been brought down by a rival during qualifying, steadfastly worked his way through the pack despite pain from the arm injury he suffered in the fall. CASEY STONER, 1st place, World Championship leader on 86 points “If last year someone had told me that at this point of the season I would have won three races I would have laughed! Anyway, today was another perfect day. I really want to say thank you to Ducati, to Vittoriano Guareschi of the test team, and to Bridgestone and to all the sponsors who have given me this opportunity. The pace of the race was incredibly fast and we were really quick on the straights. Again we were able to take this advantage and I could just stay at the front with the lap times we were doing. The only difficult part of the track for me this weekend was the turn before the back straight where I couldn’t turn so well but we worked a lot on this until we found better exit speed. During the race I concentrated on the lap times which weren’t that easy but I could do them okay. During the closing stages, when I had less fuel load, the tyres started working even better. I’m really happy with Bridgestone – we expected higher temperatures for the race and that’s what happened, which is why we ran a harder rear and we were really safe with it. I knew Valentino was behind so I just concentrated and didn’t make many mistakes. I was expecting a big fight during the last two laps but after he made his mistake I was able to control the race. It was another fantastic race, like Qatar and Turkey, but we aren’t changing our way of thinking. We are working hard, taking it race by race and doing our best every time”. LORIS CAPIROSSI, 6th place, 8th in World Championship on 30 points “We had a difficult Saturday and the crash in qualifying was simply a shame because we had to start so far back on the grid. I was in the middle of the first lap accident but I was able to escape getting involved. Anyway, I had problems when braking all through the race, so I couldn’t attack. I could only try to defend my position and finish at the front of my group. I got ten points, which isn’t much but they are something. I’m eighth on points while Casey and Valentino are way in front but I’m not so far back from third position, so I’ll just keep my head down and try to improve my feeling with this bike which is obviously a winning machine. Also, the tyres were very good today, so we just have to keep working hard.” LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager “Another unbelievable race! The bike was great, the tyres were great and Casey did another fantastic job out there today. Again, this victory is a big tribute to the all people involved, from everyone at Ducati to our technical partners Bridgestone and Shell Advance. Loris once again showed that he is a real fighter who never gives up. Leading the World Championship like this is a dream come true for all of us and now we just want to keep working to keep the dream alive.” After the race FIM technical director Mike Webb checked the engine capacity of Casey Stoner’s GP7 and everything was okay. This was a standard FIM procedure and not the result of any protests. Already this season the FIM has checked the fuel tank capacity and fuel temperature of the Ducati Marlboro Team GP7.” More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Fantastic debut podium for Hopkins in Shanghai John Hopkins secured his first MotoGP podium at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai today, as he stormed his Rizla Suzuki home in third place – a result that also moves him into the top five in the MotoGP Championship. Hopkins started from the front row of the grid and got off to a great start. He then traded places with Marco Melandri and Dani Pedrosa early on, before getting away from them and chasing down Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi. The hard-charging Anglo-American caught up with the leaders and the three of them produced incredibly fast lap-times as they pulled away from the chasing pack. Hopkins tried to make a bid for a higher position, but decided that bringing his GSV-R home for his first top-three finish was more important than any last lap heroics. Hopkins was visibly overcome as he crossed the line in front of his cheering team, he will now go onto the next round in France with high confidence as he looks to build on this success. Chris Vermeulen again showed his true racer spirit by making his way up to an impressive seventh place from 15th on the grid. He battled all race long with Loris Capirossi as the two of them fought their way through the field in the 22-lap race. The performance of the Bridgestone tyres was yet again another major factor in Vermeulen’s ability to get past other riders and keep the consistency in his lap-times. Today’s race was held in warm and sunny conditions with air temperatures reaching 23°C. An exuberant crowd watched Stoner win his third race of the season on his Bridgestone-shod Ducati. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP now travels back to Europe for round five of the MotoGP World Championship at Le Mans in France on Sunday 20th May. John Hopkins: “I am so happy with the way the race went and I want to dedicate my first podium to my Dad! Without doubt he was watching me and he certainly helped get me through to the finish – there will be more of these to come! I want to also give a big thanks to everyone who has supported me and especially my family. I also owe a huge thank-you to my crew who have been right behind me all the time. I really want to congratulate Bridgestone for the great tyres and Suzuki for the huge steps forward with the bike that is enabling me to run at the front now. “As far as the race went, I got a good start and then got passed by Marco and Dani; I started to get a bit frustrated because Casey and Valentino were pulling away. I made a couple of aggressive manoeuvres on both Dani and Marco to get round them and started to chase down the front two. From there on it was all about trying to hang on to them, they were running a tremendous pace and I just couldn’t get past. In the end I made sure I brought the bike home in third. I was praying nothing would go wrong in the last two laps and it didn’t so I guess my Dad was looking down on me! Now I can’t wait for Le Mans I’m looking into backing this up with another podium!” Chris Vermeulen: “I was a bit injured from yesterday’s crash, but the worst part today was that I had to start back on the fifth row. I got a good start and made up some places through the first two turns and the bike and tyres felt really good – I could do consistently fast times. It was a bit of a shame that I was back there as I did get held up a bit by some slower riders. I got up to seventh and had a great battle with Loris. Every time I passed him he’d then go past me on the straights we just didn’t have the speed to match his bike. Seventh place from 15th on the grid is not a bad performance and we can look forward to Le Mans. I also want to congratulate John on his first podium in MotoGP, I know what it means to him and I’m sure there will be plenty more of those for Rizla Suzuki!” Paul Denning Team Manager: “John and Rizla Suzuki really deserved the front row start yesterday and thoroughly deserved today’s superb result. John came from a reasonable distance back to relentlessly close the gap down on Casey and Valentino. He hung with them fantastically and right up to the last few laps – where discretion seemed to be the better part of valour – he made sure that he secured his first podium. To be beaten by those two riders – in the form they are in at the moment is no disgrace. As we move on to some of John’s favourite tracks this result will certainly give him the confidence to be a regular front runner. “Chris’ race was as usual a storming performance, especially as he was in some discomfort after yesterday’s accident. He and Loris had a great race for sixth place and it was nice to see a good clean fight between two real racers, and a safe finish for both of them. “Congratulations to the whole team on a good weekends work!” Sinopec Great Wall Lubricants GP of China Race Classification: 1. Casey Stoner (Ducati) 44’12.891: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +3.036: 3. JOHN HOPKINS (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +6.663: 4. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +14.090: 5. Marco Melandri (Honda) +17.276: 7. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +26.591: World Championship Classification: 1. Stoner 86: 2. Rossi 71: 3. Pedrosa 49: 4. Melandri 41: 5. JOHN HOPKINS (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 39: 10. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 30: More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing: FIGHTING FIFTH FOR MELANDRI IN SHANGHAI Honda Gresini rider Marco Melandri took fifth place in the Grand Prix of China with a determined performance in a race that proved to be particularly demanding because of the characteristics of the circuit. After getting a good start Melandri moved up to second place on the second lap and fought hard to stay with the lead riders. The Italian rode with his typical grit and determination to combat technical problems as the race wore on, eventually crossing the line in fifth place to move up to fourth in the World Championship standings on 41 points It was an unfortunate race for Toni Elias, who was forced to retire after a crash on the first lap. The Spaniard now lies sixth in the championship on 35 points and is keen to put this race behind him as he looks forward to better fortune in the next round at Le Mans. MARCO MELANDRI (5th in the race, 4th in the championship on 41 points): “I’m pleased because I gave my best, but I can’t deny that I’m aiming for better results than this. I got a good start and felt comfortable with the bike, it felt good at the start of the race. I was able to move up to second place but after a few laps I started to suffer a little with chatter and it didn’t help. We have a lot of hard work still to do because at the moment we’re behind.” TONI ELIAS (DNF, 6th in the championship on 35 points): “I’m disappointed not to finish the race because in the warm up the bike had improved a lot compared to yesterday. We found a much better solution for the tyres and I think it could have been a nice race for me. Unfortunately on the first lap I was behind Hayden when he was closing his line towards the kerb and I had no choice but to collide with his rear wheel and crash. These things happen in racing – especially when everybpody is so close but I’m disappointed to miss out on some important points. This race is behind us now and I only want to think about Le Mans.” FAUSTO GRESINI: “Marco had a good race and gave his best – I don’t think you can do any more than that. We certainly have some work to do to take that next step forward. It’s a shame Toni’s race ended on the first lap because I think he could have had a good race. Luckily we’ve not lost out too much in the championship standings – Marco is now fourth whilst Toni is sixth. It’s a long season and there is still plenty of time to recover.” More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: SCINTILLATING SHANGHAI BATTLE ENDS WITH SECOND PLACE FOR ROSSI Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi fought a race-long battle with Casey Stoner during the Grand Prix of China today, the pair providing a thrilling spectacle until the 16th lap when Rossi was forced to concede victory to the Australian after a small mistake. Despite starting from the front row alongside pole-sitter Rossi, Colin Edwards had a less successful day as he suffered tyre problems from the start and dropped steadily down the order, eventually finishing a disappointing 11th. John Hopkins took the lead into turn one but Rossi passed him on the first lap to cross the line in front. Edwards however had already slipped down to sixth and was unable to make up anymore ground from then on. By lap three Rossi had dropped behind both Stoner and Marco Melandri but before long Rossi had despatched his fellow countryman and set off after Stoner, eliciting a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse which kept everyone on the edge of their seats. Rossi’s M1 worked perfectly throughout and the Italian was never more than a few tenths down on Stoner, exploiting the agility and corner speed of his Yamaha in the earlier sections to close the gap and often pass Stoner, but relinquishing ground down the long back straight where the Ducati had the advantage. The pair kept up a blistering pace and only Hopkins could stay with them, closing the gap to half a second at one point in pursuit of his first podium. With seven laps to go and Rossi doing everything in his powers to find a way to make a pass stick on Stoner, the Yamaha rider made a mistake braking into the hairpin at the end of the back straight and ran off the track, letting Hopkins through. Rossi kept fighting and was able to pass the American back again to consolidate second place, but Stoner was too far ahead and took the flag three seconds in front. Edwards, meanwhile, had a difficult race as his package failed to work today and he was unable to use the potential of his Yamaha, crossing the line 35 seconds behind the winner. Valentino Rossi Position: 2nd Time: +3.036 “I enjoyed today a lot, it was a great race, a really exciting battle and my Yamaha was fantastic to the end. We knew that this track would be difficult for us so to be able to fight with Stoner at 100% for the entire race was a great feeling. Of course it’s not a win, but I think second place is a very good result for us here. I didn’t want to give up and just ride for second, I wanted to try to pass him and I made some good overtaking manoeuvres but wasn’t able to stay in front down the straight. Then I made a mistake when I hit a bump when braking, had to release the brake and ran off track. It was a pity, but when you’re riding on the limit lap after lap then things like this can happen; that’s racing! Anyway I knew I couldn’t give up, I had a nice battle with John and then was able to take second. I think these twenty points are really important and we’re still second in the championship. I’m really more sad for what happened in Turkey because if we hadn’t had the problem there then I might have been level with Stoner in the championship now. But the season is long and now we have several races in Europe at some of my favourite tracks and I think we’re in good shape for them!” Colin Edwards Position: 11th Time: +35.053 “I don’t have much positive stuff to say about today’s race! I had hoped that I would be able to try for a podium but right from the start I didn’t have any rear grip and it was all I could do to keep it upright throughout the race. I genuinely believe that our bike is the best on the grid and I’ve never felt happier with it, but unfortunately the package as a whole isn’t working for me at the moment and we need to understand why. I had a slightly different tyre to Valentino but he really showed his class again today. I just want to forget about this race and look forward to Le Mans, where I’ve always gone well.” Davide Brivio Team Director “If you had told us before we got here that we would take second place, we would have been happy with that. Then of course on Friday and Saturday we realised that we could in fact battle for the victory! Valentino was perfect today and he couldn’t have done anything better. His mistake was due to his fighting spirit, his refusal to give up and his will to fight until the end; this is the mark of a champion. We showed we have huge potential, we lack a little bit of top speed and we must improve the performance of the engine so this is what we will be working on in the next few weeks. Colin showed with his performance yesterday that he has the ability to do well this season, but he used a different tyre and a different set-up to Valentino and unfortunately it didn’t work for him today. Valentino and Yamaha are in perfect shape and Colin has proved that he too can do great things when everything’s working well for him. The championship is still young and we will keep on fighting like we did today.” Championship Standings 1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team, 86 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team, 71 3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team, 49 4. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda Gresini, 41 5. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 39 6. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda Gresini, 35 7. Colin Edwards (USA) Fiat Yamaha Team, 31 8. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 30 9. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team, 30 10. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team, 30 11. Alex Barros (BRA) Pramac d’Antin, 27 12. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda LCR, 20 13. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team, 19 14. Alex Hofmann (GER) Pramac d’Antin, 19 15. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda, 15 16. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3, 6 17. Kenny Roberts Jr (USA) Team Roberts, 4 18. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3, 4 19. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team, 4 More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: FIGHTING FOURTH PLACE FOR DANI AS STONER WINS Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) rode a determined race to keep himself in the title hunt with a fourth place here in China as Casey Stoner (Ducati) won from Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) in second and John Hopkins (Suzuki) third. A sparse crowd watched the action unfold in dry conditions. Hopkins hit the front from the start and on lap one the luckless Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) had to take severe avoiding action when Toni Elias (Gresini Honda RC212V) crashed. The American World Champion dropped down to 16th place as he rejoined the track and fought his way back up the field. By lap two Stoner was in front, the speed of the Ducati giving the Australian a big advantage on the two long straights at this 5.281km track. Marco Melandri (Gresini Honda RC212V) lay third and would then overhaul Rossi to grab second by the end of lap three. Stoner reeled off two early fastest laps as he led a five-rider group consisting of Melandri, Rossi, Hopkins and Dani, with Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki) losing touch in sixth. Rossi then inched past Melandri for second place on lap four as Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda RC212V) and Makoto Tamada (Yamaha) tangled and fell at the hairpin. Rossi took the lead on lap eight of this 22-lap race, but he didn’t hold onto it long, Stoner grabbing it back as the Italian ran wide into the hairpin. A lead trio of Stoner, Rossi and Hopkins had by now begun to drop Melandri and Dani a gap of five seconds opening up by mid race. These three riders would take the race to the flag but not without incident. On lap 16 Rossi ran wide into the hairpin under braking handing an advantage to Stoner and Hopkins. But it was only Stoner who had the speed to make Rossi pay for his mistake. The Aussie put 2.7 seconds between himself his pursuers and held it to take the flag just over three seconds ahead of Rossi who managed to get past Hopkins on lap 18. Stoner set the fastest lap of the race on lap 15, his time of 1m 59.856 seconds marginally slower than the best lap of last year’s race set by Dani at 1m 59.318 seconds. Dani had to work for his fourth place, as did Marco for fifth. And with a tough series of European races to come beginning with Le Mans in two weeks time, both Honda men will be hoping for better. Dani said, “Well, we’ll take the points for fourth place because these are useful for the Championship, even though it would have been nice to be on the podium today. My start was quite good and I could ride with the leaders for the first few laps. However the riders in front were very fast today and in the end the pace was just too quick for us. For the middle part of the race I had a battle with Melandri and when I was able to get past him they had made a gap. Still, I don’t think I could have stayed with them today.” Marco said, “I’m pleased because I gave my best, but I can’t deny that I’m aiming for better results than this. I got a good start and felt comfortable with the bike, it felt good at the start of the race. I was able to move up to second place but after a few laps I started to suffer a little with chatter and it didn’t help. We have a lot of hard work still to do because at the moment we’re behind.” Carlos Checa (LCR Honda RC212V) finished tenth and said, “I’m satisfied with this result because I knew this would be a tough race as we had a top speed disadvantage on the straight and it is difficult to fight in this condition. I rode as fast as possible and after I passed Edwards I was able to match the pace of Capirossi and de Puniet ahead of me. In the first corner I had to stop and run wide to avoid hitting Hofmann, it was better to do that than crash and then I just tried to make up time. Now I’m looking ahead to the Le Mans race.” Nicky was 12th. The reigning World Champ said, “This morning I was fifth fastest in the warm-up and I was definitely looking to get my best result of the year, so it’s a pity about that first corner incident. I got a decent start and going round the inside I felt pretty good and was in a decent position. Then somebody just drilled me from behind and I was lucky to stay on the bike. I was out of the saddle, then my feet were dragging on the ground and I was pretty much cowboying it through the dirt and trying not come back on the track in the middle of the bunch. By the time I was pointing the right way everybody was gone.” Kenny Roberts (KR212V) managed 15th place. The disappointed former World Champion said, “It seems that everybody else has made improvements, because you hear about everybody talking about all the improvements they made for here. From here, I’m going to go to Le Mans in my same mentality and if we have a good weekend, we do. I can only go this hard, because the front tyre’s going to fold or the back tyre’s going to spin out and I’ll crash. So the physical part, like I used to do on a 500, is not there. It’s like a go-kart almost, but at the moment I’m just not setting my go-kart up right, I guess.” “I’m disappointed not to finish the race,” said Elias. “In the warm-up the bike had improved a lot compared to yesterday. We found a much better solution for the tyres and I think it could have been a nice race for me. Unfortunately on the first lap I was behind Hayden when he was closing his line towards the kerb and I had no choice but to collide with his rear wheel and crash. These things happen in racing especially when everybody is so close, but I’m disappointed to miss out on some important points. This race is behind us now and I only want to think about Le Mans.” Nakano said, “Firstly I would like to say I’m happy that neither Makoto nor myself is injured. I’ve banged my right hand in the crash, but it will be OK in a couple of days. Makoto and I are fine, it’s a racing accident and crashes happen. It’s a shame because our race set-up was the best of the weekend. I made a good start and was riding in 10th position but couldn’t follow the top guys. Then at the end of the back straight Tamada-san missed his braking point and clipped my rear tyre. I’m so sorry for the team that the crash happened and we couldn’t get a result.” The World Championship points table looks like this after four of 18 rounds: Stoner 86 points, Rossi 71, Dani 49 and Marco fourth overall with 41 points. Jorge Lorenzo won the 250cc race from Alvaro Bautista (both Aprilia) with Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Honda RS250RW) third. This is Lorenzo’s third win from four races and puts the Spanish rider in firm control of the World Championship points table with 95 to Dovi’s 68. Mika Kallio (KTM) got the holeshot into turn one and made the early running before Lorenzo remorselessly hunted down first place after running wide early on and slipping from second to sixth. Dovi led until lap seven when Lorenzo took over and was never headed to win by four seconds. Dovi fought hard to preserve his second place from the attentions of Bautista, but the Aprilia rider squeezed him into the braking area for the main straight and forced him wide on the exit of the tight right-hander at the end to secure second. “During the warm-up this morning I knew the race would be very hard for me because Lorenzo was fast. During the race my machine was OK but I had rear grip problem. I also thought Bautista’s move on me was too hard,” said Dovi. “Before he braked he changed line and I had to move to avoid him. I was lucky not to crash and the whole episode was too near the limit.” Julian Simon (Repsol Honda RS250RW) finished seventh after a stint with the leading group early in the race while Thai rookie Ratthapark Wilairot (Stop And Go Racing Honda RS250RW) finished 12th while Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW) crashed out and Yuki Takahashi (Scot Honda RS250RW) did not race after injuring his left forearm in a practice crash. Simon said of his race. “I made a good start and that’s important, because it was one of the aspects to be improved. I was able to stay in the group during the first few laps, but even my team and some people were able to see that I did not have enough top speed. I passed Dovizioso in the first lap but then he passed me back. I was fighting with Barberá and Kallio, but their top speed was higher and I had no chance to stand up to it. I passed them, but they would pass me back in the straight and I wasn’t able to catch Dovizioso and De Angelis.” Lukas Pesek (Derbi) won his first ever 125cc race when he triumphed in the 19-lapper over Hector Faubel (Aprilia) and Esteve Rabat (Repsol Honda RS125R) who was third. This was Rabat’s first podium in a typically hard-fought encounter. A nine rider group emerged by mid-race distance to dispute just three podium places and although Rabat led the group two laps from the end it was Pesek who fought his way to the front to win by just two tenths of a second from Faubel at the flag. “I didn’t expect that,” said a delighted Rabat. “On Friday the team worked really hard for me and even in warm-up I thought I’d be able to be somewhere near the front. But when I was actually leading I didn’t know what was possible I’m really excited about my first ever podium.” Rabat’s Repsol Honda teammate, Bradley Smith said. “The start was good, I even managed to be second, but we chose the wrong rear tyre today. I was one of only two riders having this problem today. It’s been a shame because I could have been even faster than the pace set by the top group. But the tyre did not work at any moment. I was skidding a lot and after a few laps I saw where I could be fast and where I shouldn’t, this is how I managed to be faster than the others.” Alex Masbou (FFM Racing Honda RS125R) managed 13th place and Mike di Meglio (Scot Honda RS125R) 14th. The World Championship points tally shows Pesek out front with 71 points, Gabor Talmacsi with 69 and Faubel third on 57 points. Honda GP Team Quotes. MotoGP. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 4th. “Well we’ll take the points for fourth place because these are useful for the Championship, even though it would have been nice to be on the podium today. My start was quite good and I could ride with the leaders for the first few laps. However the riders in front were very fast today and in the end the pace was just too quick for us. For the middle part of the race I had a battle with Melandri and when I was able to get passed him they had made a gap. Still, I don’t think I could have stayed with them today. They were going even faster than the pace in the practice sessions which we were not really expecting. I tried very hard to the end of the race and the Michelin tyres worked quite well today but I just didn’t have the speed to stick with them so I settled for fourth place. I’m sure the team will be putting in a lot of effort so we can have a good result in Le Mans.” Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 5th.”I’m pleased because I gave my best, but I can’t deny that I’m aiming for better results than this. I got a good start and felt comfortable with the bike, it felt good at the start of the race. I was able to move up to second place but after a few laps I started to suffer a little with chatter and it didn’t help. We have a lot of hard work still to do because at the moment we’re behind.” Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 10th.”I’m satisfied with this result because I knew this would be a tough race as we had a top speed disadvantage on the straight and it is difficult to fight in this condition. I rode as fast as possible and after I passed Edwards I was able to match the pace of Capirossi and De Puniet ahead of me. In the first corner I had to stop and run wide to avoid hitting Hofmann, it was better to do that than crash and then I just tried to make up time. Now I’m looking ahead to the Le Mans race.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 12th.”This morning I was fifth fastest in the warm-up and I was definitely looking to get my best result of the year, so it’s a pity about that first corner incident. I got a decent start and going round the inside I felt pretty good and was in a decent position. Then somebody just drilled me from behind and I was lucky to stay on the bike. I was out of the saddle, then my feet were dragging on the ground and I was pretty much cowboying it through the dirt and trying not come back on the track in the middle of the bunch. By the time I was pointing the right way everybody was gone. I wasn’t sure how much damage there was on the back of the bike and there was some vibration after the hit. Right now a lot of guys are evenly paced and these things can happen in turn one, but it’s frustrating for sure. I recovered as best I could, caught some guys and made a few passes but it was a pretty lonely race after that. We’ve just got to stay focused and look forward to getting back to Europe and the next race at Le Mans. Hopefully we’ll get a result that the team deserves because those guys are all working hard.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR212V: 15th.”It seems that everybody else has made improvements, because you hear about everybody talking about all the improvements they made for here. From here, I’m going to go to Le Mans in my same mentality and if we have a good weekend, we do. I can only go this hard, because the front tire’s going to fold or the back tire’s going to spin out and I’ll crash. So the physical part, like I used to do on a 500, is not there. It’s like a go-kart almost, but at the moment I’m just not setting my go-kart up right, I guess.” Chuck Aksland: Team Manager. “It was the rider, bike, tires combination. It just wasn’t there. We had a meeting with Michelin about what to do for France. And obviously I think Honda understands the part that needs to come from them. Hopefully in France we can make a better run at it.” Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: dnf crash. “I’m disappointed not to finish the race because in the warm up the bike had improved a lot compared to yesterday. We found a much better solution for the tyres and I think it could have been a nice race for me. Unfortunately on the first lap I was behind Hayden when he was closing his line towards the kerb and I had no choice but to collide with his rear wheel and crash. These things happen in racing especially when everybody is so close but I’m disappointed to miss out on some important points. This race is behind us now and I only want to think about Le Mans.” Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: dnf crash. “Firstly I would like to say that I’m happy that neither Makoto nor myself is injured. I’ve banged my right hand in the crash, but it will be OK in a couple of days. Makoto and I are fine, it’s a racing accident and crashes happen. It’s a shame because our race set-up was the best of the weekend. I made a good start and was riding in 10th position but couldn’t follow the top guys. My lap time was not so bad and I was concentrating on keeping that position to take advantage of any situation ahead, but then at the end of the back straight Tamada-san missed his braking point and clipped my rear tyre. I’m so sorry for the team that the crash happened and we couldn’t get a result.” 250cc: Andrea Dovizioso, Kopron Scot Honda: 3rd. “During the warm-up this morning I knew the race will be very hard for me because Lorenzo was very fast. During the race may machine was OK but I had a rear grip problem. For the last seven laps I was trying really hard because I knew Bautista and De Angelis were following me closely. At the final corner on the final lap Bautista changed his line before he braked and we touched. It was dangerous.” Julian Simon, Repsol Honda: 7th. “I made a good start and that’s important, because it was one of the aspects to be improved. I was able to stay in the group during the first few laps, but even my team and some people were able to see that I did not have enough top speed. I passed Dovizioso in the first lap but then he passed me back. I was fighting with Barberá and Kallio, but their top speed was higher and I had no chance to stand up to it. I passed them, but they would pass me back in the straight and I wasn’t able to catch Dovizioso and De Angelis, who were leading the race until Lorenzo came. This is where my race trying to be in the front, ended. I had a small fight with Kallio, but eventually didn’t manage to pass him, nor Barbera. I’m not really happy with the final result, but the weekend has been positive in general, we have worked well and the team is giving me everything to be able to be in the front in some race.” Ratthapark Wilairot, Thai Honda PTT-SAG: 12th. “It’s a shame I didn’t get off to a good start because I could have secured a better result, but I think my race pace was good, I’m generally satisfied and pleased with scoring another four points today. I tried to beat Espargaró and Lai in the last few laps, but I was losing time in the corner which leads to the back straight as I didn’t have much grip. Anyway, I’m very happy with the race and the result.” Eugene Laverty, LCR Honda: 17th.”My start was OK and I passed four riders on the first lap but missed my braking point in the back straight, the wind pushed deep into the corner, and then I ran wide because of the crash in front of me. It was difficult to repeat my practice times, I didn’t have a smooth feeling with the rear of the bike.” Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: dnf.- crash. “I made a little mistake at the start, the front tyre went a bit up and I quickly lost some positions. But I felt very well on the bike. Bit by bit I managed to pass some riders and followed Luthi and Bautista. Then Bautista opened a gap so I had to pass Luthi. I tried to push harder to make it but then I crashed at the end of the straight, while being quite fast. My right knee is hurting because I hit it when I crashed, before tumbling. After the crash, I lost the slider and scratched a bit of skin, but nothing is broken and I’ll be ready for France.” Yukio Takahashi, Kopron Scot Honda: Did not start following a crash in practice. Yuki sustained a fractured forearm and bent the metal plate in the same arm, a legacy of a previous accident. He has flown home to Japan for treatment. 125cc. Tito Rabat, Repsol Honda: 3rd. “I just couldn’t believe it when the race was over and I still don’t really know what I’m feeling. During the race I only thought about moving forward and nothing else. I felt very comfortable, but I was a bit tired towards the end and I lost the two leading riders. I didn’t want to settle for third, but I made a few mistakes and they went away. Every time I put myself behind another bike, I was able to pass them if I managed to get out well of the corners before a long straight, because the bike worked really well. The tyres worked also well and even if the bike was skidding a bit towards the end and I had a few frights, I was able to have the situation under control and continue pushing. I always thought that the top riders are from a different world, but now I know that they are just like me.” Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: 8th. “The start was good, I even managed to be second, but we chose the wrong rear tyre today. I was one of only two riders having this problem today. It’s been a shame because I could have been even faster than the pace set by the top group. But the tyre did not work at any moment. I was skidding a lot and after a few laps I saw where I could be fast and where I shouldn’t, this is how I managed to be faster than the others. I’m very disappointed because we had the chance to make a good race and we had been working very hard at all the practice sessions. A single wrong decision made a race that could have been good go wrong. But, well, the positive thing is that despite a bad race I’ve been able to finish 2.7 seconds from the lead, eighth again, but equalling my best result. Now I’m only looking forward to Le Mans, because I know that I can be in the front. I hope to take the right decisions there and to make-up for this bad race.” Alexis Masbou, FFM Honda: 13th. “Today was better than yesterday, especially the first part. My start was not so bad and I was 16th at the end of the first lap. From then on I was overtaking many riders and was lying 9th , at the top of second group. May machine was feeling so good. Then after the middle of the race, I made a mistake at the end of straight and was passed by many riders. Then I was dicing with Espargaro and went out of the track two times. My rear tyre started to slide so at the penultimate lap I thought I would rather finish this race than crash because at Turkey I crashed. As I am very comfortable with my machine now, after changing the direction of machine set-up, I am really looking forward to Le Mans, my home GP.” Joey Litjens, Molenaar Honda: 22nd. “I had some strange problem with my front tyre. It started to wobble and the feeling of the machine was not perfect. Also I lost some power in the middle of the race and top speed was slower than before. Wind was also very strong but the condition was equal for everyone. I am not happy with 22nd place although the way I rode was not so bad. Now I am looking forward to Le Mans.” Danny Webb, Molenaar Honda: 23rd. “My left toe was OK today but the race itself was not so good. Some one hit me at the end of the back straight then I had a tough fight with Joey and Aegerter. We changed position many times at the end of back straight. Then my rear tyre started to slide toward the end of the race.”