From a press release issued by Dorna Sports:

MotoGP paddock reconvenes at windy Valencia

The MotoGP World Championship set up camp for the final time this season at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, Spain, today with strong winds already testing the strength of the hospitality marquees and awnings ahead of the Gran Premio Marlboro de la Comunitat Valenciana. Track action gets underway tomorrow and the riders may be happy to see the weather stay as it is, with bright sunshine and dry conditions prevailing over the rainstorms which hit the paddock yesterday.

For today at least the conditions proved perfect for MotoGP stars Loris Capirossi, Colin Edwards, Alex Hofmann and Makoto Tamada, who were invited to the Club Náutico of Valencia for a trip on the BMW Oracle sailing boat, which recently took part in the second and third Acts of the America’s Cup.

Valentino Rossi arrived in jovial mood after taking the last ten days to soak up the reality of his achievements at Phillip Island in the penultimate round of the season, when he was crowned MotoGP World Champion for the fourth successive year. It is almost one year to the day that the Italian announced his sensational switch from Honda to Yamaha and today he admitted that he didn’t expect to have made such progress in such a short time.

“Now it feels like a long time, more than one year, but it was the right choice,” said Rossi, who became only the second man in history to win the title with two different manufacturers in successive seasons. “It’s hard to understand 100% what has happened. It was a great win but, anyway, now we have one more race to concentrate on before I can really stop and think about it.”

Rossi was one of several riders to donate memorabilia to the Riders for Health auction at the circuit today, part of the annual Day of Champions held at Valencia in aid of the MotoGP charity. Thousands of fans turned up to enjoy the day and were given the opportunity to visit pit-lane, where they met some of their heroes and took home autographs and memorabilia, as well as being entertained by a stunt show, riders interviews and a MotoGP Scalextric competition.

One of the most hunted autographs was that of Daniel Pedrosa, who will celebrate his 250cc World Championship success in front of over 120,000 home fans on Sunday. After winning his second title in successive seasons Pedrosa has extra reason to be excited this weekend, with confirmation coming from Honda that they will allow him to test the RC211V MotoGP prototype in a private session here on Monday.

“I’m almost as excited about the test as I am about the race!” admitted Pedrosa this afternoon. “It will be a new experience for me and I’m looking forward to seeing how close I am to the current MotoGP riders. The first thing I have to concentrate on though is the Grand Prix. I want to celebrate my season with a good result in the last race and that is my main focus.”

125cc World Champion Andrea Dovizioso will also get to try the Honda RC211V at the start of a week of tests at the Spanish circuit, where various new rider and team combinations will work together for the first time. The only confirmed switch so far is that of Colin Edwards from Honda to Yamaha and the American rider today said that he is “99% certain” to ride the M1 on Wednesday or Thursday pending the resolution of contractual issues.



More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2004
GRAN PREMIO MARLBORO DE LA COMUNITAT VALENCIANA
28TH OCTOBER 2004 – EVENT PREVIEW

SUPER SHINYA ON TRACK FOR TOP TEN FINISH

Fuchs Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano comes to the Valencia Grand Prix aiming to secure a top ten place in the MotoGP World Championship standings in the final race of the season.

The accomplished Japanese rider is just three points out of tenth place in a tight battle with rivals Ruben Xaus and Marco Melandri.

For Nakano, 27, the Valencia circuit is an ideal venue for the end of season showdown. He likes the stadium layout of the 4 km Valencia track, on which he won the 250cc Grand Prix in 2000.

In his first season aboard the evolution version of the Ninja ZX-RR, Nakano has scored a total of six top ten finishes, including a superb third-place podium at the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.

And without the setback of a 300 kph crash at the Italian GP, triggered by a rear tyre failure, and a mechanical retirement while in third place at Qatar then Nakano would already be secure in the top ten of the points standings.

While Nakano is focussed on his pre-season target his Fuchs Kawasaki team-mate, Alex Hofmann, is also set to complete his first full season of factory MotoGP racing on a strong note.

The 24-year-old German rookie is 15th in the standings, ahead of Suzuki factory rivals John Hopkins and Kenny Roberts Jr. and the Aprilia pairing of Jeremy McWilliams and Shane Byrne.

This race marks the first anniversary of the public track debut of the second evolution of the Ninja ZX-RR using Bridgestone tyres, which first appeared in last November’s post-Valencia GP test session.

The past 12 months has seen constant development of the bike that recently saw the addition of the latest Magneti Marelli electronics system, which has improved power delivery and throttle feel.

The Valencia circuit is a demanding physical challenge with a non-stop sequence of 14 turns that places high demands on chassis balance, agility and rider concentration. Unusually in GP racing the track features just one straight and, at 880 metres, it is one of the shortest on the calendar.

After the race the Kawasaki team will stay on in Valencia on Monday for a MotoGP media ride day and an afternoon test session with tyre partner Bridgestone.

Shinya Nakano: #56
“My target is the top ten in the championship, so I’m looking forward to that challenge against Marco and Ruben, who are close to me in the points. I’ve always liked the Valencia track, even when I was racing in the 250cc class. It is very technical with 14 turns and only one straight, so hopefully that will suit the ZX-RR chassis, which is our strong point. Since Qatar the latest engine electronics package has improved throttle feeling and power delivery, which is also critical at this track. It is my first time here on the ZX-RR, so I expect to have a lot of set-up work to do in practice and qualifying.”

Alex Hofmann: #66
“I first rode the new ZX-RR on Bridgestone tyres here one year ago, so it will be interesting to be back at Valencia. The bike and tyre package has made many positive steps forward over the past year, so this will be an opportunity to measure our progress. The stadium-style layout with the constant flow of corners should work in favour of the ZX-RR chassis and I’m aiming to finish the season with a strong result in the points. I’ve finished top ten in two of the past four races and another result like that in Valencia would be the perfect end to the season.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“It is one year since we unveiled the current evolution model of the Ninja ZX-RR in testing at Valencia, and I’m sure our performance this weekend will reflect the progress we have made with the bike. We started the season aiming for a top ten finish and this weekend with Shinya that remains our goal. At recent races Alex has shown he has the speed to finish in the top ten and, as usual, we will be working towards the best possible team result with both riders. Overall I’m happy with our development program this year, but already we are well advanced with planning for 2005 – there is still a lot to do, and I don’t see any lessening in the intensity of the competition in MotoGP.”