POLINI GRAND PRIX OF CHINA Shanghai Circuit MotoGP Race 1. Dani PEDROSA (Hon RC211V), Michelin, 22 laps, 44:07.734 2. Nicky HAYDEN (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -1.505 seconds 3. Colin EDWARDS (Yam YZR-M1), Michelin, -14.634 seconds 4. John HOPKINS (Suz GSV-R), Bridgestone, -19.265 seconds 5. Casey STONER (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -23.061 seconds 6. Makoto TAMADA (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -23.879 seconds 7. Marco MELANDRI (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -24.101 seconds 8. Loris CAPIROSSI (Duc GP06), Bridgestone, -24.467 seconds 9. Sete GIBERNAU (Duc GP06), Bridgestone, -28.358 seconds 10. Shinya NAKANO (Kaw ZX-RR), Bridgestone, -33.815 seconds 11. Toni ELIAS (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -35.316 seconds 12. Randy DE PUNIET (Kaw ZX-RR), Bridgestone, -52.004 seconds 13. Kenny Lee ROBERTS (KR211V), Michelin, -56.293 seconds 14. Carlos CHECA (Yam YZR-M1), Dunlop, -63.575 seconds 15. Alex HOFMANN (Duc GP05), Dunlop, -71.172 seconds 16. James ELLISON (Yam YZR-M1), Dunlop, -83.075 seconds 17. Jose Luis CARDOSO (Duc GP05), Dunlop, -95.150 seconds 18. Valentino ROSSI (Yam YZR-M1), Michelin, -5 laps, DNF, retired 19. Chris VERMEULEN (Suz GSV-R), Bridgestone, -19 laps, DNF, crash MotoGP World Championship Point Standings (after 4 of 17 races): 1. HAYDEN, 72 points 2. CAPIROSSI, 59 points 3. PEDROSA, 57 points 4. MELANDRI, 54 points 5. STONER, 52 points 6. ROSSI, 40 points 7. ELIAS, 37 points 8. EDWARDS, 35 points 9. NAKANO, 28 points 10. GIBERNAU, 25 points 11. TAMADA, 24 points 12. TIE, HOPKINS/ROBERTS, 20 points 14. VERMEULEN, 13 points 15. CHECA, 10 points 16. DE PUNIET, 8 points 17. TIE, ELLISON/HOFMANN, 3 points More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Dani Pedrosa took his first MotoGP victory today at the Shanghai Circuit, confirming his status as a serious title contender in his debut season. The Repsol Honda rider, who started from pole, came back from a quiet start to lead the entire second half of the race ahead of team-mate Nicky Hayden. Colin Edwards put himself on the podium for the first time this season whilst fellow Camel Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi saw his spectacular fightback through the field cut short by a tyre problem. Despite being forced wide in the seemingly endless first corner Pedrosa picked his way through the pack, eventually claiming the lead from Edwards on lap ten and never looking back. Pedrosa and Hayden then exchanged fastest laps over the next few until the 20 year-old Spaniard set the definitive lap record on lap 19 of 22. Keeping more or less a one second gap to Hayden to the finish line, Pedrosa now becomes the joint second-youngest rider ever to win a MotoGP race, behind Freddie Spencer and level with Norick Abe. Rizla Suzuki’s John Hopkins meanwhile had a great start to the race, following Edwards’ holeshot and keeping up with the ‘Texan Tornado’ for practically the whole race. Whilst Edwards pulled away slightly towards the end to seal third, Hopkins’ bike, tyres and nerve held out for fourth place, the highest of his career. Casey Stoner, who dropped down to tenth at one point after running off track, impressively made his way back up to fifth to continue his run of top six finishes. A superb battle was taking place between Konica Minolta Honda’s Makoto Tamada and the Ducati Marlboro duo of Loris Capirossi and Sete Gibernau, which had the 32,402 Asian crowd on the edge of their seats, as he repeatedly looked to pass on the inside. A well deserved sixth place came at the expense of Marco Melandri, with Capirossi, Gibernau and Shinya Nakano closing out the top ten behind him. Rossi’s exit from the race came after his second trip to the pits. The reigning World Champion entered the boxes on lap fifteen to have his rear tyre changed, but completed only one more lap before having to retire. Australian Chris Vermeulen was the only other retiree, crashing out early. Victory for a clearly delighted Pedrosa puts him up to third in the overall classification, with Hayden extending his championship lead to thirteen points over Loris Capirossi. 250cc After earning his first pole position in the 250cc category yesterday, Hector Barbera was the victor in the quarter-litre race in Shanghai today. The Spaniard beat Andrea Dovizioso after a hard fought dogfight between the two which ran from start to finish. Barbera finished two tenths ahead of his rival and some three seconds faster than third-placed Hiroshi Aoyama. The Japanese KTM rider took third after Jorge Lorenzo ran wide on the penultimate lap to let him through. Dovizioso continues to occupy the top spot in the overall classification, ahead of Barbera, whilst Lorenzo drops to third after coming home in fourth place. 125cc Mika Kallio was the last-gasp victor of the 125cc race at the end of a hard-fought final lap. The Finn, who started the race from pole, came in less than a tenth of a second ahead of Mattia Pasini, with World Championship leader Alvaro Bautista occupying the final podium place. Lukas Pesek took the lead on the penultimate corner but ran wide, allowing Kallio to make his move. The Red Bull KTM rider still lies second in the Championship, 28 points behind Bautista. 1st, Dani Pedrosa (Honda) : “I was very focused on my job and was just trying to get best time every time, and we were just trying to increase the gap every lap. The weather respected us today it seemed, and this was very good for the race and for us. It’s fantastic, I started well this time and although it was hard I am delighted to have won my first race in MotoGP.” 2nd, Nicky Hayden (Honda) : “I always believed that I could run Dani down in the race and take the lead, but I have to give him credit. I tried to put the heat on him but he was just too quick. The team have done a job to be proud of, it’s always a bit of a gamble with the weather but they pulled it off. I want that win, I’ll try and do better next time, but second is still a good result.” 3rd, Colin Edwards (Yamaha) : “I’m relieved to be back on the podium. It’s no secret that we’ve had our problems, we knew that we had difficulties yesterday even though we were on the front row. We worked backwards in Turkey to try and find a solution with the set-up. That first corner was a little bit scary, John Hopkins came underneath me, and I just left him to it and decided to go as fast as I could. The two frontrunners came through like a freight train I tried to keep up but there was nothing I could do.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: NAKANO AND DE PUNIET SHOW DETERMINATION IN SHANGHAI Kawasaki’s Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet were left frustrated after today’s Grand Prix of China in Shanghai, as traction problems robbed both riders of the opportunity to do battle with their factory rivals at the front of the race. Nakano brought his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR home in tenth place, with de Puniet two places further back in twelfth, as Honda’s Dani Pedrosa converted a pole position start into his first premier class win in today’s 22-lap race. An aggressive start by Nakano saw him dive under two riders in as many corners to claim fourth place, but the 28-year-old Japanese rider was pushed back to seventh at the end of the opening lap, as three riders drafted past him on the front straight. The Kawasaki rider hung onto the rear of the leading group for a further two laps, but the aggressive power delivery of his Ninja ZX-RR was causing his rear tyre to spin up out of the turns, losing him vital time out of every corner and eventually leading to him losing touch with the battle ahead of him. Unable to close the gap, and now also struggling with deteriorating front grip on his Ninja ZX-RR, Nakano took the sensible option and rode for the points in the final third of the race. The Japanese ace held on to secure a top ten finish, but was left frustrated that he had not been allowed him to fulfil the potential shown in the opening lap because of problems beyond his control. Nakano’s Kawasaki teammate, Randy de Puniet, was also quick away from the line, but the MotoGP rookie lost ground on the run up to the first turn, as he struggled to select second gear on his Ninja ZX-RR. The 25-year-old Frenchman was quick to get his head down in an attempt to make up the lost ground, but was frustrated when his rear tyre started to lose grip just six laps into the race. De Puniet continued to push as hard as possible but, with the rear tyre spinning up out of every turn, was unable to close the gap to the group of riders ahead and, like his teammate, was eventually forced to ride purely for the points. The Kawasaki Racing Team will leave Shanghai on Sunday evening, and travel direct to Le Mans for the French Grand Prix, which takes place in just seven days time. Shinya Nakano: 10th “I got a good start and the bike felt real good; I could push hard and I was enjoying fighting for position. But then a group of riders went past me and, while I managed to stay with them for a few laps, I started to lose ground when the rear tyre started spinning up out of the turns. We had similar problems in Istanbul, although this wasn’t as bad, but it was enough to lose me time and to lose contact with the group ahead of me. Towards the end I started to lose grip at the front as well, and actually lost the front completely at one point. It was then that I decided I had a big enough gap over Elias and that riding for the points might be the best plan. It’s frustrating, for sure, but I think it is a problem that we can overcome. I just hope we can find a solution before the French Grand Prix, as it’s only one week away.” Randy de Puniet: 12th “Heading into the first turn I couldn’t get the bike to select second gear, and I had to back off the throttle before it would go in. When I looked up, the group in front of me had gone. I tried as hard as could to make up the lost ground, but then I started to lose grip at the rear, and it got progressively worse over the next ten laps. I’m disappointed not to have finished higher than I did in Istanbul, but I was riding right on the maximum. If I had pushed any harder then I would have crashed. Despite the disappointment, it was another race finish, and more experience for me. Now I need to look forward to next week, and my home race at Le Mans, where I hope I can secure a good result, both for me and the team.” Harald Eckl: Team Principal “Clearly we still have some work to do if we are to close the gap to the front of the field. This weekend we have been down on top speed by 10 km/h on average, at a circuit that boasts the longest straight on the MotoGP calendar. To overcome this deficit our riders have been forced to push hard everywhere else on the circuit, and we saw today what effect this has on tyre endurance. Both riders suffered tyre problems today, but Shinya’s front-end problems were particularly severe. We need to find more top speed from the engine, but we also need to identify the cause of the problem Shinya has experienced in the past two races. Whether we have time to find a solution before the next race at Le Mans is difficult to predict, but I hope it will be possible.” More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing/Fortuna Honda: DIFFICULT WEEKEND FOR THE FORTUNA HONDA RIDERS After the rain-affected qualifying sessions, the Grand Prix of China took place under clear skies in excellent conditions which allowed the riders the chance to enjoy themselves on their bikes. FORTUNA HONDA team-mates Marco Melandri and Toni Elias finished seventh and eleventh respectively in this the fourth round of the MotoGP World Championship. The set-up problems which affected both riders and the changeable weather conditions meant it proved a difficult weekend for the FORTUNA HONDA boys. Marco, who started in eighth, opted to ride a conservative race and pick up points which could prove valuable at the end of the season. For his part, Toni – who never felt at ease on his bike – finished eleventh having started back in 15th. Both riders will now be looking ahead to the next race in Le Mans where they will be hoping for an improved showing. MARCO MELANDRI (Race: 7th – 44’31.835, 4th in championship – 54 points ): “It has been a difficult weekend complicated by the changeable weather conditions. We struggled a lot to find a good set up and we didn’t succeed to find a good solution. I took the start from the third row and I tried to recover positions but I suffered with full tank. I didn’t feel so comfortable so I did my best to score as much points as possible. I’m disappointed but I’m not demotivated and I’m confident for next week race in Le Mans.” It was a weekend to forget to be honest. We had problems from the first day, although we worked very hard to find a solution. The rain made things more difficult as well. I gave it everything today but could not push as I wanted to, so I concentrated on making sure I scored some points which could prove very important.” TONI ELIAS (Race: 11th – 44’43.050, 11th, 7th in championship – 37 points): “I’m not happy because we struggled a lot during the whole weekend and despite we worked hard, we couldn’t find some good solutions in order to improve my feeling with the bike. We suffered both on wet and dry conditions. Despite the problems we had, I think it’s a positive moment because now we can analize the problems. I know our potential and I look forward to go to Le Mans.I am not happy. We could not find the right set-up to enable me to enjoy myself on the bike and wasted a lot of time trying to find solutions. In the end we did not get the result we wanted. We had problems both in the wet and the dry. I’m confedent for next race,:we will work hard to understand the problems and and I just hope in Le Mans things go well from thefirst day and I can focus on riding well. I am still very confident and if we keep working hard things will work out for us.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: RESULTS BELOW EXPECTATIONS FOR DUCATI IN CHINA Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Sete Gibernau endured a difficult Chinese GP at Shanghai this afternoon, placing eighth and ninth at the end of a weekend plagued by changeable weather. Both men had to be happy with lower results than they had expected after making poor tyre choices, but they did at least maintain their World Championship positions, Capirossi still holding second overall on points, Gibernau still tenth. With Friday washed out by rain and yesterday afternoon’s qualifying session also interrupted by showers, riders and teams had little time to choose the correct tyres for today’s race, run in warm and dry conditions. Gibernau had qualified sixth and ran third for the first few laps but was unable to maintain that pace, spending much of the race in a sometime hectic four-way contest for seventh place. Capirossi had qualified tenth, ran eighth in the early laps, dropped to tenth, then fought back to eighth, clocking the fourth fastest lap of the race. LORIS CAPIROSSI, finished eighth, second overall “A difficult weekend. We were fast in the wet but we didn’t have enough dry-track time to make the right choice from all the new tyres that Bridgestone brought here. In warm-up I used a new front and a new rear, the same I choose for the race. That rear tyre was okay for the first laps but then it lost a little, it wasn’t the best choice. With more time we probably would have chosen a different tyre. Anyway, I scored some points, so I’m still second in the championship and some of the tracks coming up should be easier for us. We still have total trust in Bridgestone. As Qatar and Jerez showed, we can be very strong at tracks where we used to struggle. We must keep on believing and working hard. I know I can win, so when the moment comes Sete and I will be up front. We are ready to fight all the way.” SETE GIBERNAU, finished ninth, tenth overall “With the weather we’ve had here and a few problems, we made a bad tyre choice, it was our mistake. We had a few troubles over the weekend, then warm-up was bad, just a little problem, then we went for some tyres that we didn’t know. I couldn’t warm up the left side of the rear, it was too hard, but like I said, it was our choice. I had a bit of a battle with a few other guys, it got pretty tight at times but it was all fair, though I was struggling a bit too much to have fun. Looking ahead to the next few races, we just need to keep our heads down, keep learning and keep improving.” LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager “We must analyse the data to work out why we didn’t get the results we expected. In theory today’s warmer weather should have worked better for us, but we just didn’t have enough time to test everything we needed to test, though, of course, that was the same for everyone. We need to work on that so we can be more reactive in the future. This is a very competitive Championship and we’ll do our best to keep at the front”. More, from a press release issued by Camel Yamaha: EDWARDS MAKES PODIUM RETURN IN GRUELLING SHANGHAI AFFAIR Camel Yamaha Team rider Colin Edwards charged from the front row of the grid to the podium today with a determined performance in the Grand Prix of China. Whilst his team-mate Valentino Rossi was denied the chance to challenge for a top three spot after pulling in with a tyre problem on the sixteenth lap, Edwards reaped the rewards of a blistering start to the race, when he snatched the hole-shot and led the field over the opening stages. In sunny and warm conditions Edwards set a scorching pace that only a handful of riders were able to follow, but finally succumbed to pressure from Dani Pedrosa (Honda) on lap ten, the young Spaniard forcing his way past and taking his team-mate Nicky Hayden along for company. Rossi, meanwhile, had been making positive progress through the field, working his way up from thirteenth on the grid to fifth place in the race before bad luck struck once again. The Italian began to feel that there was something wrong with his bike and initially thought it was being caused by the rear tyre. After a swift change he attempted to rejoin the race, only to return to the pits next time around after realising the problem was coming from the front tyre. Edwards consolidated third place for his first podium appearance of the season as Pedrosa held off the challenge of Hayden to clinch his maiden MotoGP win. COLIN EDWARDS (3rd; + 14.634) “I got a really good start and just decided to go as fast as I could over the opening laps. I was close to losing control on a couple of occasions but I decided that I’d rather crash out of the lead today than miss my chance of finishing on the podium, which meant I just couldn’t back off. I had some chatter and I could only push the bike so hard; if I went any faster than 2’00.7 then the chatter forced me to slow down, so I didn’t have much choice but to hang in there! The freight train came past with Dani and Nicky but I couldn’t hang on to the back, they were both just too fast. We’ve had some problems this weekend and I didn’t expect to be on the podium but I can’t thank my team, Yamaha and Michelin enough for the way they worked to put me in a competitive position. I think I scored my first podium in round four last season too, so hopefully this can be a sign to kick on from here.” VALENTINO ROSSI (DNF) “I didn’t get a bad start to the race and I passed a lot of riders but I had a battle with Marco Melandri that cost me some time. Some of his moves were quite strong, which I could understand if we were fighting for the win on the last lap but not for eighth place at that stage of the race. Anyway, the bike felt good but just as I got my pace to 2’00.1 it suddenly started to feel wrong and I thought I had a problem with the rear tyre. I came in to change it but as I went back out I realised it was actually the front tyre, so that was the end of the race for me. I’m really disappointed because I felt in the race that I had the pace to at least pass Hopkins and Edwards, so as far as I am concerned we have lost 16 points and a podium, which would have been a good result after the problems we’ve had this weekend. We’ve lost some ground in the championship so I am feeling very disappointed right now but there is a long way to go yet.” DAVIDE BRIVIO CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “First of all my congratulations to Colin and all his crew they have kept going after a difficult start to the season and today they got their reward. Third place is good and I hope it can be the start of much better things from him for the rest of the season. Valentino had a bad day, and even if we had changed the front tyre the first time he came in, it would have taken too long and the race would have already been lost. He has been very unlucky this year firstly with the incident in the first corner at Jerez and now this time with the tyre. It’s always upsetting when your results are decided by things that are out of your control but there is nothing he can do about it, only look forward to making up for lost ground over an important run of races in the next few weeks.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Chinese Grand Prix Heroic Hopkins stars for Bridgestone in Shanghai Bridgestone rider John Hopkins produced one of the best races of his MotoGP career this afternoon to claim a superb fourth place in the China Grand Prix. The 22-year-old American made a flying start from the front row of the grid in front of 32,000 fans and he was in contention for a podium place throughout the 22-lap clash at the impressive Shanghai Circuit. Hopkins had claimed the third front row of his career after a rain-hit final qualifying session on Saturday, and just as he did at last month’s Turkish GP in Istanbul, his lightning start gave him the perfect platform to mount a podium challenge. He clocked his fastest lap of the race on lap three to keep in hot pursuit of early leader Colin Edwards and kept Honda rider and eventual race winner Dani Pedrosa at bay for the opening nine laps with some trademark aggressive riding. The Suzuki GSV-R rider would continue to shadow compatriot Edwards for the entire race as Hopkins went in search of a maiden MotoGP podium. A terrific third place looked on the cards when he closed to within 0.4s of Edwards on the penultimate lap, but he lost contact and under no pressure eased off and settled to collect an easy 13-points. Loris Capirossi finished the race in eighth place, the Italian setting his best lap of the race on the final lap after he was involved in a titanic battle for fifth place with Casey Stoner, Makoto Tamada and Ducati team-mate Sete Gibernau. Capirossi remains in second place in the world championship standings thanks to his two podiums including a win in the opening two races. Gibernau had run in the top three for the opening three laps before he dropped back to claim ninth. John Hopkins Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 4th position “We were up in the air about what the tyres were going to do, just basically because track temperature got a lot higher today. As it turned out I got a really good start and just basically wanted to have Colin pull me around. I just wanted to sit behind him and he was riding flawless. Right up towards the end I wanted to get by Colin and definitely get my first podium. At the end of the day I was pushing the front really, really hard, having to make up for a little bit of a lack of horsepower and just took the points. The rear tyre I ran was something new and it comes from a test series that we had done at Barcelona and Jerez and that’s what paid off mainly. It was actually a pretty soft edge rubber. Basically it was just the right gamble for the race. I was pulling some lean angle and noticed that I still had a little bit more edge grip than Colin. And after about lap 14 that’s when I realized I’d definitely made the right choice.” Hiroshi Yamada – Motorcycle Racing Manager Bridgestone Motorsport “I am very happy with fourth position and this is a good result for us on what was a difficult weekend with the changing conditions. I have to congratulate John on a fantastic ride and I would also like to congratulate Suzuki and his crew. It was great to see John battling at the front again and you could see he tried everything to get third place. John chose a slightly different rear medium compound tyre than Loris and Sete but it wasn’t a big difference. It is strange as well because after the race, Sete and Loris had different comments about the performance of their tyre. This was a very difficult weekend. We had no data from last year because it was wet, and we only had one full dry session on Saturday for the riders to find a set-up and make their tyre choice. Also it was difficult today with the track temperature 20 degrees hotter than yesterday, so it was a hard race for the tyres. John’s result is something for us to build on as Shanghai wasn’t the best track for us last year and we look forward to more improvements in Le Mans next weekend.” Bridgestone Results: 4 John Hopkins (USA), Suzuki 44.26.999, 8.Loris Capirossi (ITA) 44.32.201, 9 ,Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati, 44.36.092, 10, Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki 44.41.549, 12 Randy de Puniet, (FRA) Kawasaki 44.59.738, Chris Vermeulen, (AUS) Suzuki DNF Temperature Track Air Weather Afternoon 26 C 31 C Sunny More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: DANI WINS, NICKY SECOND IN SHANGHAI SHOWDOWN This MotoGP contest will be remembered as the race where the amazing Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) established himself as a new force in the top class with a debut premier category win at his fourth attempt. His team-mate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) was second and Colin Edwards (Yamaha) was third. After unsettled weather for the two days of practice, race day was hot and dry with the track temperature at 26 degrees and ambient at 31 degrees. A modest crowd of 32,000 was in place as the lights signaled the start of this, the fourth race of the season. Dani made the holeshot from the grid into turn one, but ran wide at the apex of the first right-hander allowing Edwards through to take the lead with the other front row qualifier John Hopkins (Suzuki) taking up second place. With 22-laps of this 5.281km track ahead of them in debilitating conditions, this was always going to be a race where the fittest riders would prevail, and where the best set-up machines would reduce rider fatigue by a significant amount. Edwards and Hopkins made the early running until mid-race distance when Dani, who had started from pole and dropped to fifth by lap two completed his charge to the front. At the start of lap 10 Dani used his speed along the pit straight to slip past Edwards and lead into turn one. His team-mate Nicky, riding hard for his second career win, stuck fast to Dani in second place as the Honda duo left Edwards and Hopkins in their wake. The Americans disputing third place would eventually finish more than 14 seconds adrift of the RC211V-mounted pacesetters. As the Honda runners exchanged fastest laps with one another as Hayden put the pressure on the leader and Pedrosa responded to it, the time dropped from Pedrosa’s initial 2m 00.205s lap to a 1m 59.318s mark, again established by Pedrosa, on the penultimate lap. The Repsol duo were in a race of their own but there was frantic action downfield in a brutal scrap for fifth place between Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V), Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V) and Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V), with Stoner, who had run off track on lap 15 and rejoined in tenth place, getting the verdict but the paint from Tamada’s machine left on his fairing showed how hard he had to fight for that place. At the flag five Hondas filled the top seven places with Nicky achieving his eighth consecutive podium finish to extend his World Championship points lead. But there were other significant events. Current champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), who lay fifth at one stage retired from the race and the Ducati challenge also faded with one-time third-placed Sete Gibernau finishing in ninth behind his team-mate Loris Capirossi. Dani is now the second equal youngest rider to win a premier class at 20 years and 227 days old (he shares the record with Norick Abe). He said, “Once in the lead I was always looking at the pit board and seeing zero point something. I was trying to maintain the gap but it was not easy because Nicky was pushing more and more and the tyres were losing a little grip. Winning is always very special but the level in MotoGP is higher, so this is very special for me.” Nicky said, “I tried to go a little bit faster every lap and put some heat on Dani, but that dude just wouldn’t crack! So I definitely give Dani credit because he rode a really strong race. I felt good when I kept going a little bit faster, but it just wasn’t enough and when I got close to him I didn’t want to do anything silly. Congratulations to the team, and not just my guys but all the guys involved in Repsol Honda, they deserve it.” “I made a good start,” said Casey Stoner. “But then I got shunted around at turn one and then held up behind Gibernau and that destroyed my race. He had better corner exit speed and he was late on the brakes into the turns too.” A vastly improved Makoto Tamada (6th) said, “It’s the first time this year that I’ve been able to ride my way. I had a good start but I lost some positions during the first lap. I’ve not been part of the leading group for a long time and this required me to turn some laps before finding the right feeling again. In fact my fastest lap time was set during the final lap. I really loved overtaking during the race. It has been fantastic to feel this sensation again.” Melandri in seventh said, “I took the start from the third row and I tried to recover positions but I suffered with full tank. I didn’t feel so comfortable so I did my best to score as much points as possible. I’m disappointed but I’m not demotivated and I’m confident for next week race in Le Mans.” Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V), who finished 11th, said, “In the end we did not get the result we wanted. We had problems both in the wet and the dry. I’m confident for next race and I just hope in Le Mans things go well from the first day and I can focus on riding well. I am still very confident and if we keep working hard things will work out for us.” Kenny Roberts Junior (Roberts KR211V) in 13th position said, “I tried as hard as I could, every lap. I could run high 2m 01s laps pushing hard but that was it. I tried different techniques squaring off the corners but just went slower that way. When I rode it like a 250 I went quicker but hit a limit and started sliding, and that was as fast as could go. Now we can look forward to Le Mans and hope the new chassis we have will be an improvement.” The points table currently stands as: Hayden 72, Capirossi 59, Pedrosa 57, Melandri 54, Stoner 52, Rossi 40, Elias 37. Hector Barbera (Aprilia) won a thrilling 250cc race by a mere quarter of a second from Andrea Dovizioso (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) as both riders fought tooth and nail form their first wins in this class after graduating from 125cc racing. Hiroshi Aoyama (KTM) was third. Barbera and Dovi were the pace setters all race after Alex de Angelis (Aprilia) who ran with them in the very early stage of the race crashed without injury on lap three. From here on out it was to be an enthralling game of cat and mouse between the Spaniard and the Italian with a rugged fight for third between Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia), Aoyama and Yuki Takahashi (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) behind the leaders. In the final laps it became clear that Barbera held a top speed advantage over Dovi and the Honda man would have to steal a march on the Aprilia rider before they got to the three-quarter mile back chute that would most likely determine the outcome of the race. On the final lap of this 21-lap showdown Dovi did all he could to secure a victory stealing past Barbera through a double left turn to establish a lead. But as the pair hit the back straight Barbera got a good run on Andrea and despite doing all he could to outbrake his rival Dovi trailed him over the line. Dovi said, “This result is good in terms of the World Championship but I’ll be happier when I win a race. The rear tyre was sliding but it was the same for everyone and maybe my set-up made things easier for me too. But we are still just a bit short of power at a track like this.” Takahashi in fifth said, “I didn’t start well and so at the beginning I lost a bit of time. Unfortunately, I kept losing in the straights too much as our engine is slower than the Aprilia but I’m happy as I was able to stay close and study where it was the best point to overtake. I think that fifth position is a good result.” The points table shows Dovi ahead with 72 points, Barbera on 69, Lorenzo with 63 and Hiro Aoyama on 62. Mika Kallio (KTM) triumphed in a tight 125cc race winning by one tenth of a second from Mattia Pasini in second and Alvaro Bautista third (both Aprilia). This is Kallio’s first win of the 2006 season and it elevates the Finnish rider to second in the overall standings after four races. Kallio led from the lights before Pasini took control of lap one with Gabor Talmacsi (Humangest Honda RS125R), who eventually finished fourth, up with the leading group. As mid-race distance of this 19-lap encounter loomed, a six-rider group had left the rest of the field in its wake. This bunch would stay together until the flag swapping places with the regularity expected in this most closely contested class. As the group barreled down the back straight into the penultimate turn on the final lap, it was Lukas Pesek (Derbi) who took a wide entry to the tight right-hander. But he ran wide onto the grass on the exit handing the win and podium places to his rivals. Talmacsi said, “This is the first race were really we could be competitive, because in the previous GP we weren’t in the condition to push. Here we have been fast since Friday morning and I think we are going in the right direction. We are not yet at 100% but at 90% with the set-up while the engine is competitive. Today it has been a spectacular race and I enjoyed it. The only thing is that I couldn’t do perfect lines as we have to improve on the suspension. But we are nearly there.” A disgruntled Luthi, who retired on lap four with machine trouble, said, “I passed Bautista at one corner but had a high side, I didn’t crash but unfortunately my knee hit the battery carrier and broke it. The battery was on the engine and kept shorting out so I had no option than stop. Pity because the bike was very good today, we made a big step forward this weekend.” After four races the World Championship points table shows Alvaro Bautista ahead with 86 points, Kallio in second with 58 and Hector Faubel (Aprilia), who finished seventh here, lying third with 54 points as the riders and teams head to Le Mans in France next weekend for round five of the 17 race series. HONDA TEAM QUOTES: MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1st. “This is a perfect result for me and it was a fantastic race for me and for the Repsol Honda team. They have been working really hard and it was a great result for both riders – so I’m really happy for the team. The race was hard and the pace was high, but the conditions today were very good and I was able to get into a good rhythm. The tyres worked very well today and so I have to thank Michelin for that. I did a good start this time but I left the braking a little bit late and I went slightly wide so I was not able to keep a tight line and lost a few positions. But I was able to pick off the positions one by one. Once in the lead I was always looking at the pit board and seeing zero point something. I was trying to maintain the gap but it was not easy because Nicky was pushing more and more and the tyres were losing a little grip. Winning is always very special but the level in MotoGP is higher, so this is very special for me.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 2nd. “I tried to go a little bit faster every lap and put some heat on Dani, but that dude just wouldn’t crack! So I definitely give Dani credit because he rode a really strong race. I felt good when I kept going a little bit faster, but it just wasn’t enough and when I got close to him I didn’t want to do anything silly. Congratulations to the team, and not just my guys but all the guys involved in Repsol Honda, they deserve it. I’m trying to be consistent in every race and every session, and while getting the points and podiums is good, I really want to win. I like to think that win’s not far away. It’s nice to pull out a little gap in championship but it’s early days. Honda’s fighting hard for this championship and I want to win so I’m looking forward to getting to Le Mans next weekend.” Casey Stoner, LCR Honda: 5th: “I made a good start but then I got shunted around at turn one and then held up behind Gibernau and that destroyed my race. He had better corner exit speed and he was late on the brakes and there was no way to pass. I also had a lot of rear grip problems mid-corner, it wasn’t the tyre, all the Honda’s were the same except the factory bikes of Dani and Nicky. I made a small mistake on the brakes trying to make up time and without that I think I had the pace to challenge Edwards for the podium. It was another good result for the championship.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 6th: “It’s the first time this year that I fell I have run a race expressing my driving characteristics. I had a good start but I lost some positions during the first lap. I have not been part of the leading group since a long time and this requested me to turn some laps before finding the right feeling again in fact, I have been able to realize the fastest time during the last lap. I really loved making different over takings during the race. It has been fantastic to feel this sensation again.” Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda: 7th. “It has been a difficult weekend complicated by the changeable weather conditions. We struggled a lot to find a good set up and we didn’t succeed to find a good solution. I took the start from the third row and I tried to recover positions but I suffered with full tank. I didn’t feel so comfortable so I did my best to score as much points as possible. I’m disappointed but I’m not demotivated and I’m confident for next week race in Le Mans.” Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: 11th. “I’m not happy because we struggled a lot during the whole weekend and despite we worked hard, we couldn’t find some good solutions in order to improve my feeling with the bike. We suffered both on wet and dry conditions. Despite the problems we had, I think it’s a positive moment because now we can analyse the problems. I know our potential and I look forward to go to Le Mans. Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR Honda: 13th. “I tried as hard as I could, every lap. I could run high 2m 01s laps pushing hard but that was it. I tried different techniques squaring off the corners but just went slower that way. When I rode it like a 250 I went quicker but hit a limit and started sliding that was as fast as could go. Now we can look forward to Le Mans and hope the new chassis we have will be an improvement. ” 250cc: Andrea Dovizioso, Humangest Honda: 2nd: “I think it was quite clear the different between the two bikes. I did my best especially in the last laps in order to stay close. I’m happy because I rode very well even though I wasn’t the first to cross the chequered flag. We can arrive in front with my Honda but not win and it will be even harder in the fast tracks. Anyway, I’m leading the championship and this is positive but I’m more happy when I win. For this reason, I don’t smile so much. I tried to stay in front in the last lap because in the previous laps I noticed that he was too much faster staying behind my lines and, also, I hoped in a mistake. But it didn’t happened and I finished second. The next GP is going to take place at Le Mans, which I quite like and mostly it’s a slower track”. Yuki Takahashi, Humangest Honda: 5th: “I didn’t start well and so at the beginning I lost a bit of time. Despite we tested on dry only yesterday and this morning, my team did a great job finding the best set-up and choosing the right tyres. Unfortunately, I kept loosing in the straights too much as our engine is less fast than the Aprilia but I’m happy as I was able to stay close and study where it was the best point to overtake. I think that fifth position is a good result”. Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: 8th. “Things have worked out very good this time, but I’ve been extra careful because I didn’t want to make any mistake. I wanted to avoid touching any other rider and crashing. The consequence was that many riders passed me in the first lap so I dropped down to eleventh after the first lap. But I had made my mind up, I have crashed in the first lap of two out of three races and it could not happen again today. I’m satisfied with the race, especially because I’ve gathered a lot of information which is going to be very useful, both for my team and myself, but I can’t say that I’m happy for finishing eighth.” Martin Cardenas, Wurth Honda BQR: 13th. “The race was good for me. My start was good and I found a decent rhythm but after the mid-race point my rear tyre was so badly used up that I was sliding around and I had to let Guintoli and then Poggiali go.” Arturo Tizon, Wurth Honda BQR: 19th: “I expected to have a fast rhythm in the race but couldn’t find it. I also chose a rear tyre that had too hard a compound which didn’t help me. During the race while I was running with Porto it was good but when he pulled in I was left to ride out the race alone. I am not really happy with my today.” Sebastian Porto, Repsol Honda: dnf – handling problem. “The truth is that it’s been rally bad. We’ve had lot of problems which we have not been able to solve along the weekend. I’ve tried to do my best today, but it’s been really hard to ride the bike. Well, we have to keep on working. I’ve always been optimistic. Let’s hope that we’ll be able to find a solution. This race is over and now we have to focus on the next grand prix, at Le Mans.” Arnaud Vincent, Molenaar Honda: dnf – crash. “There is not much to say. In the fist corner Simoncelli hit me and broke my exhaust pipe. Pity because the bike was working really good in qualifying. That’s three races now without any championship points, I hope things get better at my home GP at Le Mans.” Jordi Carchano, Stop and Go Racing: Carchano did not race due to injury. 125cc: Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: dnf – electrical problem. “I got a good start and was running with the lead group. I was in behind Bautista but he looked uncomfortable at some places, I think he had a hard compound rear tyre. Anyway, I passed him at one corner but had a high side, I didn’t crash but unfortunately my knee hit the battery carrier and broke it. The battery was on the engine and kept shorting out so I had no option than stop. Pity because the bike was very good today, we made a big step forward this weekend.” Gabor Talmacsi, Humangest Honda: 4th: “This is the first race we’re really we could be competitive, because in the previous GP we weren’t in the conditions to push. Here we have been fast since Friday morning and I think we are going in the right direction. We are not yet at 100% but at 90% with the set-up while the engine is competitive. Today it has been a spectacular race and I enjoyed it. The only thing is that I couldn’t do perfect lines as we have to improve on the suspension. But we are nearly there.” Fabrizio Lai, Seedorf Racing World: 8th: “I started well from the third row and after the first lap I was already sixth. I was 6th till the 4th lap. Then the first group began to push harder. We need some more power to be competitive for the podium but we are on the right way and the continuous improvement shows that”. Mike Di Meglio, FFM Honda: 15th: “I didn’t take a very good start and so I couldn’t catch the right group of riders. I was in 13th – 14th place. I had to force the tyres because I couldn’t hold my line. I also lacked engine power in the race today but scored a point. We are a brand new team and we have to work hard to improve the bike.” Aleix Espargaro, Wurth Honda BQR: 16th. “Very bad, I just don’t understand what’s happening this year. Four races and I’m still no points. This week I worked so hard but even if my start was not too bad but using the slipstream I could not pass down the straight, I had to try to out-brake people. I just don’t know what I have to do, it’s so difficult to understand.” Sandro Cortese, Elit Honda: 17th. “My start was not so bad and I was able to run with the group but I couldn’t get away from them on the straight in the slipstream battle. I got hit a couple of times which didn’t help. The bike was good today the only small problems I had came at the end of the race when the engine was running a little rich and the back tyre was finished and was sliding.” Michele Conti, Seedorf Racing World: 18th: “This is my best race till today and I’m satisfied of my performance improvement. At the begin of the Championship I was the first to brake in the curves, today I could even pass the other braking. There was an hard fight with Espargaro and Cortese, more experienced riders than me, but now I know I can ride whit them. It is a pity only for the first Championship points…”. Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: 22nd. “I’m more happy than I was yesterday. Twenty-second is a lot better than thirtieth. I’m happy with the way I rode but I’m not happy with the things that have been pointed out to me. To do a 14.04 on the last lap is stupid really, I should be doing that in the beginning not riding around 16 or 15, but that’s what I’ve done so I can’t change that. The race is over but this is the way to go through my first season. For the next race I’ll tell them to put it all together like in a package and take it Le Mans. It’s difficult, it’s definitely difficult, I’m not saying it’s easy, but we’ll keep on pushing.” Joey Litjens, Molenaar Honda: 27th. “I’m super happy with my race so much better than Turkey. My start was not so good but I passed a few guys on the first few laps. Now I am closer the group and that’s a big step forward for me.” Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: dnf – electrical problem. “I got a good start and was running with the lead group. I was in behind Bautista but he looked uncomfortable at some places, I think he had a hard compound rear tyre. Anyway, I passed him at one corner but had a high side, I didn’t crash but unfortunately my knee hit the battery carrier and broke it. The battery was on the engine and kept shorting out so I had no option than stop. Pity because the bike was very good today, we made a big step forward this weekend.” Lorenzo Baroni, Humangest Honda: dnf – crash. “We had setting problems during the all week end, but this morning we found the right way in the warm up, in fact I finished 21st. For the race, though, we made another adjustment, but we made it worst: the bike was moving around and I sliding to much. Then, it high-sided me on the fast corner on the right.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Hopkins and Rizla Suzuki MotoGP fight for the podium in Shanghai Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer John Hopkins scored his best ever MotoGP finish with a superb fourth place during today’s Polini Grand Prix of China in Shanghai. The Anglo-American star got off to a great start from the front row of the grid and ran in second place for over a third of the race. He was passed by eventual winner Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden both on Honda’s on lap 10 but continued with his strong pace and chased down Colin Edwards. Hopkins tried everything to get past Edwards but just couldn’t find the extra speed from his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R to do so. After settling for his hard fought position two laps from the end, he wheelied his bike across the line in fourth place in front of his cheering crew. Chris Vermeulen had a less happy day. Starting in 12th place he fought hard with several riders early on but a mistake on lap four caused the rookie Australian to crash out. He was unhurt in the incident, but was unable to remount and carry on racing. The race was watched by over 32,000 excited and warm fans, as temperatures reached 31°C. Spaniard Pedrosa won his first-ever MotoGP race and second placed Hayden now leads the championship by 13 points. The next Round of the 2006 MotoGP World Championship is at Le Mans in France on Sunday 21st May. John Hopkins: “I’m ecstatic right now! I feel really good about the whole race. I got off the line well and worked hard all through the race. I knew I had to be in the draft of another bike and not to use my tyres up too early. I got behind Colin Edwards and let him pull me along. We were passed by Nicky and Dani, and they were running an unbelievable pace, it was something we couldn’t keep with. From then on I stuck on Colin’s wheel and thought I’d have a bit more towards the end. I started to push harder in the last few laps, but it was going beyond the limit and at the end of the day I really wanted to finish in my best ever position so that’s what I did! “I have got to give a big thanks to my whole crew, they worked fantastically all weekend and without them I wouldn’t be anywhere they’re a lot of the reason why I am here at Suzuki. The Bridgestone tyres worked awesome today, I reckon I had a bit more edge-grip than Colin and they were still working well at the end of the race. “I am really happy and I just also want to say it’s my Mum’s birthday, so Happy Birthday to her and Happy American Mother’s Day to her as well I hope she was pleased with the finish!” Chris Vermeulen: “Obviously not the result we wanted, I didn’t finish and I didn’t get any points that’s the worst thing. It was difficult all weekend with the weather and learning a new track. The bike felt really good in the race though and everybody seemed really even. I was behind Randy de Puniet, he was holding me up a bit and I made a mistake and nearly ran into the back of him and pushed a bit too hard and lost the front but hey that’s racing! I hope I can learn from that mistake and don’t do it again. Full congratulations to John and the whole team it was a great result for Rizla Suzuki.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “A fantastic performance from John and the whole Rizla Suzuki team. We thought before the race that a top 10 position would be a good result in today’s conditions, but to see the bike run towards the front for the whole of the race was beyond our expectations. I believe that today John came of age as a MotoGP rider and demonstrated his true potential. “Chris was very unlucky with his crash, he was pushing hard to move forward and a simple mistake cost him his race. I know he will bounce back from this and show the kind of form he can at Le Mans next weekend. “The GSV-R never missed a beat all weekend and the result shows how far we have come in the last few races. Suzuki has worked very hard to get the bike more consistent and I think that the positions we have been in over the last three days have shown that it is able to run well in all conditions. We are still searching for that extra mid-range power and I am sure that when we get the full potential out of the bike we will be able to push for podiums. “I must thank Bridgestone, they responded fantastically after the last race and the tyres we have had here have been superb both wet and dry. “Finally big thanks and well done once again to the crew, they consistently give 100% effort and are the biggest asset of the team. Today’s result is a great reward for all their hard work and gives everybody motivation to keep pushing.”