Rizla Suzuki MotoGP hoping for no Chinese puzzles Rizla Suzuki MotoGP travels to Shanghai in China hoping that the strong race performance at the last round in Turkey can develop into podium results. John Hopkins scored an exciting sixth place in Istanbul last week and will certainly be looking to improve on that – and last year’s fourth at Shanghai when he takes to the track for round four of the MotoGP World Championship on Sunday 6th May. Hopkins qualified on the front row of the grid at last season’s race and will certainly be planning to emulate that this coming weekend. Team-mate Chris Vermeulen will be buoyed by the performance of his 800cc Suzuki GSV-R in Turkey. He managed a creditable 11th place after being knocked off on the first lap, and also recorded the fastest lap of the race on the penultimate lap, as the new generation of Bridgestone tyres yet again proved their consistency and performance over a race distance. Vermeulen continued in good form at the one-day test at Istanbul on the Monday after the race by setting the quickest time of the day. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP comes to Shanghai with over twice the amount of points that it had at the same stage of the season last year, and both riders will be looking for good results from their Bridgestone tyres over the 5.281km long circuit to improve on those totals. The Shanghai track features the longest straight on the MotoGP calendar at over a kilometre long where last year’s 990cc machines achieved speeds in excess of 340km/h before having to brake hard for a first gear hairpin. This is combined with a mixture of slow speed turns, sweeping curves, different gradients and the longest, most technical hairpin in the world of MotoGP. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP takes to the track on Friday 4th May for two hour-long free practice sessions. Saturday will see another hour’s worth of free practice in the morning before the excitement of the afternoon’s qualifying session gets underway. Sunday’s 22-lap race will begin at 15.00hrs local time (07.00hrs GMT). John Hopkins: “I like the Shanghai circuit. It is pretty testing and you have to be fast through some of the corners and hard on the brakes, so that suits me. I led here in ’05 and was on the front row and pushing for a podium last year so I am pretty determined to go that one step better this year. The bike is working really good and the tyres that Bridgestone brought to Turkey were a huge step forward, let’s hope we get more of the same in China and can get on the rostrum!” Chris Vermeulen: “I didn’t finish at Shanghai last year so I will certainly want to do better than that! The bike and tyres worked really well in Turkey and I am sure that will be the case in China as well. I am really looking forward to this race, the track is awesome and one that I enjoy riding at. Let’s just hope we can get round without anyone knocking me off!” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: With the thrilling Grand Prix of Turkey fresh in the memory, the MotoGP world tour stops in China on May 6th for the fourth race of the 2007 season. The opening three rounds have provided exciting action every step of the way in all three categories, and the Shanghai International Circuit will only encourage the same kind of activity at the Sinopec Great Wall Lubricants Grand Prix of China. Casey Stoner leads the way in MotoGP in his first season with the factory Ducati team, having taken victory at two of the first three races this year. The Australian was the runaway leader at Istanbul Park in the previous round which, combined with a fifth place at Jerez, takes him up to 61 points with a ten point cushion ahead of Valentino Rossi. The Australian has triumphed at Shanghai before, winning the 250cc race in 2005, and will be keen to build on last year’s fifth position on Chinese soil. Five-time MotoGP World Champion Rossi is in a stronger position than he was this time last year, but was perhaps not counting on the superb form of Stoner as he attempts to reclaim the title he lost. The Yamaha factory team rider dropped down the field in Turkey after suffering tyre problems, something he will definitely not want a repeat of in his return to Shanghai. Last year he was forced to retire from the race after tyre problems left him adrift in the overall standings, however the Italian won a wet race at the inaugural Chinese GP back in 2005. Returning to the scene of his first MotoGP victory, Dani Pedrosa currently lies third in the overall classification. Unable to finish at the last round, the former 125cc and 250cc World Champion is sore after his crash in Turkey but scans revealed he should be ready to ride in China. Favoured to lead the Spanish charge for the title in 2007, Pedrosa now faces stiff competition from Toni Elias for a place in the Mediterranean fans’ affections. The Gresini Honda rider has had two highly impressive races since the start of the season, winning plaudits for the all-out riding style which most recently earned him a second place at Istanbul. Marco Melandri has yet to take a podium since the switch to 800cc bikes, even at his favourite track in the last round. However, on his day the Italian is always in with a shot of the top step of the podium, and is by no means out of the title running at such an early stage in the season. The American duo of Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden are level on 26 points, with the latter still to step onto the rostrum in defence of his world title. Post-race testing after Turkey saw progress for the ‘Kentucky Kid’, and he will be hoping that he can get his season into top gear before the championship leaders begin to break away. Alex Barros and John Hopkins both have momentum in their favour, after strong performances where they could conceivably have finished amongst the top three. Hopkins was on the front row in China last year, and took fourth in the race itself. His Suzuki team-mate Australian star Chris Vermeulen completes the top ten in the MotoGP class. Practice for the Sinopec Great Wall Lubricants Grand Prix of China begins on Friday May 4th, with the race itself taking place on Sunday May 6th. 250cc In 250cc, Jorge Lorenzo continues to lead the way. However, the Spaniard faces the challenge of stopping a newly-aggressive Andrea Dovizioso as he attempts to annex China to ‘Lorenzo Land’. The reigning World Champion saw Dovizioso end his perfect run of both pole positions and race victories in 2007 at Istanbul, something that will not sit well with the Aprilia rider. Lorenzo still holds an advantage of 18 points over the 2006 runner up, and the two are sure to be involved in each other’s business throughout the weekend as they aim to stamp their authority on the class. Following them every step of the way, Alvaro Bautista has jumped in at the deep end in the 250cc category. Twice alongside the classification leaders on the podium at Jerez and Turkey, the reigning 125cc World Champion has established himself as a title contender in the opening stages of the season. Aspar team-mate Alex de Angelis is also on a good run of form, and rounds up the overall top six alongside 2006 Grand Prix of China race winner Hector Barbera and 250cc rookie Thomas Luthi. 125cc Any pattern established in the 125cc category, in which the same three riders had appeared on the podium in the opening two races, was thrown out of the window in Turkey. Championship leader Gabor Talmacsi was unable to follow up on his Jerez victory, and was out of the top three for the first time in 2007 as Simone Corsi took his first ever 125cc win. Talmacsi leads team-mate Hector Faubel by nine points, with the Spaniard also out of the running for the win at Istanbul. Lukas Pesek is still in search of elusive 125cc glory, and lies in third overall. Corsi’s first place takes him up to fourth in the general standings, ahead of Joan Olive and 15 year old rookie Pol Espargaro. The 125cc races have provided incredible action so far this year, and a clear favourite is still to be established in the category. Circuit Info The Shanghai International circuit, situated outside China’s prosperous metropolitan port city, hosted its first MotoGP race in 2005, but is already acknowledged as one of the most impressive race venues on earth. Vast grandstands overlook an equally impressive pits and paddock complex adjacent to the high-speed 5.281km/3.281 mile circuit. The track includes two very fast straights where bikes exceed 320kmh/199mph and a series of tight corners, including two long right-handers that take the riders through almost 360 degrees. Shanghai is one of the most modern and technologically advanced cities in the world, and its impressive race circuit fits in perfectly.