From a press release issued by Dorna Communications:

Phillip Island welcomes MotoGP title climax

The Phillip Island circuit today opened its doors to the MotoGP World Championship paddock and welcomed the climax of one of the most exciting seasons in the history of the sport. With Valentino Rossi just one step away from becoming only the second rider ever to win consecutive titles with different manufacturers and a record of five previous victories at this circuit, the Italian’s legacy on Australian shores promises record crowds.

Rossi needs to finish in the top two positions to secure the premier-class title for the fourth successive season but is taking a cautious approach as he looks to celebrate an historic first season with Yamaha in fitting style.

“We had a bigger advantage earlier in the season but then I crashed in Qatar and within one race it was all open again, so it is not over until it is over” said Rossi, who has a 30-point advantage over Sete Gibernau. “But this is a good place for us and a good place for me. We tested here twice in preseason and already the bike was quite good. It is an old style track, with a lot of different corners and it’s one of the best for the riders – not just me, everybody loves this track.”

Local hero Troy Bayliss is also looking forward to extra support from the home crowd but started the weekend in despondent mood after announcing that he will part company with Ducati at the end of the season. “It’s been a tough season for me and everybody at Ducati so to be leaving at the end of the season is like a final kick in the teeth,” said Bayliss, who won the World Superbike series with the Italian factory before stepping up to MotoGP and scoring three podiums last season.

“I didn’t want the relationship to end because I don’t feel as though I’ve really shown what I can do in MotoGP yet, but that’s racing and you’ve got to take it on the chin. It doesn’t mean I’ll be cruising around for the last two races though. I want to continue to improve the bike and do as well as I possibly can in my home round.”

Bayliss’ former WSB rival Gregorio Lavilla joins the Australian on track this weekend as a replacement for Kenny Roberts at Suzuki. Yukio Kagayama had substituted the injured former World Champion for the last two rounds but factory test rider Lavilla gets his chance this weekend, with Roberts expected to return for the final round at Valencia. Kenny’s younger brother Kurtis is also out and will again be replaced by James Haydon at Proton Team KR.

Away from the paddock, three of MotoGP’s top riders added a bounce to their preparations for the weekend’s action on a visit to a local wildlife centre. Makoto Tamada, John Hopkins and Marco Melandri acquainted themselves with the residents of the Phillip Island Wildlife Park – including kangaroos, wallabies and koala bears.

Meanwhile, Dani Pedrosa said it will take just a couple of laps of the Phillip Island circuit on Friday morning to banish the bitter memories of his last visit to Australia. The Spanish youngster broke both of his ankles in the first free practice session for last year’s 125cc race but is hoping for better luck this weekend as he looks to score the two points he needs to clinch the 250cc World Championship title.

“I’ve got memories but I suppose after a couple of laps they’ll be gone,” said Pedrosa, who will be joined on track by the current World Champion Manuel Poggiali after two races out with a leg injury. “Also, I know they’ve made modifications to the track so I hope everything goes well this year. Last year taught me that if you take your eye off the game for a second you can end up in a bad way. So it is important to keep my concentration and not think about anything other than the race.”

Andrea Dovizioso has no reason to think about anything else this weekend after clinching the 125cc title at Sepang on Sunday. The Italian today said that he was aiming to sign off the season in style before following previous World Champion Pedrosa to the 250cc class in 2005. “My aim is to win the final two rounds and show that I am a true champion,” said Dovizioso. “I will be moving up to 250 next year, hopefully onto the same bike as Dani, and I am really looking forward to that but my focus is on this weekend.”



From a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2004
CINZANO AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX – PHILLIP ISLAND
14TH OCTOBER 2004 – EVENT PREVIEW

FUCHS KAWASAKI HEAD OUT TO THE ISLAND

The Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island brings Fuchs Kawasaki riders Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann one step closer to the end of the gruelling 16 race MotoGP World Championship.

The Phillip Island race completes what has been a busy schedule of international ‘flyaway’ races – three GPs in as many weekends in Qatar, Malaysia and now Australia.

Only the season-ending Valencia GP in Spain remains after Sunday’s down under race on one of the most popular race tracks on the calendar. Most riders, including the Kawasaki pair, rate the track amongst their favourites.

And both Nakano and Hofmann are eager to show that the fast-flowing, 4.44km Phillip Island circuit, with its panoramic ocean views, will allow them to show the increasing competitiveness of the Ninja ZX-RR.

The Kawasaki squad comes to Phillip Island with the benefit of data collected from the successful pre-season test sessions in February, thus giving riders and technicians a head start on set-up with this year’s all-new ZX-RR chassis.

And the recent introduction and continuing fine-tuning of the Magneti Marelli fuel injection and engine management system has produced more rider friendly throttle response.

Built in the early 1950’s the Phillip Island track retains most of its original layout, a classic design not influenced by increasing use of chicanes on modern circuits. The only major layout change in more than half a century has been the revision to the turn four hairpin, made for safety considerations.

And as part of a continuing program of safety upgrades a recent multi-million dollar investment has resulted in improved run-off areas and gravel traps, plus new entry and exit lanes to the pits.

Typically, the 12 turn Phillip Island rewards rider skill and precise handling, with the often unknown factor of the high winds that can sweep in off the Bass Strait.

Shinya Nakano: #56
“Phillip Island is a fast track, and one of my favourites, so it is always nice to be racing here. I had a very good feeling with the ZX-RR at the pre-season tests and for once we have a lot of set-up data for this track. My two favourite parts are the last corner coming onto the straight and turn one; both are high speed and a lot of fun. In recent months we have made a lot of progress with both electronic and chassis settings on the Ninja ZX-RR, so Phillip Island is going to be an interesting race for us.”

Alex Hofmann: #66
“As always I’m looking forward to racing at Phillip Island. The circuit has a lot of high speed corners which is one of the strong points of the ZX-RR. Being able to carry corner speed is critical to a fast lap here, and I like the combination of third and fourth gear corners; you can have so much fun sliding the bike at 170kph. Sometimes the weather can be a surprise, but like everyone I’m hoping for a dry race with not too much wind.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“At Phillip Island we are expecting a continuation of the strong recent performances by both Shinya and Alex, both of whom did a lot laps at the circuit during pre-season testing. Shinya has been outstanding in qualifying and I again expect to see him towards the front of the grid. The flowing nature of the circuit should suit the Ninja ZX-RR and our new electronics package. As always we are anticipating the strong support of Bridgestone with tyres at this race. Most of the fast corners are left-handers which puts a special demand on tyres.”