GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM READY FOR HISTORIC TRIP TO CHINA The Gauloises Yamaha Team will be at the forefront of a groundbreaking event in the history of the MotoGP World Championship this weekend, as the series visits China for the first time in its 56-year history. The Chinese public will get their first opportunity to see the world’s most advanced motorcycles and skilled riders at close quarters, having been able to enjoy the first two rounds of an already dramatic season on television for the first time. It has been a terrific start to the campaign so far for the Gauloises Yamaha Team, who lead the riders’ and teams’ standings after successful races in Spain and Portugal. Reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi opened his title defence with victory in the opening round at Jerez and followed up with a solid second place in difficult conditions at Estoril last week. The Italian’s advantage at the top currently stands at seven points over Alex Barros (Honda), whilst his team-mate Colin Edwards continues to gain confidence in his first season aboard the YZR-M1. Edwards now lies eighth overall after a determined performance in Portugal, which saw him finish sixth despite falling midway through the race. The Shanghai International Circuit presents a completely new challenge for both riders, who will look to build on exhaustive work during the winter testing period designed at finding an adaptable base setting for their YZR-M1 machines. An extra day of tests working to this end in Portugal last Monday should help them to swiftly adapt the bike to the demands of the Shanghai track, billed as the “race circuit for the new millennium” at its opening last year. The circuit was designed by architects Hermann Tilke and Peter Wahl and its layout was inspired by the shape of the Chinese character ‘shang’, which stands for ‘high’ or ‘above’. Other symbols represented in the architecture of the circuit facilities originate from Chinese history, such as the team buildings, which are arranged like pavilions on a lake to resemble the ancient Yuyan-Garden in Shanghai. One if the circuit’s most impressive features is the extraordinary main grandstand, which hosts some 29,000 seats and provides a spectacular view of almost 80 percent of the circuit. Whilst none of the MotoGP riders will have previously been able to test at the Shanghai circuit until free practice gets underway on Friday morning, its winding turns and high-speed straights promise plenty of opportunities for overtaking and are sure to provide more close MotoGP racing in Sunday’s inaugural Chinese Grand Prix. VALENTINO ROSSI: UNCHARTED TERRITORY Valentino Rossi faces an entirely new experience this weekend as he looks to extend his global phenomenon across new boundaries and into the Chinese market for the first time. His talent and charisma is sure to stretch his fan base even further, but the World Champion is typically focussed on events on the track and defending his early championship lead. “I’m really looking forward to being at the new track in China, a completely new place for us,” commented Rossi. “I think the circuit will be very good; it is wide, fast and technical. We have had two weeks between the Portuguese race and China and we need to make some improvements with the bike, so hopefully we can continue that in Shanghai during the practice sessions. There is not much more I can say about it because I have never been to the country or the circuit!” Rossi’s call for improvements were met by an intense day of tests at Estoril last Monday, ironing out some of the difficulties that restricted him to a relatively subdued charge to second place in Sunday’s race. Despite already proving to be competitive in the opening two rounds of the season, the 2005 version YZR-M1 is still in its development phase and Rossi is looking to make further progress in China. “As for the Estoril race, above all I was trying not to fall in the slippery conditions! It was quite a tactical race for me because of the wet patches on the track,” he said. “I had some problems at the start and found it difficult to get up front, but anyway we are looking good for points and hopefully Shanghai is the place to get even more.” COLIN EDWARDS: AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHT DAYS! Whilst most of the Gauloises Yamaha Team and the rest of the MotoGP paddock are making their way east to China this week, Edwards will be continuing his journey west after paying a flying visit to his hometown of Conroe in Texas. Edwards and his wife Alyssia stopped off in the USA to take a couple of days’ rest and to leave baby daughter Gracie in the hands of their family as they prepare for a new cultural and personal experience. “We headed home last Tuesday because we figured the distance to China from Portugal was pretty much the same whichever way around the world you go!” explained the 31 year old. “It’s been nice to be able to spend a couple of days at home but now myself and my wife Alyssia are ready to head for China and leave Gracie with Grandma! “I’m looking forward to China. I’ve never been there and I think it’s the kind of country everybody would like to go to at least once in their life, just to check it out and experience the culture and the people first hand.” Edwards is currently in just his third season in MotoGP after several years in the World Superbike series and, as such, has become accustomed to learning his way around new tracks. It is a factor that helped propel him to second place in the series’ first visit to Qatar last season and the American is hoping the experience can pay dividends in China after an encouraging weekend in Portugal. “I’ve seen the map, which looks very much in the style of a modern F1 circuit, but we’ll have to wait and see when we get there. The one thing I’ve got going for me is that I’ve had to learn a lot of new tracks over the last couple of years and I’m kind of in the habit. Judging by Qatar last year I can learn pretty quick and I’m looking forward to the challenge. I think Shanghai can be a good track for us. “I’m not getting carried away with the result at Estoril it was a definite improvement from Jerez but it’s still short of where we want to be. The important thing is that I felt comfortable with the bike, we got the balance of it right and we made even more progress in the test on the following day. Now we’ll head out to China and see how that work pays off.” DAVIDE BRIVIO: NEW TRACK, SAME GOALS Gauloises Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio is one of the only team members to have previously visited China, having recently made the trip over to check out the Shanghai International Circuit facilities. The Italian says he is looking forward to this weekend’s experience as much as anybody, but insists the main focus remains on defending the team’s early championship lead. “Everyone is quite curious to experience a new place and especially China, which is such a special country,” says Brivio. “I have actually been before to visit the Shanghai circuit and I can say it is very good. The facilities are nice and the track is very interesting. It has two long straights and some technical corners it’s a nice mix. “We head to China leading the championship and, as in the last round at Estoril, our aim is to continue that way. We were also very pleased with Colin’s performance in Portugal and he would have definitely finished in the top four if it wasn’t for his fall, so we know the work we are doing is good. The conditions were difficult for all the riders in the race so the test on Monday was important to work on the base setting of the bikes and we were able to solve some things.” Brivio added that an extra day of testing after each of the opening two rounds at both Jerez and Estoril have been crucial in accelerating evolution of the 2005 version YZR-M1. Finding a base setting for the machine has been the team’s target ever since the bike was wheeled out for the first time at Sepang in January and Brivio hopes they will be rewarded for their hard work in China. “The basic idea of all our winter tests was to find a base that normally works everywhere. We had some delays with the 2005 bike so we have continued that work into the first two races of the season and now we hope we have found what we were looking for. It is a completely new machine and it always takes time to get up to speed, so we’re curious to check how much progress we have made at a new track like Shanghai.” BLAST FROM THE PAST: CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF YAMAHA GLORY Whilst this is the first Motorcycle Grand Prix to be held on mainland China, international road racing has been running for almost forty years on the south-eastern peninsular of Macau, now a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China after several years of occupation by the Portuguese. The first edition of the Macau Motor Cycle Grand Prix was held in 1967 and was won by Yamaha, with Hiroshi Hasegawa taking the chequered flag on his Yamaha RD56 after 30 laps of the Guia circuit. Two years later, history was made in Macau when John MacDonald became the first and only man ever to have won both the car and motorcycle events, also riding a Yamaha. Another interesting date on Yamaha’s timeline at the Macau Grand Prix came in 1978, when Yamaha riders filled the podium with Sadeo Asami, Steve Parrish and Mike Trimby. TECHNICALLY SPEAKING Although the MotoGP teams have never been to the Shanghai International Circuit before, the 5,451m track promises to provide an interesting challenge for the engineers. With a virtually equal ratio of nine left and seven right-hand corners, as well as two long straights followed by hard braking zones, the emphasis will again be on finding a balanced base setting for the Yamaha YZR-M1. The longest straight runs parallel to the Dragster track between turns thirteen and fourteen and has a length of 1,175m, which should permit top speeds in excess of 320km/h, whilst technical corners such as a snail-like narrowing section between turn one and turn three are unlike any other corner in the world. Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards spent last Monday’s test at Estoril working specifically on their set-up for Shanghai, making further progress with the general setting of the 2005 version YZR-M1 and finding a comfortable base which they will now take to China. Whilst initial gearbox settings have already been calculated on the circuit layout, both riders will use Friday morning’s free practice session to gather data about the peculiarities of the track, such as bumps and grip levels, before making specific adjustments in the build-up to Sunday’s race. VALENTINO ROSSI: INFORMATION Age: 26 Lives: London, UK Bike: Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1 GP victories: 69 (30 X MotoGP, 13 X 500cc, 14 X 250cc, 12 X 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 142 (50 x MotoGP, 32 x 500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) GP Pole positions: 36 World Championships 6 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 3 x MotoGP) COLIN EDWARDS: INFORMATION Age: 31 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1 GP victories: – First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 34 Pole positions: – First pole: – World Championships – 2 World Superbike More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Taobao.com announced as title sponsor for MotoGP’s first ever event in China Dorna Sports and Shanghai International Circuit are pleased to announce that the title sponsorship of the first ever MotoGP event in China, which will take place in Shanghai on May 1st, has been granted to taobao.com, one of China’s most successful e-commerce websites. Taobao.com was started in July 2003 and is now the leading e-commerce trade platform in China. In 2004 it was ranked amongst the top 25 most visited websites in the world, with over 56 million page views per day and more than 5.5 million registered users. Taobao.com have signed a one-year agreement to become the title sponsor of MotoGP’s Chinese round and therefore the upcoming event will be officially named Taobao.com Grand Prix of China. The title sponsorship agreement includes a strategic cooperative partnership with Shanghai International Circuit. This involves taobao.com becoming the exclusive Internet auction platform for the Shanghai International Circuit, participating fully in the life and event programme of the circuit. More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda: MOTOGP TAKES ON A NEW CHALLENGE IN CHINA GP OF CHINA PREVIEW The Championship debuts on the very modern, science fictional track of Shanghai, built just one year ago to hold the Formula 1 GP. This track can boast a record cost; the Chinese authorities in fact spent over 250 million dollars to build the track and its infrastructures. It is a spectacular sight that left our F1 colleagues speechless cause of the amazing architectural work undergone such as the two wings that cover the starting straight. From a technical point of view the track designed with the greatest technological expressions – is complete and presents a various mix of situations by alternating slow and quick stints where the power and velocity of these bikes can be used to their potential. The peculiarity of this track is the two long straights. The starting straight measures 1202 meters in length, the longest of the entire championship, even longer than that of the Mugello track which is 1141 meters long and Barcelona’s which is 1047 meters. The track is also characterized by two nearly 360º corners which will put the tyres to the test. Like the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, the Shanghai circuit is very large, designed for Formula 1, and presents many places where overtaking is possible. The IRTA, the association of teams and riders, tried to organize a winter testing session on this circuit, but failed to do so because of the difficult bureaucratic situation in this country. The track is new for everyone; there are no previous references for the bikes. The Motorcycle world arrives in China with a lot of curiosity and high expectations, as this is a country that allows for important commercial and economical opportunities for the various motorcycle manufacturers who are present in the championship. CURIOSITIES OF THE SHANGHAI TRACK: Time difference: + 7 compared to Italy Location: the track is situated 20 miles of Shanghai, north east of Anting Town next to the Shanghai International Automobile City. You need to allow for at least an hour and a half from the centre of town to the track. Remember: In China you cannot rent cars, the team will need to use a shuttle service provided by the hotels. Spectators: Last year 150.000 spectators gathered to watch the F1 GP. Tickets: You can buy tickets directly on line. Web Site: For all information you may log onto www.icsh.sh.ch, the official web site of the Shanghai circuit. SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT – TECHNICAL DATA Opened : 2004 Modified 2004 Length: 5281 m Width: 14 m Pole position: left Right Corners: 7 Left corners: 7 Longest Straight: 1202 m MotoGP Race: 22 laps, 116,182 kms Track Record: new track Pole position: new track #15 SETE GIBERNAU: A NEW TRACK FOR ALL Sete arrives in China, third GP of the season, with the desire to get back on track and compete. Absolute protagonist of winter testing where Sete busy developing the bike dominated for consistency, rhythm and speed. The Spanish rider demonstrated to have all the right cards to fight for the Championship title. “I’ve never been so strong” comments Sete Gibernau “thanks to the work done with the Team, HRC, Honda and Michelin, compared to last year I have grown and matured another year of experience. We all worked in the same direction during the winter tests. To strengthen the relationship between HRC, Honda and Michelin was one of my objectives, and I think I have succeeded. During the first two GP’s I have proved to be a stronger rider. Together with the team we did an incredible job and it is a real shame to not have been able to gain those precious points we hoped for. I think we did the most for what we could control. Even during the Portuguese GP we worked at the top level, proof being the large advantage I acquired compared to the rest of the group. I was conducing the race with a 1.2 second advantage on Alex Barros, and 11 seconds on Valentino Rossi. I couldn’t have done more and I paid because I was leading the race. Being the race leader I had no point of reference when it started to rain, the racing conditions were really difficult. In the end we’ve paid for it because the other riders saw the crash and dropped their pace by three seconds.” After the GP of Portugal, Sete spent a few days resting in Switzerland to undergo an accurate rehabilitation therapy to his left shoulder, which was hurt during the contact with Rossi on the last lap of the Spanish GP, and aggravated with his fall during the Portuguese GP. With Estoril behind him, Sete Gibernau looks with optimism to the Chinese race, a new track for all. “The only aspect we know of this track is th! e design of it. It is in fact new for all of us. The distinctive characteristics of this track seem to be the two long straights, and the two 360º corners, but the track still remains a big incognito. We will only be fully aware of our situation when we begin the first practice session. Not being able to undergo winter testing here, this Shanghai track will be a real challenge for both the teams and the riders. We all begin from scratch; there are no reference points for the bikes. It will be important to try and understand the track as quickly as possible in order to find the correct setting. We only have 4 practice sessions, that is 3 hours of free practice sessions, and a one-hour qualifying session. These hours will be decisive for the starting grid, learning to interpret the track, finding the right setup and being as competitive as possible. I am curious to race in China, an interesting country with a lot of tradition.” #33 MARCO MELANDRI! :”A TRACK WHERE WE ALL START FROM SCRATCH, A POSITIVE OPPORTUNITY TO USE TO THE BEST” Marco Melandri takes on the third race of the season with tranquillity and confidence which come from the great job he did during winter testing with his new team and a start to the season which has been better than he could ever have hoped for. The podium in Jerez, the third of his career for this young Italian rider in the MotoGP class, and fourth place in Estoril has allowed Marco Melandri to be in third position in the Championship ranking. “I am very happy and satisfied with the results of the first two races of the season. Just a short time ago I thought third place in the championship would have been impossible. The GP of Portugal was particularly difficult cause of the climatic situation; the track was wet in some places, dry in others. You couldn’t take advantage of the perfect setup of the bike and the tyres, as the track was very slippery, dirty and unreliable. It was easy to make a mistake, our goal was to finish the race and I am happy to have brought home a fourth place.” Now Marco looks positively to the third race of the season on the track of Shanghai, China. It is a new track where we are racing for the first time. This makes an even bigger challenge for all the techs, mechanics and riders as it means having to use to the maximum of their capabilities the four hours of practice sessions they are allowed hoping that rain doesn’t interfere with their plans. “I am very optimistic about the Chinese GP. I saw the design of the track for the first time only a week ago. It seems to be very interesting, strange, and innovative for sure. There are two particularly long corners, which will be hard on the front end of the bike, as it will be put under a lot of strain. The Shanghai track is a new track for everyone, we all start from scratch and this is a good occasion to use to our advantage. I am curious to go to China and race with the RC211V on this spectacular and modern track. I know a challenging weekend awaits us because we will only have four hours to use to the best of our abilities. Who adapts to the track quicker will logically have the advantage on the rest.” MICHELIN TAKES ON A NEW CHALLENGE IN CHINA For the first ever time the Championship arrives in China, to the Shanghai circuit, a racetrack yet to be explored. We asked Nicolas Goubert, Michelin’s Chief of motorcycling competitions, how the number one tyre manufacturer will be taking on this new challenge. It is the first time the Championship will be taking place in China, what problems do you think you will encounter? With which elements are you basing your choices on? “When you run on a new circuit, like Shanghai, we begin with a careful analysis of the track. The design itself gives us important data. Shanghai in partic! ular has two very long straights, the starting straight measuring 1202 meters, the longest of the entire championship, it is even longer than Mugello’s straight away which measure 1140 meters and Barcelona’s which is 1047 meters long. The track is characterized also by two nearly 360º turns, these are particularly dangerous for the tyres as they will get very hot in these points. We also analyzed the possible climatic situation; the temperatures shouldn’t be very high. Rain remains a fundamental risk factor. For example, last year Qatar was a new track for us and the stable climatic conditions allowed us to use the four practice sessions in dry weather to the max, and luckily enough, the race was dry too. In China, rain could ruin the work program, leaving very little time to tyre testing.” Being a new track will you bring a higher number of different types of tyres? “Every time we go to a new circuit we always bring! a vast range of tyres compared to what we would bring to an already known track where we have experience and reference points to use.” Have you sent a technician to study the track conditions? “No, we based ourselves on the design analysis of the track and on the experience of our Formula 1 colleagues.” In what way have you used the Formula 1 experience of this track? “We did a comparative analysis of the data our F1 colleagues gave us. The data they gave us was also useful to understand the type of asphalt of this track and the level of abrasiveness of it.” Looking at the Championship which has just begun, what progress has been made compared to last year and what have you looked to implement? “Compared to 2004, we have made a huge step forward, especially regarding the rear tyre. We have improved the grip on the maximum angle and the traction. Based on the indications! of our riders, this is the direction we began looking at during the pre season testing sessions. During the season we must adapt the various compounds of the tyres to the characteristics of the different tracks. Each time we must keep in mind three fundamental factors: the track characteristics, the asphalt conditions and the weather.” How important are the riders of the Team Movistar Honda MotoGP for the development of the tyres? “Sete Gibernau and Marco Melandri’s support gave us important indications during our winter testing session. We have worked a long time now with Sete, a rider of great experience. Marco was a very nice surprise. We worked a lot with Melandri as well because he is a rider capable of answer quickly to our requests; he gives precise indications and is capable of rapidly analyzing the characteristics of a tyre. The result of the first two races of this Championship season confirms what a valid rider he is.