This weekend, the PRAMAC D’ANTIN MOTOGP Team will be in China for the fourth race of the 2006 MotoGP World Championship, at the Shanghai International Circuit. It will be the second MotoGP event on the Chinese circuit after last season’s first time. None of both PRAMAC D’ANTIN MOTOGP riders ever rode on this track: ALEX HOFMANN because he injured himself in Portugal last year, and JOSE LUIS CARDOSO as he was riding in the Superbike World Championship during the 2005 season. It will be a new experience for both of them, on the recent Chinese track, with the DUCATI DESMOSEDICI GP06 “Sat.” (DUNLOP tyres). The first sessions of free practice will be on Friday morning at 10.00 a.m. in China (GMT+8). Weather forecast for this week show a high risk of rain, with heavy downpours for the weekend. Last year’s race already suffered from wet conditions. LUIS D’ANTIN (Team Manager): “After the debut in Istanbul, this track will be new for both our riders as well. It won’t be easy but we all will work a lot to give the best to Cardoso and Hofmann and allow them to make a good race with our DUCATI DESMOSEDICI GP06 “Sat.”. We will go on concentrating ourselves on the development of the tyres, one of the most important and demanding thing right now. There has been small improvements in Turkey, let’s hope to go on like this in China”. ALEX HOFMANN #66: “Last year I didn’t take part to the race in China and it really was a horrible feeling seeing my replacement rider going to the podium. So I have not good memories of the GP of Shanghai! Anyway I’m happy to get the opportunity to get to know a new country as China and to race on a new track. The opinions about the track were not all positive for motorcycles, but I like new circuits so I can’t wait to go to this place”. JOSE LUIS CARDOSO #30: “It seems to be a very impressive track, also very modern but maybe more adapted for Formula One than for motorbikes. Anyway, it will be the same for every rider and so that’s not a problem for me. Personally I do prefer the fast but at the same time technical tracks and this one is surely very fast. I Hope to be able to make a good result in China”. CIRCUIT DETAILS Shanghai International Circuit is situated outside China’s prosperous metropolitan city and hosted its first MotoGP race in 2005. After only one event, it’s already acknowledged as one of the most impressive track on earth. As well as the Istanbul track, the Shanghai one also was designed by the famous architect Herman Tilke. Besides, its stands are ready to welcome up to 200.000 spectators. The track is 5281 meters long and has 14 corners (7 to the right and 7 to the left). There are two particularly fast straights, where the MotoGP bikes exceed 320km/h, and a series of tight corners including two long right-handers that almost take the riders through 360 degrees. An important fact is that the longest straight of this track is also the longest of the whole MotoGP World Championship, being 1202 meters long. Width: 14m Pole Position: Left Direction: Clockwise MotoGP – Lap Record: 2’13.716 (Wet Race) (Alex Barros – 2005) MotoGP – Fastest Lap: 1’59.710 (Sete Gibernau – 2005) 2005 MotoGP Race: 1) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2) Olivier Jacque (Kawasaki) 3) Marco Melandri (Honda)