After a fantastic Grand Prix of Turkey, the MotoGP tour has landed in China for the fourth race of an amazingly unpredictable 2006 season. The Shanghai International Circuit hosts MotoGP for only the second time, following on from a rain-soaked 2005 Grand Prix, but has already established itself as one of the world’s top motorsport venues. Nicky Hayden arrives in China as the current championship leader with 52 points. The Repsol Honda rider’s amazing consistency has given him seven consecutive podium finishes, his most recent being a third place at Istanbul Park in Turkey. The American rider will have to be looking over his shoulder in China, with no room for error in Shanghai if he wishes to hold onto the top spot. Ducati Marlboro’s Loris Capirossi, the series leader up until the Grand Prix of Turkey, trails Hayden by only one point, whilst Marco Melandri, winner in Turkey, will start the race third in the championship. The top seven riders in the championship are only separated by 20 points, so mathematically any one of them has a chance to lead the series by the end of Sunday’s event. Rookie sensation Casey Stoner lies in fourth place after a superb first MotoGP podium finish in Turkey, and with reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi just behind him in fifth, the duo can both look back on wet weather victories here last year; Rossi’s in MotoGP and Stoner in 250cc. Stoner was actually one of a selection of riders who headed into the city for a pre-event visit to the famous Bund area today. Alongside the majestic river Yangtze, Casey Stoner, Andrea Dovizioso and Makoto Tamada took part in a few traditional Chinese activities in front of a small gathering of fans and masses of local media. After a short introduction and interview session translated into Mandarin for the fans, a Kung Fu expert took to the stage. Guiding the riders through “tiger stance” into “feathered crane,” the game subjects soon picked up the basics. This was followed by a lesson in Chinese drumming, playing along with the popular song “Strong men strive for victory.” Catering for some of MotoGP’s newest fans, an autograph session took place by the river, with the stunning towers and buildings as a backdrop. Meanwhile in the pre-event press conference MotoGP’s new championship leader Hayden was joined by Melandri, Rossi, Shinya Nakano and Chris Vermeulen, with the Australian fresh from a positive weekend in Turkey where he took a gutsy seventh place after starting from a hard-fought pole-position. Despite the sunny conditions in Shanghai today, weather forecasts are for rain on Friday and Saturday, with the track drying by Sunday’s race-day, which could make for another race equally as exciting as the Turkish event, which lit up an already thrilling season. Nicky Hayden (Honda) : “Of course, I’m happy to be leading the championship, it’s a good feeling but I know that there’s a long way to go. The next few races are very important, but having already had a good start to the season allows us to put the heat on the others. We’ve got two races back-to-back, then heading into Europe is always hectic. We’re at the business end of the season now. For me, having been consistent is a good sign, I just want to take it up another level and get the W. It’s not an easy circuit, and it was tricky last year. In the dry the surface has a good grip though, which makes it a lot better. There are 3 first gear corners, which in my opinion is 3 too many. The only thing that I really care about is that it is safe, which where I come from isn’t always the case. We had problems in winter testing, but I set my goals high in any case.” Marco Melandri (Honda) : “It is a good moment right now, we have a better feeling with the bike. After the Qatar Grand Prix we found a good setting, and now after a win I hope to be in the fight for podiums from now on. It was quite a surprise to find myself third in the championship, because obviously my start to the season hasn’t been great. The season starts here I suppose. In MotoGP no race is ever easy. The dry or wet conditions hopefully won’t make too much difference.” Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) : “The championship situation isn’t so bad. If we had earned more points in Jerez then it would have been even better. We know that it’s a long season. We looked at the chattering problem after Turkey, and I think that we have found a few solutions. It will be difficult here, you need to get to know the settings in practice. The feeling changes a lot from track to track, this time it is a big question mark. Last year Shanghai was a bit of a turning point for us, from the race onwards we were very competitive. This year, we need to understand very early on if we are going to have problems or not. This season has been great. There are young and old riders, and it’s fun for spectators”¦.maybe a little less for us!” Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) : “I don’t know why the races have gone differently to the winter testing. Traction problems mean that I can’t open the throttle at the moment. It’s nearly my home Grand Prix, and it’s certainly easier to get to from my house than Motegi! I’m confident with my rain tyre, but I would prefer the dry. We have a year of experience here, so have a better tyre. I need to push hard, but it’ll be fun.” Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) : “Turkey was definitely my best race. I battled at the front, led a race for the first time and fought with Capirossi to be the fastest Bridgestone. The track here is good. The facilities are great, the circuit has a lot of straights and hairpins. We’ll see what happens. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect from MotoGP. I love working with the team here, the bike is getting better and I hope we can continue on this upwards trajectory, although there may be harder work to come. I would prefer it to be dry here, but if it rains it won’t be so bad. Just look what happened in Turkey.”

This weekend’s Grand Prix of China in Shanghai marks the start of a frantically busy period for the Kawasaki Racing Team, as they prepare for a run of eight races in just eleven weeks. The 5.45 km Shanghai circuit is the most modern motorsport facility in the world and, at some 1200 metres in length, features the longest straight on the MotoGP calendar. The riders hit speeds in excess of 320 km/h on the straight, before getting hard on the brakes for the 60 km/h, first gear hairpin at Turn 13. This is a critical point in the lap, where late braking can easily secure an improvement in position, but can just as easily lead to an off-track excursion into the run-off area at the end of the straight. It’s a unique challenge that is unrivalled at any other circuit. Shanghai holds mixed memories for the Kawasaki Racing Team. Shinya Nakano was left frustrated after being forced to retire from last year’s inaugural Chinese Grand Prix just two laps into the race, due to an electrical problem on his Ninja ZX-RR. But while Nakano’s retirement was disappointing, Olivier Jacque certainly gave the Kawasaki Racing Team something to remember. The 31-year-old Frenchman brought his Ninja ZX-RR home in second place in the rain lashed race, to give Kawasaki their best ever finish in the premier class of Grand Prix racing. Jacque will not race for Kawasaki this weekend, but both Nakano and Randy de Puniet arrive in Shanghai hopeful of emulating the Frenchman’s performance in Sunday’s 22-lap Grand Prix of China. Nakano has his sights set firmly on a top six finish this weekend, and is confident that the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR will give him a significant advantage through the high-speed turns where fast changes of direction are necessary. De Puniet has already proved his speed in the wet this season, and is confident of a strong result should rain again affect the race, but the Frenchman is determined to improve upon his position in the last race in Istanbul regardless of the prevailing conditions on Sunday. Shinya Nakano: #56 “This is something of a special circuit because of the long straight and the long, fast right-hand turn that leads onto it. The strange thing about the straight is that it feels really slow when you ride it, because it’s so long and there are very few reference points. It’s also hard to identify a braking marker at the end of the straight for the tight, first gear hairpin. This makes things difficult, because the entry to this corner is one of the best overtaking points on the track, but if you brake even fractionally too late then you can’t turn in and you’re forced to run on. It certainly makes things interesting. I enjoyed the circuit in the dry last year, but I still need to get a few more laps under my belt to find the best racing line. Last year I retired from this race with an electrical problem, but I think the high-speed corners with fast changes of direction will suit the Kawasaki, so this year I am definitely aiming for a top six finish.” Randy de Puniet: #17 “Shanghai is not one of my favourite circuits, as I think it is more suited to car racing than motorcycle racing. Having said that, there are a few interesting sections on the track, like the long first corner. Last year I raced here on the 250cc machine, and the circuit will look very different from the seat of a MotoGP bike I’m sure. But it normally doesn’t take me long to learn a circuit, so I hope we can get up to speed quite quickly during practice. It will be interesting to see what the weather is like on Sunday, because I know we can secure a good result if it is a wet race. If it stays dry then I will be pushing as hard as I can to improve upon my result in the last race in Istanbul. I am looking forward to the weekend ahead.”

As the countdown to the second Grand Prix of China begins, there can be little doubt that Honda’s brave decision to let youthful talent shine is paying dividends. Going into the fourth Grand Prix of the year, five Honda riders are among the top seven points scorers so far in the premier MotoGP class. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V), the ‘veteran’ among them at 24 years of age, heads the overall points table. Now in his fourth season on an RC211V, the American is showing enough consistency to head the standings by one point from Loris Capirossi (Ducati), even though he is yet to win a race in 2006. His three podiums so far in 2006 have netted him 52 points and if his current riding form is anything to go by, the Kentucky Kid must be an early favourite for the top step of the rostrum here in Shanghai. But he is being pressed hard by Honda’s ‘middle-ranking’ riders (in terms of seniority). At just 23 Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V) has recaptured the form that saw him win the final two races of 2005 and his win two weeks ago in Turkey will have boosted his confidence coming here. Marco finished third in China last season and the Italian, who currently lies third overall in the points tally, knows that a win here could potentially catapult him to the top of the table. His 23-year-old team-mate Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V) rode brilliantly here in the wet last year and will be a man to watch. Which leaves the two 20-year-old rookies Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) and Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V) who have set the grid alight this year. Both graduated from the 250cc class and neither wasted any time in getting down to business at the sharp end of the field. Triple World Champion Dani (125cc in 2003 and two 250 titles, 2004 and 2005) finished second in his first ever MotoGP contest and but for a late race tumble in Turkey might have finished on the podium again. The Spanish star will surely figure at the front here too. His rookie rival Stoner has shown precocious form too. The young Australian qualified on pole in only his second MotoGP race and then finished second to Melandri in Turkey. He also won here on a 250 machine last year and knows how to tackle this track. The Shanghai International Circuit is situated 40km outside Shanghai and was designed by Hermann Tilke, also responsible for Istanbul Park in Turkey. Shanghai may not be quite as challenging as Istanbul Park, but it makes its own particular set of demands on riders. At 5.281km in length it is among the longer tracks and at 14.4m wide the tarmac leaves plenty of room for imagination when taking racing lines on entry and exit to the 14 turns, seven of which are lefts and seven right-hand corners. The main straight is the longest in MotoGP at 1175m and this puts a premium on top speed. But acceleration out of the many tight turns is equally vital, as well as stability under the exceptionally heavy braking on the entries. Couple this with two turns that double back on themselves at almost 360 degrees and here is a track that requires the utmost work in set-up. Nicky, who finished ninth here last year, said, “The last race at Turkey was fun but it’s no secret that I want to be winning races. The surface at Shanghai is pretty good and the long right-hander heading onto the back straightaway is probably my favourite part. And that straight goes on for days, even at 200mph. Then you hit the hardest braking zone on the circuit for the slow corner at the end of the back straight. It’s a pretty weak corner on a MotoGP bike you just have to brake, brake, brake and brake a bit more.” Nicky’s team-mate Dani said, “Last year in China I didn’t enjoy it so much because I don’t really like the track. I was quick in the dry and was second on the grid, but the race was wet and it was not great result for me. This year with the Honda MotoGP bike it will be different, and I will once again be learning how to ride the track on this bike.” For Marco Melandri, this race is a great opportunity. “I’m going to China feeling fully charged after that great win in Istanbul,” he said. “In 2005 I was fast here in the dry during practice and also in the wet during the race. So I’m feeling relaxed, I feel good and I know that we’ll be starting out with a good base set-up. I’m ready for another evenly contested race. The front straight is really long and it should be good fun to watch.” His team-mate Tony Elias said, “In 2005 Shanghai was completely new but this time I’m approaching it in a different way. I really like the bike, I know we have a good base set-up and I hope I can put the experience I have gained over these first few races into good use and come out with a good result.” Stoner said, “I really enjoyed Shanghai last year but I’m told that on a MotoGP bike the track feels quite tight and twisty. I think I can have a good race in Shanghai because we now have a good base to work with on the Honda RCV, and my team is doing a very good job setting-up the bike. It would be nice to have a result similar to Turkey where I was one of the fastest riders on worn tyres at the end of the race. But I have to be realistic and just keep working hard.” Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) is typically making every effort to find the form that made him such a force in 2004 and the doughty Japanese said, “We are still working as hard as ever to improve grip and the team will give everything to help me here, as they always do.” Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V) will use this race to make more progress with the team’s Honda-engined project and the former World Champion believes the RC211V power-plant gives him an edge he has not previously enjoyed in the class. “We’ll be able to make more chassis changes at Le Mans which should really let us exploit the power we have. And we’ll do what we can here too for now.” In the 250cc class Andrea Dovizioso (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) is the man to catch as he leads World Championship rival Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) by two points going into this round. But he has yet to win a race in this class and he’ll be looking to go one better than his second place here last year. Dovi said, “I’m happy in China. I like the Shanghai circuit and it suits my riding style. Last year I was second in wet conditions. This circuit has a long straight that makes a real difference in terms of engine performance with my rivals. Anyway, after three podiums my goal now is a victory. I just need to be able to take full advantage of my bike during the last three laps to make the difference.” His team-mate Yuki Takahashi (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) said, “Last year it was my debut in the World Championship and I struggled a bit to get the right feeling with the bike and I had problems with the rain. This year, though, I feel much better on my Honda and now I am able to push harder and take full advantage of the machine. Now, I have found the right set-up I know I can take more steps forward and maybe finish on the podium at Shanghai.” Sebastian Porto (Repsol Honda RS250RW) said, “It’s a complicated circuit, just like the one in Turkey. There’s still a lot to improve with the bike, but this circuit is a bit slower than Turkey so I think that’ll be better for the Hondas. When there are long straights we always lose some ground to the Aprilias. We have to work to see if we can have a more competitive bike.” Porto’s team-mate Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW) is still punishing himself for his mistake in Turkey when he skittle Lorenzo. “I can’t stop thinking about what happened in Turkey. I know that I made a big mistake and I’m really sorry for what happened, especially for Lorenzo because I threw him off the bike with my crash. I’m really looking forward to the start of the Chinese Grand Prix in order to leave the Istanbul incident behind.” Honda’s 125cc contenders include reigning World Champion Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) who was fourth here last year and is doing his utmost to get his 2006 title defence on track. “We are improving, the bike is getting better at each race and now we go to China hoping we have made another step forward.” Gabor Talmacsi (Humangest Honda RS125R) was third here in 2006. He said, “I’m very happy as we’ve been able to fix the settings of the bike so I can lap at a steady pace. I am positive about China, because in Turkey I finished only 10 seconds down on the winner with a rear suspension problem. And I have good memories of Shanghai from finishing third here last year!”

Shane “Shakey” Byrne and James Haydon completed more than 100 laps each during a test of their latest GSX-R1000s at the Croft circuit in North Yorkshire this week. The 2.12-mile flat, twisty and fast track is Rizla Suzuki’s chosen test circuit as its variety of corners and braking zones is ideal for proving developments to the GSX-R1000 race bikes. Both Byrne and Haydon rode the latest versions of the Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000K6 fitted with a new fuel cell that is designed to optimise the weight distribution of the motorcycles. Initial reaction is the new bikes have improved stability at high speed and under braking. The riders worked through a series of chassis tests and Shakey tried a new set of forks. Dunlop was at the circuit with new tyres for the riders to try under clear blue sky and ideal conditions. Shakey was close to lap record pace and James only a fraction behind by the end of the day. The test was shared with the Vivaldi Suzuki team. Rizla Suzuki goes to Mondello Park in the Republic of Ireland for the fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship on May 21st. The team will return to Croft on July 5th and 6th for its next official test. Robert Wicks, Team Manager: “It’s been a very positive test for the team and there has been progress made on almost all fronts with the GSX-R1000. “Thank you to Dunlop for supporting the test and to the riders for putting in such hard graft all day long. The whole team is enthused and encouraged by today’s findings and will be using the information to make our bikes as competitive as possible for the next round at Mondello Park in less than two weeks time.”