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Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time
1, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 50′58.752
2, Marco Melandri, Honda, ITA, 0′12.599
3, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 0′27.347
4, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 0′37.328
5, Alex Hofmann, Ducati, GER, 0′49.166
6, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 0′53.563
7, John Hopkins, Suzuki, USA, 1′1.073
8, Loris Capirossi, Ducati, ITA, 1′21.241
9, Makoto Tamada, Yamaha, JPN, -1 Laps
10, Sylvain Guintoli, Yamaha, FRA, -1 Laps
11, Fonsi Nieto, Kawasaki, ESP, -1 Laps
12, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, -3 Laps

Rider Standings 20/05/2007

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points
1, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 102
2, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 81
3, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 62
4, Marco Melandri, Honda, ITA, 61
5, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 55
6, John Hopkins, Suzuki, USA, 48
7, Loris Capirossi, Ducati, ITA, 38
8, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 35
9, Toni Elias, Honda, ESP, 35
10, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 30
11, Alex Hofmann, Ducati, GER, 30
12, Alex Barros, Ducati, BRA, 27
13, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 20
14, Randy De Puniet, Kawasaki, FRA, 19
15, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 15
16, Sylvain Guintoli, Yamaha, FRA, 12
17, Makoto Tamada, Yamaha, JPN, 11

-.-

Torrential rain in Le Mans today doused the hopes of the Fiat Yamaha Team as Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards struggled in the wet conditions and splashed home to sixth and twelfth respectively. An action-packed race, which saw seven riders crash out, was eventually won by Australian rider Chris Vermeulen, who took his first win in MotoGP.

Black clouds gathered ominously over the MotoGP grid and a few spots of rain just before 2pm meant the race was declared wet. Despite this the riders chose to start the race on slick tyres, with the option of making a pit-stop to change bikes if the weather worsened. Edwards started from pole but was uncomfortable from the start and had dropped to the back of the field by the end of the first lap, before becoming the first to make a pit-stop and change bikes on lap four. Rossi meanwhile pounced from fourth on the grid and took the lead at turn two, holding it until he was passed by Yamaha rider Sylvain Guintoli and Randy de Puniet on lap six as the track became wetter. Rossi was one of the last five riders to come in and change after ten laps and things looked promising at first as he fought back to third but, having opted for a harder-compound wet tyre, he was unable to keep up the momentum as the rain grew heavier and slipped back through the field.

Sixth place nonetheless gained him ten important championship points and he holds on to second in the standings. Unfortunately things did not improve for his team-mate; Edwards persevered to the flag but continued to struggle throughout the race.

Valentino Rossi - position 6th - “Of course I’m very upset about this result because I had a very good feeling in the dry at the start. We made some good modifications to the bike, it was working very well and I thought I was going to be able to fight for the victory. Unfortunately the weather ruined it for us today! We made the pit stop and started the second part of race with hard rain tyres, because we thought it was only going to be light rain. Sadly we were wrong and when the rain got heavier my tyre was too hard for the conditions and I couldn’t push. I was very slow from then on and didn’t have any grip from the rear. In the last five laps it was quite dangerous as it was very hard to stay upright and I think I lost five or six seconds per lap at the end. We had hoped that this would be a track at which we could gain some ground on Stoner and it’s going to be a very hard battle from here because he is very fast, not just on the straights but everywhere! I want to congratulate Chris Vermeulen today because he rode a great race, I think he’s a bit of a magician in the rain!”

Colin Edwards - position 12th - “We encountered some problems that I’ve run into before - in Australia last year when I crashed in the rain and at the Jerez test this year. It’s hard to explain, but to me it feels like it’s related to the engine braking - when we’ve got less traction from the tyres in the wet it just seems to appear. I think even yesterday’s crash was down to something similar. Basically I try to put it into the corner but the rear comes round on me and it slides. Valentino and I have quite different styles - he holds the clutch in there a lot longer whilst I just kind of dump it and today it was a big problem for me. To be honest that wasn’t really rain racing for me, it was more like ice racing and it was impossible. At the start it was at its worst because being on a slick tyre with a damp track just exacerbated the problem. I came in early because in the circumstances I thought I’d gamble and hope it was going to chuck it down with rain, but a few laps out there on rain tyres when it wasn’t that wet wasn’t fun either. I came back in again, thinking maybe the tyre was too hard, and we tried a softer rain tyre and that was better in the end. I’m really sorry to the team and to everyone involved; I don’t like wasting my first pole and I had hoped for great things today.”

Davide Brivio - Team Director - “Today’s race was run in very difficult conditions, which is a pity when we had high hopes for both riders. Valentino was running well but when it started to rain we chose a tyre for light rains and then, unfortunately, the rain came down very heavily and very hard and it just wasn’t the right tyre for those conditions. This is why after he changed bikes he was very good but as the rain got heavier he started to go backwards. He did well to finish the race in this situation and get some points. For Colin, we don’t really know what to say but the conditions of today and the lower temperatures made it difficult for him and it was a day to forget after his great pole position. I think in the dry he could have had a good race but this sadly wasn’t to be. He was uncomfortable with the bike and from the start he wasn’t going well. All we can do now is move on from Le Mans, put it behind us and look forward to Mugello.”

In front of the home crowd of the Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team, the Grand Prix of France was a truly momentous affair as Makoto Tamada and Sylvain Guintoli both scored top ten results as they finished ninth and tenth respectively raising the bar in what was another stellar performance for the team. Both Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 riders rose to the wet weather circumstances with Sylvain creating his own piece of personal history as he overtook seven times world champion Valentino Rossi to lead a MotoGP for the first time.

Unfortunately he was caught out by the worsening conditions as he tried to extend his lead causing him to crash but quickly remounted. Makoto was able to stay out a few more laps on slicks before his enforced pit-stop. He rode a steady and sensible race in the atrocious conditions that saw many other riders crashing out also attain his best result of the season so far. The scene had been set for a magnificent weekend during qualifying when Sylvain was on top of the time sheets with 10 minutes to go, finally missing the top spot by just 0.8 of a second.

This weekend has given the team a tremendous boost with the Italian Grand Prix in two weeks time but in the meantime will remain at Le Mans for two days of testing to further improve performance of the Dunlop tyres and Yamaha machines.

Makoto Tamada - position 9th - “That was a very different race. I am happy to finish but I am not overly happy because I had the potential to go faster but I have no complaint with anything as we raced in such severe conditions. We also learnt many things in this race as when it was just a little bit wet I lost too much time and it was hard to decide at what time was best to come in. When it became very wet the lap times became a lot better and I felt very comfortable and in those conditions we had a lot of grip with the Dunlop tyres. Now we are here to test for a couple of days so it is important for us to work a lot on the bad points we have when the track is not dry but not all wet. This is a good result for the team and I know now that we are making many improvements that will help us for the rest of the year.”

Sylvain Guintoli - position 10th - “That was a pretty funny race but I am extremely happy with the entire weekend. This is something special for me to do what I did in front of my home crowd with my good qualifying and the race. I got a very bad start as I wheelied off the line. I felt very confident passing everybody as I was trying to find a rhythm and the next thing I know I am in front with no one to chase. When I was in front for that one lap I didn’t think about it, I just went for it. I was very surprised when the rear came around and made me crash as it didn’t seem that wet. If I hadn’t crashed I would have stayed out for a few more laps as it was not really wet enough to change bike. 10th is my best result so I have to be very happy even with a crash but the entire weekend has been brilliant. We can take a lot out of this weekend as we got rid of any doubts about how competitive we can be. I am now very confident with the bike and my riding and I am looking forward to Mugello to continue my progress.”

Herve Poncharal - Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team Manager - “This has been a very weird French Grand Prix. We had a really good qualifying session and a strong warm-up this morning. It was an incredible start to the race. Sylvain was exceptional as he said to me before the start that it would be good to lead for just one lap and he did it! It didn’t look too good for him at the start as he was 13th at the first split but he fought his way through. When I saw the rain coming harder I thought it wasn’t looking too good but we were ready for a crash and he was prepared to take the chance. Everyone around the track enjoyed seeing Sylvain in front and after he crashed he showed very good fighting spirit to pick the bike up and continue. I would also like to thank Makoto as he showed great fighting spirit too to finish in 9th place and to have our two riders in the top ten is a sensational result. This weekend has been a huge step forward for the team and I think now we can be fighting for top ten finishes at every race. We have two days to test more things here at Le Mans and feel that we can make some more steps before the next race in Italy.”

Press release courtesy of Yamaha.

-.-

Chris Vermeulen raced to his and Rizla Suzuki MotoGP’s first Grand Prix win at a rain-soaked Le Mans today.

Vermeulen rode an almost faultless race in the wet after heavy rain started to fall over the 4.180km French circuit. He entered pit-lane at the end of lap nine to change to his wet-weather prepared Suzuki GSV-R. Within two laps he hit the front and never looked under threat all the way to the chequered flag, the impressive Australian finishing the race over 12 seconds in front of the second-placed man Marco Melandri. World Championship leader Casey Stoner finished third to give Bridgestone tyres a clean sweep on the podium.

Vermeulen now moves up to fifth place in the MotoGP World Championship with Rizla Suzuki MotoGP going up to third in the team’s championship.

John Hopkins looked like he was going to follow up his podium at China last time out with another one today. He produced a number of stunning laps – including the fastest lap of the race – to move into first place on lap nine. After he entered the pit-lane on the next lap to change to his wet bike, he was unable to sustain his momentum and also suffered with a few issues with the set-up of his GSV-R.

Hopkins brought his bike home in seventh place for his fourth top seven finish of the year, a result that puts him into sixth place in the overall classification.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will now stay in France for a day of testing before the MotoGP circus moves across Europe for round six of the championship, to be held at Mugello in Italy on Sunday 3rd June.

Chris Vermeulen - “I’m absolutely over the moon! I am really happy for myself, my crew and everyone involved in the team. We’d had a difficult weekend coming into the race as not everything quite went to plan - but we were getting quicker and quicker and I’m sure if it had been dry today we would have improved more. The conditions were slippery to start with and it was difficult to know how hard to push. Some guys came past me and then a lap or so later they crashed! It started to rain quite heavy and I decided to come in and change my bike. I came back out and just stuck my head down and tried to get the tyres up to heat up as quick as possible. The bike felt really good in the rain, but as it got heavier it made it hard to hold the bike in top gear down the straight - there was so much water it was just spinning the rear! Tom O’Kane – my Crew Chief - and the rest of the guys gave me a really good wet bike today as we hadn’t done much wet testing with the new 800. The tyre choice was spot-on and the bike was certainly good enough to win on!”

John Hopkins - “Firstly I want to say well done to Chris and well done to Suzuki for standing on top of the podium. It is certainly an achievement to stand on the podium two races in a row; hopefully we can carry that streak on together. As for the race we chose one of the hardest slick rear tyres that we had, so I had to take it easy to get it up to temperature. Once it was there and I had confidence in it I was able to go from 12th to first in a short space of time. Everything was going fine until it started raining harder. I think we made the right decision when to come in to change the bike. I tried to get used to riding in the wet and it all seemed to be going alright, but we had some minor adjustment problems that hindered us a bit. At the end of the day I kept it on two wheels and finished the race with some good points. We will take the positives from this weekend and although I am disappointed to finish where I did after all the hard work we put in in the dry, it’s now time to move onto a lot of tracks that I enjoy and continue this podium streak for Rizla Suzuki!”

Paul Denning- Team Manager - “Well done to Chris, to the whole team and to Suzuki for producing a motorcycle that is capable of producing podiums in both wet and dry conditions. It may have looked a bit ‘on the edge’ on television in some of the corners, but Chris assures us that he had it all under control out there. I will take his word for that as it was him out there and not me! He showed again his true level of bike control and talent. This should give him the confidence to push towards the front in all conditions over the busy weeks ahead. Seventh was not so bad for John, but I really feel for him given that his performance level was that of a podium finisher all weekend. He had some small issues with the wet bike, but he had shown his determination to get to the front and win a GP by coming from 12th to first in a matter of laps before the rain really started. We still have a lot to do in the test tomorrow and we hope it dries up enough to get through that programme. The whole team is certainly on a high at the moment and is heading towards Mugello looking for more of the same.”

Press release courtesy of Rizla Suzuki.

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MIXED FORTUNES FOR KAWASAKI AFTER THRILLING RACE AT LE MANS
The French Grand Prix ended in disappointment for Kawasaki rider, Randy de Puniet, when he crashed out on the eighth lap, having taken his first ever lead in a MotoGP race in front of his home crowd.

After a difficult start from eighth on the grid, de Puniet was pushed down the order but soon fought back, ploughing his way through the field in the early laps to take a confident lead, much to the pleasure of his countrymen, who were cheering him around the Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans.

The race was officially declared wet but de Puniet, like the rest of the riders, began on slick tyres. The weather worsened as the race progressed and, just he was about to pull into his pit garage to change bikes, the 26-year-old Frenchman lost control of his 800cc Ninja ZX-RR and ended up in the gravel. It was hugely disappointing, especially as he’d been dicing with fellow countryman, Sylvain Guintoli, at the front of the pack, delighting their home fans in the process.

Fonsi Nieto, the World Superbike rider who’s been standing in for the injured Olivier Jacque this weekend, rode heroically in what was his 100th Grand Prix race. He completed the race despite the horrendous conditions and lack of familiarity with Kawasaki’s Ninja ZX-RR. Numerous riders crashed out during the 28-lap race, enabling Nieto to finish in 11th place, with a total time of 51’50.572 and earning him five championship points!

Due to his crash, Randy sustained a minor injury to his shoulder but otherwise came out unscathed. Unable to improve on his 19 championship points, he moves down the leader board to 14th place, overall.

After a testing weekend at Le Mans, the team are looking forward to going to Italy in a fortnight, when MotoGP returns to Mugello for one of the biggest races in the calendar.

Fonzi Nieto - “Conditions couldn’t really have been worse for my MotoGP debut than they were today; it was possibly the most difficult race of my life, but as an experience it was definitely worth it. Today was also my 100th Grand Prix start; so to finish the race with five championship points was a nice present. The rain started while we were sat on the grid, and it was at this point that I decided to take is steady to make sure I finished the race, and hopefully in the points. This is what the team asked me to do and I did it. The experience of going into the pits to switch bikes was pretty unique, although I was a little bit nervous because I didn’t want to make any mistakes. I made sure I kept a safety margin from the start of the race as my first target was to learn as much as I could, by completing as many laps as possible and bringing the bike home. We achieved this objective. The welcome I received from everyone in the team has been amazing, and they have made me feel at home from the start. I would like to thank them for all they have done for me this weekend.”

Randy DePuniet - “I am so disappointed and I’m sorry for my crew, the team, Kawasaki and Bridgestone as they have all worked so hard. The race was declared wet from the start, but I think we all opted to start on slick tyres because the rain was not so heavy, just a few spots, and you can never be sure what will happen in these conditions. Once again I had some problems from the start and I lost some places in the run to the first corner, though I was feeling confident on the bike and I was quickly able to fight myself through the field and take the lead. And then the rain started to fall harder and I was about to come in to switch bikes when I crashed. Maybe I was too fast, I don’t know, but the result was that the rear came round on me at the Esses Bleus and down I went. It’s a shame because running at the front of the field in my home Grand Prix was a fantastic feeling. But, I learnt an important lesson today and I hope that I will have the opportunity to lead a race again this season, when I might handle things differently. We showed today that we’re in good shape and now we must look to securing a good result in the next race at Mugello.”

Michael Batholemy - “We came to Le Mans with high expectations of Randy, because we knew our Ninja ZX-RR would be competitive here. Early on in the race it looked like Randy was going to fulfil these expectations; he was confident on the bike and very aggressive in carving his way through to the front of the field. Unfortunately he either got a bit too overconfident or misread the worsening conditions, and crashed out of the race on the lap on which he was due to return to the pits to switch to a machine with a wet set-up. But, once again, he has shown his potential and now he has some experience of leading a race, and we hope that the next time he finds himself at the front of the field then he’ll be able to better handle the pressure. As for Fonsi, he came here completely cold, never having ridden a MotoGP machine and with no experience on Bridgestone tyres. His approach and attitude have been fantastic all weekend, even in today’s extremely difficult race conditions. It was his first time on wet tyres, on a bike that he only rode for the first time on Friday, and yet he showed his maturity as a rider by keeping his head and finishing just outside the top ten. You can’t fault his performance this weekend. It is always a pleasure to come to Le Mans, with many fans cheering us on, and it is a shame that we couldn’t give them a better result today.”

Press release courtesy of Kawasaki.

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Results and a veritable cavalcade of MotoGP stars impressions inside.

Race 1 - 22 Laps

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time
1, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 44′12.891
2, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 0′3.036
3, John Hopkins, Suzuki, USA, 0′6.663
4, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 0′14.090
5, Marco Melandri, Honda, ITA, 0′17.276
6, Loris Capirossi, Ducati, ITA, 0′26.256
7, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 0′26.591
8, Randy De Puniet, Kawasaki, FRA, 0′27.025
9, Alex Hofmann, Ducati, GER, 0′28.108
10, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0′32.957
11, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 0′35.053
12, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0′37.327
13, Sylvain Guintoli, Yamaha, FRA, 0′50.705
14, Alex Barros, Ducati, BRA, 0′55.264
15, Kenny Roberts, KR212V, USA, 0′57.736
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BRILLIANT STONER WINS AGAIN FOR DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM, CAPIROSSI RECOVERS FROM 14TH TO SIXTH

Ducati Marlboro Team rider Casey Stoner won his third Grand Prix victory of the year in superb style at Shanghai today, extending his World Championship lead to 15 points after four of 18 races. Team-mate Loris Capirossi also enjoyed a stirring ride, coming through from 14th on the grid to finish in sixth position. Stoner grabbed the lead on the second lap and spent much of the race involved in an intense duel with Valentino Rossi. Eventually Stoner and his Desmosedici GP7 were too strong for the former World Champion, the Australian ending the race three seconds in front. Capirossi, who started from the fifth row after he had been brought down by a rival during qualifying, steadfastly worked his way through the pack despite pain from the arm injury he suffered in the fall.

CASEY STONER, 1st place, World Championship leader on 86 points -”If last year someone had told me that at this point of the season I would have won three races I would have laughed! Anyway, today was another perfect day. I really want to say thank you to Ducati, to Vittoriano Guareschi of the test team, and to Bridgestone and to all the sponsors who have given me this opportunity. The pace of the race was incredibly fast and we were really quick on the straights. Again we were able to take this advantage and I could just stay at the front with the lap times we were doing. The only difficult part of the track for me this weekend was the turn before the back straight where I couldn’t turn so well but we worked a lot on this until we found better exit speed. During the race I concentrated on the lap times which weren’t that easy but I could do them okay. During the closing stages, when I had less fuel load, the tyres started working even better. I’m really happy with Bridgestone - we expected higher temperatures for the race and that’s what happened, which is why we ran a harder rear and we were really safe with it. I knew Valentino was behind so I just concentrated and didn’t make many mistakes. I was expecting a big fight during the last two laps but after he made his mistake I was able to control the race. It was another fantastic race, like Qatar and Turkey, but we aren’t changing our way of thinking. We are working hard, taking it race by race and doing our best every time”.

LORIS CAPIROSSI, 6th place, 8th in World Championship on 30 points - “We had a difficult Saturday and the crash in qualifying was simply a shame because we had to start so far back on the grid. I was in the middle of the first lap accident but I was able to escape getting involved. Anyway, I had problems when braking all through the race, so I couldn’t attack. I could only try to defend my position and finish at the front of my group. I got ten points, which isn’t much but they are something. I’m eighth on points while Casey and Valentino are way in front but I’m not so far back from third position, so I’ll just keep my head down and try to improve my feeling with this bike which is obviously a winning machine. Also, the tyres were very good today, so we just have to keep working hard.”

LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager - “Another unbelievable race! The bike was great, the tyres were great and Casey did another fantastic job out there today. Again, this victory is a big tribute to the all people involved, from everyone at Ducati to our technical partners Bridgestone and Shell Advance. Loris once again showed that he is a real fighter who never gives up. Leading the World Championship like this is a dream come true for all of us and now we just want to keep working to keep the dream alive. After the race FIM technical director Mike Webb checked the engine capacity of Casey Stoner’s GP7 and everything was okay. This was a standard FIM procedure and not the result of any protests. Already this season the FIM has checked the fuel tank capacity and fuel temperature of the Ducati Marlboro Team GP7.”

Press release courtesy of Ducati.

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Fantastic debut podium for Hopkins in Shanghai

John Hopkins secured his first MotoGP podium at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai today, as he stormed his Rizla Suzuki home in third place - a result that also moves him into the top five in the MotoGP Championship.

Hopkins started from the front row of the grid and got off to a great start. He then traded places with Marco Melandri and Dani Pedrosa early on, before getting away from them and chasing down Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi. The hard-charging Anglo-American caught up with the leaders and the three of them produced incredibly fast lap-times as they pulled away from the chasing pack. Hopkins tried to make a bid for a higher position, but decided that bringing his GSV-R home for his first top-three finish was more important than any last lap heroics.

Hopkins was visibly overcome as he crossed the line in front of his cheering team, he will now go onto the next round in France with high confidence as he looks to build on this success.

Chris Vermeulen again showed his true racer spirit by making his way up to an impressive seventh place from 15th on the grid. He battled all race long with Loris Capirossi as the two of them fought their way through the field in the 22-lap race. The performance of the Bridgestone tyres was yet again another major factor in Vermeulen’s ability to get past other riders and keep the consistency in his lap-times.

Today’s race was held in warm and sunny conditions with air temperatures reaching 23°C. An exuberant crowd watched Stoner win his third race of the season on his Bridgestone-shod Ducati.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP now travels back to Europe for round five of the MotoGP World Championship at Le Mans in France on Sunday 20th May.

John Hopkins - “I am so happy with the way the race went and I want to dedicate my first podium to my Dad! Without doubt he was watching me and he certainly helped get me through to the finish - there will be more of these to come! I want to also give a big thanks to everyone who has supported me and especially my family. I also owe a huge thank-you to my crew who have been right behind me all the time. I really want to congratulate Bridgestone for the great tyres and Suzuki for the huge steps forward with the bike that is enabling me to run at the front now. As far as the race went, I got a good start and then got passed by Marco and Dani; I started to get a bit frustrated because Casey and Valentino were pulling away. I made a couple of aggressive manoeuvres on both Dani and Marco to get round them and started to chase down the front two. From there on it was all about trying to hang on to them, they were running a tremendous pace and I just couldn’t get past. In the end I made sure I brought the bike home in third. I was praying nothing would go wrong in the last two laps – and it didn’t so I guess my Dad was looking down on me! Now I can’t wait for Le Mans – I’m looking into backing this up with another podium!”

Chris Vermeulen - “I was a bit injured from yesterday’s crash, but the worst part today was that I had to start back on the fifth row. I got a good start and made up some places through the first two turns and the bike and tyres felt really good - I could do consistently fast times. It was a bit of a shame that I was back there as I did get held up a bit by some slower riders. I got up to seventh and had a great battle with Loris. Every time I passed him he’d then go past me on the straights – we just didn’t have the speed to match his bike. Seventh place from 15th on the grid is not a bad performance and we can look forward to Le Mans. I also want to congratulate John on his first podium in MotoGP, I know what it means to him and I’m sure there will be plenty more of those for Rizla Suzuki!”

Paul Denning – Team Manager - “John and Rizla Suzuki really deserved the front row start yesterday and thoroughly deserved today’s superb result. John came from a reasonable distance back to relentlessly close the gap down on Casey and Valentino. He hung with them fantastically and right up to the last few laps - where discretion seemed to be the better part of valour - he made sure that he secured his first podium. To be beaten by those two riders - in the form they are in at the moment – is no disgrace. As we move on to some of John’s favourite tracks this result will certainly give him the confidence to be a regular front runner. Chris’ race was as usual a storming performance, especially as he was in some discomfort after yesterday’s accident. He and Loris had a great race for sixth place and it was nice to see a good clean fight between two real racers, and a safe finish for both of them. Congratulations to the whole team on a good weekends work!”

Sinopec Great Wall Lubricants GP of China Race Classification:

1. Casey Stoner (Ducati) 44′12.891: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +3.036: 3. JOHN HOPKINS (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +6.663: 4. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +14.090: 5. Marco Melandri (Honda) +17.276: 7. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +26.591:
Press release courtesy of Rizla Suzuki.

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Scintillating Shanghai battle ends with second place for Rossi

Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi fought a race-long battle with Casey Stoner during the Grand Prix of China today, the pair providing a thrilling spectacle until the 16th lap when Rossi was forced to concede victory to the Australian after a small mistake. Despite starting from the front row alongside pole-sitter Rossi, Colin Edwards had a less successful day as he suffered tyre problems from the start and dropped steadily down the order, eventually finishing a disappointing 11th.

John Hopkins took the lead into turn one but Rossi passed him on the first lap to cross the line in front. Edwards however had already slipped down to sixth and was unable to make up anymore ground from then on. By lap three Rossi had dropped behind both Stoner and Marco Melandri but before long Rossi had despatched his fellow countryman and set off after Stoner, eliciting a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse which kept everyone on the edge of their seats. Rossi’s M1 worked perfectly throughout and the Italian was never more than a few tenths down on Stoner, exploiting the agility and corner speed of his Yamaha in the earlier sections to close the gap and often pass Stoner, but relinquishing ground down the long back straight where the Ducati had the advantage.

The pair kept up a blistering pace and only Hopkins could stay with them, closing the gap to half a second at one point in pursuit of his first podium. With seven laps to go and Rossi doing everything in his powers to find a way to make a pass stick on Stoner, the Yamaha rider made a mistake braking into the hairpin at the end of the back straight and ran off the track, letting Hopkins through. Rossi kept fighting and was able to pass the American back again to consolidate second place, but Stoner was too far ahead and took the flag three seconds in front. Edwards, meanwhile, had a difficult race as his package failed to work today and he was una ble to use the potential of his Yamaha, crossing the line 35 seconds behind the winner.

Valentino Rossi - Position: 2nd Time: +3.036 - “I enjoyed today a lot, it was a great race, a really exciting battle and my Yamaha was fantastic to the end. We knew that this track would be difficult for us so to be able to fight with Stoner at 100% for the entire race was a great feeling. Of course it’s not a win, but I think second place is a very good result for us here. I didn’t want to give up and just ride for second, I wanted to try to pass him and I made some good overtaking manoeuvres but wasn’t able to stay in front down the straight. Then I made a mistake when I hit a bump when braking, had to release the brake and ran off track. It was a pity, but when you’re riding on the limit lap after lap then things like this can happen; that’s racing! Anyway I knew I couldn’t give up, I had a nice battle with John and then was able to take second. I think these twenty points are really important and we’re still second in the championship. I’m really more sad for what happened in Turkey because if we hadn’t had the problem there then I might have been level with Stoner in the championship now. But the season is long and now we have several races in Europe at some of my favourite tracks and I think we’re in good shape for them!”

Colin Edwards - Position: 11th Time: +35.053 - “I don’t have much positive stuff to say about today’s race! I had hoped that I would be able to try for a podium but right from the start I didn’t have any rear grip and it was all I could do to keep it upright throughout the race. I genuinely believe that our bike is the best on the grid and I’ve never felt happier with it, but unfortunately the package as a whole isn’t working for me at the moment and we need to understand why. I had a slightly different tyre to Valentino but he really showed his class again today. I just want to forget about this race and look forward to Le Mans, where I’ve always gone well.”

Davide Brivio - Team Director - “If you had told us before we got here that we would take second place, we would have been happy with that. Then of course on Friday and Saturday we realised that we could in fact battle for the victory! Valentino was perfect today and he couldn’t have done anything better. His mistake was due to his fighting spirit, his refusal to give up and his will to fight until the end; this is the mark of a champion. We showed we have huge potential, we lack a little bit of top speed and we must improve the performance of the engine so this is what we will be working on in the next few weeks. Colin showed with his performance yesterday that he has the ability to do well this season, but he used a different tyre and a different set-up to Valentino and unfortunately it didn’t work for him today. Valentino and Yamaha are in perfect shape and Colin has proved that he too can do great things when everything’s working well for him. The championship is still young and we will keep on fighting like we did today.”

Season best result for Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team
The Yamaha Tech 3 Team scored its best result of the year to date as Sylvain Guintoli finished in 13th position at the Grand Prix of China held in Shanghai. The result for the team could have been a lot better but unfortunately, his team mate Makoto Tamada was involved in an accident on the fourth lap of the race with fellow Japanese rider Shinya Nakano which forced his retirement.
Among the positives that the team will take to the next Grand Prix is the fact that Sylvain was able to stay with defending world champion, Nicky Hayden, for several laps.

Sylvain Guintoli - Position: 13th Time: +50.705 - “I’m very happy with the race and the weekend. It was a good boost for me to be so close to Nicky for so long after he was caught up in that first lap incident and I had a lot of fun racing with him. Unfortunately I made a little mistake towards the end of the race that allowed the gap to open up. Anyway, I am satisfied as the weekend didn’t start very well as we had a lot more trouble than Jerez and Turkey to get the right tyre but we worked hard and managed to find a good tyre for the race. At the end of the day it is my best result in MotoGP, I was able to follow Rossi for a couple of laps during practice learning a few things and I managed to stay with the world champion for half the race so this has given me a good boost of confidence for my home Grand Prix in Le Mans in two weeks time. I am really looking forward to that and after testing with Dunlop and the Yamaha Tech 3 Team last year feel that the tyres should work well there and it a track I particularly like so hopefully I can score some more good points in front of my home crowd.”

Makoto Tamada - Position: DNF - It was a shame my race only lasted three laps as I had a very good feeling with the bike and the tyres. I felt that this was going to be the best race of the year for me so far. I am very disappointed that I crashed as we had good speed but I am also sorry for Shinya. I wasn’t expecting to be going to pass him then but he was going a lot slower than I thought. I tried to avoid him by diving for the inside to take the corner but unfortunately we hit and we both went down and my bike was too badly damaged to continue. The tyres are also getting better so I am feeling better on the bike everytime I ride it. Hopefully we can continue the progress at the next race and I can get a good result for myself and the team.”

Herve Poncharal - Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team Director- “It wasn’t such a bad weekend for us but firstly I would like to say that we have to qualify better because during the entire weekend, apart for the last 30 minutes of the qualifying session, we were always quicker than a few riders who eventually qualified in front of us. Once we get to the race we go back to the same pace we had during the practices. Makoto was catching and passing a few guys and doing very well. He had a great start, was very aggressive but wasn’t involved in the first lap crash. He was up to 11th as he was able to catch and pass a few riders but unfortunately - and we apologise to Shinya Nakano and his team - he was caught a bit by surprise as he was a lot faster but he didn’t expect Shinya to brake so early at the end of the back straight and hit him from behind. It’s a pity because when we see what Sylvain has done it was possible to have both riders score some good points. For myself personally, the best part of the weekend was Sylvain as he managed to stay right behind the world champion, Nicky Hayden for over 10 laps turning in the same lap times and this will be excellent for his confidence. He showed to many in the MotoGP paddock that he can race with anyone. The work we did at Istanbul is paying off so I hope that we will have many people come and support us at our home Grand Prix at Le Mans in two weeks time.”

Race 1 - 22 Laps

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time
1, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 44′12.891
2, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 0′3.036
3, John Hopkins, Suzuki, USA, 0′6.663
4, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 0′14.090
5, Marco Melandri, Honda, ITA, 0′17.276
6, Loris Capirossi, Ducati, ITA, 0′26.256
7, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 0′26.591
8, Randy De Puniet, Kawasaki, FRA, 0′27.025
9, Alex Hofmann, Ducati, GER, 0′28.108
10, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0′32.957
11, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 0′35.053
12, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0′37.327
13, Sylvain Guintoli, Yamaha, FRA, 0′50.705
14, Alex Barros, Ducati, BRA, 0′55.264
15, Kenny Roberts, KR212V, USA, 0′57.736

Best Lap

Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 1′59.857

Rider Standings 06/05/2007

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points
1, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 86
2, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 71
3, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 49
4, Marco Melandri, Honda, ITA, 41
5, John Hopkins, Suzuki, USA, 39
6, Toni Elias, Honda, ESP, 35
7, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 31
8, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 30
9, Loris Capirossi, Ducati, ITA, 30
10, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 30
11, Alex Barros, Ducati, BRA, 27
12, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 20
13, Randy De Puniet, Kawasaki, FRA, 19
14, Alex Hofmann, Ducati, GER, 19
15, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 15
16, Sylvain Guintoli, Yamaha, FRA, 6
17, Makoto Tamada, Yamaha, JPN, 4

Press release courtesy of Yamaha.

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KAWASAKI’S DE PUNIET EQUALS BEST MOTOGP RESULT IN SHANGHAI
Randy de Puniet equalled his best performance in MotoGP today at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. The 22-lap race saw the French Kawasaki rider bring home his 800cc Ninja ZX-RR in eighth position, on a par with his previous best at Istanbul two weeks ago, and well ahead of last year’s 12th place.

After a good start from seventh position on the grid, the Frenchman narrowly avoided a collision at turn one which forced three riders off the track, keeping his composure and riding with the leading group for much of the opening part of the race. However, a minor error caused him to lose the tow from the front five riders and he rode much of the rest of the race alone.

In a battle which saw numerous riders crash out on the demanding circuit, de Puniet put in consistent lap times to comfortably secure his top ten finish, just losing out on sixth position in the final laps. Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen overtook and de Puniet was unable to get back past them in the closing stages.

In dry conditions at the 5.281km track, de Puniet showed off an impressive top speed of 320.67km/h, with an average of 156.07km/h. Along with a successful suspension set-up and excellent performance from the Bridgestone tyres, he showed how well Kawasaki’s Ninja ZX-RR is evolving after recent improvements.

The team were hoping for at least eighth position, so weren’t disappointed, but strongly believe the bike is capable of a top five or six place finish. They now look forward to developing the bike further, ready for the next round at Le Mans in two weeks’ time: Frenchman Randy’s home Grand Prix.

De Puniet now has 19 points overall; running 13th in the championship.

Olivier Jacque’s appearance at Le Mans is dependant on a medical assessment on Monday of the injury sustained in his Friday crash. The 33-year-old Frenchman will have the drain removed from his injured forearm by Doctor Mir in Barcelona, and only then will he find out whether a return to action at his home Grand Prix is a realistic proposition.

Randy - 8th Position - “The target was to finish eighth and I did but, after a positive weekend and this morning’s warm up, I was expecting to finish in a better position. I am satisfied with the race, although I have to say that maybe I was too cautious. I didn’t want to risk making any mistakes, which could have ruined my chances. I got a good start and kept my position on the leading group for about six laps but, from then on, I couldn’t keep up their rhythm. I didn’t have any slipstream and that made me lose about three tenths of a second per lap. Riding on the safe side, Capirossi and Vermeulen were able to catch and pass me. I tried to give it back to Vermeulen at the last corner, and I almost did, but he was on a better line and I couldn’t manage it. Anyway, my Kawasaki and the Bridgestone tyres worked perfectly today and I am really satisfied about the work we have done here over the weekend. I am sure that if we continue this way, better results will come soon. And it would be great to get them at the next race in Le Mans: my home race.”

Press release courtesy of Kawasaki.

Race 1 - 22 Laps

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time
1, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 42′2.850
2, Toni Elias, Honda, ESP, 0′6.207
3, Loris Capirossi, Ducati, ITA, 0′8.102
4, Alex Barros, Ducati, BRA, 0′8.135
5, Marco Melandri, Honda, ITA, 0′8.289
6, John Hopkins, Suzuki, USA, 0′10.186
7, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0′10.239
8, Randy De Puniet, Kawasaki, FRA, 0′14.734
9, Alex Hofmann, Ducati, GER, 0′16.042
10, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 0′18.999
11, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 0′26.249
12, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0′29.546
13, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 0′36.922
14, Makoto Tamada, Yamaha, JPN, 0′38.540
15, Sylvain Guintoli, Yamaha, FRA, 0′39.337
16, Kenny Roberts, KR212V, USA, 1′9.336

-.-

Sunday Apr 22 2007
Turkish GP -FANTASTIC DAY FOR DUCATI MARLBORO MEN

Ducati Marlboro Team man Casey Stoner scored a masterful victory at Istanbul Park today to regain the World Championship lead while team-mate Loris Capirossi announced his renaissance with a gritty ride to third place. The pair’s impressive performance also puts Ducati at the top of the constructors’ title chase and the Ducati Marlboro Team at the top of the teams’ championship.

Stoner swept into the lead at the end of the first lap and no one could get close enough to challenge him after that, the Australian extending his advantage throughout to win by 6.2 seconds. Capirossi had a less lonely race, running second behind Stoner early on, then battling back and forth with a group of riders. He lost third place to fellow Ducati GP7 rider Alex Barros exiting Turn 11 on the last lap but fought back into the final chicane to take his first podium of 2007.

Three Ducatis in the top four made this the best-ever MotoGP race for the legendary Italian marque. Bridgestone also enjoyed its best MotoGP result, monopolising the top six places.

Casey Stoner, race winner, World Championship leader on 61 points - “We had a great race, unfortunately some of the other riders didn’t have such a good race. Really, with the way the Ducati and the Bridgestones were today we couldn’t do anything wrong. I got past Colin (Edwards) on the first lap because I wanted to make sure I didn’t get held up and bumped back like in Jerez. Then Valentino ran off the track, pretty much gifting me first position. From there we put some good laps together, built a gap and continued from there because some of the other riders were having a battle. I don’t want to sound confident, but at first I was pushing hard to get a gap, then after it got to 2.53 seconds I tried to slow the pace, just to make sure everything was safe, and the lap times actually dropped from trying to go a bit slower. The Bridgestone tyres were absolutely perfect, in fact the whole package was just perfect. I have to thank a lot of people, all the team and everybody who’s contributed to my career, including Anthony Peadon (Australian former international sprint cyclist) for training me over the last few weeks. We are really determined this year, we’re not expecting much, we’re just doing the best job we can. With Ducati and Marlboro and everybody together I think we can do a really good job and I think and I hope that we can get stronger as the season goes on.”

Loris Capirossi, 3rd place, 11th in World Championship on 20 points - “The whole weekend has been fantastic for me, I’m back! Twenty days ago I had the best moment of my life when our first kid was born, so now I’m enjoying riding again and I hope my championship starts here because we still have 15 races to go. Everything worked so good, I got a good start and tried to follow Casey but he was so strong and I preferred to go a little slower. I fought a lot, especially with Alex on the last lap. I lost the front in the fast right, my bike start shaking a lot and Alex overtook me, so I said �okay, I have only one opportunity to make the podium, to out-brake Alex at the chicane’. I want to say thank you very much to team, to everyone for keeping confidence in me after two difficult races.”

Federico Minoli, President and CEO Ducati Motor Holding - “Three Ducatis in the top four is really amazing, it’s our best-ever result in MotoGP, a fantastic day. Casey has been so strong all weekend, Loris showed a lot of character holding onto third and I’m really happy for Alex too. To see our other team go so well is another testimony to the talent of our engineers. Casey again showed great maturity, he kept extending his advantage throughout the race and always kept his cool. The kid has a great future in front of him.”

Press release courtesy of Ducati.

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WONDERFUL RACE FOR THE TEAM PRAMAC D’ANTIN,WHO ACHIEVE FOURTH POSITION WITH BARROS AND NINETH ONE WITH HOFMANN

Excellent result for the team Pramac d’Antin which obtained the top ten with both his riders in Istanbul’s race. Alex Barros protagonist of an absolute perfect race, lost the podium for very few second, qualifying in fourth position; the race was portend too hardly from the beginning when some riders fall down hindering the track, but fortunately the Brazilian was able to go on continuing his fast race to reach the head’s group. Hofmann after to be fall down in the warm up wasn’t in his good condition, anyway he cached the right spirit to continue to obtain the nineth position overtaking Valentino Rossi just two laps at the end. Thanks to this wonderful Sunday, the team will face with deep motivation the tomorrow optional test, determined to have good race in Shangai too.

Alex Barros – 4°: “I’m very happy because this one was a fantastic week end for us. We started with some difficulties but we ended very well! We work too hardly during the past two days making some changes at my DUCATI GP7 set-up to find the best solution that able me to be fast. Inspite of starded from penalizing position, I made good start that was very important for my result. It was a wonderful race for me, I had deep struggle with the some other riders and I was near to the podium. I’m displeased about it, but Loris was very determined, when I overtook him, he push at his maximum leave me behind. I would you thanks my team for the good work done, Bridgestone e Ducati for the competitive material they given us and Pramac that given me all his confidence. This result is strong important, give us the right strength to go on”.

Alex Hofmann – 9°: “I’ m very satisfied for this day. It was bad started with my fall during the warm-up, but at the end I done a good race. In reason of my fall, I wasn’t at my 100%, I have soft ache rib that make me difficult to respire, certainly anything really grievous, but it conditioned me. During the race I was always near the head’s group, unfortunately I could be there, but I’m equally satisfied; this in Istanbul was my best race! I’m so grateful with all my Team that made precious work and I want to thanks everyone hoping in a good race in China too.

Luis d’Antin – Team Principal: “I think I can be really satisfied after this race. First of all I happy for my Team that made excellent work. Both Barros and Hofmann wasn’t in their best condition, the first one because of deep flu, and the second for his fall in the morning, but all given their best. Barros struggled to the end obtaining a very important fourth position and Hofmann showed to have the right spirit to well done. The last period wasn’t very good for the Team, a day like this is deep important for us. I want to thanks Bridgestone and Ducati for the technical material and all the sponsor that believe in our project.

Official Time:

1° Casey Stoner 42’02.850
2° Toni Elias 42’09.057
3° Loris Capirossi 42’10.952
4°Alex Barros 42’10.985
5°Marco Melandri 42’11.139
9° Alex Hofmann 42’18.892

Press release courtesy of Pramac Dantin Ducati.

-.-

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer Chris Vermeulen was involved in a first lap crash at today’s Turkish Grand Prix, almost definitely costing him a place on the podium - his race pace after he and rejoined the race was as good as any other rider on the track.

Vermeulen was caught up in a four rider crash, caused by Kawasaki’s Olivier Jacque and also involving Dani Pedrosa and Colin Edwards. Vermeulen’s bike was lying on top of Pedrosa’s and the determined Australian dragged it off, got back on and re-joined the race. The Rizla Suzuki GSV-R sustained some damage in the accident but Vermeulen battled back to secure 11th place at the end of the race, setting the fastest time on the penultimate lap. The accident cost Vermeulen over 22 seconds from start to finish and his final race time was only 20 seconds off second place.

John Hopkins was involved in an equally exciting race. The 23-year old Anglo-American battled all race long for the podium, but the highly competitive 800cc championship meant he had to fight for every place and eventually brought his GSV-R home in sixth place, just ahead of World Champion Nicky Hayden.

Over 40,000 people watched Casey Stoner on the Bridgestone-shod Ducati take victory at a sunny Istanbul circuit, and also witness Bridgestone have the first six bikes across the line for the first time ever in GP history.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP now travels to the Far East for round four of the MotoGP World Championship at Shanghai in China on Sunday 6th May.

Chris Vermeulen - “I got a bit boxed in on the first lap and immediately got involved in a battle, but we soon straightened things out. I had just passed Alex Barros when another rider took out Edwards and Pedrosa right in front of me and I had nowhere to go but down. That was the worst part of the race, but luckily my bike was still running and lying on top of Pedrosa’s. I grabbed the clutch, pulled my bike off his and re-joined the race. My handlebar was bent and the fairing was broken but everything else seemed to be fine. I gave it a lap or two to see if everything was ok and then just got my head down and went for it. I started to chase after the other guys and do some fast, consistent laps. I kept it as smooth as I could and managed to get up to 11th. I know I set the fastest lap near the end so who knows what might have happened if I hadn’t have crashed. We now need to take this forward to China, qualify well and make sure we don’t get knocked off again!”

John Hopkins - “It was certainly a dogfight out there! I would firstly like to thank – and congratulate – Bridgestone. They have done a great job here especially on my behalf. Last year I had to pit for a new tyre and this year they had the top six places, so well done to them. I got a decent enough start and made some early passes, and I got my head down and really got stuck into the race. At about half distance I got involved in a hell of a fight where everything just kept turning upside down. One minute I was in seventh then up to fourth or third and then back to sixth. I had to work for every bit today and would definitely like to have gone for that podium place, but we got some good points. Now it’s time to go to China, I got a fourth there last year and I’m really looking forward to going back. It’s a nice flowing track and I think the Suzuki GSV-R and the Bridgestone tyres will work well!”

Paul Denning – Team Manager - “Rizla Suzuki MotoGP had high hopes yesterday of a great result here. We did see a good performance, but unfortunately it was not a great result. For me the ride of the GP came from Chris Vermeulen, he had enough pace to win the race! To pick himself up and achieve such fast lap-times immediately, and with a damaged bike, was just incredible. It also culminated in him setting the fastest time on the penultimate lap of the race. It just shows what a true racer he is and if everything goes his way he certainly has the ability to challenge MotoGP’s established stars on a regular basis. John rode a brilliant first lap to get to third position, and was involved in a frenetic battle throughout the race and we are all a bit disappointed that we couldn’t quite get that podium we are after. Nonetheless the Suzuki GSV-R has worked really well here in Turkey, Bridgestone has dominated all weekend, now let’s go to China and carry on the good work!”

Grand Prix of Turkey Race Classification:

1. Casey Stoner (Ducati) 42′02.850: 2. Toni Elias (Honda) +6.207: 3. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) +8.102: 4. Alex Barros (Ducati) +8.135: 5. Marco Melandri (Honda) +8.289: 6. JOHN HOPKINS (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +10.186: 11. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +26.249:

Press release courtesy of Rizla Suzuki.

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Disappointment for Rossi and Edwards on unlucky day in Turkey

High hopes for Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards went unfulfilled today as the Fiat Yamaha Team riders, who started from first and second on the grid, were both victims of bad luck at Istanbul Park. The pair got a good start and were leading the pack into turn one before Edwards dropped back as he was unable to get enough heat into his tyre and Rossi made a mistake and ran wide at turn eleven. Disaster then struck for Edwards as he was hit from behind by another rider and sent tumbling into the gravel trap in a crash that involved four riders in total. Rossi meanwhile seemed to be going well and had fought back to second behind eventual winner Casey Stoner, before he suffered a serious rear tyre problem that forced him to roll off the gas and drop right back through the field. The Italian had to use all his talents to keep himself in the race and he eventually brought his Yamaha home in tenth position, taking what were a creditable six points under the circumstances.

Rossi now drops to second place in the championship standings, ten points behind Stoner and 15 ahead of Dani Pedrosa, who was also involved in the first-lap crash. Edwards’ unlucky non-finish, only the second in his Yamaha career, means he drops down to sixth. The Fiat Yamaha Team have a one-day test planned tomorrow although Edwards will wait until the morning to confirm if he will ride after badly bruising his knee when he was knocked down.

Valentino Rossi - Position: 10th Time: +18.999 - “We are very disappointed today because we had high expectations for this race, but instead we had some unexpected problems with the tyre and it’s been a disaster for us. Yesterday and this morning the same race tyre felt good but unfortunately today something happened to it after some laps and I couldn’t fulfil the potential we had here. We don’t know the reason yet for the problem but now Michelin are trying to understand what happened. I had a great start and was leading on the first lap, although I made a mistake at turn eleven when I ran wide and dropped to fifth. However at that stage my bike was working very well and I was able to fight back to second; I felt sure that I was going to have a good battle with Stoner! Sadly though, after ten or eleven laps, the tyre started to lose all grip and I had to slow right down because I was quite scared. It felt like there was a big problem with the tyre and I had to go very carefully just to finish. We were very unlucky today, we started first and second but Colin crashed when he was hit and then I had this problem. I’m also quite unhappy with Elias today because I think he was quite dangerous - more than once he passed me on the inside and then altered his line. This is not a correct way to race. We’re all quite sad tonight but we have many more races so we will look forward now to China.”

Colin Edwards - Position: DNF Time - “I got a great start but I had some problems getting heat into the rear tyre, which we were expecting at the start anyway. As a result I couldn’t corner so well and I slipped right back on that first lap. Then Valentino ran off the track a bit at the fast right turn and I think everyone was checking up a bit and looking at him instead of thinking about the next corner! It seemed that everyone around me ran a bit wide into turn 12 but I braked normally and went underneath them when Jacque hit me from behind and I went down. I’m not badly hurt but my knee took a bit of a bang and it’s swollen up quite a lot. It’s pretty disappointing because we know my bike was working well and once I got some heat into the tyre it might have been a good race.”

Davide Brivio - Team Director - “A very difficult and disappointing race for us! Colin was very unlucky as he was hit from behind through no fault of his own and there was no way for him to avoid the crash. He has some bad bruising to his knee but we hope it’s nothing too serious. Valentino made a mistake on lap one but he recovered well and it looked like he was set for a good race, but we had some problems with the tyre. We’d chosen the hardest and best tyre that we had available to us but it wasn’t enough to fight with our competitors today. We now have to work with Michelin during tomorrow’s test to understand why this happened and learn from the mistake. It was very hard for Valentino to keep going until the end in this situation but he didn’t give up and took some valuable points; we’re still second in the championship so let’s move on from here and look forward to China.”

Turkish delight for Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team
After a drama charged Grand Prix of Turkey the Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team can leave Istanbul extremely satisfied as riders Makoto Tamada and Sylvain Guintoli scored more championship points finishing in 14th and 15th spots respectively.

In what is shaping as the most intensely contested MotoGP Championship on record, both riders were extremely fortunate not to be involved in a spectacular opening lap crash that caused three riders to retire, as the Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 pilots were forced to take evasive action to stay in the race.
Losing vital seconds in the melee, both riders recovered composure rapidly to give chase to the quickly disappearing pack and with determined rides closed the gap to the leaders over the remainder of the race to finish just 30 seconds from a podium finish.

Confirming the continuing development of both the new generation Dunlop tyres and the 800cc Yamaha’s that have made their debut in the new look championship in 2007, both riders consistently lapped the 5.340km Istanbul Park circuit over a second quicker than last year.

Makoto Tamada - Position: 14th Time: +38.540 - “The race wasn’t so bad for me after Jerez but I need to find more consistency in myself. I had a good tyre as in the first few laps I could push very hard. It then dropped off a little but then the consistency remained the same. In the first lap I lost a bit as I had to ride around a long way to avoid the bikes on the track. I rode very hard to try and make up the difference but this is where I think I used a bit of the rear tyre trying to catch up to everyone. During the race I had a good battle with Shinya Nakano and my teammate Sylvain so things are getting better but the tyre remained consistent in its level of grip. I am working well with the team as we get to know each other and I am getting more and more confidence with the Dunlop tyres after being on other makes of tyres for many years. I feel that with the improvements we are making with the bike and the help from Dunlop that our results will improve at every race, as long as there are not too many crashes in front of me!”

Sylvain Guintoli - Position: 15th Time:+39.337 - “Overall it was a good weekend. After Qatar and Jerez where we did some testing, this track was completely new to me. In the first lap I had to do a bit of gardening to miss the accident in front of me on the first lap and I think I lost about 10 seconds so it was a race against the clock to come back to the pack. On the last lap I had passed Makoto but unfortunately braking at the end of the straight I hit a bit of footpeg from the big crash that was still on the track and I lost the front and nearly crashed. One point is good again, especially here where I thought it would be more difficult but I think I could’ve been closer to the front than 30 seconds except for missing the crash and that little incident on the last lap. We always knew we had a good front tyre and now we have found some new information to improve the front but especially the most important was the rear tyre. Dunlop has made some big improvements with the rear tyre as it was very consistent the entire race and allowed us to go much faster than last year as I have done faster lap times than Carlos Checa did last year in the dry. This weekend has given me a lot more confidence as I feel these tyres are much better than a lot of people think so I am hoping for a race soon where we can get everything to gel together.

Herve Poncharal - Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team Director- “I am reasonably satisfied with the result of the weekend as we are again in the points and towards the end of the race, we were quicker than a few riders in front of us and this proves that we are becoming more competitive at each race and that the new tyre rules are working. I am extremely happy with Sylvain and feel that if he wasn’t involved in the first lap drama that he would have scored more points than the single one that he claimed. He came back strongly and was very consistent the entire race, competing together with Shinya Nakano and Carlos Checa. The most encouraging sign for us was that we were only 30 seconds from third place and this proves to me the improvement that is being made to the entire package as last year we struggled here and this year it is a lot better result for us. We are staying here to test tomorrow and we have quite a few things to test especially in the tyre department. We have to keep it in perspective though as we are not going to climb ten steps at once but from the beginning of the season we are consistent and we are steadily improving.

Race 1 - 22 Laps

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time
1, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 42′2.850
2, Toni Elias, Honda, ESP, 0′6.207
3, Loris Capirossi, Ducati, ITA, 0′8.102
4, Alex Barros, Ducati, BRA, 0′8.135
5, Marco Melandri, Honda, ITA, 0′8.289
6, John Hopkins, Suzuki, USA, 0′10.186
7, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0′10.239
8, Randy De Puniet, Kawasaki, FRA, 0′14.734
9, Alex Hofmann, Ducati, GER, 0′16.042
10, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 0′18.999
11, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 0′26.249
12, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0′29.546
13, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 0′36.922
14, Makoto Tamada, Yamaha, JPN, 0′38.540
15, Sylvain Guintoli, Yamaha, FRA, 0′39.337
16, Kenny Roberts, KR212V, USA, 1′9.336

Rider Standings 22/04/2007

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points
1, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 61
2, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 51
3, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 36
4, Toni Elias, Honda, ESP, 35
5, Marco Melandri, Honda, ITA, 30
6, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 26
7, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 26
8, Alex Barros, Ducati, BRA, 25
9, John Hopkins, Suzuki, USA, 23
10, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 21
11, Loris Capirossi, Ducati, ITA, 20
12, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 15
13, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 14
14, Alex Hofmann, Ducati, GER, 12
15, Randy De Puniet, Kawasaki, FRA, 11
16, Makoto Tamada, Yamaha, JPN, 4
19, Sylvain Guintoli, Yamaha, FRA, 3

Press release courtesy of Yamaha.

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RANDY RACES TO BEST RESULT YET IN ISTANBUL

Randy de Puniet finished today’s Turkish Grand Prix in eighth place, his best result to date since moving up to the MotoGP class with Kawasaki at the start of the 2006 season.

De Puniet’s race didn’t get off to the best start, after difficulties getting his Ninja ZX-RR off the line dropped him back to 13th place at turn one, but he recovered quickly as he chased hard to catch the group of riders ahead of him.

De Puniet’s consistency, combined with the impressive performance of his Bridgestone tyres, allowed the Kawasaki pilot to bridge the gap to current championship leader Valentino Rossi, who was the last man in a six-way battle for third place, with just five laps of the race remaining.

De Puniet was quick to put in a pass on Rossi for eighth place in the final turn, but the Italian managed to retake the position on the main straight. The Kawasaki rider eventually made the pass stick at turn four, but by then, with just three laps left to run, the gap to the ongoing battle for the final podium position was too big to bridge.

But eighth place, just 14 seconds behind race winner Casey Stoner (Ducati), is de Puniet’s best result in the premier class to date, and one on which he is keen to improve on further as the season progresses.

But while de Puniet was satisfied with the performance of himself and his Ninja ZX-RR today, his Kawasaki teammate, Olivier Jacque, was left battered and bruised after crashing out of the race on the opening lap.

The 33-year-old Kawasaki rider moved to the inside of the track to pass Alex Barros (Ducati) and Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) on the run down to the final turn, but with his view obscured by other riders Jacque missed his braking marker and got into the final turn too hot.

Realising his mistake, Jacque tried to look for a gap through which to run on, but was unable to avoid colliding with the rear of Colin Edward’s Yamaha at the apex of the turn. Jacque and Edwards both crashed as a result of the collision, with Dani Pedrosa (Honda) and Vermeulen also crashing whilst taking avoiding action.

Jacque was lucky to escape with just a sore head and a bruised coccyx, but these minor injuries are enough to rule him out of Kawasaki’s planned development test at the Istanbul Park circuit tomorrow.

Randy - 8th Place- “I got a pretty bad start today. I don’t know what happened, but the bike didn’t respond immediately when I released the clutch. I was making up the places again, but then I made another mistake on the back straight. I was ninth at the end of the first lap and not far from the leading group. I had a nice fight with Barros and Hayden but in two laps I lost about three seconds trying to pass Rossi. I finally did it four laps to the end but the gap with the front guys was too big and I could only keep my pace and finish in eighth position. I am happy because I felt good and got mine and my team’s best result of the season, though I am sure that if I hadn’t had a bad start I could have finished in a better position. I will try again in China.”

Oliver - DNF- “I am really sorry about what happened and there are no excuses: I made a mistake. I got a decent start and I was feeling good. It was a big group and I saw a good opportunity to make places up after the fast turn into the chicane. I was in the middle of the group and I missed my braking marker and when I braked it was too late. There was no space. I had no way out and couldn’t avoid touching Edward’s rear wheel. I made high flight and landed on my coccyx. I thought I had broken it, as it was really painful, but luckily it is not. Now I still feel a little bit dizzy but I feel even worse for the team as we had worked really hard throughout the weekend and the bike was feeling very good. I’m really looking forward to China to work even harder and reward them.”

Press release courtesy of Kawasaki.

Team-mate Loris Capirossi had a more difficult day on the occasion of his 250th GP start but salvaged some points with a 12th-place finish.

Down in ninth place at mid-distance after a fraught first few laps, Stoner and his Desmosedici GP7 were the fastest combination on the track during the last part of the race as they hunted down and passed Marco Melandri, Carlos Checa and World Champion Nicky Hayden. Stoner ended the race six tenths off fourth place and just 2.3 seconds off the podium. Capirossi had a challenging two days of practice and attempts to modify his bike’s set up for this afternoon’s race didn’t work as well as he had expected.

Rossi’s 26th win for Yamaha also makes him the most successful rider at Jerez in the premier class, with five wins at the Spanish track. He was joined for the podium celebrations by his team-mate Colin Edwards, who rode a strong race from fourth on the grid to stay in contention behind Dani Pedrosa, eventually finishing third and taking his seventh MotoGP podium in front of a record crowd of 138,000.

Both Yamahas got a good start off the line, Edwards riding around the outside of Carlos Checa to take third at turn two and Rossi passing pole-sitter Pedrosa to take the lead shortly after. By the fourth lap the leading trio had begun to pull away from Nicky Hayden and John Hopkins and Rossi had started to stretch his lead on Pedrosa, setting the fastest lap of the race on lap five. Despite a strong showing from the Spaniard in front of his home crowd, Rossi’s lead never looked in jeopardy and he eventually crossed the line 1.246 seconds in front. Edwards meanwhile never stopped pushing in third place, spurred on by the looming Honda of Toni Elias in the latter stages. Tyre worries for the pair proved unfounded as their Michelins worked well to the flag and Rossi and Edwards now take first and fourth in the Championship after two rounds of the eighteen-race season.

Press release courtesy of Fiat Yamaha Team.

De Puniet’s fellow countryman, and Kawasaki teammate, Olivier Jacque, was unable to add to his points haul from the opening race in Qatar, finishing in a disappointing 18th place after struggling with traction problems throughout the 27-lap race.

Kawasaki’s expectations had been high coming into the second race of the season, with Racing Director, Ichiro Yoda, predicting a strong performance from his two riders, but these expectations had to be re-evaluated during the opening practice session on Friday, as de Puniet and Jacque encountered problems with their Ninja ZX-RR machines that hadn’t been apparent during the IRTA test at Jerez just one month ago.

The problems persisted throughout practice and qualifying on Saturday, but de Puniet saw a distinct improvement in the handling of his Ninja ZX-RR during this morning’s 25-minute warm-up session. Despite this improvement, both de Puniet and Jacque lined up for today’s Spanish Grand Prix knowing that today would be an exercise in damage limitation, rather than an opportunity to push hard for a top ten finish.

Even so, if it hadn’t been for some back luck then de Puniet could have potentially secured a top ten finish for Kawasaki today, but two small mistakes at mid-race distance saw him lose contact with the battle for ninth place, and he lost further time when forced to run wide after Kenny Roberts (Honda) suffered machinery problems on the racing line.

To say that Jacque was disappointed with his result today would be something of an understatement. The 33-year-old Kawasaki pilot was left frustrated after suffering with traction problems from the start of the race, which left him chasing Suzuki’s test rider, Kousuke Akiyoshi, at the back of the field.

Jacque closed on to the back of Akiyoshi in the latter part of the race, but was unable to pass after using his tyres up in the chase. Only Suzuki’s John Hopkins, who rejoined the race behind the Kawasaki pilot after crashing out of fourth place, spared Jacque the ignominy of finishing last.

Alex Barros, had difficulties with both the rear tyre of his DUCATI GP7 that didn’t allow him to be quick in the straight and also made some mistakes during the two lasts laps in the struggle with Vermeulen and Nakano, which cost to him the loss of two positions. The Brazilian, who finished in eleventh position, is quite satisfied with his race, but he said, he wants to be more competitive in the next round.

This day was more difficult for Alex Hofmann, because of some technical problems on the starting grid, he was forced to come back to the pit garage and change his bike soon after the first lap. The German from  Mindelheim, who during the testing proved to have good possibilities for achieving strong results, waits confidently until the next race to forget this unlucky weekend and to reach is goals.

The next date of this World Championship, will see the Pramac d’Antin MotoGP Team in the Turkish Grand prix, that will take place on the Istanbul Circuit, on Sunday, April 22nd.

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 45′53.430
2, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 0′1.246
3, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 0′2.701
4, Toni Elias, Honda, ESP, 0′4.351
5, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 0′4.993
6, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0′10.000
7, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0′14.146
8, Marco Melandri, Honda, ITA, 0′19.969
9, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 0′24.786
10, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 0′24.955
11, Alex Barros, Ducati, BRA, 0′25.008
12, Loris Capirossi, Ducati, ITA, 0′25.852
13, Randy De Puniet, Kawasaki, FRA, 0′26.445
14, Makoto Tamada, Yamaha, JPN, 0′36.653
15, Sylvain Guintoli, Yamaha, FRA, 0′36.744
16, Kenny Roberts, KR212V, USA, 0′48.911
17, Kousuke Akiyoshi, Suzuki, JPN, 0′50.784
18, Olivier Jacque, Kawasaki, FRA, 1′0.901
19, John Hopkins, Suzuki, USA, 1′3.371

Best Lap

Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 1′40.905

Rider Standings 25/03/2007

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points

1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 45
2, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 36
3, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 36
4, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 26
5, Marco Melandri, Honda, ITA, 19
6, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 17
7, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 16
8, Toni Elias, Honda, ESP, 15
9, John Hopkins, Suzuki, USA, 13
10, Alex Barros, Ducati, BRA, 12
11, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 12
12, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 10
13, Alex Hofmann, Ducati, GER, 5
14, Loris Capirossi, Ducati, ITA, 4
15, Olivier Jacque, Kawasaki, FRA, 4
18, Makoto Tamada, Yamaha, JPN, 2
19, Sylvain Guintoli, Yamaha, FRA, 2

Team Standings 25/03/2007

Pos., Team, Points

1, FIAT Yamaha Team, 71
2, Repsol Honda Team, 53
3, Ducati Marlboro Team, 40
4, Honda Gresini, 34
5, Rizla Suzuki, 29
6, Pramac D’Antin, 17
7, Konica Minolta Honda, 12
8, Honda LCR, 10
9, Kawasaki Racing Team, 7
10, Tech3 Yamaha, 4
11, Team Roberts, 3

Manufacturer Standings 25/03/2007

Pos., Manufacturer, Points

1, Yamaha, 45
2, Ducati, 36
3, Honda, 36
4, Suzuki, 20
5, Kawasaki, 7
6, KR212V, 3

After starring in an intriguing curtain-raiser to the season in Qatar, where the pair dominated in practice only to see Casey Stoner (Ducati) storm to his debut victory in the race, the Italian and the American will be looking to use data from positive tests at the Spanish circuit just over three weeks ago to propel them to victory next Sunday.

Second place for Rossi in the desert dust of Doha leaves him lying second in the championship, five points behind the Australian youngster, whilst Edwards holds sixth place after suffering grip problems on the unpredictable Losail surface in the race. Both riders lapped well at Jerez in the final Official Test of the pre-season, when Rossi took the top spot in a televised ‘qualifying’ session - smashing the pole record with a best lap of 1′38.394.

Rossi’s record at Jerez in competitive action is unmatched, the 28-year-old having won there on six occasions riding five different types of motorcycle since his first appearance in the 125cc class in 1996. Edwards, meanwhile, had never ridden at the Spanish venue previous to his debut MotoGP appearance in 2003 and the Texan has enjoyed limited success at the circuit since then, his best finish coming with seventh spot in a wet race three seasons ago.

Jerez could barely provide a starker contrast to the scenes at Losail, with the rolling green Andalusian hills providing the ideal setting for a natural amphitheatre that has become known as the Spanish Mecca of motorcycle racing, with upwards of 120,000 fans making the annual pilgrimage. The track itself challenges the riders to pick the most effective racing line, with few hard braking points and little opportunity to fully open the throttle. The 4.423km layout features regular and quick changes in direction, meaning that the rider requires a responsive overall set-up and good grip at maximum lean angles.

Valentino Rossi has reiterated his confidence in the ability of Yamaha’s engineers to respond to the top-speed challenge laid down by Ducati at Qatar as he looks to end his longest run without a win since his debut victory at Donington Park in 2000. Stoner’s machine had the top speed advantage over Rossi’s down the long Losail straight but ‘The Doctor’ fully expects the deficit to reduce over the coming weeks and says that the extra corner speed of his M1 will prove crucial at tighter circuits such as Jerez.

Despite his unexpected problems in the race at Losail, sixth place for Colin Edwards was still a decent points haul for the opening round and the Texan is confident of adding considerably to that tally at Jerez. The more predictable nature of the Spanish track conditions should allow the 33-year-old to fully exploit the excellent set-up work he completed there during pre-season testing and allow him to once again run at the top of the time sheets throughout the Grand Prix.

Fiat Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio outlined the importance of Rossi’s opening-race podium in what promises to be another unpredictable season of MotoGP racing. Whilst the team’s focus is clearly on winning races, Brivio points out that the priority is to be on the rostrum in as many events as possible as the team put together another championship tilt. The Italian added that his staff are now looking forward to the next challenge, with Jerez high on the list of favourite venues for any paddock regular.

Valentino Rossi: Information
Age: 28

Lives: London, UK

Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1

GP victories: 84 (57 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)

First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)

First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)

GP starts: 174 (115 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)

Pole positions: 46

World Championships: 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP)
Colin Edwards: Information
Age: 33

Lives: Conroe, Texas

Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1

First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP)

GP starts: 67 x MotoGP

World Championships: 2 World Superbike

Jerez Lap Record (990cc)

Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005, 1′40,596

Jerez Best Lap (800cc)

Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2007, 1′38,394

2006 Spanish Grand Prix Results

1. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 45′57.733

2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda +4.375

3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda +9.996

11. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha +37.930

14. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha +1′05.766

For the PRAMAC D’ANTIN MotoGP Team, whose racing department is situated in Madrid, this will be an important race. The enthusiasm and determination of the Italo-Spain Team will be rewarded with great support from their fans and all the passionate people that travel to the Andalusian Circuit.

Having just returned from a solid opener in Qatar, with a ninth position for Alex Barros and an eleventh one for Alex Hofmann, the Team is confident in it’s ability to pursue an exciting World Championship, always aiming for the top five, and more so, victory! As usual, the race weekend, will begin Friday, March 23rd, with free practices, and will end on Sunday, the 25th, with the World Championship race.

THE CIRCUIT
Built in 1986,this circuit hosted it’s first race one year later, becoming one of the most popular Grand Prix’s in the world. Situated in Southern Spain, it is a technical track characterized by two straights and fast curves of varying difficulty that make it one of the most loved circuits for both the riders and spectators.  In 2006, there were 242.000 people who attended the three day event. Thanks to it’s facilities and good climatic conditions, Jerez is often chosen for Winter Tests.

Open:  1986
Length: 4.423 km, 2.748 Miles
Width: 11m, 36 feet
Straight: 600m, .373 Miles
Left Turns: 5
Right Turns: 8

Press release courtesy of Pramac Dantin Ducati