MotoGP Preview: Grand Prix Of China

American Colin Edwards finished fourth April 13 in the Grand Prix of Portugal and will look to ride his Yamaha to a podium finish May 4 in China.
By Paul Kelly
redbullindianapolisgp.com
Thursday, May 1, 2008

Event Schedule/Live Timing | Rider Preview Audio | IMS Tickets

EVENT: Grand Prix of China

WHERE: Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China. Circuit is 3.281 miles (5.281 km), with 14 turns. Race is 22 laps.

WHEN: Sunday, May 4. It is the fourth of 18 events this season.

2007 RACE WINNER: Casey Stoner, by 3.036 seconds over Valentino Rossi

2007 POLE WINNER: Valentino Rossi, 1 minute, 58.424 seconds

U.S. TV: 4-5 p.m. (ET), Sunday, May 4, Speed

THE AMERICANS: U.S. riders Nicky Hayden (Owensboro, Ky., Repsol Honda Team), John Hopkins (Ramona, Calif., Kawasaki Racing Team) and Colin Edwards (Houston, Yamaha Tech 3) will compete in this race. Hopkins is seventh, Edwards eighth and Hayden 10th in the MotoGP standings after three races this season.

•Colin Edwards: "It's always been a track that I've done pretty good at. It's a strange track. It's kind of bizarre, that Turn 1 and then that long straight to the back into a hairpin. There's not much room to make an error. We just need to for the sun to stay out. If it rains, we're in trouble. Michelin guys, we're in trouble if it rains."

•John Hopkins: "It's been a really good two weeks at home in California. I've done quite a bit of work on the house, and I've spent some time out motocrossing, so I'm feeling really relaxed. I'm looking forward to the next round as we had a strong result in Estoril and a successful post-race test. The Bridgestone tires are working well, as is the Ninja ZX-RR, and I am confident we can build on what we've achieved so far. Last year Shanghai was where I managed to get my first MotoGP podium, and my aim is to do the same again with the Kawasaki."

•Nicky Hayden: "It seems like we're making progress. Honda's working hard, the Michelin tires are working good, and I really enjoyed the bike at Estoril. We were up there all weekend, so we've just got to put the crash behind us and move on. Shanghai is a strange track. My favorite thing is the surface, seems like it's always good and consistent. The track has got two big straightaways. The back straightaway is the highest top speed of the year, and right after you've got one of the slowest corners in MotoGP, so it's really important to be stable on the brakes, so we worked on that during our tests at Estoril. You also need something good on horsepower, something you can do some drafting with."

THEY SAID IT: "Between races I've been able to spend some time in Australia with my family out at the farm, away from the computer and the mobile phone! It was nice to get away from things and relax, but now I can't wait to get back on the bike." - Ducati Marlboro Team rider Casey Stoner, about the three weeks off between Estoril and Shanghai

FAST FACTS: Rookie Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa are tied atop the standings with 61 points and one victory apiece, but Lorenzo earns the tiebreaker since his victory April 13 at Estoril, Portugal, was the most recent … Lorenzo has won the pole for all three races this season on his Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha/Michelin … Lorenzo will race despite having surgery April 14 to relieve compartmental syndrome in his right forearm, a common procedure for motorcycle racers to repair a condition riders call "arm pump" … Lorenzo became the 100th rider to win a premier-class event when he captured the Grand Prix of Portugal on April 13 … Lorenzo also became the fifth-youngest winner in MotoGP history at 20 years, 345 days. The record holder is American Freddie Spencer, who was 20 years, 196 days when he won the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix ... Lorenzo turns 21 on race day in China. If he wins, he will become the youngest back-to-back winner in MotoGP history … This will be the fourth Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai, with different winners in each of the first three years. Valentino Rossi won in 2005, Dani Pedrosa in 2006 and Casey Stoner in 2007 … American John Hopkins finished third in this event last year, his first career MotoGP podium finish … Hopkins will make his 100th MotoGP start at Shanghai … The 125cc and 250cc classes also compete this weekend. American Stevie Bonsey, from Salinas, Calif., is seventh in the 125cc standings after finishing a career-best fourth April 13 at Portugal on his Aprilia for the DeGraaf Grand Prix team. It was the best finish for an American rider in the 125cc class since Allan Scott finished third at the 1989 Australian Grand Prix.

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Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets: Tickets are on sale for the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14, 2008.

Tickets can be purchased either online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time; on the phone by calling (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or (317) 492-6700 locally between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday; or visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Ticket Office on the first floor of the IMS Administration Building at 4790 W. 16th St. in Indianapolis from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

All tickets for this event are three-day tickets, with both reserved and general admission seating available.


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