Japanese Grand Prix
Twin Ring Motegi Circuit, Japan - Race
IN MOTEGI ALEX HOFMANN PUSH TO THE MAXIMUM, AND CARDOSO
IS UNLUCKY
 The
PRAMAC D’ANTIN MOTOGP riders faced the Japanese Grand
Prix with the maximum care on their DUCATI DESMOSEDICI GP6
“Sat”. After a good start and 24 laps to the maximum,
ALEX HOFMANN ended the race in 16th position, close to the
points’ area. JOSE LUIS CARDOSO, despite the big motivation
he showed, didn’t finish the race as he went out of
track during the second lap.
There are two races left to close the 2006 MotoGP World Championship.
These will take place in Europe; the first in Portugal on
the next 15th October in Estoril, the second and last one
in Valencia, as the classic appointment of the end of the
season.
ALEX HOFMANN #66 (16th): “I gave all
I could during 24 laps but I didn’t managed to bring
back home the result I wanted. I had a constant pace and the
bike was stable. My feeling with the front was good and the
braking was alright, but I had problems in acceleration. I
couldn’t exploit it to attack the other riders, the
lack of grip on the rear didn’t allow me to make anything
more. Anyway we made the maximum and I have to thank everybody”.
JOSE LUIS CARDOSO #30 (not classified):
“Unfortunately, the race hasn’t been as I expected.
I started with big motivation but, at the beginning of the
second lap, I ended out of the track at the end of the straight
line, in front of the pit-boxes. The motorcycle remained stuck
in the sand and I was forced to retire myself. Now we’re
going back to race in Europe and I hope that the last two
races will be favourable to me”.
EMANUELE MARTINELLI - Track Engineer of Alex Hofmann:
“HOFMANN kept a pace that we didn’t expected.
Today’s temperature was slightly higher than during
the last days and this partially helped us. The motorcycle
was balanced alright but the traction difficulties on the
rear didn’t allow us to make anything more. The data
of these last three races will be useful to analyze what happened
and try to keep on developing the motorcycle in the right
direction”.
1. Loris Capirossi in 43’13.585
2. Valentino Rossi at 5.088
3. Marco Melandri at 8.378
4. Sete Gibernau at 9.712
5. Nicky Hayden at 11.944
16. Alex Hofmann at 1’11.748
Jose Luis Cardoso not classified
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