DUCATI MARLBORO MEN GO EAST
The Ducati Marlboro Team travels east to the booming city
of Shanghai for round four of the 2006 MotoGP World Championship:
the team is looking forward to China.
Both men are particularly keen to get back into action at
this unusual racetrack after a challenging Turkish GP on April
30. Capirossi finished sixth at Istanbul but is still a close
second in the World Championship, just one point off leader
Nicky Hayden. Gibernau meanwhile led half the Turkish GP on
his Desmosedici GP6, proving that when things go his way,
he has the pace to win races.
China is the last of a series of three 'flyaway' races before
the MotoGP circus returns to its European heartland for six
Continental GPs, commencing with the French round at Le Mans
on May 21.
LORIS CAPIROSSI, Ducati Marlboro Team rider, 2nd
overall (51 points)
"It's been an amazing start to the season with two fantastic
races in Spain and Qatar, even though Turkey didn't go quite
so well for us. The good thing is that we scored some useful
points there, so we are still just one point off the championship
lead. It's a very long season, so every point counts, especially
since there are so many strong riders this year.
"Although I know I am fast at Shanghai, the track isn't
much fun to ride, especially the first section. The first
turn is really, really long, in fact it's more like a roundabout
than a corner! Shanghai isn't a technical track, it doesn't
have the kind of corners where a good rider can really make
a difference. Also, the weather seems very changeable, which
complicates everything. It's difficult to say how good the
track will be for us because we had so little dry track time
there last year, but at the moment I'm very confident in my
GP6 and my Bridgestone tyres."
SETE GIBERNAU, Ducati Marlboro Team rider, 10th overall
(18 points)
"The team is working perfect, so sooner or later we'll
get the results we deserve. Ducati and Bridgestone are also
doing an outstanding job and we know that when things go right
we are very competitive in both the wet and the dry. Racing
is always a learning process, so we have to take it step by
step and look forward to China where we'll be working as hard
as ever to get the results we know we can achieve.
"I have to say that Shanghai isn't my favourite racetrack,
even though I got pole there last year. It's not the kind
of racetrack where you have a lot of fun, it's just not a
great motorcycle circuit. The first corner is weird, but then
the whole track is weird! You've got a couple of really fast
straights and then some really tight corners, so you never
get into a real rhythm."
LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager
"We know that both our riders are fast at Shanghai because
Sete got pole there last year and Loris was third in qualifying,
plus we think it will be a better track for Bridgestone, so
we go there feeling quite confident. We just hope the weather
will be nicer and more consistent than it was last year here
and at Istanbul a few weeks ago.
"Overall, we know that our bike, rider and tyre package
is good. We won the first race of the year, got a third and
fourth at the next race and although we didn't get the best
of results in Turkey we came away in positive mood because
we were fast in wet qualifying and in the dry morning warm-up.
This year's championship is very, very tough. We've had three
races with three different winners and three different pole
sitters. This is good news for the fans and I think we can
be very proud to be an important part of this show."
THE TRACK
China hosted its first MotoGP race last May, the brand-new
Shanghai circuit's massive infrastructure outshining all other
MotoGP venues. But the track itself isn't so popular with
riders, who mostly complain that it doesn't provide the kind
of riding-skill challenges they seek. The layout is dominated
by the ultra-long Turn One and Turn 13 right-handers and by
two long straights, the fastest of which is currently the
quickest in MotoGP. Last year the Ducati Marlboro Team achieved
the highest top speed of the season - at 342.9km/h - on the
long run towards Shanghai's Turn 14.
Lap record: Alex Barros (Honda), 2m 13.716s (wet race)
2005 pole position: Sete Gibernau (Honda), 1m 59.710s
DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS
LORIS CAPIROSSI
Age: 33 (born April 4, 1973)
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP6
GP starts: 234 (64xMotoGP, 59x500, 84x250, 27x125)
GP victories: 26 (4xMotoGP, 2x500, 12x250, 8x125)
First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125)
First GP: Japan, 1990 (125)
Pole positions: 40 (7xMotoGP, 5x500, 23x250, 5x125)
First pole: Australia, 1991 (125)
World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998)
Shanghai 2005 results: Grid: 3rd. Race: 12th
SETE GIBERNAU
Age: 33 (born December 15, 1972)
Lives: Switzerland
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP6
GP starts: 163 (68xMotoGP, 76x500, 19x250)
GP victories: 9 (8xMotoGP, 1x500)
First GP victory: Valencia, 2001 (500)
First GP: Spain, 1993 (250)
Pole positions: 12 (11xMotoGP, 1x500)
First pole: South Africa, 2000 (500)
Shanghai 2005 results: Grid: 1st. Race: 4th
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