Endless, 'my pole' jokes start now.

Various press releases from today's qualifying action in China:

Pramac Grand Prix of China - Shanghai - May 3rd, 2008


Edwards surges to stunning Shanghai pole position, Toseland secures third row Tech 3 Yamaha rider Colin Edwards produced a brilliant late attack to claim pole position for tomorrow's 22-lap China MotoGP clash in Shanghai. Edwards powered his Tech 3 YZR-M1 to a best lap of 1.58.139, which makes the American the fastest rider ever to lap the challenging 5.281km circuit. Edwards' best time comfortably secured him the third pole position of his MotoGP career with closest challenger Valentino Rossi 0.355s adrift in second. Edwards' pole position was the first for the Tech 3 team since the 2002 German MotoGP race at the Sachsenring, and secured him a third front row start in four races during his first season with the French-based squad. Edwards' stunning performance also preserved Yamaha and Michelin's 100 per cent pole position record in 2008 as he took full advantage ofa radical overnight set-up change by his team and senior Japanese engineers to help solve a grip issue that hindered his progress yesterday. James Toseland will start from seventh on the grid after the British rider continued to make big progress in his quest to master the Shanghai circuit. His best lap of 1.59.254 put him as high as fifth place at one stage before he dropped back to the third row.

"I was describing they suggested a plan and when I was thinking about it I was like 'do what'? We were just looking for more traction because I struggled so badly in that area yesterday. We made a big change to the bike to get some weight on the rear and it worked. It was a great team effort and it definitely worked because when I went out this morning I was a second faster instantly." -- Colin Edwards II

Tomorrow's race could be the first wet encounter of 2008, with weather forecasts predicting a strong chance of rain. Colin Edwards 1st 1.58.139 - 21 laps

"I've got to say big thanks to my team, Yamaha and Michelin. I struggled yesterday but today it really came good. My guys and the Japanese got together last night and they came up with a set-up scenario to get the bike working which is completely foreign to what I've been riding. I haven't used this set-up in all my time at Yamaha, but based on the problems

I was describing they suggested a plan and when I was thinking about it I was like 'do what'? We were just looking for more traction because I struggled so badly in that area yesterday. We made a big change to the bike to get some weight on the rear and it worked. It was a great team effort and it definitely worked because when I went out this morning I was a second faster instantly. And it felt easy because I had no issues from the front like yesterday and my comfort level went up from 50 per cent to 95 per cent. My first two qualifiers weren't bad but it felt like I was playing a computer game when the shadow passes you and you are always trying to catch that shadow. It felt like that I could see where I wanted to be but I just wasn't hammering the throttle. So for the last tyre I went into turn one and knew I just had to get in deep enough and I really hammered it round the first two corners. I was 0.3s up just in that one section. From there I rode a good lap but I didn't have any real moments. It was weird because I didn't really have to take any risks like normal to do that time. |Everything was pretty calm and collected and the Michelin qualifier is awesome. It is going to be at tough race. I haven't done a 59 yet on a race tyre and Casey and Valentino look to be doing consistent 59. I just got to get a good start and hang in there." James Toseland 7th 1.59.254 - 19 laps

"I've had to dig deep this weekend because this is a much tougher track to master than Portugal. It is tough learning it on race tyres so to then throw the qualifiers in with the extra grip it almost makes it a completely new track again because you've got to go so much faster. On my first tyre I was out on my second bike and we'd changed the clutch and I had a problem with the gear shifter. I went out on my first bike on the second tyre and pinned it out of the double left and had a really big moment. My feet came off the pegs and I bit the screen so that was the end of that lap too. I only had one tyre really to make a time but without the experience of knowing how hard to push with the first two, I wasn't really up to speed. I went out on the last tyre and braked a bit early for one corner and ran a bit wide at another but these things are going to happen on a brand new track. I was fifth when I did my best lap but unfortunately I just dropped off the second row. That can happen though when you don't know the track so well against this class of field. I'm confident for tomorrow rain or shine but congratulations to Colin and the team. He did a great job and its good for me to see Colin performing like that because it shows what the package is capable of. That's why I can't wait to get to some tracks I know."

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HONDA RACING INFORMATION

Grand Prix of China at Shanghai: final qualifying

Saturday 3 May 2008

Weather: dry, sunny Temperature: ambient 29-degrees, track 46-degrees

PEDROSA DIGS DEEP TO QUALIFY ON SECOND ROW

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) was the best Honda qualifier here at Shanghai in what proved to be a troublesome session for the Honda runners. Colin Edwards took pole with Valentino Rossi second fastest (both Yamaha) and Casey Stoner (Ducati) completing the front row.

Dani managed the fifth quickest time fractionally behind Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) in fourth. He will be encouraged by his consistency on race rubber although he didn't manage to work his qualifying tyres to maximum advantage.

Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Scot Honda RC212V) fell just four minutes into this hour-long final session and the Italian premier class rookie never got up among the pace-setters after this unscheduled incident.

Stoner made the early running with a 2m 01.215s time before an in-form Shinya Nakano (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) relieved the reigning World Champion of pole posting a 2m 00.577s lap. But Stoner then responded with a 2m 00.389s time before Dani slotted in a 2m 00.389s effort quickly followed by a 2m 00.163s lap.

Rossi showed his intent with 43 minutes to go running a 1m 59.876s lap to take pole with Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) in the frame as fourth fastest man and Nakano in the hunt holding seventh spot as the halfway mark approached.

With thirty minutes left on the clock the order was Rossi, Stoner, Hayden, with Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) heading the second row closely followed by Toni Elias and Marco Melandri (both Ducati). Dani then cut a 1m 59.693s time to head the standings as the pace hotted up.

Dani had a huge moment as he worked on shaving vital tenths off his time, the Spaniard was launched out of the seat of his RC212V as he put the power down in a bid to get the edge over determined rivals.

With 21 minutes to go Rossi went pole at 1m 59.362s before Loris Capirossi (Suzuki) and then Nicky Hayden bettered it. Seconds later Edwards sped to a 1m 59.088s time and Nicky fell on the entry to the back straight as he hustled his machine out of the tight turn leading onto it.

The Kentucky Kid was forced to run back to the pits when he couldn't bump start his largely undamaged RC212V. Lorenzo too nearly crashed again after a massive high-side yesterday. The Yamaha man was riding with broken bones in both feet and another ?off' might have put his participation in tomorrow's 21-lap race in severe doubt.

Nakano fell with ten minutes to go and although he managed to get going again, the best he could manage at the end was 13th place for a fifth row start. Dovi meanwhile was languishing in 14th spot as Stoner again upped the pace with a 1m 58.591s time to retake pole and put the pressure on the rest of the field.

The order with five minutes left on the clock was Stoner, Rossi, Lorenzo, Pedrosa then Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) with Nicky holding seventh. Rossi then slotted in a 1m 58.552s lap to go pole and with just two minutes remaining it looked as if the former champ might have secured the top spot.

But Edwards had other ideas and the Texan grabbed the third pole of his MotoGP career with a 1m 58.139s time although Rossi came closest to it when he carved 1m 58.494 around the 5.281km track to secure second place. But with rain forecast for tomorrow's race riders are only too aware that two days of dry set-up work may prove of limited worth if the conditions change.

Dani said of his fifth place on the grid, only 0.716 seconds off the pole time: "We improved from the morning to the afternoon session and were lapping at a good pace on race tyres but unfortunately we couldn't improve as much as we usually do with qualifying tyres, it seemed like we lacked a bit of grip. I don't know why, but a lot of riders crashed during this afternoon's qualifying session. All things considered, starting from the second row is not so bad. If it's dry we will have to improve a little bit more. But I hope we will be able to have a dry race because according to the latest weather forecasts it may rain tomorrow. In that case we will only have 20 minutes to prepare the settings for the wet."

De Puniet made it to ninth, 1.218 seconds off pole. He said: "After yesterday's technical problems which prevented me going faster, we finally found a good pace especially on race tyres. The situation improved a lot and now I can ride with more confidence. We fixed some things before this morning's free session such as engine mapping to control the braking stability, power delivery to make the bike smoother, the chassis geometry and the suspension setting. I had a small crash on the last lap on qualifying tyres but the most important thing is my pace on race tyres. At the end I was able to lap consistently fast even though we still have some things to adjust in tomorrow's warm up session."

Nicky, tenth on the grid, said: "Qualifying didn't go to plan, really. It was OK early on, we were quite up front on race tyres. With my first qualifier I went to first place for a moment, then with my second qualifier I had the front push in turn 11 and down I went. I had a pretty good lap going but just didn't get it down. The track is so long and so big it took me forever to get back to the pits, a little bit walking, a little bit scooter. Then I just got out on the other bike and did one run and didn't get the chance to improve my time. I'm going to need an awesome start, try to pick a few guys off and move forward."

Dovi, 11th at the end of the session, said: "I have to work hard tomorrow, but I think my race pace has potential. There are lots of riders who I feel are on similar lap times, so there's a group of us who can put on a good show. The crash at the start of the session didn't hurt me at all as it was very low speed. We were at a high angle of lean and the front-end of the bike simply washed away. The start will be very important and my key target is a good rhythm in the race and then to use to the maximum the good job the team has done on race set-up over the last two days."

Nakano qualified 13th and said: "I'm disappointed with qualifying today because in free practice I was fast and consistent. Unfortunately I crashed on a lap that could have potentially given us a better grid position - I got back on track with the second bike but I didn't have the same feeling and couldn't improve my best time. It's hard to start from the fifth row but my pace isn't bad so I'm confident. Now my thoughts are on tomorrow's race - I have to focus on getting a good start in order to stay with the fast group."

Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) finished the session 16th, 2.177 seconds off the pole time, and said: "Unfortunately we know we still haven't reached anywhere near our optimum potential on qualifying tyres. At the moment we haven't got a good feeling with the new qualifiers that Bridgestone brought here to Shanghai - the chattering is similar to before so that's why I'm starting so far back. It won't be an easy race because when you start from so far back it is always tricky to make up positions. In any case I will give my best - a little rain might help us out."

250cc

Pole belonged to Alvaro Bautista here with Hector Barbera second quickest, Mika Kallio (KTM) qualified third with Julian Simon (Aprilia) completing the front row. Yuki Takahashi (JiR Scot Honda RS250RW) fell with 25 minutes left of the 45-minute final stint and had to be satisfied with 10th on the grid.

Takahashi, said: "The crash hurt my lower right leg, in the shin and calf area. I'm hoping that by tomorrow the pain will not have increased, but decreased. I still think I can race with the top group tomorrow because the technical condition of my Honda is very good and when I was riding with the other guys I could see that we are competitive. Shanghai is not my favourite circuit, but I feel better at the track than before, so tomorrow I need a good start."

Ratthapark Wilairot (Stop And Go Racing RS250RW) qualified 18th and said: "Everything went OK in the morning's free practice, but I got confused in the final part, and I made a pit stop three minutes from the end, so I couldn't make the most of the last laps. In the afternoon I improved my best time by 0.7 seconds in just four laps, but I couldn't progress more, and I lost two positions at the end. I hope to make a good start tomorrow, and join at least the second group."

125cc

Bradley Smith took pole in this class with a 2m 12.364s lap ahead of Nico Terol, Mike Di Meglio and Gabor Talmacsi (all Aprilia). Louis Rossi (FFM Racing Honda RS125R), recovering from a broken ankle managed 34th on the grid, 6.076 seconds off the pole time.

Rossi said: "It's my first time on this racetrack - quite a complicated one with long straights and endless bends. I'm not suffering too much from my fractured tibia I got during the qualifying in Portugal. I'm not in too much pain, and anyway I must forget about the pain, since riding while injured is part of my job. I'm hanging on and I continue working hard with the team behind me."

Honda rider quotes Chinese GP qualifying May3, 2008.

MotoGP:

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 5th - 1m 58.855s. "We improved from the morning to the afternoon session. We were lapping at a good pace on race tyres but unfortunately we couldn't improve as much as we usually do with qualifying tyres, it seemed like we lacked a bit of grip. I don't know why, but a lot of riders crashed during this afternoon's qualifying session. All things considered, starting from the second row tomorrow is not so bad. If it's dry we will have to improve a little bit more our rhythm but I hope we will be able to have a dry race because according to the latest weather forecasts it may rain tomorrow. In that case we will only have 20 minutes to prepare the setting for the wet."

Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda: 9th - 1m 59.357s. "After yesterday's technical problems which prevented me to go faster, we finally found our good pace especially on race tyres. The situation improved a lot and now I can ride with more confidence. We fixed some things before this morning free session such as engine mapping to control the braking stability, power delivery to make the bike smoother, the chassis geometry and the suspension setting. I suffered a small crash in the last lap on q-tyres but the most important thing is my pace on race tyres. At the end I was able to lap consistently fast even though we still have some things to adjust in tomorrow's warm up session. We need to fix the front feeling in two corners but I feel very satisfied about the job we made and thank all my Team for their efforts."

Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 10th - 1m 59.507s. "Qualifying didn't go to plan, really. It was okay in the beginning, we were quite up front on race tyres. With my first qualifier I went to first place for a second, then with my second qualifier I just had an easy front push in turn 11 and down I went. I had a pretty good lap going but just didn't get it down. The track is so long and so big it took me forever to get back to the pits, a little bit walking, a little bit scooter. Then I just got out on the other bike and did one run and didn't get the chance to improve my time. It was a pity because things were looking quite good on race tyres - this morning I did over race distance and was quite happy. This afternoon the track felt a bit greasy, there were a lot of guys crashing. I've put myself in a nice hole starting tenth, I haven't qualified off the front two rows in the dry since Barcelona last year. I'm going to need an awesome start, try to pick a few guys off and move forward."

Andrea Dovizioso, JiR Scot Honda: 11th - 1m 59.559s. "I do have to work hard tomorrow, but I think that my pace in the race has very high potential. There are lots of riders who I feel are on similar lap times, so there's a group of us who can put on a good show. The crash at the start of the session didn't hurt me at all as it was very low speed. We were at a high angle of lean and the front-end of the bike simply washed away. The only thing that the crash affected was a loss of time - which was important to us. The grip of the Tarmac is quite high and this makes the lap-times higher with racing tyres. On the other hand my pace is pretty consistent, which is positive. The start will be very important I'm in an area of the grid, which isn't the best, but also the first corner isn't one where you can brake late and take many positions: instead it's a long corner so it's difficult to do that. This is why my key target is a good rhythm in the race and to use to the maximum the good job the team has done on race set up over the last two days. We all realise that we have to do better in qualifying in the future."

Shinya Nakano, San Carlo Gresini Honda: 13th - 2m 59.716s. "I'm disappointed with qualifying today because in free practice I was fast and consistent. Unfortunately I crashed on a lap that could have potentially given us a better grid position but I got back on track with the second bike but I didn't have the same feeling and couldn't improve my best time. It is hard to start from the fifth row but my pace isn't bad so I'm confident. Now my thoughts are on tomorrow's race I have to focus on getting a good start in order to stay with the fast group."

Alex De Angelis, San Carlo Gresini Honda: 16th - 2m 00.316s. "Unfortunately we know that we still haven't reached anywhere near our optimum potential on qualifying tyres. At the moment we haven't got a good feeling with the new qualifiers that Bridgestone brought here to Shanghai . the chattering is similar to before so that's why I'm starting so far back. It won't be an easy race because when you start from so far back it is always tricky to make up positions. In any case I will give my best a little rain might help us out."

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FRONT ROW FOR ROSSI AS RAIN LOOMS FOR CHINESE CHALLENGE

Valentino Rossi put his Fiat Yamaha M1 onto the front row of the grid for the second time this season in Shanghai today, qualifying second for tomorrow's Chinese Grand Prix. Rossi looked to have pole position sewn up before fellow Yamaha rider Colin Edwards took his third career pole, Yamaha's fourth from four races this season.

Rossi continued in the same vein as yesterday by setting the pace in this morning's free practice and continuing to do so through most of this afternoon's session. Three-quarters of the way through a strong flying lap put him in provisional pole position and the Italian was confident that a slight improvement with the next qualifying tyre could be enough to take the front slot. He improved again but a last-minute lap from Edwards was 0.355 seconds faster, and Rossi will now have to wait a little longer for his 50th career pole.

Meanwhile Rossi's team-mate Jorge Lorenzo stunned onlookers by qualifying fourth, despite riding with a broken left ankle and having missed the most of the day yesterday following a crash in first practice. After qualifying on pole for his first three MotoGP races, Lorenzo's fourth is no less impressive and he makes it three Yamahas in the top four. Tomorrow's 22-lap race gets underway at 1500 local time and a forecast of heavy rain could make for some unexpected twists and turns.

Position: 2nd Time: 1'58.494 Laps: 23

"I'm quite happy with this position; third in Estoril, second here...hopefully one better next time! I've been fast here since Friday morning and we've worked so hard with the team and with Bridgestone lately to improve the situation with the qualifying tyre, so we definitely deserve to be here. Today I had fun and I was able to fight with my rivals, plus I really enjoyed having the chance to ride at the maximum around this track. When I saw 58.5 on the clock I thought that I had a chance to try for the pole, but then Colin did 58.1 and this was a bit too much for us! Anyway it's very important to be on the front row, especially because we don't know whether it will rain or not. Thanks to my mechanics for doing a great job, and now we've just got to hope the rain stays away!"

Team Manager

"We're getting closer! Congratulations to Colin for a great lap, it's good for Yamaha to have another pole position; hopefully it will be us soon! We've done a good job overall in the four practice sessions and it seems like we're ready to be competitive now tomorrow, if it's dry. Everyone is expecting rain in which case the situation is less clear, but for the moment we're relaxed and looking forward to an exciting race."

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Saturday May 3 2008
Chinese GP - Qualifying Practice

STONER BACK ON FRONT ROW AS MELANDRI MAKES IMPORTANT PROGRESS

Casey Stoner and Marco Melandri played leading roles in qualifying practice for the Grand Prix of China this afternoon. The Australian returned his Ducati to the front row of the grid with the third fastest time whilst the Italian managed to find a good race pace and was as high as fourth place with race tyres before the push for grid positions on qualifying tyres.

Stoner found a good setting for his GP8 in race trim and on the Bridgestone qualifying tyres and he is delighted to have rediscovered his feeling with the bike. Melandri, meanwhile, finally enjoyed a session without any setbacks and was able to work on weight distribution, electronics and tyres he was able to find a much improved set-up for tomorrow's race.

CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) 3rd fastest (1'58.591)

"First of all I want to say a big thank you to the team. We had a great result in Qatar and we knew Jerez and Estoril would be tough but we didn't realise how tough. Despite that nobody lost their head, everybody has stayed calm and together and this is the sign of a great team. It has meant that we have been able to come here with a clear focus, without panicking and making drastic changes to the bike. We found a good base setting for this track yesterday, with much improved front feeling, and today we were able to work on finding better grip on the rear. It's still not perfect but the lap times are good and it feels great to know we're competitive again. Also, I want to say thanks to Bridgestone because they came up with a really competitive qualifying tyre and it allowed us to get on the front row for the first time this season. We're all waiting to see what the weather will do but I won here in the wet in 250 back in2005 and I won in the dry last year in MotoGP so we certainly have nothing to fear."

MARCO MELANDRI - (Ducati Marlboro Team) 12th fastest (1'59.678)

"Finally I can say I am happy! After three sessions when for one reason or another we couldn't work properly, this afternoon everything clicked. We've worked well, made some important modifications to the weight distribution to reduce spinning and that's allowed me to ride more comfortably. On qualifiers we've struggled a bit but the main thing is race pace. I don't want to make any predictions for tomorrow, about the weather or anything else, we'll just have to wait and see if we can continue this progression in the race. That's the way it should be - the team have always kept believing, remained optimistic and now we hope we can turn that into a result."

REPSOL HONDA RIDERS ON ROWS TWO & FOUR

Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai
Qualifying, Saturday May 3 2008

Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden fought hard in a tough qualifying session at Shanghai this afternoon, ending up fifth and tenth quickest.

Pedrosa, who had been just five hundredths of a second off the fastest time during the three free practice sessions, will start tomorrow's Chinese Grand Prix from the second row of the grid. The Spaniard was trying as hard as ever, saving one major slide during the early stages of qualifying as he battled for a front-row start.

There were several fallers this afternoon, Hayden one of them. The American slid off with 18 minutes to go while on a red-hot qualifying lap that would have put him much closer to the front of the grid. The tumble also lost Hayden some momentum because it took him a crucial five minutes to get back to his pit and collect his number-two machine. He ended the session just a fraction off a third-row start.

Latest race-day weather forecasts predict rain for the Shanghai area.

Dani Pedrosa, 5th fastest, 1m 58.855s
"We improved from the morning to the afternoon session. We were lapping at a good pace on race tyres but unfortunately we couldn't improve as much as we usually do with qualifying tyres, it seemed like we lacked a bit of grip. I don't know why, but a lot of riders crashed during this afternoon's qualifying session. All things considered, starting from the second row tomorrow is not so bad. If it's dry for the race we need to improve our rhythm a bit. I hope we will be able to have a dry race because according to the latest weather forecasts it may rain tomorrow. In that case we will only have 20 minutes to prepare our settings for the wet."

Nicky Hayden, 10th fastest, 1m 59.507s
"Qualifying didn't go to plan, really. It was okay in the beginning, we were quite up front on race tyres. With my first qualifier I went to first place for a second, then with my second qualifier I just had an easy front push in turn 11 and down I went. I had a pretty good lap going but just didn't get it down. The track is so long and so big it took me forever to get back to the pits, a little bit walking, a little bit scooter. Then I just got out on the other bike and did one run and didn't get the chance to improve my time. It was a pity because things were looking quite good on race tyres - this morning I did over race distance and was quite happy. This afternoon the track felt a bit greasy, there were a lot of guys crashing. I've put myself in a nice hole starting tenth, I haven't qualified off the front two rows in the dry since Barcelona last year. I'm going to need an awesome start, try to pick a few guys off and move forward."

"Both riders have a good race pace and their qualifying results do not reflect their race potential. Nicky was unlucky, he crashed and couldn't improve his time on qualifiers. Dani will start from the second row. We are confident about both riders because they have a good pace on race tyres. They have finalised their bike specifications, they are very determined and are highly motivated."

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Shanghai front row for Rossi and Stoner

Round 4: China - Qualifying
Shanghai International Circuit, Saturday 3 May 2008

Fiat Yamaha's Valentino Rossi and Ducati Corse's Casey Stoner used Bridgestone's latest generation rear qualifying tyres to score competitive front row results in this afternoon's qualifying practice at the Shanghai International Circuit. Tech 3 Yamaha rider Colin Edwards took pole position.

Rossi will start tomorrow's Chinese Grand Prix from second on the grid, his second consecutive front row using Bridgestone qualifying tyres, while Stoner enjoys his debut front row of the season in third place. The Rizla Suzuki MotoGP riders were both also on good form this afternoon with Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen in sixth and eighth positions respectively, their best qualifying showing of the season so far.

It is the first time this season that two Bridgestone riders frequent the front row of the grid and, with three teams inside the top six, the results mark a notable improvement in qualifying performance, with a reduced gap to the pole position time.

Tyre Talk with Tohru Ubukata - Bridgestone Motorsport - Manager, Motorcycle Race Tyre Development

Bridgestone has two riders on the front row, you must be pleased with the results?

"The new qualifying tyre has given us valuable data with which to make further developments with all teams for the future. The gap to pole is still several tenths of a second, but we are making progress. Our best qualifying time at this track last season was 1m59.315 and we were able to significantly improve on this. Not all our teams were able to make big improvements in qualifying, so we will carefully look at the reasons for this, but in race trim I think we can be satisfied with all team performances so far this weekend."

And race tyres?

How would rain affect preparations?

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Shanghai - China - 3rd May 2008

Andrea Dovizioso's main target for tomorrow: consistency in the race

Today's high temperatures during the qualifying session for tomorrow's Chinese Grand Prix affected grip on the Tarmac of the Shanghai track affecting the starting position of JiR Team Scot's Andrea Dovizioso. The conditions made it important to understand the setting of the bike and the choice of tyres for the race. The pace that Andrea has in race configuration seems to be very good and that will be the key target for the race tomorrow. The team and rider will be working hard to better their qualifying position in the race. The start will be vital to the overall result, but Andrea and the entire JiR Team Scot squad will always be attacking to get the result they deserve.

SURPRISES IN STORE AT SHANGHAI?
Tomorrow's Grand Prix of China will see Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR riders, John Hopkins and Anthony West, starting from 14th and 18th positions, respectively, after a tough qualifying session this afternoon.

For Hopkins, the day proved especially frustrating as his times were putting him at the front of the field but then he suffered a lowside, at the almost 360˚ turn one, and his chances of recovering a better starting position for his 100th MotoGP race were gone.

However, after showing what strong form he is on all weekend, with consistent and impressive improvement on race tyres, those in front of him on the grid will have to watch their backs, as he's got a point to prove.

For West, the qualifying session also proved difficult but his times have been getting ever better throughout the weekend so far. Furthermore, with extremely heavy rain forecast for Sunday, many would consider the Bridgestone-shod, wet weather maestro a good bet for a solid result.

After a day that saw a large number of riders lowsiding and running off, and bikes violently shaking their heads, it looks like tomorrow's 22-lap round could prove a particularly entertaining, and unpredictable, one.

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Good qualifying sees Rizla Suzuki MotoGP near the front

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racers Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen secured their best grid positions of the season so far during qualifying for tomorrow's Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai.

Capirossi will start from the second row of the grid in sixth place, as the experienced Italian narrowly missed out on his first front row start for Suzuki. His best time of 1'58.941 was only 0.350 seconds away from the third fastest time, set by World Champion Casey Stoner, and but for a small mistake on his final lap Capirossi may well have been on the front row.

Vermeulen produced a fine display in qualifying, both on Bridgestone race tyres in the early part of the session and on the qualifiers in the closing stages. Suzuki's Australian rider was inside the top five on race rubber and the hard work that his crew have put in over the past two days certainly begin to show dividends. He will start from the middle of the third row, after qualifying in eighth place with a time of 1'59.325.

Today's qualifying was held in bright and sunny conditions with track temperatures again over 50ºC. Pole position went to Colin Edwards on his Tech3 Yamaha.

Tomorrow's 22-lap race gets underway at 15.00hrs local time (07.00hrs GMT) when both Rizla Suzuki racers will be looking to capitalise on their good grid positions and race to their best results of 2008 so far - but, with rain forecast at the 5,281m circuit, both riders will need to be ready for any conditions.

Loris Capirossi:

"I am quite happy today because this is the first time that we have had a good qualifying. We have worked hard to get the bike's settings right and it is now working well on race tyres. We still have a couple of options for which tyres to use tomorrow and we will decide on that in the morning. The qualifying and race tyres worked well and we have a good rhythm with the race package, and it will be good to start nearer the front. We will see what happens tomorrow as the forecast says rain which will be awful after all the hard work we have put in. Our target remains the same, which is to win races and get podiums, I know that will be hard here, but we will certainly be pushing for it!"

Chris Vermeulen:

"Things have been a lot better today. The tests after the last few events have really paid off and Bridgestone has helped out and brought us some new rubber that is a lot more competitive - so I am really thankful to them for that. My crew have worked really hard this week and we have had to overcome some major issues in some of the sessions - the guys have worked their hearts out! It has definitely paid off as we were consistently inside the top-five during the qualifying session on race tyres, and on the qualifiers it is a lot better to be right up there. It will still be hard work from the third row, but Suzuki had a good result here last year and we know we can be competitive. I'm looking forward to the race and I'll certainly be giving it my best!"

Paul Denning - Team Manager:

"It's been a decent weekend's work here in Shanghai and today's qualifying is our best of the season so far. The Bridgestone tyres have worked better in qualifying than they have elsewhere, so at least the guys can see the lights and that will give them a better chance of getting into the front running pace early on. It's no secret that Chris has sometimes struggled to get to his full potential in qualifying and we were all pleased that today he pushed as hard as possible - a few hundredths of a second certainly makes a difference to your grid position.

"It looked like we were going to have our first front row start of the year with Loris, but when you are pushing that hard sometimes mistakes happen. He nearly crashed on his last lap, but he kept it upright and was still able to bring the GSV-R home for a second row start.

"Whatever the conditions tomorrow, we are looking forward to a good race; we know our guys will be giving their maximum effort."

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