hey why do you all say Rossi isn't good in the wet?forgot Donnignot 2005,China 2005,Motegi 2007?he would have won there it was only Michelin's fault..or don't you remember the Irta Jerez Bmw award?Rossi was second and please take in mind that it was only his first contact with Bridgestone's wet tyres..

Happy ANNIVERSARY Jrambs.... congratulations

and one has to be realistic... yes that Casey will definately perform well in this Race... it is a Bridgestone track.... and he has had more experience on them Bridgestones than Rossi has... but then its Valentino Rossi.... when has logic ever worked?

I'm glad someone brought Donington up!! & Of course going by last year you are quite right.

I would stress not to write KC off too, he didn't do so well at Jerez or Portugal last year. So as of yet there is no real evidence to suggest he has a problem...other then the obvious.

& Congrats Jr, hope I last that long with mouseonastick (before she kills me)

Doni 2005 is one of Vale's best race ever.
Valentino quickest by more than 2 seconds per lap.

Barros, Roberts and Colin could do nothing against the genius of Rossi.

At the end of the race, my eyes were like the track: totally wet.

I'd have to agree, and the violin playing crossing the line was great too

Yeah, the violin trick was a pure beauty. I still watch it from time to time.

In fact there`s the video: YouTube - Rossi - Donington 2005
Look 01:44...... how did he hold the bike on that river track!!!!!! I`ll never know, but I don`t need to ...

Thanks for the link.
Between 2.5 and 3 seconds quicker than the others per lap.
Simply... not... human.

We'll see in Shanghai if it rains.

Thanks for the link Amonqk - I have that pencilled in a saved for my next tea break.

I agree that we really cannot write KC off just yet - I think this season is going to be a very hard one for everyone but particularly Dani, Yorkay, KC and Vale. I really do hope that is the case and that we will see these 4 (and possibly some others) having a really close fight to the end.
Yes, it would be good to see Vale take victory easily but I just don't see that happening this year and to be honest that fact has to be good for the sport as a whole if not for us Vale fans as long as it is not just one other rider who dominates instead.

Thank you all for your kind wishes - we did not get to go to China but my husband has all the paperwork to show that he did investigate the possibility - flight routes, timings, cost , where-to-stay options, etc. It turned out it just was not viable in the time he was able to spare - we would not really have had chance to do anything else and it is a long way to go, for a lot of money to not really be able to see a bit more of the country. Never mind...at least he had thought about it!

Is it just me or does it seem an absolute age since the last race?

SHANGHAI, May 1, 2008 (AFP) - Italian motorcycling legend Valentino Rossi aims to end a win drought at Sunday's China Moto GP but Spanish aces Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa are set to duel for supremacy in the world standings.
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The Spanish rivals lead the championship series with 61 points each ahead of the fourth race of the season at the Shanghai circuit after rookie Lorenzo scored his maiden victory last month at the Portuguese Grand Prix in Estoril.
Lorenzo, 20, off to a brilliant debut in Moto GP with three pole positions and three podiums in as many races, including a second in Qatar, would be a strong favourite had he not undergone arm surgery two weeks ago.
"The arm is really good," the double 250cc world champion said after the operation on a muscle in his right forearm.
"I'm really pleased that I will be able to ride in China, although I won't be at 100 percent, obviously," said the Mallorca native, who stepped up to the top-flight 800cc bikes this year, joining Rossi at Fiat Yamaha.
His questionable fitness will suit Pedrosa of Honda Repsol just fine as the diminutive ace from Catalonia seeks his second win of the season after a dominating performance at the Spanish GP in Jerez in March.
Seven-time world champion Rossi, third in the points standings with 47, is keen to get back to his triumphant ways as he strives to break his longest winless streak -- seven races -- since he joined the premier class in 2001.
Rossi, 29, who won the China Grand Prix in 2005 but lost a see-saw battle last year to 2007 world champion Casey Stoner of Australia, knows what it takes to master the Shanghai circuit's super-long straights and hairpins.
The mercurial five-time Moto GP champion has struggled to fine tune the Bridgestone tyres new to his Fiat Yamaha this season, but said recent modifications meant he would challenge for victory in Shanghai.
"Last year in China we weren't quite able to win, but this year our bike is working very well and, together with our tyre package, I think we should be fighting for the victory," said Rossi.
"I hope that Shanghai is going to be the place where it finally all comes together."
Rossi found himself slipping to a disappointing fifth in the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix, the first race ever held at night, but has since mounted a recovery with a second in Jerez and third in Estoril.
In China, Rossi will also have to fend off Pedrosa, who has had a sensational early 2008 with three podiums of his own, including a second in Portugal and third in Qatar.
The 22-year-old Spaniard is also no stranger to the demands of the ultra-modern Shanghai circuit, taking top honours in 2006 and fourth last year.
"One of the most important parts of the track is the back straight, which is very long, so you need good engine performance here," the former 125cc and 250cc world champion told reporters.
"Braking is also very important at Shanghai. It's an unusual track and you need to ride relaxed and easy."
But given Shanghai's two ultra-long straights, Pedrosa will have to rely on his bike's nimble handling if he is to beat the Yamaha and Ducati bikes, which reign supreme in a straight line.
Stoner's Ducati Marlboro is especially powerful and although the Southport native has experienced a dip in pace since his season-opening victory in Qatar, and sits fourth in the standings with 40 points, he will be eager to get back on form.

Bridgestone hoping to close the gap

Thu 01 May, 08:53 AM


After a brief break, MotoGP gets back on track with the Chinese Grand Prix at the state-of-the-art Shanghai International Circuit this weekend.
China is one of the newest additions to the MotoGP calendar, having made its debut as recently as 2005, and this year's event will be just the fourth MotoGP event to be held in Shanghai.


No rider has claimed more than one victory in any of the three classes in the three previous visits to China, though Casey Stoner took a 250cc win in 2005 and MotoGP honours in 2007. Stoner's win last year was the first for a rider on Bridgestone tyres in Shanghai, but Bridgestone has a reasonably strong record at the track with Kawasaki's Olivier Jacque finishing second in the wet in 2005 and John Hopkins taking fourth place for Suzuki in 2006. Hopkins also took his first ever MotoGP podium in last year's event finishing third, just six seconds behind Stoner.


After three difficult opening races to this competitive 2008 season, Bridgestone is looking to regain lost ground and a return to winning ways. Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner are the highest placed Bridgestone-shod riders in the championship, occupying third and fourth positions in the table respectively.


Hiroshi Yamada - Bridgestone Motorsport – Manager, Motorcycle Sport Unit
“China always brings back quite good memories for us, not least because of Casey and Ducati's excellent win in Shanghai last season. We have also seen other riders take great podium results with Olivier Jacque finishing second for Kawasaki in the wet back in 2005, and John Hopkins taking his first ever podium with Suzuki last year. China is one of the few venues where we have seen podium results with three different manufacturers over the years. We hope that this year's race will see Bridgestone able to close the gap to the performance of our competitors, who have been very strong in the opening races of the season.”

Tohru Ubukata – Bridgestone Motorsport – Manager, Race Tyre Development
“China is a long circuit with different technical elements to consider from a tyre perspective. It has two long straights which demand a lot not only from engine power, but also the central part of the tyre. The back straight is around 1.2km and the longest, fastest straight on the calendar. The resultant heavy braking also puts a lot of stress on the front tyre, so we usually opt for harder compound fronts to combat this. At the same time, we must give riders very good edge grip through the slower corners, especially at the start of the lap through the twisty turns 1, 2 and 3. After the race in Portugal, we conducted a very valuable tyre testing programme with all our GP riders, and we will introduce some new specification rear tyres for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix. We found noticeable improvements to the rear grip levels, which has been one of our main focal points for development after the first races of this season. I hope this will help all our teams fight towards the front end of the field this weekend.”