MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2004
CINZANO BRITISH GRAND PRIX - DONINGTON PARK
22ND JULY 2004 - EVENT PREVIEW
FUCHS KAWASAKI TEAM IN HIGH SPIRITS FOR BRITISH GRAND PRIX
Less than a week after their best-ever team result, Fuchs Kawasaki
riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, are eager to carry that momentum
into the second half of the MotoGP season.
This Sunday's British Grand Prix at Donington Park is the ninth race of
the 16 event World Championship.
It is a timely turning point for Nakano and Hofmann, both of whom are
ready to reinforce the performance potential of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR
with a continuation of top ten results.
Last Sunday's German GP ended on a high note, with Nakano and Hofmann
putting in impressive performances to finish seventh and tenth
respectively, after a brilliant team effort to pull back from mechanical
problems in practice and qualifying.
Refining the tuning of revised fuel injection and engine management
set-up continues to be a priority for Fuchs Kawasaki engineers.
The German GP best-so-far team result has boosted spirits within the
factory Kawasaki squad, which is still to celebrate the second
anniversary of their participation in the MotoGP class.
This week 24-year-old German racer Hofmann returns to Donington after a
break of two years. His last appearance was in 2002 as a rookie
replacement for Loris Capirossi aboard a 500cc two-stroke. He finished a
creditable 17th in that race.
Meanwhile the ever-smiling Nakano, 26, has been a regular top ten
finisher in the British GP, with a best result of sixth in 2001 when he also
qualified on the front row of the grid.
Famous in the 1930's for staging major car and motorcycle events,
Donington Park has been the home of the British Grand Prix since the race
moved from Silverstone in 1987.
The four kilometre circuit is one of dramatic contrast. From turn one
at the Redgate pub, the track flows into the Craner Curves, a series of
fast and challenging downhill corners. Following in quick succession
are some of the most famous sections of track in GP racing - The Old
Hairpin; Schwantz Curve; McLeans and then the tricky third-gear Coppice
Corner that leads onto the back straight.
Then the track gets much slower, with the stop-go Melbourne Loop and
two first gear corners; a complex that both Nakano and Hofmann, like most
of their GP colleagues, regard with little affection.
Organisers are anticipating a near sell-out crowd as British fans
respond to the increasing popularity of MotoGP racing in the 990cc
four-stroke era.
Shinya Nakano: #56
"Donington is a technical track and very difficult. However, I think
the Ninja ZX-RR will perform strongly, especially in the first half of
the lap. My best result so far this season is sixth, so I will be hoping
to change that this weekend - although in the past I have never really
found the perfect feeling with this track. This week I have to forget
about the problems of the German GP and look forwards. Kawasaki in Japan
has already started to respond to the technical feedback from
Sachsenring and, with Bridgestone planning to bring some different tyres for
Donington, I'm hopeful of a very competitive weekend."
Alex Hofmann: #66
"I haven't been to Donington for a couple of years, and the last time
was on a 500cc two-stroke. It will be an interesting experience with the
990cc Ninja ZX-RR, as we have no idea how the bike will suit the
Donington circuit. Donington is definitely a two part track, and I think the
first section will suit our bike better than the stop-go part at the
end of the lap. I much prefer the faster corners as a rider, but you
still have put the whole lap together and that's what I'll be aiming to do.
The German GP was just about solving our problems and then getting
through the race, which was the best part of the weekend for us. Hopefully
we can carry the momentum from race day at Sachsenring into first
practice at Donington, and move forward from there."