|
| News and products for the motorcycle enthusiast and professional |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
NAKANO RACKS UP A CENTURY OF GRAND PRIX STARTS
The inaugural Chinese Grand Prix, at the Shanghai International Circuit, marked Shinya Nakano''s 100th Grand Prix start since his debut as a wild card rider in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka seven years ago. To mark the occasion, Nakano was presented with a commemorative cake by the three team managers for whom he''s raced since joining the Grand Prix series full time in 1999; Herve Poncharal, Luis d''Antin and his current team manager, Kawasaki''s Harald Eckl. The 27-year-old Japanese rider made his first Grand Prix appearance in 1998, racing as a wild card in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. Nakano made his full time world championship debut the following season, and it was an impressive one. The Japanese ace racked up five podium finishes, won his first race at his home Grand Prix at Motegi and ended the season an impressive fourth in the championship standings to secure the coveted Rookie of the Year award. Nakano''s run of form continued the following year, with the affable Japanese rider scoring five race wins and seven podium finishes during the course of the season, more than any other rider. The championship that year went down to the last lap of the final race in Australia, with Nakano losing the title to his teammate, Olivier Jacque, by a mere 0.041s at the line. A move up to the 500cc World Championship in 2001 again saw Nakano lift the coveted Rookie of the Year award, after finishing on the podium in the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring and ending the season fifth in the championship standings. After five years with Yamaha in Grand Prix, Nakano joined the Kawasaki Racing Team for the 2004 season. On the pace from the start, the undoubted highlight of the season came when he gave Kawasaki their first premier class podium finish for more than 20 years by bringing his Ninja ZX-RR home in third place in the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi. Seven years, six race wins, 20 podium finishes, five pole positions and 99 races after his World Championship debut, Shinya Nakano notched up his century of race starts when he lined up on the grid aboard his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR for this afternoon''s history making 22-lap Chinese Grand Prix.
|
|
| Biker247.com is an Internet publication brought to you by The 247 Network - Visit our other sites at www.the247network.com. |
| The entire content included in this website, including but not limited to text, design, graphics, interfaces, or code and the selection and arrangements thereof is copyrighted as a collective work under the UK and other copyright laws and is the property of The 247 Network. |