NAKANO AND HOFMANN SET FOR TOUGH DONINGTON ASSIGNMENT
23 July 2005 - Kawasaki Racing

Kawasaki riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, will start tomorrow''s British Grand Prix from twelfth and fifteenth positions respectively.

On the compact Donington layout the 30-lap race promises to be a difficult task, after both riders could not maximise their qualifying performances today.

Both Nakano and Hofmann set their fastest times using race tyres, with their soft compound Bridgestone qualifiers not producing the expected increase in performance.

After slicing almost one second from his morning free practice time on race rubber Nakano was expecting a similar improvement on his one qualifying run. Hofmann was also frustrated by the slower times on qualifying tyres.

However, the positive outcome today was the evaluation of a race tyre compound that appears to offer stable race distance performance. The tyre specification was tested in practice at last week''s USGP, but found to be unsuitable for the Laguna Seca circuit.

But the special demands of the Donington surface and layout appear more favourable, and Nakano in particular is confident of consistent race times.

Kawasaki technicians have made detailed refinements to rear suspension set-up in an attempt to optimise tyre performance.

Both riders will also benefit from today''s successful test of revised traction control systems, which offer more rider friendly throttle control on the unique combination of fast and slow sections at Donington.

Hofmann had a scary moment on his final lap while pushing for a faster time with a spectacular, 180 kph highside through the Craner Curves. Fortuitously Hofmann bounced back into the seat of his Ninja ZX-RR before taking a wild ride across the grass.

Shinya Nakano: # 56 - Twelfth - 1''29.742
''Today was a special situation, our qualifying tyres didn''t work as expected and were slower than the race tyres. On a positive note I tried a race tyre this afternoon that should be okay for tomorrow, although our times are a long way from the front group. But 30 laps is a long way here, hopefully the race distance will work in our favour.''

Alex Hofmann: #66 - Fifteenth - 1''30.151
''I had a very scary moment on the final lap with a huge high-side in the Craner Curves and I was off across the grass at 180 kph. I still don''t how I didn''t crash. Qualifying was frustrating because my times were faster on race tyres, there was nothing extra from the qualifiers which made it difficult to get a decent grid position. We have worked hard to get a rear end set-up that will be kind to the tyres for the race distance, but it''s wait and see over 30 laps at this track.''

Ichiro Yoda: Technical Director
''The track surface and layout at Donington requires a very special tyre configuration and, in conjunction with Bridgestone, we have found a good direction for the future over the past two days. Today we tried a rear tyre that we tested at Laguna Seca but have not raced before and it appears to be our best choice for the race distance here. The latest update to the traction control system should also make 30 laps here less stressful for the riders.''

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
''I thought the Ninja ZX-RR would be a more competitive package at Donington, but it appears that in dry conditions here our tyre options are not ideal. It was a surprise that both Shinya and Alex could not go faster on qualifying tyres compared to race rubber. If it rains heavily tomorrow perhaps the cards will fall our way.''

QUALIFYING PRACTICE - FINAL TIMES
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team 1''27.897; 2. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +0.285; 3. Marco Melandri (ITA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +0.398; 4. Alex Barros (BRA) Camel Honda +0.497; 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda +0.518; 6. Colin Edwards (USA) Gauloises Yamaha Team +0.759; 7. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Camel Honda +0.823; 8. Max Biaggi (ITA) Repsol Honda +0.829; 9. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda +1.079; 10. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +1.334; 11. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +1.834; 12. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.845; 15. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +2.254

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