HOPKINS ON PODIUM PACE IN THE SHANGHAI SHOWERS
12 May 2006 - Rizla-Suzuki

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer John Hopkins secured the third fastest time during today’s free practice for the Polini Grand Prix of China in Shanghai.

The Anglo-American star improved on his times throughout the day and was on top of the time-sheets until the final seconds of the afternoon session. Hopkins’ time was only bettered by World Champion Valentino Rossi and fellow Bridgestone rider Loris Capirossi.

As heavy rain fell continuously during the day Hopkins and his crew worked hard to get the best bike settings and tyre choice for his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R. The fact that he set his fastest time on the final lap of the day emphasises the continuing improvement of the GSV-R’s performance during the two sessions.

Chris Vermeulen is racing at the Shanghai circuit for the first time ever and had the added pressure of having to learn a new circuit in the rain. But the rookie Australian showed why he is fast becoming a rider to be recognised, as he produced the eleventh fastest time and was on for an ever higher finish until a small mistake on his last lap cost valuable tenths of a second.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will have one more practice session tomorrow morning before an hour-long qualifying session in the afternoon. The race - which is round four of the 2006 MotoGP World Championship - will get underway at 15.00hrs local time (07.00hrs GMT).

John Hopkins:

“It’s been a really good day. This morning we tried a particular spec of wet tyre and it just wasn’t the option to go for, so we put on a different set this afternoon and the Bridgestone’s were really good. I stayed out for nearly all the afternoon session – I only came in the once and that was just for a couple of minutes. It was a very positive session, we have a good set-up, some good new tyres and my confidence is also very high at the moment. I think that all in all it was an excellent day and I can’t wait for tomorrow – rain or shine.”

Chris Vermeulen:

“Today was my first ever time at Shanghai and I must say that I really enjoyed the track - even with the rain. I wasn’t ideal weather for learning the circuit but I feel quite comfortable and I did a lot of laps today. The bike is working very well and we will be making a few more changes tomorrow to suspension and the engine management side and see how things progress from there.”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:

“It seems like we are chasing the bad weather around the world at the moment. If we had wanted this sort of weather we could have stayed at home in the UK!

“It’s been a strong performance today from both the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R and the riders. Chris obviously had a bit more to do as he needed to learn the circuit - he managed to get a good rhythm early on and was able to stay with the other riders all day. This afternoon’s session will undoubtedly have given John a boost in terms of his wet weather confidence. After running second for a third of the dry race in Turkey and then to come here and be in the top three in these difficult conditions clearly shows his all-round talent.

“John’s GPS data showed a top-speed of 333km/h in torrential rain! It’s days like these that the guys really earn their money, and it’s good to see the bike’s top-speed improving so much since 2005.

“I think everybody would prefer it if the weather cleared up and the sun came out, but for now we are very happy with the bike, the riders and the tyres in these conditions.”

Polini Grand Prix of China Free Practice Classification:

Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2’09.393: 2. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) +0.355: 3. JOHN HOPKINS (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTGP) +0.614: 11. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +2.045

www.rizla-suzuki.co.uk

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