MOTOGP NEWS
23 July 2006 - Moto GP

Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix - Sunday Guide July 23rd 2006

· Chris Vermeulen starts from pole for the first time following a dry qualifying session. Vermeulen is only the second rider to have started from pole on more than one occasion in 2006, the other being Dani Pedrosa.

· This is the first time that a Suzuki rider has started from pole for a GP at the Laguna Seca circuit, and the first time for a rider using Bridgestone tyres. The last time a Suzuki rider finished on the podium at Laguna Seca was in 1993 when Alex Barros finished second.

· Colin Edwards, who is starting from the front row for the fourth time in his GP career, has equalled his best ever qualifying result achieved at the French GP last year. Edwards has scored points at the last 31 successive races.

· With Kenny Roberts Jr.joining Colin Edwards in the top three places on the grid, there are two riders from the USA starting together on the front row for the fifth time this year. Roberts celebrates his 33rd birthday two days after the Red Bull US GP.

· All seven previous MotoGP winners at Laguna Seca have qualified in the first three places on the grid.

· If Dani Pedrosa wins at Laguna Seca he will be the first rider since Kenny Roberts Sr. in 1978 to win three or more races in their rookie season.

· John Hopkins has scored one point more in the first ten races of this year than he did throughout the whole of 2005.

· In the first ten races of the year Nicky Hayden has finished on the podium on each of the seven occasions that he qualified in the top six places on the grid.

· Casey Stoner is starting from his best grid position since the fourth race of the year in China.

· Shinya Nakano is starting from his lowest grid position since he was eight on the grid in China.

· If Marco Melandri finishes in the top three, it will be the first time since moving to the MotoGP class at the start of 2003 that he will have finished on the podium at three successive races.

· For the fourth successive race Valentino Rossi has qualified on the fourth row or lower on the grid. Laguna Seca is one of only two circuits on this year’s calendar where Rossi has not won previously in the premier-class, the other being the Istanbul Park circuit in Turkey.

· Sete Gibernau, who will be making his 150th start in the premier-class of Grand Prix racing, is starting from his lowest grid position since he was 18th on the grid at Rio in 2002.

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