Kawasaki - Donington Press Release

[MadKaw]

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."

[greenmeanie]

Full MotoGP final qualifying times for the British Grand Prix, round nine of the 2004 world championship.


1. Valentino Rossi ITA Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 1min 28.72 secs
2. Sete Gibernau SPA Telefonica Movistar Honda 1min 29.152 secs
3. Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Marlboro 1min 29.209 secs
4. Troy Bayliss AUS Ducati Marlboro 1min 29.214 secs
5. Colin Edwards USA Telefonica Movistar Honda 1min 29.25 secs
6. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda 1min 29.295 secs
7. Carlos Checa SPA Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 1min 29.329 secs
8. Max Biaggi ITA Camel Honda 1min 29.502 secs
9. Alex Barros BRA Repsol Honda 1min 29.801 secs
10. Ruben Xaus SPA d'Antin Ducati 1min 29.84 secs
11. Marco Melandri ITA Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 1min 29.9 secs
12. Shinya Nakano JPN Fuchs Kawasaki 1min 30.214 secs
13. Kenny Roberts USA Team Suzuki 1min 30.239 secs
14. Neil Hodgson GBR d'Antin Ducati 1min 30.287 secs
15. Makoto Tamada JPN Camel Honda 1min 30.371 secs
16. John Hopkins USA Team Suzuki 1min 30.442 secs
17. Norick Abe JPN Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 1min 30.46 secs
18. Shane Byrne GBR MS Aprilia 1min 30.502 secs
19. Jeremy McWilliams GBR MS Aprilia 1min 30.595 secs
20. Michel Fabrizio ITA Harris WCM 1min 31.353 secs
21. Alex Hofmann GER Fuchs Kawasaki 1min 31.486 secs
22. Nobuatsu Aoki JPN Proton Team KR 1min 31.491 secs
23. Kurtis Roberts USA Proton Team KR 1min 32.222 secs
24. Chris Burns GBR Harris WCM 1min 33.285 secs


Telecasts:

Foxsports from 9.30pm

Channel 10 from 1.30am(mon).


Regards
Glenn(zx7r).

[ty]

kwakka boys didn't come out of that too well did they
ty

[Nanna10r]

Ouch Hoffie out paced by the Harris .... I know its a Tricky circuit but do WE have any Descent bike Development riders ? Even Shinyie is behind last years Duck with rubin aboard. Think we should just Snatch Jeremy Burgess and be done with it.
Cheers
Brett

[MadKaw]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2004
CINZANO BRITISH GRAND PRIX - DONINGTON PARK
23RD JULY 2004 - QUALIFYING PRACTICE 1

SET UP WOES FOR NAKANO AND HOFMANN AT DONINGTON

The complexities of the two-part Donington Park circuit proved a
difficult challenge for Fuchs Kawasaki riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex
Hofmann, in today's first qualifying session for Sunday's British Grand Prix.

Last night's heavy rain gave way to a sunny day, although there were
few smiles in the green garage with Nakano 17th and Hofmann 19th on the
provisional grid for Sunday's race.

With no base data at this track for the 2004 model Ninja ZX-RR, both
the riders and Kawasaki technicians spent today in search of a base
set-up and solutions for improved braking stability and power delivery.

Donington's infamous stop-go Melbourne Loop at the end of the lap is
the main problem. Neither Nakano nor Hofmann are happy in this section
and, while the fast and sweeping opening part of the lap is also
important, it is the run to the finish line that is of most concern.

Nakano made changes to both rear end and front fork settings in a bid
to cure his problems, but says he is still some way from an ideal race
set-up. On acceleration off the slower corners both riders have trouble
keeping the front end down, and Kawasaki engineers are looking at
revised engine management settings to change the power characteristics to
suit the track better.

Although he raced a 500cc two-stroke here two years ago, Hofmann is a
rookie in the 990cc MotoGP class at Donington, and his learning curve is
a steep one.

But the determined young German made dramatic progress today by slicing
two seconds from his best time in free practice during the one hour
qualifying session.

Nakano dropped his time by 1.4s this afternoon. Both riders are
confident there is more to come in tomorrow's final qualifying session, and
are contributing to the detailed debriefs with Kawasaki engineers.

Shinya Nakano: 17th (1'31.164)
"It's been a strange and difficult today for me. I did my fastest time
on a race tyre, but could not improve my times on soft qualifiers.
Perhaps this is good for the race, but I need to be starting much closer to
the front. One problem here is that we have no data for the new ZX-RR
at this track, so we have a lot of set-up work still to do. For the race
braking stability is very important, especially in the final corners,
and this will be our focus tomorrow. We also need to look at the engine
tuning, in a bid to stop the wheelie problem on acceleration out of the
slow corners."

Alex Hofmann: 19th (1'31.575)
"This is not an easy track for us. The fast section is not so bad, but
the final three slow corners in the Loop are really hurting us; at the
moment our bike doesn't like the stop-go part too much. It is difficult
to have the engine in the right part of the power curve and keep the
front end down. The new track surface is much smoother than I remember
from two years ago. Everyone in the team is giving it 100% and,
hopefully, tomorrow we can make even more progress."

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
"Today has been a difficult day for both riders, but we've been in this
position before and bounced back on the second day of qualifying, and
I'm confident that we can turn things around tomorrow. This is our first
time at Donington with the new version of the Ninja ZX-RR, so we knew
we'd have a certain amount of set-up work to do. Hopefully, tomorrow, we
can find a good base setting in practice and then start working towards
fast laps in qualifying."

MOTOGP RACE - QUALIFYING PRACTICE 1 TIMES
1. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda 1'29.295; 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA)
Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +0.289; 3. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati
Marlboro Team +0.386; 4. Carlos Checa (SPA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +0.538;
5. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Telefonica Movistar Honda +0.615; 6. Colin
Edwards (USA) Telefonica Movistar Honda +0.624; 7. Max Biaggi (ITA) Camel
Honda Team +0.666; 8. Marco Melandri (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha
+0.867; 9. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.963; 10. Alex Barros
(BRA) Repsol Honda +0.974; 17. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team
+1.869; 19. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +2.280

[MadKaw]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2004
CINZANO BRITISH GRAND PRIX - DONINGTON PARK
24TH JULY 2004 - QUALIFYING PRACTICE 2

NAKANO AND HOFMANN LEFT FRUSTRATED AT DONINGTON PARK

Shinya Nakano will start his Fuchs Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR from 12th
position in tomorrow’s British Grand Prix, after cutting almost one second
from his previous best time around the Donington Park circuit.

Even so, the second day of qualifying was hard work for Nakano and his
team-mate Alex Hofmann, who both found little to cheer about in the
lead up to the ninth round of the MotoGP World Championship.

Hofmann could not hide his extreme disappointment at his worst
qualifying performance of the season, which saw him qualify 21st for a seventh
row start. He was frustrated by heavy traffic late in the session when
trying for faster time on soft qualifiers, and his best lap came on a
race tyre.

And despite intense work by Kawasaki technicians and much-improved
chassis and engine set-up, both Hofmann and Nakano admit that the ZX-RR is
still short of optimum balance and performance at Donington.

Nakano took little comfort from the fact that his Ninja ZX-RR was the
fastest of the five factory bikes on Bridgestone tyres, ahead of both
Suzuki and Honda machines.

The Japanese ace, who had to switch to his spare bike late in the
session, has qualified in fifth position at two of the past three races and
a fourth row start is unfamiliar territory.

Both riders lack braking stability and slow corner acceleration in the
stop-go Melbourne Loop section, which contrasts dramatically with the
fast, sweeping corners of the first half of the track.

Final qualifying was run in overcast and cooler conditions compared to
Friday’s opening session.

Shinya Nakano: 12th (1'30.214)
"We were a little faster than yesterday, but still it was a very hard
day for me. The final section of the track remains a problem for us both
on the brakes, and then getting on the throttle off the tight turns.
The bike is improved from yesterday, but it is not just one thing; at
this track our overall package is not as comfortable as it has been at
other circuits. My rhythm was upset a little when a small engine problem
forced me to switch to my spare bike, but I think the race will be
tough; finishing in the points is my aim."

Alex Hofmann: 21st (1'31.486)
"My worst qualifying and I’m very unhappy. Both my fast laps at the end
of the session on qualifiers were destroyed by traffic, with riders
either on an out lap or slowing down and looking around and not
concentrating. There is not much room here to miss the traffic, so my fastest lap
was done on a race tyre. Doing the time I did on race rubber was a step
forward from yesterday, although I’m still struggling with acceleration
off the slow corners. The first section with the faster corners is
better for the ZX-RR, but even in that part it is difficult to get the best
out of the bike because of the characteristics of all the different
corners here."

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
"Obviously we have a lot of work to do to find a competitive package
for this very different track. There is not one specific problem; it’s a
combination of a lot small things and just finding the right balance
between chassis, engine and tyres. It’s our first time here with
Bridgestone, so there is a lot to learn, although I’m delighted that Shinya is
the fastest Bridgestone rider, even though he had to switch to his
spare bike. Our race tyre runs are very consistent, so I’m sure Shinya and
Alex will put in their usual strong race performances tomorrow."

QUALIFYING PRACTICE 2 - FINAL TIMES
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 1'28.720; 2. Sete
Gibernau (SPA) Telefonica Movistar Honda +0.432; 3. Loris Capirossi (ITA)
Ducati Marlboro Team +0.489; 4. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team
+0.494; 5. Colin Edwards (USA) Telefonica Movistar Honda +0.530; 6.
Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda +0.575; 7. Carlos Checa (SPA) Gauloises
Fortuna Yamaha +0.609; 8. Max Biaggi (ITA) Camel Honda Team +0.782; 9.
Alex Barros (BRA) Repsol Honda +1.081; 10. Ruben Xaus (SPA) dAntin Ducati
Team +1.120; 11. Marco Melandri (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +1.180;
12. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.494; 21. Alex Hofmann
(GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +2.766

[MadKaw]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2004
CINZANO BRITISH GRAND PRIX - DONINGTON PARK
25TH JULY 2004 - MOTOGP RACE RESULT

NAKANO IN THE POINTS AT DONINGTON

Shinya Nakano salvaged a single World Championship point for the Fuchs
Kawasaki Racing Team when he finished fifteenth in the British Grand
Prix at a heavily overcast, but mainly dry Donington Park today.

With team-mate Alex Hofmann in nineteenth place, the British GP ended
in frustration for both riders, who just a week ago produced a double
top ten result in the German Grand Prix.

Finding a competitive chassis, engine and tyre set-up for the Ninja
ZX-RR to match the unique demands of the Donington track proved elusive
over three days of practice and racing.

Consequently, the 30-lap race proved to be a test of the
resourcefulness of Nakano and Hofmann, who both refused to give up as they battled
reduced grip levels over the final laps.

Hofmann made a superb start from the seventh row and passed six riders
to be fifteenth at the end of the first lap, ahead of his Fuchs
Kawasaki team-mate, Nakano. He conceded one position on lap five with a
braking error into the chicane, but worse was to come four laps later.

Chasing a charging pack of riders into turn one, Hofmann was surprised
by the brief rain shower at Redgate Corner and made a brilliant
recovery after running off through the gravel trap.

Having dropped to last place Hofmann made finishing the race his
priority.

Meanwhile Nakano was not able to find his usual level of confidence and
grip levels to push from twelfth on the grid and, after dropping to
sixteenth, the determined Japanese rider made sure of a points finish over
the final laps.

The race was watched by an enthusiastic turn out of 82,000 spectators
and, apart for the brief rain shower on lap nine, the threatening rain
held off.

Shinya Nakano: 15th
"This was a very difficult race for me, and I couldn't ride to my full
potential; really it was like that from first practice on Friday. The
team made a lot of set-up adjustments, but we never found the ideal
compromise for Donington. From the first lap I couldn't get good grip, and
I was not able to push. I didn't have my normal level of confidence,
but I guess one point is better than zero. It's disappointing, but now we
have three weeks before the next race to try for a better result."

Alex Hofmann: 19th
"I had a great start and was able to pass a bunch of guys and, for five
laps, I thought I could attack and hold my position and finish in the
points. But then I realised that the rear grip was not going to make it
easy. The bike was starting to slide a lot and then, on lap nine, I
arrived at turn one, there was a little bit of rain and I was already too
late on the brakes; I was in the slipstream behind a group of riders. I
made it through the gravel trap but was in last place, and from there I
just wanted to get to the finish. We have to improve a lot to have a
chance at this track."

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
"Just one week after our best result of the season this is obviously
not a good result for us. Clearly we have a lot of work to do, both with
the bike and tyres, to find a competitive package over the race
distance for the special demands of Donington. Three low gear corners do not
suit the current power characteristics of our engine, but we are
continuing a development programme to improve that, and all areas of the Ninja
ZX-RR. The riders did the best they could; we just never found the
right balance."


MOTOGP RACE - FINAL TIMES
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 45'30.473; 2. Colin
Edwards (USA) Telefonica Movistar Honda +2.945; 3. Sete Gibernau (SPA)
Telefonica Movistar Honda +4.426; 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda
+6.096; 5. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +14.711; 6. Carlos
Checa (SPA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +17.110; 7. Loris Capirossi (ITA)
Ducati Marlboro Team +23.313; 8. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki Grand Prix Team
+28.121; 9. Alex Barros (BRA) Repsol Honda +35.380; 10. Neil Hodgson
(GBR) dAntin Ducati Team +44.468; 11. Ruben Xaus (SPA) dAntin Ducati Team
+47.490; 15. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +1'15.795; 19.
Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +1 Lap

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 9 OF 16 ROUNDS:
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 164; 2. Sete Gibernau
(SPA) Telefonica Movistar Honda 142; 3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Camel Honda
Team 142; 4. Colin Edwards (USA) Telefonica Movistar Honda 95; 5. Alex
Barros (BRA) Repsol Honda 86; 6. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda 83; 7.
Carlos Checa (SPA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 72; 8. Loris Capirossi (ITA)
Ducati Marlboro Team 64; 9. Marco Melandri (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna
Yamaha 57; 10. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Camel Honda Team 56; 11. Ruben Xaus
(SPA) dAntin Ducati Team 46; 12. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team
37; 13. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team 24

[mrmina]

just putting my 2 cents in.

it was a bloody boring race.

[redzedx7r]

it was a bloody boring race.[/quote]
it was definitely that

Hoffman is a dud and Shinya is a good test rider. I bet Harald Ekl is ruing the day that he dumped Andrew Pitt (you know the guy that won them their last World Championship on an uncompetitive bike).
They cant blame the Bridgstones cause Jonny Hopkins got a top 10 finish on them on the GSV-R(P.O.S).

[icebreaker]

Hoff is a rooky for GP yeah??? In which case.. and this is my Opinion.
In developing something you employ the best you can... Not someone who still has so much to learn.. You employ the best and most experienced you can... Just look at Yamahahaha for example.. kinda struggling, new motor/bike.. They bring in rossi and his CREW... and develop of bike further from there.. The guy knows how the bike should handle, and he knows what he wants, his crew know what they're doing, and obviously what needs to be done.. And he's winning races or in the top 4 if he's not falling off *laughs*...

Lets just hope there if Frankie's team takes on Kawa in the supers, they can do some good things with it... In a way it would kinda prove what I believe anyways...

Dan