Grand Prix of China
Shanghai International Circuit, China
Friday 29th April

GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM GATHER KEY DATA ON DAMP FIRST DAY IN CHINA

Gauloises Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards got their first
true taste of the Shanghai International Circuit on a tentative first day of
action at the inaugural Grand Prix of China today. With the riders using the
first free practice session to learn the track layout in the morning, they were
denied the opportunity to improve their set-up and lap times in the afternoon
due to damp and muggy conditions.

Both Rossi and Edwards took things carefully in the second session, with a spell
of light rain, ambient temperatures reaching 31ºC and humidity levels of 76%
making grip levels unpredictable. The pair set the sixth and eighth fastest
times respectively this afternoon, with the constantly changing conditions
making life difficult for their Gauloises Yamaha engineers but providing a
valuable opportunity to collect a wide range of data with a variable weather
forecast for the rest of the weekend.

A dry line did begin to form at the end of the session but never enough to allow
the riders to challenge Nicky Hayden (Honda) for the best time of the day.
Hayden clocked a lap of 2'02.327 in the morning session, which was delayed by
two and a half hours due to a technical problem with the circuit's medical
helicopter, although this is sure to be improved on if the conditions are dry
for the third free practice and single qualifying sessions tomorrow.

VALENTINO ROSSI - (2'02.677, 39 laps)

"My first impressions of the circuit yesterday were very good but after riding
on it today I must admit it wasn't as much fun as I expected. It is actually
quite tight and technical and is very much a Formula 1 track, so all the riders
have a lot of hard work to do finding the right setting for the bikes here. It
is not ideal for a MotoGP bike. Also the conditions in the afternoon were
strange because the track was warm but it woulnd't dry, so it was like half and
half. It was a shame because the asphalt is good and there is plenty of grip in
the dry. As far as the setting is concerned we are having some problems in the
fast corners. We hope it is dry tomorrow because we have a bit of work to do and
also some of my rivals are very fast in the wet.  Personally I would really
prefer it if it doesn't rain on Sunday."

COLIN EDWARDS (2'03.799, 38 laps)

"I spent the morning just trying to find my braking markers and pick the best
racing line, but when I got fired up and went for a fast lap I ran off the
track, so my time wasn't as good as it could have been. The conditions
completely changed in the afternoon but it looks like we haven't seen the last
of the rain this weekend so I guess it was a good chance for us to make some
preparations for a wet race. This is an awesome place but the track is not what
I expected. It doesn't really link together and it's kind of split up into four
separate sections. This is probably as good a result as we could have expected
at this stage of the weekend - there's plenty more to come."

DAVIDE BRIVIO - TEAM DIRECTOR

"We know the conditions are the same for everybody but at the same time the
weather today made our job a lot more difficult because it's a new circuit and
we're just trying to find a basic set-up. Anyway, there is a good possibility it
will rain on Sunday so this was a good chance for us to try some different
conditions. Apart from the long back straight the circuit is tighter and slower
than we expected. We made some changes to the setting of the bike and the
gearbox, from the morning to the afternoon but it was impossible to compare the
data because of the change in conditions. Hopefully they'll be more consistent
tomorrow."

COMBINED FREE PRACTICE TIMES:

 1. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team         2'02.327
 2. Marco Melandri (ITA) Movistar Honda MotoGP   2'02.485
 3. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Movistar Honda MotoGP    2'02.557
 4. Carlos Checa (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team      2'02.664
 5. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team  2'02.677
 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team   2'02.705
 7. Alex Barros (BRA) Camel Honda                2'02.816
 8. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP       2'03.270
 9. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP        2'03.420
10. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Camel Honda               2'03.526

13. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Gauloises Yamaha Team    2'03.799