ROUND 3 - SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, CHINA
30 APRIL 2005 - QUALIFYING PRACTICE

NAKANO TO START TENTH IN SHANGHAI RACE

Shinya Nakano will start his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR from tenth place, on the
fourth row of the grid in tomorrow's history-making Chinese Grand Prix.

The always competitive Japanese ace was frustrated by a couple of small mistakes
on his qualifying lap, but is confident of his pace for the 22-lap race.

French rider, Olivier Jacque, continues his impressive debut with the Kawasaki
factory team and today qualified 15th, despite having his first experience of
the latest soft compound Bridgestone qualifying tyres.

Jacque is racing here and in his home race, the French Grand Prix at Le Mans in
two weeks, as a replacement for the injured Alex Hofmann.

While admitting he felt the pressure of the new, single-session MotoGP
qualifying format, after a long absence from the series, Jacque delivered a fast
and consistent performance.

The 31-year-old Frenchman was briefly as high as 12th while, with four minutes
remaining, Nakano surged to sixth before slipping to tenth in a late flurry of
fast times.

Nakano is just one of five riders using Bridgestone tyres to qualify in the top
ten.

Kawasaki engineers will assess the data collected over the past two days of
practice and qualifying to improve the engine brake settings on the new ZX-RR
motor.

Technical Director, Ichiro Yoda, says that more time is required to fully
understand its character, especially at new circuits like the 5.4 km Shanghai
track, which features three first gear corners.

Conditions were warm but humid and overcast for qualifying, with threatened rain
holding off for a session that saw lap times drop dramatically from Friday's
free practice.

Similar conditions are forecast for tomorrow's first-ever MotoGP event to be
staged in China at the Shanghai circuit.

Shinya Nakano: #56 - Tenth - (2'01.098)

"The fourth row of the grid is not the best position for the race. I made a
couple of mistakes on my qualifying lap; I braked too hard at the end of the
straight and then lost the rear-end with some slides in the hairpin. But I have
collected a lot of tyre data, so I hope it is hot and dry for the race, because
I think I have a good tyre option from Bridgestone. On the bike we need to
adjust the engine brake settings, I'm not comfortable with it at the moment. The
track is okay, it is tight in parts but I'm getting used to it."

Olivier Jacque: #19 - Fifteenth - (2'02.072)

"It was a big surprise for me to experience the incredible grip levels and
performance of the latest soft qualifying tyres, which have improved
dramatically since the last time I raced in Grand Prix. Getting the best from a
qualifier is all about confidence, so I was under a lot of pressure in this
session. I don't think I got the maximum from the soft tyre, but I'm happy with
the chassis balance and engine for the race. With three first gear, and some
long, slow corners this is not a very fluid track for MotoGP bikes; it is not
easy to get a lot a pleasure from this layout."

Ichiro Yoda: Technical Director

"We need more time, especially to find the correct engine brake settings. In
some corners the braking force is too strong, but we have only had this new
engine for three months and we are still trying to understand all the data. For
the race it seems we now have a very good tyre option, both front and rear, from
Bridgestone, so I'm not so worried about that."

QUALIFYING PRACTICE 1 - FINAL TIMES

 1. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Movistar Honda MotoGP  1'59.710
 2. Marco Melandri (ITA) Movistar Honda MotoGP   +0.163
 3. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team   +0.770
 4. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP        +0.956
 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda              +1.037
 6. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team  +1.111
 7. Carlos Checa (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team      +1.192
 8. Toni Elias (SPA) Fortuna Yamaha Team         +1.371
 9. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP       +1.375
10. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team     +1.388
11. Alex Barros (BRA) Camel Honda                +1.407
12. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Camel Honda               +1.618
15. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team    +2.362