Gauloises Yamaha Team Preview

Turkish Grand Prix
Istanbul Park, Turkey
21, 22, 23 October 2005

GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM MAKES HISTORIC FIRST TRIP TO TURKEY

The Gauloises Yamaha Team heads for uncharted territory this weekend as the
MotoGP World Championship visits Turkey for the first time in its 56-year
history. The Istanbul Park circuit, located sixty kilometres outside the capital
city, was designed by famed German architect Hermann Tilke, the man behind the
Sepang, Bahrain and Shanghai circuits, and was used for the first time by the
Formula 1 World Championship in August this year. Like Doha in Qatar, several
corners are based on famous bends at other circuits such as the 'Senna Esses' at
Sao Paolo, the 'Spoon Curve' at Suzuka and the 'Eau Rouge' at Spa.

Valentino Rossi arrives at this exciting new venue looking to conquer new
territory as well as continue a season of unprecedented success. Along with
Laguna Seca, which returned after a ten-year absence this season, Istanbul Park
is one of only two circuits on the current calendar where Rossi has not
celebrated victory in at least one of the three Grand Prix classes.

Furthermore, the Italian is aiming to keep alive his chances of setting a new
record for premier-class victories in a single season. The current benchmark of
twelve was set by Mick Doohan in 1997 but after Rossi's eleventh win of the
season at Phillip Island, which equalled his own previous best and that of
Giacomo Agostini in 1972, the Italian has two races remaining this season in
which to make history once again.

Rossi's Gauloises Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards, meanwhile, has his own agenda
as he continues his relentless pursuit of the runner-up spot in the
championship. With Rossi having clinched the title with four rounds to spare in
Malaysia, much of the attention has been around the chase for second place,
which has seen Edwards as a constant protagonist. The American has been one of
the most consistent riders in the class this season, and indeed is the only
rider in the MotoGP field who has scored points at all races so far in 2005.
Edwards currently lies in fourth place, just eight points behind youngsters
Nicky Hayden and Marco Melandri (both Honda), who are currently tied on 170
points.

Sunday's schedule will start one hour later than usual, with the MotoGP race set
to begin at 1500h local time (CET +1).

VALENTINO ROSSI: BREAKING NEW BORDERS

Valentino Rossi's worldwide popularity has been proven beyond doubt this season
with armies of fans celebrating each of his eleven victories in every corner of
the globe. The Italian has the chance to win over a new audience this weekend as
the MotoGP World Championship ventures onto new ground, and he is excited by the
challenge, despite it coming at the end of a tiring run of four races in five
weekends across Asia and Oceania.

"Everybody is very tired after the trip to Australia but it is always nice to
visit a new country and we are all interested to see the new circuit in Turkey,"
said Rossi. "I saw the F1 race on the television and the circuit looked like a
lot of fun but we will have to see on Friday morning. It is a new challenge but
also a new opportunity for a lot of riders to be at the front so we will see
what happens.

"I was very happy with the race at Phillip Island - we found a good set-up very
quickly even though things hadn't worked for us in the pre-season test. This is
a good sign for Turkey because it will also be important to find the set-up
quickly there. I am very sorry Loris Capirossi will not be racing because he is
a friend and a great rival, and I think if he was in the race at Phillip Island
it could have been an even harder battle. Hopefully he will be back for Valencia."

COLIN EDWARDS: TOP TWO STILL THE TARGET

Colin Edwards arrives in Turkey this week after spending some time with family
and friends in Australia, taking some time to relax before launching another
assault on second place in the championship. The Texan has missed several
opportunities to make the runner-up spot his own and has not visited the podium
since his home round at Laguna Seca in July, but he is determined to put things
right on a level playing field this weekend.

"I expected a lot more from Phillip Island but we had problems from the first
day," explained Edwards. "Even though we ironed a lot of things out on Saturday
it still wasn't enough to allow us to fight for the podium and that was
disappointing. Hopefully we can get off on the right foot at Istanbul - this is
still my first season with the bike and we've shown at several circuits that are
new to us that we can adapt quickly, so I am confident.

"It's amazing that I'm still in with a chance of second place in the
championship and I still have two more chances to grab hold of it. Nicky Hayden,
Marco Melandri and Max Biaggi seem to have been flip-flopping places all around
me but I've stayed in there and there's only a few points in it. Thankfully I
can say second place in the championship is still a realistic aim with two
rounds to go and that is a credit to the whole team."

DAVIDE BRIVIO: IT'S NOT OVER YET

Gauloises Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio heads to Turkey this week in the
knowledge that he has helped to spearhead the most successful Grand Prix season
in the factory's 50-year history, whatever happens in the final two rounds.
After clinching the riders', teams' and constructors' titles, Brivio's only
remaining target for the team is to help Colin Edwards to the runner-up spot in
the riders' championship although, as he admits, that would merely be the icing
on the cake.

"Our main objectives for this season have been met but the motivation of the
team is still high and we want to help Colin to finish second in the
championship," said Brivio. "We owe it to him to give him all the material and
support he needs to meet his goals. For us it was a special emotion to bring the
constructors title to Yamaha, for the first time since 2000, and it was a great
achievement for Valentino to win his eleventh race but the work has not stopped
yet.

"The riders and the crew, like everybody in the paddock, are quite tired from
the events of the last few weeks but this is our job and we have a lot of
experience. The guys know how to get the best out of themselves and they will do
just that over the next two races. It has been a wonderful season for us but we
want to finish it in the best possible way. Our riders never give up until they
see the chequered flag and neither will we!"

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING

The spectacular 5.378 kilometre Istanbul Park track features fourteen turns -
eight lefts and six rights - and like Phillip Island has the unusual
characteristic of running anti-clockwise. It possesses a wide variety of corners
and the challenge is further enhanced by plenty of gradients, with the track
built on four different ground levels.

The Formula 1 drivers discovered that there are fewer obvious overtaking
opportunities than at some other Tilke circuits, as Istanbul does not feature
the long straights followed by tight hairpins that characterise the likes of
Sepang and Shanghai. However the spectacular improvisation that characterises
MotoGP will guarantee plenty of thrills and spills this weekend. Spectators will
have ideal facilities to enjoy the action, with seating capacity for around
130,000 fans and an impressive grandstand which can hold up to 25,000.

In terms of machine preparation, both Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards will
start the weekend with a different base set-up on each bike. The initial aim of
the engineers is to make both machines as neutral as possible, with average
spring rates and gearbox settings, but with potential to take different
development routes. On Friday morning the crew and rider will decide which
machine feels most comfortable and make minor changes from that point onwards to
come up with the ideal setting for the race.

VALENTINO ROSSI: INFORMATION

Age: 26
Lives: London, UK
Bike: Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1
GP victories: 80 (41 x MotoGP, 13 x 500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 154 (63 x MotoGP, 32 x 500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 40
World Championships - 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP)

COLIN EDWARDS: INFORMATION

Age: 31
Lives: Conroe, Texas
Bike: Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1
First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP)
GP starts: 47
World Championships - 2 World Superbike