ROUND 17 - GRAND PRIX BETANDWIN.COM DE LA COMUNITAT VALENCIANA
01 NOVEMBER 2005 - EVENT PREVIEW

HOFMANN AND NAKANO READY FOR FINAL RACE OF THE SEASON

Germany's Alex Hofmann will return to the Kawasaki line-up for this Sunday's
Valencia Grand Prix, the final event of a marathon, 17 race, MotoGP World
Championship season.

Out of action for seven weeks because of injury, Hofmann will race alongside
Kawasaki's MotoGP stalwart, Shinya Nakano, who is currently in tenth place in
the championship points.

The Valencia race comes seven months after the championship also opened in
Spain, with the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez.

That race produced an outstanding performance by Nakano, his best qualifying and
race result of the season. After qualifying fifth on the grid, Nakano finished
an impressive fifth in the race.

Nakano is aiming for a similarly strong end to the season on the compact,
stadium-style Ricardo Tormo circuit, which squeezes 14 turns into a lap distance
of 4.005 km.

Nakano was seventh in this race last year, on a track of primarily left turns
(nine) and short straights - the longest being 876 metres.

This will be Hofmann's final race appearance aboard a Ninja ZX-RR, with Kawasaki
recently confirming that MotoGP rookie, French rider Randy de Puniet, will be
Nakano's partner for the 2006 season.

Over the past six weeks Hofmann has undergone an intense programme of
rehabilitation and physiotherapy - between four and six hours per day - in a bid
to be fit for Valencia.

Hofmann had 16 screws and two plates inserted to correct eight fractures to his
left ankle and foot, following a crash in the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi in
September. The full extent of Hofmann's injury was not discovered until he
returned to Germany and was treated by specialist, Dr Walther, in a Munich clinic.

Having missed seven races in an injury-hit season, Hofmann is eager to return to
race action for the season-closing Valencia Grand Prix, and work with his
Kawasaki team mechanics for the final time.

Shinya Nakano: #56

"I would like to finish the season with the same, or better, result than in
Jerez. Valencia is a technical track and I like it, but it is difficult to
overtake, so this makes qualifying very important. I remember that our tyre
supplier, Bridgestone, had pole position here last year. A good grid position,
and a fast start, are critical at this track. Overall I have enjoyed the season
and, despite a couple of long flights, it seems to have gone very fast; it feels
like I started racing just a couple of months ago. My goal was to finish better
than tenth in the championship, but at the moment this is the reality for the
Kawasaki team - with factory bikes from Honda, Yamaha and Ducati ahead in the
points. For sure next year we need to take a big step forward, but I'm positive
about this, it is one of the reasons I have stayed with Kawasaki for 2006, to
continue with the ZX-RR project."

Alex Hofmann: #66

"I can't wait to be back, I have watched far too many races on TV this season. I
reckon I've got more screws in my ankle than the mechanics have in their
toolboxes! I really must thank Dr Walther in Munich and everyone who has helped
me in the rehabilitation - even if they thought I was joking when I said I
wanted to race in Valencia. The Motegi crash was the worst I've had in terms of
injuries, but that is behind me. I want a positive finish to the season in my
final race with Kawasaki and to work with my mechanics again - they have been a
great team. The physiotherapy and training have not been easy, but I have done
everything possible to be as close to 100% fit, and I'll do the best job that my
body will allow. I've done a couple of tours on my Z-1000, to put some weight on
my ankle, however the other riders have done the best training - they have been
racing MotoGP."