May 06 : Kawasaki's De Puniet Equals Best MotoGP Result in Shanghai

Randy de Puniet equalled his best performance in MotoGP today at the Chinese Grand
Prix in Shanghai. The 22-lap race saw the French Kawasaki rider bring home his 800cc
Ninja ZX-RR in eighth position, on a par with his previous best at Istanbul two
weeks ago, and well ahead of last year's 12th place.
 

After a good start from seventh position on the grid, the Frenchman narrowly avoided
a collision at turn one which forced three riders off the track, keeping his
composure and riding with the leading group for much of the opening part of the
race. However, a minor error caused him to lose the tow from the front five riders
and he rode much of the rest of the race alone.

In a battle which saw numerous riders crash out on the demanding circuit, de Puniet
put in consistent lap times to comfortably secure his top ten finish, just losing
out on sixth position in the final laps. Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen
overtook and de Puniet was unable to get back past them in the closing stages.

In dry conditions at the 5.281km track, de Puniet showed off an impressive top speed
of 320.67km/h, with an average of 156.07km/h. Along with a successful suspension
set-up and excellent performance from the Bridgestone tyres, he showed how well
Kawasaki's Ninja ZX-RR is evolving after recent improvements.

The team were hoping for at least eighth position, so weren't disappointed, but
strongly believe the bike is capable of a top five or six place finish. They now
look forward to developing the bike further, ready for the next round at Le Mans in
two weeks' time: Frenchman Randy's home Grand Prix.

De Puniet now has 19 points overall; running 13th in the championship.

Olivier Jacque's appearance at Le Mans is dependant on a medical assessment on
Monday of the injury sustained in his Friday crash. The 33-year-old Frenchman will
have the drain removed from his injured forearm by Doctor Mir in Barcelona, and only
then will he find out whether a return to action at his home Grand Prix is a
realistic proposition.

Randy de Puniet: 8th Position
"The target was to finish eighth and I did but, after a positive weekend and this
morning's warm up, I was expecting to finish in a better position. I am satisfied
with the race, although I have to say that maybe I was too cautious. I didn't want
to risk making any mistakes, which could have ruined my chances. I got a good start
and kept my position on the leading group for about six laps but, from then on, I
couldn't keep up their rhythm. I didn't have any slipstream and that made me lose
about three tenths of a second per lap. Riding on the safe side, Capirossi and
Vermeulen were able to catch and pass me. I tried to give it back to Vermeulen at
the last corner, and I almost did, but he was on a better line and I couldn't manage
it. Anyway, my Kawasaki and the Bridgestone tyres worked perfectly today and I am
really satisfied about the work we have done here over the weekend. I am sure that
if we continue this way, better results will come soon. And it would be great to get
them at the next race in Le Mans: my home race."

Michael Bartholemy: Kawasaki Competition Manager
"Overall I'm pretty happy with our performance this weekend. I think we have shown
just how much progress we've made with our Ninja ZX-RR, even in the short space of
time since we started the season in Qatar. Once again, it's impossible to fault
Bridgestone, as the tyres have worked perfectly all weekend. As for our final
result, I have to say that I am a little disappointed. I think it was possible to
finish the race in sixth place, but Randy was maybe too cautious towards the end,
which allowed Capirossi and Vermeulen to pass him in the closing stages, pushing him
back to eighth position. This weekend we have seen that our Ninja ZX-RR is now a
match for our factory rivals, and we head for Le Mans determined to prove this with
another strong performance."

MotoGP Race Result:
1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 44'12.891; 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA)
Yamaha Factory Racing +3.036; 3. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +6.663; 4.
Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +14.090; 5. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda Gresini
+17.276; 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +26.256; 7. Chris Vermeulen
(AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +26.591; 8. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team
+27.025; 9. Alex Hofmann (GER) Pramac d'Antin Ducati +28.108; 10. Carlos Checa (SPA)
Honda LCR +32.957