MOTOGP: Chinese GP: Bridgestone preview

[pr...@motorsport.com]

Shanghai plays host to the next round of the 2007 MotoGP world
championship, the Chinese Grand Prix, a race in which Bridgestone-shod
Kawasaki rider Olivier Jacque excelled two years ago. Jacque, making his
Bridgestone debut in MotoGP that season, stormed to a sensational second
place just 1.7s from race winner Valentino Rossi in the first ever
Chinese GP event, which showcased the competitiveness of Bridgestone's
wet weather grooved tyres.

New technical regulations have altered Bridgestone's approach to
wet tyre development since that race, as Tohru Ubukata, Manager of
Bridgestone's motorcycle race tyre development, explains: "The tyre
regulations we have in place for the 2007 season stipulate that wet
tyres must have a land-sea ratio of at least 20% and that the grooves
must be at least three millimetres in depth. In the past, we had no tyre
limitations during a GP weekend, so we were able to produce 'cut slicks'
which are slick tyres with small hand-cut grooves for damp conditions.
The 31 tyre restriction prevents us from doing this so extensively this
year, so we have had to make a wider range of wet tyres to cover full
wet conditions and damp-drying conditions, since the number of wet tyres
is not restricted by the regulations."

[...]

For the full story, visit
http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=250689&F=N

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The 2007 MotoGP championship continues its eastward momentum as the Shanghai International Circuit plays host to
the third Chinese Grand Prix this weekend. After a dominant performance at the last race in Turkey, where it scored an
historic maiden 1-2-3, Bridgestone heads to China in positive, but realistic mood, knowing that the Shanghai circuit will
present its range of tyres with another tough technical challenge.

John Hopkins finished last year's race as the top Bridgestone-shod rider, the Anglo-American converting an excellent
second-place grid position into a fourth-place race result, his joint best of the season (with Catalunya). In 2005, the
inaugural Chinese MotoGP event, Kawasaki rider Olivier Jacque marked his debut on Bridgestone tyres with a stunning
second place in wet conditions.

[...]

For the full story, visit

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=250803&F=N