Chinese Grand Prix Results

[Andy]

DANI WINS, NICKY SECOND IN SHANGHAI SHOWDOWN

This MotoGP contest will be remembered as the race where the amazing Dani

Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) established himself as a new force in the top

class with a debut premier category win at his fourth attempt. His

team-mate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) was second and Colin Edwards

(Yamaha) was third.

After unsettled weather for the two days of practice, race day was hot and

dry with the track temperature at 26 degrees and ambient at 31 degrees. A

modest crowd of 32,000 was in place as the lights signaled the start of

this, the fourth race of the season.

Dani made the holeshot from the grid into turn one, but ran wide at the

apex of the first right-hander allowing Edwards through to take the lead

with the other front row qualifier John Hopkins (Suzuki) taking up second

place.

With 22-laps of this 5.281km track ahead of them in debilitating

conditions, this was always going to be a race where the fittest riders

would prevail, and where the best set-up machines would reduce rider

fatigue by a significant amount.

Edwards and Hopkins made the early running until mid-race distance when

Dani, who had started from pole and dropped to fifth by lap two completed

his charge to the front. At the start of lap 10 Dani used his speed along

the pit straight to slip past Edwards and lead into turn one.

His team-mate Nicky, riding hard for his second career win, stuck fast to

Dani in second place as the Honda duo left Edwards and Hopkins in their

wake. The Americans disputing third place would eventually finish more than

14 seconds adrift of the RC211V-mounted pacesetters.

As the Honda runners exchanged fastest laps with one another as Hayden put

the pressure on the leader and Pedrosa responded to it, the time dropped

from Pedrosa