Motogp Riders & Teams
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MotoGP Riders & TeamsTeams MotoGP Riders & Teams MotoGP Riders & Teams CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM ADDRESS Yamaha Motor Racing SRL Via Tinelli 67/69 20050 Gerno di Lesmo (MI) Italy TEAM MANAGER Davide Brivio TEL/FAX +39 0396 9871 / +39 0396 065184 PRESS CONTACT Katie Baines [email protected] WEBSITE www.yamahamotogp.com 46 VALENTINO ROSSI Yamaha Michelin Age at first 2006 GP: 27 First GP: MAL 96 (125) Starts: 157 ITA First win: CZE 96 (125) Wins: 79 Last win: AUS 05 Poles: 40 2005 Position: 1st Fastest Laps: 65 Best Champ: 1st Podiums : 117 World titles: 7 - MotoGP (02, Urbino Best MotoGP Finish : 1st 03, 04, 05), 500 (01), 250 (99), 16/02/79 Best MotoGP Grid: 1st GBR 05 125 (97) The fact that Valentino Rossi remains undefeated since the start of MotoGP and he also boasts Championships in every other category of the modern era easily marks the fun-loving Italian as one of the greatest riders the sport has seen. A com- posed, natural style mixed with an entertaining degree of showmanship and flam- boyance, Rossi is the cur- rent crown jewel of MotoGP. 5 COLIN EDWARDS Yamaha Michelin Age at first 2006 GP: 32 Best MotoGP Grid: 2nd FRA 05 Starts: 49 First GP: JPN 03 USA Wins: - First win: - Poles: 1 Last win: - Fastest Laps: 2 2005 Position: 4th Houston Podiums: 5 Best Champ: 4th 05 27/02/74 Best MotoGP Finish: 2nd USA 05 World titles: - After success in World Superbike Colin Edwards arrived to MotoGP in 2003 and although he has ridden for a different team every season he will begin his second term with Yamaha in 2006. The lively Texan has only failed to score points in 5 from 49 Grand Prix in the last three years proving an apt foil to Rossi in the factory set-up. REPSOL HONDA TEAM ADDRESS European Office Industriezone Noord V, Wijngaardveld 1c 9300 B-Aalst Belgium TEAM MANAGER Makoto Tanaka TEL/FAX +32 53 725394 / +32 53 725391 PRESS CONTACT Steve Westlake [email protected] WEBSITE www.world.honda.com 69 NICKY HAYDEN Honda Michelin Age at first 2006 GP: 24 Best MotoGP Grid: 1st AUS 05 Starts: 47 First GP: JPN 03 USA Wins: 1 First win: USA 05 Poles: 3 Last win: USA 05 Fastest Laps: 2 2005 Position: 3rd Owensboro Podiums: 10 Best Champ: 3rd 05 30/07/81 Best MotoGP Finish: 1st World titles: - Nicky begins his fourth year in MotoGP and has shown suitable progression every season as a part of the Repsol Honda team. His first victory arrived on home soil in 2005 and he has accumulated an impressive 10 podiums in a steady apprenticeship since arriving in 2003. Along with Edwards, Hayden’s presence main- tains a strong American flavour inside the Championship. 26 DANI PEDROSA Honda Michelin Age at first 2006 GP: 20 Best MotoGP Grid: - Starts: 78 (125/250) First GP: JPN 01 (125) SPA Wins: 23 (125/250) First win: NED 01 (125) Poles: 18 Last win: VAL 05 (250) Fastest Laps: 20 2005 Position: 1st (250) Sabadell Podiums: 41 (125/250) Best Champ: 1st (125/250) 29/09/85 Best MotoGP Finish: - World titles: 3-250(04,05), 125(03) The current phenomenon in Spanish road-racing Dani Pedrosa is a three time World Champion and is still only 20 years old. The diminutive Honda rider will make his MotoGP debut this season after conquering the 250 competition for the last two years and making his name in the 125 category in 2003 under the wing of mentor and ex-racer Alberto Puig. MotoGP Riders & Teams FORTUNA HONDA MotoGP ADDRESS c/o Gresini Racing S.R.L Via Mengolina, 18 48018 Faenza (RA), Italy TEAM MANAGER Fausto Gresini TEL/FAX (39) 0546 46730/(39) 0546 646085 PRESS CONTACT Maria Guidotti [email protected] WEBSITE www.gresiniracing.com 33 MARCO MELANDRI Honda Michelin Age at first 2006 GP: 23 Best MotoGP Grid: 2nd VAL 05 Starts: 121 First GP: CZE 97 (125) ITA Wins: 19 First win: NED 98 (125) Poles: 9 Last win: VAL 05 Fastest laps: 16 2005 Position: 2nd Ravenna Podiums: 51 Best Champ: 1st 02 (250) 07/08/82 Best MotoGP Finish: 1st World titles: 1 - 250 (02) The former 250cc World Champion was the revela- tion of the 2005 MotoGP Championship in only his third season in the category. Melandri battled injury during 2003 and only started to show his true potential dur- ing 2004 where he picked up the first of his nine podi- ums in just two years. 2005 and a close fight with Rossi in Turkey delivered a maid- en victory. 24 TONI ELIAS Honda Michelin Age at first 2006 GP: 23 Best MotoGP Grid: 6th TUR 05 Starts: 97 First GP: SPA 99 (125) SPA Wins: 9 (125/250) First win: NED 01 (125) Poles: 9 Last win: POR 04 (250) Fastest Laps: 7 2005 Position: 12th Manresa Podiums: 29 (125/250) Best Champ: 3rd 03 (250) 26/03/83 Best MotoGP Finish: 6th TUR 05 World titles: - Toni Elias has won Grand Prix in both the 125 and 250cc categories and is getting closer to a first MotoGP success as he readies himself for a second season in the class at the age of 22. Moving from Yamaha to Honda for 2006 and his seventh Grand Prix year Elias will also be looking to transfer his fast and stylish speed. DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM ADDRESS Via Cavalieri Ducati 3 40132 Bologna (BO) Italy TEAM MANAGER Livio Suppo TEL/FAX +39 0516 413780 / +39 0516 413183 PRESS CONTACT Sonia Braggio [email protected] WEBSITE www.ducati.com 15 SETE GIBERNAU Ducati Bridgestone Age at first 2006 GP: 33 Best MotoGP Grid: 1st VAL 05 Starts: 160 First GP: SPA 92 (250) SPA Wins: 9 First win: VAL 01 Poles: 31 Last win: QAT 04 Fastest Laps: 8 2005 Position: 7th Barcelona Podiums: 30 Best Champ: 2nd 04 15/12/72 Best MotoGP Finish: 1st World titles: - Sete Gibernau was Rossi’s main title threat in 2003 and 2004. The Spaniard is responsible for some of MotoGP’s tightest and most exciting races in recent years thanks to his tussles with the World Champion. The new Ducati signing is the only rider to come close to the Italian in terms of race wins since 2002 with eight Grand Prix victories in three seasons. 65 LORIS CAPIROSSI Ducati Bridgestone Age at first 2006 GP: 32 First GP: JPN 90 (125) Starts: 231 ITA First win: GBR 90 (125) Wins: 25 Last win: MAL 05 Poles: 39 2005 Position: 6th Fastest Laps: 27 Best Champ: 1st 98 (250) Podiums: 86 World titles: 3 - 250 (98), 125 (90, Bologna Best MotoGP Finish: 1st 91) 04/04/73 Best MotoGP Grid: 1st QAT 05 Loris Capirossi is the most experienced rider in MotoGP. The Italian has been leading Ducati’s development programme in the series since the red bikes made their debut in 2003. Capirossi boasts 125 and 250cc World Championship success and is the only current rider apart from Rossi and Melandri to have taken a GP victory in every category (125, 250, 500/MotoGP). MotoGP Riders & Teams KAWASAKI RACING TEAM ADDRESS Im Gstaudach 6 92648 Vohenstrauss Germany TEAM MANAGER Harald Eckl TEL/FAX +49 9651 924140 / +49 96519 241420 PRESS CONTACT Ian Wheeler [email protected] WEBSITE www.kawasaki-eckl.com 56 SHINYA NAKANO Kawasaki Bridgestone Age at first 2006 GP: 28 Best MotoGP Grid: 3rd JPN 04 Starts: 114 First GP: JPN 98 (250) JPN Wins: 6 (250) First win: JPN 99 (250) Poles: 5 Last win: VAL 00 (250) Fastest Laps: 9 2005 Position: 10th Chiba Podiums: 20 Best Champ: 2nd 00 (250) 10/10/77 Best MotoGP Finish: 3rd JPN 04 World titles: - Shinya Nakano came within 0.014 seconds of a 250cc World Championship in 2000 after a thrilling season bat- tling with Yamaha team-mate Olivier Jacque. The pair have reunited with the ranks of the factory MotoGP Kawasaki team in recent seasons. Nakano enters his third term with the German crew in 2006, his fifth as part of MotoGP. 17 RANDY DE PUNIET Kawasaki Bridgestone Age at first 2006 GP: 25 Best MotoGP Grid: - Starts: 113 First GP: FRA 98 (125) FRA Wins: 5 (250) First win: CAT 03 (250) Poles: 9 Last win: GBR 05 (250) Fastest Laps: 4 2005 Position: 8th (250) Andresy Podiums: 22 (250) Best Champ: 3rd 03 (250) 14/02/78 Best MotoGP Finish: - World titles: - Randy de Puniet is one of four riders to make their MotoGP debut this season. The Frenchman has been a protagonist in the 250cc series for the last three years, finishing third in the 2004 World Championship, and accepted a saddle with Kawasaki for 2006. It will be his eighth full-time Grand Prix campaign. TECH3 YAMAHA ADDRESS 635 Chemin du Niel 83230 Bormes Les Mimosas France TEAM MANAGER Herve Poncharal TEL/FAX (33) 494 718 325/ (33) 494 718 326 PRESS CONTACT Herve Poncharal [email protected] WEBSITE www.yamaha-racing.com 7 CARLOS CHECA Yamaha Dunlop Age at first 2006 GP: 33 Best MotoGP Grid: 1st QAT 04 Starts: 185 First GP: EUR 93 (125) SPA Wins: 2 First win: CAT 96 Poles: 1 Last win: MAD 98 Fastest Laps: 5 2005 Position: 9th St. Fruitós Podiums: 24 Best Champ: 4th 98 15/10/72 Best MotoGP Finish: 1st World titles: - After a season with Ducati, Carlos Checa returns to Yamaha and his spiritual MotoGP home for the 2006 series. The Spaniard steered an M1 for six of the last seven years and repre- sents the Tech3 squad for his 14th campaign.