2006 MotoGP Turkey
Istanbul Park, Turkey
April 30, 2006

Text and Photos Courtesy MotoGP, Kawasaki, Yamaha Racing, Team Suzuki and World Superbike.  Edited by webBikeWorld.

More:  Rossi to start 100th consecutive MotoGP race

Suzuki rider Chris Vermeulen took his first MotoGP pole and got off to a great start at the 2006 Turkey MotoGP race at Istanbul Park.  Sete Gibernau quickly passed Vermeulen for the lead though, with American Nicky Hayden right on their tail in third.

It was an epic battle that looked more like a 125cc or World Supersport race than a MotoGP contest, with Hayden, Casey Stoner, Marco Melandri and Dani Pedrosa bunched up and swapping the lead for most of the race.  There's no question that the young guns are the future of MotoGP, with last year's heroes looking like old men on scooters in comparison

Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi got off the grid back in 11th place, but made up valuable points in the MotoGP World Championship title chase after charging from eleventh to take a phenomenal fourth overall in today's Turkish Grand Prix.

Despite making a quick start from his lowly grid position, the Italian made a mistake on lap two and dropped as far back as twelfth.  However, crucial changes made to the setup of his YZR-M1 before the race then allowed him to pass no fewer than seven riders, as he lapped at the same pace as the leading group over the course of the race.

By the time he had made his way through the pack it was too late for the Italian to challenge for the podium but a surprising crash for Dani Pedrosa (Honda) on the final lap boosted his final position to fourth.  Today's result makes Rossi the highest point-scorer of all time in the Grand Prix World Championship, overtaking Max Biaggi.

Rossi's Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards made a decent start and remained in touch with the leaders for the opening laps but was unable to make any further progress and ended the race in ninth - the same position he had started from on the grid.

It was a Honda day as Marco Melandri (Honda) repeated his win from last season but was pushed all the way by Casey Stoner (Honda), who led the race until three corners from the end, when Melandri made his definitive pass.  Nicky Hayden (Honda) was left to snap up the final podium position after Pedrosa's misfortune, the Spanish youngster tumbling out at turn one on the final lap when attacking Melandri and Stoner.

Valentino Rossi (4th; + 6.209): "I got a good start off the line but I had been thinking about the first corner incident at Jerez and what had happened to Lorenzo in the 250 race, so I decided to go to the inside and it cost me four or five places.  I made the positions back by the end of the first lap but I made a mistake under braking on lap two and lost three seconds and the chance for a podium today.

We have had so many problems this weekend but we solved some of them in time for the race with some big modifications after the warm-up this morning and then the bike was okay, especially in the second half of the race when I really enjoyed riding it.  It will be interesting to see how much more progress we can make in the test tomorrow because it is a long championship and the most important thing right now is not where we are in the standings or the points difference to the leader - the priority is to get the bike working as we know it can.

This is a tough series and when you have problems you don't lose one or two places, you lose ten. It looks like there was a great battle at the front - it's a shame I wasn't involved!  Looking at the championship right now I would say the top seven all have a chance to win the title but there is a long way to go yet."

Colin Edwards (9th; + 22.847) "We didn't get it done at all this weekend and we need to sit down and work out why.  It was always going to be a tough race today but I just didn't have the feeling or confidence with the bike to go out and battle with the guys we should be running with, which is the front group.  We've got a test tomorrow and I'm keen to get out there and get as many laps in as possible.  It's hard to overcome problems like the ones we're experiencing now because you don't get enough time during a Grand Prix weekend, so we'll get as much data together as we can before China.  We simply have to come up with something for there because this situation can't go on for any longer."

Disappointing Weekend for Tech 3 Yamaha Team
The variable weather conditions that prevailed over the Istanbul Park Circuit during the Grand Prix of Turkey, cast a giant cloud over the efforts of the Tech 3 Yamaha Team that contributed to a disappointing weekend for all involved. 

After the improvement of the previous Grand Prix in Qatar, Carlos Checa and James Ellison were determined to continue the momentum but their efforts over the three days were not rewarded as they finished in 15th and 18th positions, respectively.  However dark the cloud may appear, there was a silver lining as the unpredictable conditions ensured that the team logged important data to furnish the team's tire supplier, Dunlop, for the remaining 14 rounds of the 2006 season.

Carlos Checa (15th; + 59.855): "We started the race with a completely new setup starting from zero again and trying a new tyre so we didn't know what to expect.  I had a good start and pushed hard but on the third lap I lost the front and ran off the track.  I tired again but I had another slide and decided to back off a little and settle into a good rhythm to save the tire.  This worked a little as I was able to get my fastest lap near the end of the race.  I also had some trouble with my shoulder near the finish as there are so many left hand corners here. 

'It wasn't the best setup but with so much time lost we had to make a decision and unfortunately we went the wrong way. The way the weekend went I am not very happy but like I keep saying, this is a development year for Dunlop in MotoGP and it is most important that we supply them with as much information as possible so they can progress.  When they go forward, we go forward and that is the main aim.  That will help us as the season continues with the next race in China, and hopefully, my shoulder will be 100% by then."

Qualifying: de Puniet Splashes His Way To Second Row

April 29, 2006 - Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet showed complete mastery of the wet conditions during qualifying at Istanbul Park this afternoon, putting his Ninja ZX-RR on the second row of the grid for tomorrow's 22-lap Turkish Grand Prix.

The 25-year-old Frenchman will start from sixth place, alongside current series leader Loris Capirossi and Suzuki's John Hopkins, after consistently improving his time on every lap during the hour-long timed session.

Further rain is forecast for tomorrow's race, but de Puniet is confident that he has both a dry and wet set-up worked out for his Ninja ZX-RR that will allow him to put in a strong performance whatever the prevailing conditions.

Shinya Nakano will start from the third row of the grid, after bouncing back from a difficult free practice session this morning to claim eighth place on the grid during qualifying this afternoon.

The 28-year-old Kawasaki rider struggled to find a good rhythm this morning, but after listening to advice from his crew, and adopting a smoother approach to riding the 5.340km Istanbul Park circuit, Nakano saw a distinct improvement in his lap times towards the end of the free practice session.

Nakano carried that momentum through to qualifying this afternoon, lapping consistently throughout before taking eighth place on tomorrow's grid with his final flying lap.

Visibility on the main straight was so bad that both Kawasaki riders failed to see the 'in' signal on their pit boards at the end of the session, with the result that they ran out of fuel on their slowing down laps, leaving them with a long walk back to the pit box.

Randy de Puniet: 6th - 2'06.102 "Today in the wet conditions I felt really comfortable on the bike. I didn't have so much confidence when we started this morning, but then we switched to a different wet tire and the bike was transformed.  I was able to get on the gas earlier out of the turns without having to worry about losing the rear, and that gives you a lot of confidence.  Once I'd worked out how much grip was available this afternoon I just tried to push that little bit harder on every lap, but at no time did I feel like I was overriding the bike.  I'm happy to qualify so far up the grid and whatever the conditions tomorrow, if I can put in a good warm-up session, then I'm confident of a good result in the race."

Shinya Nakano: 8th - 2'07.294 "This morning was a nightmare to start off with; I just didn't feel comfortable on the bike in these conditions.  But, after discussing the problem with my crew, I went back out and just tried to ride as smoothly as possible, and that solved the problem.  This afternoon I actually enjoyed for the first time pushing as hard as I could in the wet, and I'm satisfied with my starting position.  I think we have a good wet and dry set-up for this circuit, so it doesn't matter what the weather does tomorrow.  Having said that, like most riders, I would prefer the race to be a dry one."

Colin Edwards:  "I had a big highside this morning and came down heavily on my head, shoulders and knee.  It was pretty painful but after two laps back on the bike you soon forget about that.  To be honest I felt quite comfortable in the wet but if we want to be competitive in this race we have to find another two seconds from somewhere and I'm not quite sure where at the moment.  Our tire rivals seem to have an advantage but I also have to say 'hats off' to Nicky Hayden - I'm not sure how close he was to ending one of those laps on the floor but he showed that Michelin have a good wet tire so we clearly need to find the performance from our own bike.  Wet or dry we have to pull a result out from somewhere tomorrow, but after this afternoon's session I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed for sunshine in the morning."

Valentino Rossi:  "We're having a lot of difficulty, not just at this track but during this period. Unfortunately the problem with the bike came late in the pre-season and we have not had time yet to fully understand it.  It means we are off the pace here in the wet and the dry, but we don't completely understand why. It seems that our tire competitor is strong here but we can't blame this.  Nicky Hayden was very fast all day and after him the next Michelin rider is Casey Stoner; with the amount of MotoGP experience he has in these conditions we should be in front of him.  I'm surprised, because last year our bike was really good in the wet and after the new bike worked so well at Catalunya during the rainy pre-season tests I was confident it would be good today as well, but it has been the opposite.  I don't have enough confidence in the front to lean the bike over as much as I would like on the entry to the corners and not enough grip on the rear to make it up on the exit.  If it's dry tomorrow then we have some things to try in the morning, but if the conditions are the same as today then it's going to be very hard for us."

Circuit: Istanbul Park Circuit Length: 5378.  Lap Record: 1' 53.111 (Marco Melandri, 2005).  Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 52.334 (Sete Gibernau, 2005).

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