May 18, 2006
Shanghai, China - This MotoGP contest will be remembered not only as the race where rookie Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) established himself as a new force in the premier class with his first career win (in just four attempts), but also as the moment in which Repsol Honda’s Nicky Hayden made his own statement about how primed and ready he is to wrest the crown away from Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi this season. With his second-place result on the day, Nicky racked up his fourth podium in four rounds (and eighth straight if you include the last four rounds of 2005) and extended his series points lead to 13 over Loris Capirossi.
Race day was hot and dry, with the ambient temperature at 31ºC (87.8ºF), and a modest crowd of 32,000 was in place as the lights signaled the start the fourth race of the season.
Pedrosa grabbed the holeshot from the grid into turn one, but ran wide at the apex of the first right-hander allowing Colin Edwards through to take the lead with the other front-row qualifier, Suzuki’s John Hopkins, taking up second place.
Edwards and Hopkins made the early running until mid-race distance (lap 10 of 22) when Pedrosa, who had started from pole and dropped to fifth by lap two, completed his charge to the front. At the start of lap 10 the young Spaniard used his speed along the pit straight to slip past Edwards and re-take the lead into turn one.
Hayden, meantime, riding hard in hopes of snaring his second career win, stuck close in second place to his Repsol teammate Pedrosa as the Honda duo left Edwards and Hopkins in their wake. The RC211V-mounted pair, in fact, was setting such a blistering pace that they’d eventually take the checkers more than 14 seconds ahead of third-place finisher Edwards.
Hayden put the pressure on the leader and Pedrosa responded to it, with both riders exchanging fastest laps as they battled to be the first to the stripe. In the end, it was Pedrosa taking the win (and tying the record of youngest-ever rider to win a MotoGP event), with Nicky just back in second, and a total of five Hondas filling the top seven places.
Next up on the 2006 FIM MotoGP World Championship is next weekend’s round five in Le Mans, France, on Sunday, May 21.
FIM MotoGP World Championship Results, Rd. 4
1. Dani Pedrosa – Honda
2. Nicky Hayden – Honda
3. Colin Edwards – Yamaha
4. John Hopkins – Suzuki
5. Casey Stoner – Honda
6. Makoto Tamada – Honda
7. Marco Melandri – Honda
8. Loris Capirossi – Ducati
9. Sete Gibernau – Ducati
10. Shinya Nakano – Kawasaki
FIM MotoGP World Championship Points Standings
1. Nicky Hayden – 72 – Honda
2. Loris Capirossi – 59 – Ducati
3. Dani Pedrosa – 57 – Honda
4. Marco Melandri – 54 – Honda
5. Casey Stoner – 52 – Honda
6. Valentino Rossi – 40 – Yamaha
7. Toni Elias – 37 – Honda
8. Colin Edwards – 35 – Yamaha
9. Shinya Nakano – 28 – Kawasaki
10. Sete Gibernau – 25 – Ducati
