After three different winners, representing three different manufacturers, American
Nicky Hayden flies east to Shanghai leading the
MotoGP World Championship for the very first time.
The 24-year-old Repsol Honda rider has rightly earned the title of Mr. Consistency after claiming his seventh successive podium - a third place in the Turkish Grand Prix - which gave him a slender one-point lead in the 2006 championship, after three superb opening encounters.
Just 12-points separate the first five riders in the championship and there is every chance that the 22 lap race round the 3.281 mile Shanghai circuit could produce yet another new winner on Sunday - although the experienced Italian trio of
Loris Capirossi,
Valentino Rossi and Marco Melandri may wreck that particular prediction after victories in those opening three grands prix.
The arrival of young talent such as Australian
Casey Stoner, who won the 250cc race in China last year, and double 250cc World Champion
Dani Pedrosa has totally re-vitalised the title chase although some of the 'older' members of the MotoGP club are not ready to hand over just yet:
33- year-old Capirossi is having a fabulous season on the Ducati Marlboro, winning the opening round in
Jerez and trailing Hayden by that single point in the championship battle. World champion Rossi has packed seven world titles and 80 grand prix victories into his amazing 27 years and can never be written off. Despite continued handling problems with his Camel Yamaha, Rossi is in fifth place, just 12-points adrift of former team-mate Hayden, and won the race in the rain at Shanghai last year.
Another former 250cc World Champion,
Marco Melandri, bounced back to top form with a last gasp win over Stoner in Turkey. Riding the Fortuna Honda the Italian moved up to third place, just seven-points behind Hayden. He arrives in Shanghai bursting with confidence together with his new team-mate Tony Elias, who shares sixth place in the championship with Pedrosa.
