Nakano's flying visit to NEC show.

Shinya Nakano and his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR are set to be the stars of the Kawasaki stand at this year's International Motorcycle and Scooter Show at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre.

The Ninja ZX-RR that Nakano took to third place in this year's Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, and tenth place in the 2004 MotoGP World Championship standings, will be displayed on the Kawasaki stand for the duration of the show, which opens its doors to the public from 6th - 14th November.

A busy winter test schedule means that Nakano's visit to the largest powered two wheeler show in the UK will be limited to just two days; press and trade day on Thursday 4th November and the public preview day on Friday 5th November.

The 27-year-old Fuchs Kawasaki rider will be making regular appearances on both days, with autograph sessions scheduled on the Fuchs Silkolene and Arlen Ness stands in hall 19, the Kawasaki K-Care stand in hall 7 and the main Kawasaki stand in hall 18.

This will be Nakano's first visit to the International Motorcycle and Scooter Show, and the Japanese ace is looking forward to meeting again the race fans who gave him such a warm welcome at the British Grand Prix earlier in the year.

"I've never been to a motorcycle show in the UK before, but I was really impressed with the knowledge and enthusiasm of everyone I talked to at Donington Park this year and I'm looking forward to meeting the British race fans again in Birmingham," declared Nakano.

Nakano finished the 2004 MotoGP World Championship season in fine style at Valencia on Sunday, bringing his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR home in seventh place in the race to secure tenth position in the final championship standings.

Nakano will return to Japan for a well earned break after appearing at the NEC show, before heading to the Jerez and Paul Ricard circuits at the end of November, where he'll be joined by team-mate Alex Hofmann for further development tests aboard the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR.