MARCO MELANDRI, Ducati Marlboro Team
"Shanghai is a circuit I like a lot. The first time we went there I managed a podium and went really strong in the wet - in fact my overriding memory from that race is the rain, there was so much of it! Last year I finished fifth and that was a good result for me because I remember I was losing a lot of ground in the straights, on top speed. That shouldn't be the case this year and in general the track should be good for our bike so hopefully we can have a good race at last."

THE TRACK

The Shanghai Circuit is one of the most recent additions to the MotoGP calendar, having only held its first race back in 2005. The entire circuit complex, with its imposing modernist design, is probably the most spectacular on the calendar. The layout of the track itself was inspired by the shape of the Chinese symbol 'shang', which stands for 'high' or 'above'. It features two long straights, which put huge emphasis on horsepower, but also hosts a mixture of slow corners and hard braking zones which make for a compromised set-up - particularly regarding suspension.

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