NO DELIGHT FOR KAWASAKI TEAM IN TURKISH GRAND PRIX

Kawasaki riders, Shinya Nakano and Olivier Jacque, finished 10th and 13th respectively in today's inaugural Turkish Grand Prix at the Istanbul Park circuit.

The outcome was disappointing for both riders and team, following a promising start to the weekend when the combination of Ninja ZX-RR bikes and Bridgestone tyres appeared to adapt quickly to the impressive 14-turn, 5.34 km circuit.

Both Nakano and Jacque struggled with rear grip and race distance endurance over the 22-lap distance and were frustrated not to be able to engage rivals in close-quarter racing.

Nakano made a strong start from the fourth row and stayed ahead of Honda riders Chris Vermeulen and Makoto Tamada to be ninth on lap six.

But by lap ten Nakano's lap times began to fade as he battled reduced edge grip, especially in the long, right hand corners.

Jacque faced similar problems and rode with great determination, even changing his riding style to assist in maintaining lap times over the final laps.

Jacque, starting 13th, settled in 12th place ahead of factory Honda rider Max Biaggi and Suzuki's John Hopkins and ran ahead of this pair for 14 laps.

But the hard-riding Frenchman could not respond when Biaggi went ahead over the final stages of the race.

In the end, both Nakano and Jacque concentrated on scoring world championship points over the latter stages, to maintain Kawasaki's fourth position in the world constructors' championship points.

The race was run in sunny and mild weather, with the new Istanbul Park circuit meeting wide approval from riders and teams for its layout and facilities.

The next race, the Valencia Grand Prix, will be the final event of the MotoGP World Championship.