MotoGP 'gears up' for Shanghai.

Preparations for the Chinese Grand Prix, round four of the 2007 MotoGP World Championship, got underway on Thursday at the Shanghai International Circuit amidst the humid warmth of the Asian track.

Early birds Toni Elias, Loris Capirossi and Olivier Jacque took part in a pre-event 'meet and greet' at the Jin Mao Tower, attended by fans, local and international media. The trio went up to the 88th floor of the tallest building in China, and also took in a 'Dragon Dance' and martial arts display performed by local children. The three spoke briefly in a press conference also held in the tower.

In the official pre-event press conference, five MotoGP stars fielded questions about Shanghai and the season so far. World championship leader Casey Stoner and five time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi were joined by last year's race winner Dani Pedrosa, veteran rider Alex Barros and 2006 front row qualifier John Hopkins.

"It's pretty much like a dream come true," smile Stoner, who has taken two wins from three starts. "After the first race this season I didn't think things could get much better. Then at Jerez we sort of got back to reality and had to fight hard for the position we had. There was a bit of bad luck involved but anyway we had a good result. Last weekend was perfect. Everything just went so well. The bike and tyres were unbelievable and it was just a matter of putting in the laps and doing the times."

Turning to this weekend, Stoner indicated that he did not believe that the Ducati's top speed advantage would make it plain sailing.

"A lot of people are saying that the Ducati is going to be extremely fast at this circuit and the top speed we have will help for sure," he stated, before listing the circuit's other challenges. "The first and second turns are really tight and complicated. Then at the end of the back straight you're a lot of heavy braking and you have to have your bike really well set-up for that. The track flows in places and doesn't in others. It's really hard to set the bike up for all the tight points and still have the correct gearing for the top speed on the straight."

While there will be plenty of set-up work ahead to find that balance, the 21-year-old has few concerns about his tyres. "At every track so far this year Bridgestone have been extremely competitive, especially at the end of the races," he said. "At this race last year they seemed to have quite a competitive package and I think we can only improve."

By contrast, Rossi lost his points lead after a rear tyre vibration dragged him back from second to tenth in Turkey - and he suffered a front tyre failure last year in Shanghai.

"The tyre problem was a big surprise, but we understand what the problem was and on the Monday we tried some different tyres that Michelin have also brought here for this weekend," reassured Rossi. "We hope that these new tyres will allow us to go a bit faster and be more consistent throughout the race.

"In 2005 I won here in the rain on Sunday after a difficult practice. Last year we struggled a lot with the bike and tyres. Unfortunately I lost a podium and important championship points when I broke the front tyre. We will wait and see tomorrow because the bike is more competitive and faster this year."

Rossi was the most visible victim of Ducati's top speed at the opening round in Qatar, when his M1 was blitzed by Stoner along the straight. The Italian hopes that engine advances by Yamaha will have closed the gap this weekend, when the MotoGP riders face the longest straight on the calendar, at 1200m.

"The other problem is the long, long straight. I don't know what will happen," shrugged Rossi. "In Qatar the gap was very, very big but we hope it will be a bit closer now, especially to the Ducati."

Pedrosa failed to finish in Turkey, after being taken out on the first lap, but dominated the 2006 Chinese Grand Prix.

"Last year was great; I took my first pole and first win. Great memories. But this year is different so we must try to do it again," said Pedrosa. "We know we have a disadvantage on this straight and we must try to get as close as possible to the Ducati and get the best lap time and best rhythm. It will be difficult as always, but I think we can do it."

Suzuki star Hopkins is enjoying his GSV-R's competitiveness: "We just want to run at the front every race," said the Anglo-American. "We've proved at the last couple of tracks that we can do that consistently, even though those tracks haven't particularly been good for myself or Suzuki in the past. [The fall] at Jerez was unfortunate, but Turkey was good. It was a close race."

Barros has returned to MotoGP after a season in WSBK and was just a fraction from putting his d'Antin Ducati on the podium last time out in Turkey.

"We had a difficult start in Turkey. After the first day we were quite far behind but the team did a great job and on the second day we improved a lot," said the Brazilian veteran. "But we still have a problem with qualifying. I'm not fast enough to get a good grid position and this is what we need to improve. In the race we were very consistent. I almost got involved in the first lap crash but after that the bike was in good shape and the tyres worked well so I could recover positions and fight for third. I hope it's the start of further improvements and that I can be fast all weekend."

Practice for the Chinese Grand Prix begins on Friday at 9.00am local time with the 125cc class. The MotoGP riders will complete their first laps on 800cc machines at the Shanghai International circuit at 10am.

Crash