Elias: Aggression works.

Toni Elias hopes that his thrilling tenth-to-second place charge in last weekend's Turkish Grand Prix has removed any doubt over the effectiveness of his aggressive riding style on the new 800cc machines.

Elias, winner of last year's Portuguese Grand Prix, is the only rider still throwing the new 800cc machines around like the old, overpowered, 990s. By contrast, his rivals believe that the reduced power suits a smoother style and have adapted accordingly - but, to the delight of many MotoGP fans, Elias won't be changing.

"I'm pleased to see that my riding style, which many people said would be too aggressive for the new 800cc bike, can be effective and allow me to challenge for victories," said the Spaniard, who upset former five-times MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi with his aggressive overtaking attempts at Istanbul Park.

"I have to thank my team for the work they have done on the set-up and Bridgestone, who have come up with a tyre which is perfect for my riding style," he added. "This has raised my confidence in my potential and allowed me to progress. The job still isn't finished though and we still have margin for improvement."

Elias will aim to go one better next weekend at Shanghai, but faces a tough task with his Gresini Honda expected to struggle against the top speed of the Ducatis along the monstrous 1200m back straight.

"I like Shanghai a lot and I'm happy to go there after such a great race," declared Toni. "The Shanghai straight is the longest on the calendar and that doesn't suit our bike but I hope we can make up for this with a good set-up in the [slower] parts."

Meanwhile, team-mate Marco Melandri also delivered an impressive come-from-behind ride at Istanbul Park, the Italian reviving his troubled early season form by charging from 14th to fifth.

"I'm going to China feeling confident after the race in Istanbul - not so much for the result but for the way we fought back after a difficult weekend," said the triple 2006 race winner. "In the race we recovered the feeling I lost during practice and I was able to ride my Honda in the way I like. Now the objective is to find the right way forward with the set-up from the first session and get a qualifying position that will allow me to fight for a top position in the race.

"The characteristics of the circuit in China don't really suit our bike but I like the track itself," he continued. "It's a unique circuit. It has two long straights, one of which measures 1202 metres and is the longest on the calendar. The first corner is probably the strangest because it is so long and you have to change gear whilst banked over down a steep drop. It's important to have a precise line through turns 3, 4 and 5 and a good exit from turn 7 before the long straight. You then have to be prepared for the hardest braking zone in the championship to set up a good finish.

"Bridgestone have demonstrated in the first three races that they can be competitive at different kinds of circuit and I'm confident they will come up with some really good options for us at Shanghai," he concluded.

Crash