Melbourne, Oct 17: The new 125cc champion Dani Pedrosa of Spain spent some time feeding the animals in a Melbourne zoo with MotoGP rider Nicky Hayden of the United States and Argentine 250cc rider Sebastian Porto.
The Spanish teenager, who clinched the title in Sepang last Sunday, has hinted that he will not be defending the number one plate next season and may move up to the 250cc class. The Spaniard will be encouraged by the swift adaptation of his former 125cc rival Manuel Poggiali, who has enjoyed a sensational debut season in the quarter-litre class. The 20-year-old San Marino rider could win the title at the first attempt this weekend, should he finish ahead of nearest challengers Toni Elias and Roberto Rolfo. Spanish MotoGP rider Carlos Checa relaxed in a rather unusual way - learning how to shear sheep at a farm on Phillip Island. Valentino Rossi of Italy, who made sure of his third consecutive world title in Malaysia last Sunday (October 12), has yet to decide whether to accept a new contract offer from Honda or switch to Ducati for 2004.


Turning his attention to the weekend's racing, Rossi said: "This is a fabulous circuit, different to the others because it is so up and down. It has long and incredibly fast corners, especially the first and last turns. I remember testing the V5 here for the first time - going down the hill at the end of the straight my feet came off the footpegs and I was almost flying! We have had some great races here in the past so hopefully the weather will stay nice and we can have another great show on Sunday."


Bureau Report