Get the lowdown on the Hermann Tilke-designed Shanghai circuit ahead of this weekend's Chinese MotoGP.

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.

Combining fast straights and hard braking zones with a series of slow and difficult corners, Shanghai is not dissimilar to Estoril in terms of bike set-up, with the engineers required to find a compromised balance between nimbleness and straight-line speed.

As at any Hermann Tilke-designed circuit, horsepower is a crucial factor and Shanghai is no exception, boasting the longest straight on the calendar at an incredible 1202 metres.

Podiums: 2005 - 1-Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), 2-Olivier Jacque (Kawasaki), 3-Marco Melandri (Honda)

2006 - 1-Dani Pedrosa (Honda), 2-Nicky Hayden (Honda), 3-Colin Edwards (Yamaha)

2007 - 1-Casey Stoner (Ducati), 2-Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), 3-John Hopkins (Suzuki)

Lap Record: Dani Pedrosa (Honda - 2006) 1'59.318 - 159.335 km/h

Best Pole: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha - 2007) 1'58.424 - 160.583 km/h

Fastest Speed: Makoto Tamada (Honda - 2006) 343.7km/h

Circuit Length: 5.281 km.

MotoGP Race 2008: 22 laps (116.182 km)

MotoGP 2008 time: 8am UK time

Livio Suppo, Ducati Project Director

"On paper the Shanghai circuit is one that should suit our package quite well so I'm sure that we'll be strong. Vittoriano (Guareschi) has spent three days testing some new things at Mugello, in particular with the electronics, and we're satisfied with how the GP8 is continuing to evolve. Bridgestone are also putting a lot of hard work in. Casey had a really good test himself after the race at Estoril and I think we'll also see some encouraging signs from Marco soon."

Davide Brivio, Fiat Yamaha Team Director

"Normally in China we have always been competitive but last year we couldn't win, we finished second. This year we'll try again but the competition will be much stronger because it is not only Stoner who is capable of fighting for victory, there are other competitive riders too. We were very pleased with the results in Jerez and Estoril because we knew they were tracks that weren't the most favourable for us so it was a case of going there to defend. Now we hope that China is the first of the tracks where we can go and attack."

Ducati/Yamaha / Eurosport