2 During free practice, Lorenzo had a massive high side.
3 He fell heavily and broke bones in both feet and chipped an ankle.
4 He had to be helped on and off the bike but he still still managed to qualify fourth and to finish the race in fourth position.
5 Colin Edwards took pole position with Valentino second and Stoner third on the grid. Stoner got away very quickly while Pedrosa passed Rossi demoting him to fourth by the first turn. Note the sparsely filled stands. China will not host any more rounds of the MotoGP championship having been dropped from future calendars.
6 Rossi passed Stoner on lap 1, Edwards on lap 2 and Pedrosa on lap 5 to move into the lead.
7 Pedrosa put up a contest with Valentino until lap 18 of 22 and then eased off to preserve second place. Casey was a distant 15 seconds away in third.
8 This was Valentino's first win on Bridgestones. He remained third in the championship on 72 points behind Pedrosa on 81 points and Lorenzo on 74. Lorenzo's brave fouth place gained the admiration of many.
