Nakano confirmed, Bridgestone modify tyres.

Fuchs Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano has confirmed his intention to ride in this weekend's Catalunya Grand Prix - less than a week after his massive 300 kph Mugello accident, caused by a rear tyre failure.

As a result of Nakano's crash, and a similar tyre chunking problem suffered by Makoto Tamada, the Bridgestone factory in Japan has produced a revised specification tyre for Barcelona - with initial supplies already at the track (lower pic) and further tyres arriving by air-freight over the weekend.

"Along with my technical staff and riders I met with Bridgestone today and we are all very impressed with the effort they have made in the four days since Mugello," stated Kawasaki team manager Harald Eckl.

"I was surprised they could achieve so much in such a short time, but they have explained things in detail, and they feel they understand the problem and have found a safe solution. I'm confident that Bridgestone have done a good job," he added. "Most importantly, our riders Shinya and Alex can now concentrate on their riding this weekend."

Apart from a slightly bruised back, Nakano is fit and eager to step back onto his Ninja ZX-RR for what is like a second 'home race' for the 26-year-old Japanese, who lives near the Olympic Port area of Barcelona during the European season.

"The Barcelona track is one of my favourites and I really enjoy racing here, especially as I can stay in my apartment at Diagonal Mar," he began, before turning to his accident. "I'm feeling fine and even though the Mugello crash was really fast I understand what happened there.

"Although it's not easy to put everything aside mentally I'm ready to concentrate on riding here; this is my job. I remember the crash, it was instant with no time to control it, and my main thought was to not hit the concrete wall at Mugello, and the relief that my body was okay," he explained.

Meanwhile Hofmann is also approaching this weekend in a positive mood, after picking up valuable points in the rain interrupted Italian GP. Hofmann also loves racing in Spain and made his premier class debut at this track in 2002, riding a factory Yamaha 500 as a replacement for the injured Garry McCoy.

"This is my style of track and I really enjoy it," he enthused. "The fast section from turn two and through turn three is a lot of fun; it's long and fast and you can really slide the bike as the corner opens up. The two fast corners before the main straight also suit my style.

"Since Formula One started using the track a lot it has become a little bumpy, but it's not that a big a problem, it's manageable. I got some points in Mugello and, hopefully, that will prove to be a turning point for me this season," he declared.

First qualifying for the Catalan Grand Prix takes place tomorrow (Friday).