Jacque plans Shanghai set-up, Le Mans attack.

As previously indicated, the Kawasaki Racing Team has today (Wednesday) officially confirmed that former 250cc world champion, Olivier Jacque, will make his MotoGP return by substituting for the injured Alex Hofmann at the Chinese Grand Prix and the following French Grand Prix.

Hofmann sustained fractures to the ulna and scaphoid bones in his left wrist when he crashed during a promotional event ahead of last weekend's Portuguese Grand Prix, putting him out of action for five weeks. The German is aiming to return for the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello on 5th June.

The decision to run a replacement rider was taken jointly by Kawasaki team manager, Harald Eckl, and senior Kawasaki staff in Japan as soon as the extent of Hofmann's injuries became apparent.

Jacque received the call up late on Sunday evening and immediately jumped on a plane for Portugal, taking advantage of a planned test at the 4.1km Estoril circuit on Monday to familiarise himself with the Ninja ZX-RR ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.

Despite the fact that his MotoGP experience over the past 12 months has been limited to infrequent wild-card appearances for Moriwaki, and a brief outing on the 2004 ZX-RR for a magazine test, Jacque proved to the team that he'd lost none of the skills that took him to a world title.

At the test, Jacque was also reunited with two people who played a very big part in his world championship winning season back in 2000:

Regular Kawasaki rider, Shinya Nakano, was the team-mate (middle pic) that the Frenchman beat to the world crown by the narrowest of margins, while Kawasaki technical director, Ichiro Yoda, was the man responsible for designing the 250cc Yamaha that both riders campaigned that year.

"I am really pleased to be back racing again, and this is a fantastic opportunity for me," began OJ. "It's good to be riding again in the same team as Shinya, who is a friend as well as being a great competitor, and I'm happy to be working again with Yoda-san, for whom I have a great deal of respect.

"The test at Estoril was a short one, but I was immediately impressed with how much of an improvement this year's Ninja ZX-RR is over the 2004 version I rode for a magazine test at the end of last season," he continued. "The new engine seems to produce more power and the stability of the chassis is also much improved since last year. As Shinya has proved with his results this season, the bike definitely has potential.

"After seven months away from racing it takes some time to get back up to speed and to rediscover your feeling for the bike. The Chinese Grand Prix will provide an opportunity for me to find this feeling, to get more experience of the bike and to find a set-up I'm happy with ahead of my home Grand Prix at Le Mans.

"So, while I'll be looking to do the best I can in the race in China, the main goal is to be competitive by the time we arrive at Le Mans for the French Grand Prix. To score a good result in Le Mans would be fantastic for me and for Kawasaki," he concluded.

Eckl admitted that his team were lucky to be able to call-up a rider of Jacque's experience at such short notice - and can't wait to see what he can do with the ZX-RR at his home race.

"While it is unfortunate that Alex will miss the next two races through injury, we were lucky that someone of Olivier's calibre was available to replace him at such short notice," he said.

"Jumping on a MotoGP machine after such a long layoff is difficult for any rider, but Olivier adapted quickly during his brief test at Estoril and I'm sure that, as he becomes more familiar with the characteristics of the Ninja ZX-RR and our Bridgestone tyres, his lap times will continue to improve during practice and qualifying ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.

"Nobody has raced in Shanghai before, so Olivier will not start next weekend at a disadvantage, and few riders know their way around Le Mans as well as he does. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do on our bike at his home grand prix," he added.

Jacque will sport his trademark #19 when he takes to the track for the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai in just over a week's time.