FIM MotoGP World Championship Test Jerez, Spain March 25 Day Three Test Times (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Casey STONER, Australia (Honda RC213V) 1:38.780 2. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (Yamaha YZR-M1), 1:38.953 3. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (Honda RC213V), 1:39.157 4. Ben SPIES, USA (Yamaha YZR-M1), 1:39.495 5. Cal CRUTCHLOW, Great Britain (Yamaha YZR-M1), 1:39.585 6. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (Ducati GP12), 1:39.733 7. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (Yamaha YZR-M1), 1:39.860 8. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (Ducati GP12), 1:39.919 9. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (Honda RC213V), 1:40.017 10. Stefan BRADL, Germany (Honda RC213V), 1:40.098 11. Hector BARBERA, Spain (Ducati GP12), 1:40.287 12. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (Ducati GP12), 1:40.579 13. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Aprilia-CRT), 1:40.601 14. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (Aprilia-CRT), 1:41.645 15. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (Aprilia/IodaRacing-CRT), 1:41.926 16. Franco BATTAINI, Spain (Ducati GP12), 1:42.057 17. Colin EDWARDS, USA (BMW/Suter-CRT), 1:42.073 18. Mattia PASINI, Italy (Aprilia/Speed Master-CRT), 1:42.184 19. Michele PIRRO, Italy (Honda/FTR-CRT), 1:42.212 20. James ELLISON, Great Britain (Aprilia/PBM-CRT), 1:42.437 21. Ivan SILVA, Spain (Kawasaki/FTR-CRT), 1:42.446 22. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (Kawasaki/FTR-CRT), 1:42.906 More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: The MotoGP™ class was blessed with close to ideal conditions at Jerez on Sunday, where the third and final day of the Official Test took place. With the first practice session of the season’s opening race the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar less than two weeks away, all 21 riders who will make up the elite category grid in 2012 were able to pack in a full day’s work at the southern Spanish circuit thanks to clear blue skies and favourable temperatures. Laying down the gauntlet in the lead-up to the new campaign World Champion Casey Stoner, who on Saturday had ridden just three laps and was one of those most aggrieved by the loss of a day to the poor conditions, was able to make significant progress on Sunday and timed in at 1’38.780. The Australian built up to his fast lap steadily, taking top spot inside the final quarter-of-an-hour of the day and then improving on it with his 61st and final lap. Perhaps of most concern for Stoner’s rivals will have been the consistency of his pace on his longest run, which was a 10-lap stint prior to his hot lap, his average time was registered at fractionally under 1’39.7. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) had occupied top spot for the majority of the day before Stoner leapt ahead of him. Lorenzo was the only other rider to get under 1’39″ across all three days when he set a scorching fast lap of 1’38.953 in the morning, on a new set of slick tyres., With that the Spaniard remained the quickest rider until shortly before the conclusion of the day, and was able to focus on electronics work, a race simulation and pace consistency in the afternoon as he put in a total of 84 laps. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) was the next closest challenger to Stoner in terms of lap times, getting to within 0.377s of his team-mate thanks to a best time of 1’39.157. Pedrosa also carried out a race-distance run, and the pace of both Pedrosa and Lorenzo during their 26-lap long runs was highly impressive as each lapped regularly in the low- to mid-1’40″ region. Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Spies, in a similar vein to his team-mate Lorenzo, did not have anything new to try out but rather concentrated on improving his YZR-M1’s set-up and the American was able to get to within 0.715s of Stoner. The highest-placing non-factory prototype of the day was Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), who on Saturday had said that he believed there could be time to be gained from a new front tyre compound which was made available on Sunday by Bridgestone. The Brit made up over half-a-second on his time from the first day, posting a 1’39.585 to end the Test fifth fastest following an impressive display. After what had been a hugely disappointing second day for Valentino Rossi and with a corner entry issue having been a major problem for the Italian on day one, he found a personal improvement of almost 1.2s on Sunday afternoon to get into the 1’39″s for the first time during the Test. The Ducati Team rider’s best effort of the day of 1’39.733 made him the last rider to get within a second of Stoner, which represented something of a considerable step forward compared to Friday’s results as Rossi worked on trying to carry more speed into corners. Having suffered with illness on Friday, Andrea Dovizioso was able to take advantage of a full day’s riding to put in 72 laps as he carried on where he had left off on day one namely finding an electronics setting which better aided stability in corner exit. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider was just ahead of Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team), who in his search for better traction in the faster corners timed in as the last rider under 1’40″ with a 1’39.919. The top 10 was completed by Álvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini), who escaped an afternoon crash at the Dry Sack corner unharmed, and rookie Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda) who at 1.318s off the fastest time of the Test rounded off a solid pre-season. Héctor Barberá was the busiest rider of the day, putting in 91 laps on his Pramac Racing Ducati machine, and he timed in just under three-tenths ahead of fellow GP12 rider Karel Abraham of the Cardion ab Motoracing team. Frenchman Randy de Puniet (Power Electronics Aspar) ended the Test as the fastest CRT rider on his Aprilia machine, and in 13th position overall was 1.821s off Stoner at the top. De Puniet ended the Test 1.044s ahead of team-mate Aleix Espargaró who was the next fastest CRT machine. The Spanish rider led a group of seven CRT riders all within a second of one another by the end of the day, as Danilo Petrucci (Came Iodaracing Project)(picture), Colin Edwards (NGM Mobile Forward Racing), Mattia Pasini (Speed Master), Michele Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini), James Ellison (Paul Bird Motorsport) and Iván Silva (Avintia Racing) bunched closely on the timesheet. Pasini was another rider who walked away uninjured from a crash, which came late in the day. Yonny Hernández closed Sunday 0.460s off his Avintia Racing team-mate Silva. More, from a press release issued by Speed Master Team: IRTA TEST AT JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA: SPEED MASTER AND MATTIA PASINI GET READY FOR THE BEGINNING OF 2012 MOTOGP SEASON The circuit of Jerez de la Frontera hosted the Irta test for the MotoGP class from 23rd till 25th March. Speed Master team continued the work that was started on the Spanish track during the private test of last February. In the beginning the crew focused on the electronics of the ART machine, taking advantage of the first day to analize and compare the data with the information previously gathered. In the second day, the schedule had to be changed because of the rain. However, this was a good occasion to complete various laps on wet track and therefore to evaluate the performance of the bike. The bad weather left Jerez for the last day of test, during which Mattia Pasini and his mechanics focused on the set-up and on the tyres choice. The Italian rider finished with the time of 1’42.184, in eighteenth position. Mattia Pasini #54 18th with 1’42.184 “Generally speaking, these three days went quite well. Friday we started off with the shakedown of the second machine, which was new for us. We did few minor modifications, but mostly we tried to complete as many laps as possible, without really worrying about the time and the final position. Yesterday on wet track we had a positive outing, we did a good job and now we have some important information for the next time it rains. Today we worked on the bike and its setting, to try to improve it step by step. We put together a lot of data. It was a shame to crash out by the end of the test, we didn’t need it. We had started working on a new direction for the chassis which, according to me, could have helped us to improve. Now we’ll keep working in this direction, in the whole I’m happy with our preparation for Qatar.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: Jerez, 25 March: wasting no time after yesterday’s poor conditions, all MotoGP riders were out on track by shortly after 11am local time to begin their working plan on the final day of pre-season final test in Jerez gathering as many data as possible ahead the first race. Race simulations have been the order of the day for a number of teams in the afternoon including the LCR Team and his rookie Stefan Bradl who has concluded his Spanish test session in 10th position overall (1’40.098) quickly adapting to the RCV213V. Stefan: “After yesterday’s adverse weather, we had a lot of things to test today. So we tried several lengths of swing arms, several front fork adjustments and those things to get more braking stability and at the end we achieved a good base set-up which I am very happy with. At the end of the day I did a long with a consistent pace and on soft tyres I could have even improved my lap time but I got stopped by some riders but we were not here for the fastest lap time and I think we made our best in the last 3 days”. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha MotoGP Team: Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo wrapped up the final pre-season test of 2012 today in Jerez with an impressive 84 laps covered. Lorenzo spent almost the entire day as the only rider to drop under the 1’39 mark, with rival Casey Stoner joining him to lead by 0.173 seconds in the last moments of the session. The Mallorcan delivered an impressive race simulation, showing his trademark lap time consistency over the distance. Team mate Ben Spies also covered some distance, putting in 61 laps as he worked on final set up solutions for his 1000cc YZR-M1. The Texan ends the test as the fourth fastest rider, 0.715 seconds from the front. Spies also worked on a race simulation earlier in the test and was satisfied with a competitive pace. The MotoGP paddock now moves to Qatar where the first race will be played out under the floodlights in the desert on the 8th April. With the gap to their rivals much closer than last year in testing, both Yamaha riders are keen to line up on the grid and get the season started. Jorge Lorenzo Position : 2nd Time: 1’38.953 Laps: 84 “I’m really happy because we tried to make some good lap times so we put new tyres on the rear this morning to make the 1’38.9 which is a good time. This afternoon we improved the bike for a race simulation which went really well. In general we are very happy, it’s not just me, Ben is also very close to the competition as are Cal and Andrea. We need to improve our braking a little, if we can do that we could gain some more tenths of a second.” Ben Spies Position : 4th Time: 1’39.495 Laps: 61 “I’m happy with how the test went. Both Jorge and I worked really methodically on getting through a number of different things, I think we’re quite happy with the bike going to Qatar, it’s been good here and good in Sepang. A couple of the areas where we had problems last year seem to be a lot better. We can’t say if they are completely fixed until we go to more tracks but we are happy with the balance of the bike and I think we have a very competitive bike for 2012.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: The Repsol Honda Team, all set for the 2012 season to begin The three days of testing at Jerez circuit have been very productive for the factory Repsol Honda riders, with Casey Stoner finishing on top again today with a best lap time of 1’38.780 and Dani Pedrosa, in third position with 1’39.157. Both riders spent this morning preparing their bikes for a longer run. Dani made a race simulation, with 27 laps in low 1’40’s, finishing reasonably happy with his performance and the bike behaviour. Casey also took positive information from a long run of 12 laps, of which 8 were in the 1’39’s. The next time that Repsol Honda riders will go on track will be April 5th at Losail circuit, for the first practice of the Grand Prix of Qatar, the first race of the 2012 season. CASEY STONER 1st 1’38.780 “Today we were really pleased with the lap times we’re running but I think we can still improve the bike quite a bit before the race here. Anyway we feel like we’ve made some progress on a track like this for us. Towards the end of the day we had some chattering but we have an idea what caused this and it’s not the same as in Sepang. We did a lot of laps and a longer run to get a little more understanding of fuel consumption and things like this and in general we’re satisfied with how the whole test has gone for us. Now we can go racing which is what we really enjoy”. DANI PEDROSA 3rd 1’39.157 “We’ve been working a lot with the chassis in the morning to prepare the race simulation. But by the time we were ready, we had to stop twice in the box for an issue with the rear brake. Finally, on my third exit, I could make it. I did the full race distance, 27 laps, and I’m quite satisfied with the result, the lap times were pretty good even though it was very windy in the afternoon, it’s also been also good physical training for me. In general, I think we’ve done a good pre season, we only need to improve a little more on braking and corner entry”¦ It would help us for the first race of the season”. More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Crutchlow and Dovizioso ready to race after successful Jerez test Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso enjoyed a successful ending to the winter testing schedule in Jerez today, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 riders heading to the first race of the 2012 MotoGP World Championship in confident mood. British rider Crutchlow once again excelled with and he set the fifth quickest time after completing an in credible 83-laps. After yesterday’s schedule was disrupted by rain and strong winds, Crutchlow was able to assess updated Yamaha electronics and two new Bridgestone front tyres in much more favourable conditions today, and he was able to clock a fastest time of 1.39.613. The former World Supersport Champion was again the leading non-factory rider and encouragingly his fast and consistent pace was less than 0.1s behind Ben Spies in the Yamaha Factory Racing Team. The sunny but breezy conditions today enabled Dovizioso to carry out an extensive testing schedule and helped him continue adapting his riding style to suit the Yamaha machine The Italian concentrated on improving stability under acceleration and he finished in seventh position, his fastest pace of 1.39.860 putting him just over 0.2s away from the top six. The next time for Crutchlow and Dovizoso on track will be on April 5 when they commence practice for the opening round of the new 1000cc era under the floodlights at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. Crutchlow and Dovizioso head to Doha full of confidence and boosted by the outstanding performance of Yamaha’s new YZR-M1 machine in pre-season testing. The competitive level of the 1000cc bike was confirmed again this weekend, with four Yamaha machine’s inside the top seven places. Cal Crutchlow 5th 1.39.585 83 laps: “I’m really happy to finish this test in the top five with a very fast pace because we worked through a lot. Today I only used three sets of tyres in 83 laps, yet I was fast and consistent all day, so it shows we are getting good endurance from the soft and the hard options. The different electronic set-up also helped in acceleration, so it was a very positive and productive day after the rain washed out yesterday. The good thing is we know the bike works very well on a completely different track. The tests in Sepang were crucial but we needed to come to a completely different circuit like Jerez to understand if the bike has a goo d base level for a tighter and shorter track. Yamaha has done a great job because the YZR-M1 works very well. Finishing behind Stoner, Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Spies is obviously good for my confidence and now I’m looking forward to going to Qatar and racing. I feel ready and much better prepared than last year.” Andrea Dovizioso 7th 1.39.860 72 laps: “I’m really happy about the work we did today and thanks to my Tech 3 crew because they worked incredibly hard. After the stomach illness I had on the first day and the rain yesterday, I really needed to get in as many laps as possible to understand the potential of the Yamaha on a completely different track to Sepang. We d id some very good work in improving the stability of the bike on the exit of the corner and this is so important at a slower track like Jerez. You can have a lot of sliding and wheelie on the exit but we have improved a lot in this area. I think I could have gone faster but I only used the soft rear tyre in the final 30 minutes, so with more time I’m sure I could have been inside the top six. Now I am looking forward to going to Qatar and racing the Yamaha for the first time. I’m convinced we will be fast and competitive but the four at the top of the timesheets are really strong. They are consistently fast, so it will not be easy to stay with them. But I will be giving it my maximum to start the new season in the best possible way.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: MotoGP test Jerez day 3 MotoGP test Jerez de la Frontera, Spain Day three of three-day test. Sunday March 25, 2012 Weather: Sunny, warm and windy Track temperature: 38 degrees C Ambient temperature: 23 degrees C STONER TOPS JEREZ, TO COMPLETE PRE-SEASON DOMINATION Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V) was the fastest rider at Jerez today, the final day of the final pre-season outing before MotoGP’s new 1000cc era roars into race action in Qatar on April 8. The Australian bettered 2010 World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) by 0.173s. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) was a close third fastest, just 0.377s behind his team-mate Stoner. Stoner’s pace at Jerez means that he has topped all three pre-season tests, but the Australian knows that testing is only testing. Racing is a different matter and although he has bettered Lorenzo and Pedrosa both here and at Sepang, he knows that both men are very fast and very consistent. After yesterday’s testing was spoiled by rain, Lorenzo was fastest for most of today. Stoner inched closer to the Spaniard this afternoon, then dropped his pace by another two tenths to move in front with just ten minutes remaining. His best lap was 0.951s inside the Jerez lap record, established by Pedrosa aboard his 800cc RC212V during the 2010 Spanish Grand Prix. Stoner is happy with the work he has done here. He did his usual short race simulation earlier today, then ran into a little front-end chatter when he went out again later in the afternoon. He was especially content with his pace on used tyres. Pedrosa did a full-race simulation 27 laps and felt good on his RCV, despite running into plenty of traffic with the CRT bikes. The former 125 and 250 World Champion worked a lot on the front end, trying to reduce rear-wheel lift on the brakes and increase corner-entry speed. Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V) is all set to race a Honda MotoGP bike for the first time after setting the ninth fastest time at Jerez, one place ahead of MotoGP rookie and reigning Moto2 World Champion Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V). Bautista fell earlier today, but was able to continue riding and honing his setup with his Gresini crew. Bradl did a lot of work today, testing different length swing-arms and various other adjustments before undertaking a race simulation. The impressive youngster sounds happy and confident with his MotoGP debut now just two weeks away. Michel Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini-FTR) completed his first full test on his Honda CBR1000RR-powered CRT machine in 19th place. The Italian only rode the FTR-CBR for the first time at Imola so the machine is still in the early stages of its development phase. Pirro knows that the first few races will also be test sessions of a kind. The 2012 MotoGP season gets underway for real with first practice at Losail on Thursday April 5. As usual, the action in Qatar takes place in the evening and under the floodlights. HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V): 1st, 1m 38.780s “Today we were really pleased with the lap times we’re running but I think we can still improve the bike quite a bit before the race here. Anyway we feel like we’ve made some progress on a track like this for us. Towards the end of the day we had some chattering but we have an idea what caused this and it’s not the same as in Sepang. We did a lot of laps and a longer run to get a little more understanding of fuel consumption and things like this and in general we’re satisfied with how the whole test has gone for us. Now we can go racing which is what we really enjoy.” Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V): 3rd, 1m 39.157s “We’ve been working a lot with the chassis in the morning to prepare the race simulation. But by the time we were ready, we had to stop twice in the box for an issue with the rear brake. Finally, on my third exit, I could make it. I did the full race distance, 27 laps, and I’m quite satisfied with the result, the lap times were pretty good even though it was very windy in the afternoon, it’s also been also good physical training for me. In general, I think we’ve done a good pre season, we only need to improve a little more on braking and corner entry”¦ It would help us for the first race of the season”. Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V): 9th, 1m 40.017s “It hasn’t been a great day for us. We started out well and tried some interesting electronic solutions this morning, as well as two different Bridgestone tyres, to try and work out which gave me the most confidence. Then in the afternoon we were doing a race simulation when I crashed not once but twice, when the front let go without warning. I still don’t know what happened exactly and naturally that damaged my confidence in the front and I couldn’t push to the limit as I would have liked. Anyway, we are not losing faith because we found some good things and now we just have to prepare for the first race in the best way we can. Racing at night in Qatar is not easy but I still feel confident even after the worst afternoon of preseason testing. My feeling with the team is perfect and I am sure they will help me to recover the confidence I lost today.” Stefan Bradl (Team LCR Honda RC213V): 10th, 1m 40.098s “After yesterday’s adverse weather we had a lot of things to test today. So we tried several different swingarm lengths, several front fork adjustments plus a few things to get more braking stability and at the end we achieved a good base set-up with which I am very happy. At the end of the day I did a long run with a consistent pace. I could have even improved my lap times on soft tyres but I got stopped by some traffic but we are not here for the fastest lap time. I think we did our best in the last three days.” Michel Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR-CBR1000RR): 19th, 1m 42.212s “All I can say is that we have a lot to work on! Lap by lap I am building my confidence with the bike but I couldn’t really make the most of it because we had a problem with the bike and I had to come back into the pit box. They are teething problems but it is frustrating for me because I want to squeeze out everything I feel inside. It is a shame but I know that the guys are working hard, I have complete faith in them and I am sure that we will soon be reaping the rewards of all their effort. We just need to be patient.” More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: Ducati Team finishes winter test season with good team performance The final day of the three-day test at the Spanish Jerez de la Frontera circuit officially closed out the pre-season, and the next stop for the MotoGP riders is the Qatar Grand Prix on 8 April. The Ducati Team saw its riders, Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden, finish the day in sixth and eighth positions, respectively. It was a result with which both could be satisfied in the context of the Desmosedici GP12’s development path, as the bike has now undergone seven days of testing, taking into account the days ‘lost’ to bad weather. Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 6th, 1:39.733 (90 laps) “Today went much better than Friday, and I’m pleased”¦ we’re pleased. Unfortunately, we made some mistakes at Sepang 2 chasing a bad setup, and we paid for that a bit on Friday because we started from that base. Then Saturday’s rain cost us an entire day, but today we finally worked well all day long. Step by step, we arrived at our current potential: I’m sixth, and I did a 1:39.7, which is a good time considering that we’ve only really ridden this bike for six or seven days. We changed the setup, first the rear and then the front, and now I enter the corners pretty well again. I’m able to lean and I can ‘risk’ a bit more. Although we know very well that we still have a long road ahead, if we look at the gap to the front we can say we’re ready for the first race.” Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 8th, 1:39.919 (91 laps) “It’s been a very, very busy day. With my injury affecting the last tests, we needed to squeeze a winter’s worth of testing into this weekend, and yesterday was basically a wash. Today we got to try some stuff on the bike and learned a few things. I’m not thrilled with my lap time because I thought I could go a bit quicker but I struggled a little with the fast corners. We’ve clearly got some work to do, but now it’s time to get ready for Qatar, and I look forward to starting the season. I definitely feel better after coming here and getting to ride at close to 100 per cent and getting to understand the bike a bit more. Now it’s time to see what we’ve got when we put the cards on the table.” More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing: A positive MotoGP test for Avintia Blusens These were three intense days – with the rain on the second day for the Avintia Blusens technicians mechanics and riders during the IRTA practic sessions in Jerez which came to an end this afternoon. The team had been relentlessly working since Friday in order to make this general rehearsal possible before taking to Qatar to attend the first GP of the year on 8 April. Both Iván silva and Yonny Hernández intensified their work on the cycle in order to definitively sort the issues that they have had since the beginning of the season when it comes to ride their FTR inside the bends especially the slow ones. Both the riders and the technicians dedicated most of their time on improving this particular point but also on the scheduled testing of electronics. The result has been positive and Avintia Blusens has managed to reduce the gap in time compared with the previous MotoGP tests. Today Iván Silva finished only 3”.666 below Stoner who set the best time and eight tenths away from the second CRT. Only De Puniet managed to make an escape. The other riders and bikes in the same category are positiong within the same second hence showing that there could be a lot of equality throughout the season and that the Avintia Blusens riders can measure up. Raúl Romero (Team Manager): “I am happy with this result. We have taken another step ahead and furthermore we have proven that we can measure up to the other CRT teams. We still have room to improve and this is motivating. It has to be taken into account that many line-ups have been working for a long time now whereas we have only just begun. Today Iván improved his time and Yonny spent a long time working on the electronics and on the spare bike to have it ready for Qatar. We didn’t experience any major issues or crashes. I am proud of the whole team and their effort to carry out this task.” Iván Silva (1.42″.446): “We did a great job today. The result has been positive and and if we could have sorted a few little “thingies” that we didn’t have time to deal with I am sure I would have improved my time by 42″. But it doesn’t matter we´ll do it some time. We are getting familiar with the bike and each and every change is an extra bit of information that helps us make progress. I have been working a great deal on the front side of the bike and we have improved it but we have lost a bit of raodholding on the rear side. It has to be taken into account that we are making a motorbike from scratch and this implies a lot of work. We have a good pace and with so much equality it can be beneficial during a race.” Yonny Hernández (1.42″.906): “I have managed to stand below the 43″ level but I still need to improve a lot. We have been working a lot on the spare bike and dedicated a long time on it but we are walking a steady line before Qatar. We have also done a great job on the electronics and we are becoming gradually competitive. I am quite excited because we can actually measure up with the other CRT but we still have a lot of room for improvement. De Puniet managed to escape a little…but we´ll catch up with him!” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium & Hard; Rear: Soft & Medium Weather: Fri: Dry, Sat: Wet/Dry, Sun: Dry. Ambient 17-23°C; Track 17-40°C (Bridgestone measurement) Pre-season testing for the 2012 MotoGP season wrapped up after the conclusion of the Jerez test and a late dash by Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner in the final hour of play saw the Australian stand supreme at the top of the timesheets once again. Jerez was the first time all twenty-one riders campaigning the upcoming MotoGP season shared the same circuit , but it made little difference to the reigning champion as his time of 1:38.780 ensured he was the fastest man at each of the IRTA pre-season tests. Stoner’s late burst of speed saw him depose Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo into second place, though the 2010 champion’s best time of 1:38.953 showed the potency of the 2012 M1 and the promise of some exciting duels throughout the upcoming season. The factory Honda and Yamaha teams locked out the top four positions in the standings with Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa third quickest ahead of Ben Spies, while Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow continued his excellent pre-season form to finish the final day fifth ahead of Ducati’s Valentino Rossi. Following data analysis from the second Sepang test, Bridgestone developed a new specification front tyre for Jerez and evaluation of this new front tyre took place alongside continued testing of the 2012 specification front tyre. The data and rider feedback acquired from the experimental front tyre will now be analysed at Bridgestone’s Technical Centre in Japan in support of its ongoing development programme. As the sun sets on pre-season testing for another year, Bridgestone now shifts its focus to the first race of 2012 which will take place under lights at Qatar’s Losail International Circuit from April 5-8. Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “I am very pleased to have completed our pre-season development programme and we leave Spain having achieved all our technical objectives. At the Sepang tests we met our target of delivering improved warm-up performance, enhanced rider feel and a wide operating temperature range in hot conditions, and at Jerez we wanted to achieve the same performance criteria in cooler conditions. In this regard, the outcome was very positive with riders giving excellent feedback on how the 2012 specification tyres performed in the cooler temperatures and so we approach the season full of optimism. “As part of our fundamental tyre development programme, we also brought an experimental front tyre for all riders to test at Jerez and we gathered valuable data on this new development. On behalf of Bridgestone I would like to thank all the teams and riders for their efforts in helping us achieve our goals and I look forward to what I am sure will be an exciting season for MotoGP.” More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing: IT’S POSITIVE, THE LAST DAY OF JEREZ TEST FOR THE PRAMAC TEAM A very positive final day of MotoGp winter test, in Jerez, for the Pramac Ducati Team. In the spanish session of Irta Test, the Green Team worked with their rider, trying differents set-up to search the best one, according to the weather and the track conditions. In this final day, Hèctor Barberà, rided for 91 laps, which are equivalent to the length of three races. During the day, Hèctor also tryed the new front Bridgestone tyre, which highlighted a good work between the pneumatic tyres and the machine. Despite the final 11th palce, in 1.40.287, the assesment of these 3 days in Jerez, was strongly positive for the Pramac Racing Team. Hèctor and his crew, during these days of test, collected a good deal of informations about the Ducati’s and they also found differents tune-up for their return to the track and for the 2nd round of the season in late April. Héctor Barberà – Pramac Racing Team Rider “To be honest, these 3 days was a little bit strange, mainly due to the windly weather conditions. We made numerous adjustments on our Ducati and we worked particularly on the electronic set-up. After yesterday, we lost a lot of time, due to bad weather condition, but today we worked tirelessly to make a step forward. I rided for 91 laps. We found a good set-up and now I’m able to ride in a better way, in particolar with the tyres. When I tryed to improve my best lap time, there was ,on track, a lot of riders and I lost my chance. But I’m satisfied with how the test went. We also tested the new Bridgestone tyres, which worked very well with our Ducati.” Marco Rigamonti Track Engineer Pramac Racing Team “These 3 days was very difficult for us, due to the weather conditions. But, fortunately, today we worked in a positive way. We found a nice feeling with the bike and we also found differents good solutions with tyres, compared to the Malaysian test, during which we had some problems with the tyres wear. Now we got a good set-up, which allow us to mantain our lap time, also with wear tyres. We tested the new Bridgestone tyres, but only for few laps, because we prefered to work on the materials that we will certainly have got.”