FIM MotoGP World Championship Test Jerez, Spain March 24 Day Two Test Times (wet-to-dry conditions, all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (Ducati GP12), 1:40.755 2. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (Ducati GP12), 1:41.661 3. Ben SPIES, USA (Yamaha YZR-M1), 1:41.726 4. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (Honda RC213V), 1:42.711 5. Hector BARBERA, Spain (Ducati GP12), 1:43.288 6. Ivan SILVA, Spain (Kawasaki/FTR-CRT), 1:43.613 7. Franco BATTAINI, Spain (Ducati GP12), 1:44.264 8. Michele PIRRO, Italy (Honda/FTR-CRT), 1:44.761 9. James ELLISON, Great Britain (Aprilia/PBM-CRT), 1:44.969 10. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (Aprilia/IodaRacing-CRT), 1:45.336 11. Colin EDWARDS, USA (BMW/Suter-CRT), 1:47.968 12. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (Honda RC213V), 1:49.822 13. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (Yamaha YZR-M1), 1:50.088 14. Cal CRUTCHLOW, Great Britain (Yamaha YZR-M1), 1:51.127 15. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (Yamaha YZR-M1), 1:51.702 16. Mattia PASINI, Italy (Aprilia/Speed Master-CRT), 1:51.772 17. Stefan BRADL, Germany (Honda RC213V), 1:51.778 18. Casey STONER, Australia (Honda RC213V) 1:51.856 19. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (Ducati GP12), 1:51.910 20. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Aprilia-CRT), 1:52.397 21. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (Aprilia-CRT), 1:57.718 22. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (Kawasaki/FTR-CRT), no time recorded More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Saturday proved to be a largely frustrating affair for those present at the MotoGP™ Test at Jerez, as wind and rain contributed to a difficult second day. A spell of heavy rain in the afternoon did however permit some progress to be made in terms of trying out full wet set-ups, and also saw the roll-out of the new rear tail-lights that will be mandatory in such conditions throughout the 2012 season. The morning started out grey and overcast with a low track temperature, and blustery wind and light spots of rain meant that only a handful of riders had ventured out by around 1.30pm local time. By that stage Ducati Test rider Franco Battaini and CRT team Avintia Racing’s Iván Silva were the only two to have put in more than an out lap. However, with the arrival of a more substantial amount of rain shortly after the vast majority of riders saw the benefit in accumulating laps, and Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa was the first to emerge in full wet set-up, putting in a long run of 20 laps which he said at the end of the day had been a worthwhile confidence builder on the RC213V, on which he rode a total of 25 laps. As the rain came down heavier every rider except Avintia Racing’s Yonny Hernández went out for more than a single lap, putting in varying amounts of work. In total 12 of the 21 MotoGP™ riders racked up more than 20 laps, with lap times spread widely due to the conditions. Shortly before the end of the day’s action, which came at 6pm local time, the track was almost completely dried out, allowing Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) to register a time of 1’40.755. Karel Abraham (Cardion ab Motoracing) also put in a fast lap at the end, but the likes of Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing), Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team), Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda), and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 pair Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso did not ride in the drier conditions late on. World Champion Stoner only went out for a total of three laps, seeing no value to be gained from the state of the track. With such a varied day the workloads of the teams and riders were somewhat limited, aside from the wet set-up work undertaken, and the majority will now focus on Sunday, the third and final day of the Test. More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: Jerez, 24 March: unfavourable weather conditions limited productivity of premier class riders on day 2 of Jerez testing session. Grey skies and poor rain welcomed 1000cc riders today who sat out the first part of the practice till lunch time. Even the LCR Honda racer Stefan Bradl could not join the 4.423 Km race track in the morning as planned but we adjusting his RCV to the damp asphalt (23 laps). He finished the day earlier with a best lap time of 1’51.778 Stefan: “Well… today we could not lap so much because of the weather bad conditions but as soon as it started to rain consistently we went out for a couple of laps. Immediately I had a good feeling with the bike, the tyres and everything was good from the beginning. Then we made a change to make the bike turning easier and it worked: we went out on another set of tyres that made me lapping comfortably and I could improve the lap time quite easy. Unfortunately the asphalt was not fully wet so this means that you destroy the tyres too quickly and we have decided to finish the session earlier. We’ll see if the weather is sunny tomorrow for the last outing”. More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: The second day of testing in Jerez was shortened by rain and mixed weather conditions, but proved an opportunity to test the new 1000cc bikes in these circumstances. Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa was the first rider out on the wet track when it began to rain consistently and did a long run of 20 laps. Dani, who tested the new regulation rear light for use in rain conditions, recorded a lap time of 1’49.822, the fastest rider in the rain. Team mate, Casey Stoner began a little later, the track was still wet, but the rain not heavy enough to carry out a worthwhile wet test, he completed just three laps and chose to stop and wait and see if the conditions are better tomorrow. Casey’s best lap time was 1’51.856. DANI PEDROSA 12th 1’49.822 “I decided to go out when it started raining properly because it’s always good to get some information about the behaviour of the bike in wet conditions before the beginning of the season, and even more important with a new bike. Obviously, the set up of the bike was pretty standard on chassis and electronics, but I had good feelings riding it, the bike worked well and it gives me confidence. If it’s not raining tomorrow we will go back to the testing program we had planned for today: basically to try some new ideas for the chassis and the electronics and if we have time I’d like to do a race simulation. Everything has been positive and smooth so far, so let’s hope to close the pre season with a good result”. CASEY STONER 18th 1’51.856 “We realised that the weather conditions weren’t really suitable for what we needed to work on today so we decided to wait for the heavier rain, which never appeared. We went out briefly but realised it wasn’t really wet enough to work on anything regarding wet set-up and there was no reason for us to stay out on track and ruin sets of tyres. They were 50/50 conditions and you never set up a bike for these circumstances. I hope the weather improves tomorrow so we can continue our plan”. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha MotoGP Team: Today’s second of three days of testing at the Jerez circuit proved to be a frustrating one for Yamaha Factory Racing with wet and windy conditions reducing track time. Riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies were forced to sit it out until the early afternoon before venturing out onto a wet track. As the wind dropped they were able to make use of the rain to evaluate wet set ups on the 1000cc YZR-M1 for the Jerez circuit. Ben Spies Position : 3rd Time: 1’41.726 Laps: 26 “It’s been a tough day but it’s been like that for everybody. Luckily we got a lot of stuff done yesterday, a simulation and most of the test settings. Today we just tested some wet set up stuff. I was quite happy with that, we didn’t get on the track when it was in prime condition for wet but good enough. As the track dried out we needed to wait a little to try one thing in the dry. We know what we need to do for tomorrow so we’re hoping for good weather.” Jorge Lorenzo Position : 13th Time: 1’50.088 Laps: 28 “Today we started late because of the weather so we only managed to do 25 or 30 laps in wet conditions. Now we know that the bike is working quite well and is competitive, we were in second place in the wet behind Dani and the next rider, Cal, was a second behind. We still need to work on our electronics as we haven’t got the perfect solution for Qatar. For tomorrow we haven’t got anything new but we need to decide whether to put away some parts.” More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: Top time for Nicky Hayden at Jerez on weather-affected day two The second of three days at the Jerez MotoGP test was significantly affected by changing weather conditions, with a light but steady rain falling on the Andalusian circuit all morning. Both riders took to the track at approximately 2:30 p.m. for a few exits with rain settings. Only toward the end of the day did the asphalt dry enough to allow the use of slick tyres, with which Nicky Hayden, on his third-from-last lap, came very close to his best showing from yesterday, posting the fastest time of the day. Valentino Rossi was among the riders who didn’t take a final run with dry tyres, and as a result, he didn’t improve upon the time that he’d set in the rain in the early afternoon. Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 1st, 1:40.755 (40 laps) – dry tyres “It’s a shame about the weather because I’d like to take advantage of as much time as possible to work on the bike, since I lost so much time in the past few months. That’s how it was today though, and it does no good to complain, especially since I had the chance to try the GP12 in the rain for the first time, improving my feeling little by little. We took a long break when the track started to dry out, and we put on the slicks at the end, even though there were still some wet patches out there. I was able to do a couple exits to try the two little changes that we’d planned yesterday. Considering that the conditions weren’t perfect, it’s positive that we quickly come close to my best time from yesterday. Now we hope the weather will let us work well tomorrow, because we’d like to improve some details before Qatar, especially with traction in the fast corners.” Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 19th, 1:51.910 (18 laps) – wet tyres “I’m sorry to have lost practically the entire day of testing, even if we still did three exits with wet tyres and a wet setup, to confirm the feelings we had in similar conditions at the last test. Otherwise, there’s not much to say. We couldn’t work well today, but the forecast for tomorrow is better, so we hope to be able to continue working on the setup that we identified at the end of the day yesterday.” More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Crutchlow and Dovizioso battle wind and rain in Jerez Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso continued their final preparations for the 2012 MotoGP World Championship by battling challenging weather conditions at the Jerez track in Spain today. Rain and gusting winds dominated the majority of the second day of the final pre-season test, but the adverse conditions didn’t stop Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders Crutchlow and Dovizioso from putting in vital laps on the wet weather settings of their YZR-M1 machines. Crutchlow, who was fifth fastest in breezy but dry conditions yesterday, was impressively fast and competitive too in the rain and his best lap of 1.51.127 had put him in fifth position. Crutchlow’s performance was particularly impressive considering he had never previously ridden the YZR-M1 1000cc machine in wet conditions. He slipped down the rankings to 14th after several riders posted quick times on slick tyres in the final 30 minutes when the track had almost completely dried. Dovizioso took the opportunity to make his second appearance on the YZR-M1 in wet conditions this afternoon and he was as high as seventh on the leaderboard before he ended 15th. Close to 100% strength after being struck by a stomach bug on the first day, the completed 16-laps to get more of an understanding of the Yamaha’s potential in wet conditions having tried the YZR-M1 in the rain during the second Sepang test in Malaysia earlier this month. Like Crutchlow, the 26-year-old decided not to ride when track conditions were at their best towards the end of the session and he finished with a best time of 1.51.702. Cal Crutchlow 5th 1.51.127 15 laps: “I’ve never ridden the 1000 in the rain so it was important to get a few laps under my belt today. I only did 16-laps though because it is pointless taking too many risks with the first race so close. The surface wasn’t actually completely wet when I was out because this track dries so quickly but the first impression of the bike in the wet is really positive. With the extra power it is challenging to ride but I don’t think more difficult than the 800. Our chassis is quite similar to the 800, so it felt similar but the 1000 bike is definitely a handful. It is a handful to ride in the dry, so it is the same in the wet but I enjoyed it. The big positive today is I only used one set of rain tyres and I think some of the others used three. I think if I had put in a new tyre I could have been fastest in the rain. Hopefully the weather is much better tomorrow because I’ve got a few things to try. I was fast yesterday without trying the new Bridgestone front tyres, so I think there is some time to be gained with those.” Andrea Dovizioso 8th 1.51.702 16 laps: “I felt in much better physical shape than yesterday, so it was a pity that the weather meant we were unable to test the bike in the dry. When I was on track today the surface wasn’t fully wet but it was good experience and it was very important to test in the wet again because the grip is less than in Malaysia. It was an interesting experience and w e learned some good information that will help for the future. Hopefully tomorrow we will have dry conditions so we can continue the work of the first day. My feeling with the bike in this track is not the same as in Malaysia, so it is important we can try and improve tomorrow. We used the new red light that you have to use in the wet and I think in some places it will be a good step for the safety. We need to see in a race situation when there are a lot of bikes, but in a situation like the rain in Silverstone last year where the conditions were really difficult, it will be good to use the light.” More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing: 24.03.2012 POOR CONDITIONS AFFECT THE 2ND DAY OF JEREZ TEST Today wasn’t a fruitful day for the Pramac Racing Team on Jerez de la Frontera Circuit,in Spain. Cold wind and spots of rain slowed down the team’s work and especially for Hèctor was a frustrating affair, waited into the box, for a good turn of the weather. After a spell of heavy rain around at 3pm, the Green Team decided to see the benefits in accumulating laps, working in the electronic set-up and to getting acquainted between Hèctor and the track, with difficult conditions. Hèctor closed the 2nd day of MotoGp Test in Jerez, archieved a good 5th place,in 1.43.288. Héctor Barberà – Pramac Racing Team Rider “When I went out to try my Ducati, riding with wet condition, the track was already damp. We made some test to try the wet set-up, but unfortunately the weather changed quickly. The highlight spot was that today we spent our time to improve my confidence with these unexpected weather conditions. Today’s weather was the same as the 2011 race here, therefore the team’s work of the day was important, thinking about the new season. I also tryed the new chassis of my Ducati and, to be honest, it is better then the old one, bacause I can ride, maintaining a good line.” Francesco Guidotti Team Manager Pramac Racing “We had a lot of weather changes in the whole day,but we use they in a constructive way. We didn’t try the tyres, due to the quick change of weather conditions and we decided to keep the bike’s materials for the last day of this test,tomorrow. We also worked on some electronic’s strategies to adapt our Ducati in differents weather conditions,as today.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: MotoGP test Jerez day 2 MotoGP test Jerez de la Frontera, Spain Day two of three-day test. March 24, 2012 Weather: Wet and windy Track temperature: 17 degrees C Ambient temperature: 17 degrees C RAINY DAY AT JEREZ SPOILS TESTING PROGRESS The second day of this final pre-season test was mostly lost to wet weather. The day started out cold and damp with a gale blowing over the circuit around lunch time, leaving the racing line damp for most of the afternoon. Only in the final 20 minutes of the session was the surface just about dry enough to tempt a good number of riders out of the pits. Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) were not among them, the Repsol Honda team-mates deciding it would be more profitable to wait for tomorrow, when better weather is forecast. World Champion Stoner, who topped the first two tests of the year at Sepang and was again fastest in the dry yesterday, only rode three laps today because the track was never dry enough or wet enough for a proper run. But Pedrosa decided that it was worth venturing out to do a long run when the rain was at its heaviest. During that outing the Spaniard used the rear light required by new regulations to increase machine visibility in heavy spray. Top Honda rider of the day was Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V) who was fourth quickest as he continues to acclimatise to his Honda. The Spaniard put in his best lap at the very end of the day, but admitted that he did not learn a great deal in the conditions. Fastest man of all was Nicky Hayden (Ducati) who also set his best time during the final minutes, the American’s lap about one second outside the lap record. Michel Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini-FTR) ended the day eighth quickest aboard his CBR1000RR-powered CRT machine, riding his fastest lap in the morning before the storm arrived. This is only Pirro’s second test on the machine, the Italian having completed a shakedown outing at Imola just a few days ago, so he had more reason than most to rue today’s conditions. Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V) went out for a wet set-up at about the same time as Pedrosa. The MotoGP rookie’s second wet outing aboard a MotoGP bike went well, but eventually he too returned to the pits because the track was not wet enough to produce useful wet-weather data. Tomorrow’s weather at Jerez is expected to be a big improvement, with warm and dry conditions expected throughout the day. It will be an important day for everyone, the last outing before the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix in two weeks. HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V): 4th, 1m 42.711s “It has been a similar day to the second test at Sepang in Malaysia, but we at least managed to get some laps in the wet and the first impressions are good because I have confidence in the bike so that’s positive. Then the track started to dry out, but there was no point riding because the wet tyres just tore up. In the final 30 minutes we got some track time and I was happy with what we achieved but it wasn’t really dry. In conclusion is hasn’t been a productive day so we just have to hope for better conditions tomorrow.” Michel Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V): 8th, 1m 44.761s “A real shame because with such a young bike it is important for us to get some laps, but the weather has played us a bad hand today. We have lost a day of testing and will have to try and make it up tomorrow, which makes life difficult. Patience! We managed to get some laps in the final 30 minutes even though the conditions weren’t perfect and at least got some information to work from tomorrow. ” Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V): 10th, 1m 49.822s “I decided to go out when it started raining properly because it’s always good to get some information about the behaviour of the bike in wet conditions before the beginning of the season, and even more important with a new bike. Obviously, the set up of the bike was pretty standard on chassis and electronics, but I had good feelings riding it, the bike worked well and it gives me confidence. If it’s not raining tomorrow we will go back to the testing program we had planned for today: basically to try some new ideas for the chassis and the electronics and if we have time I’d like to do a race simulation. Everything has been positive and smooth so far, so let’s hope to close the pre season with a good result”. Stefan Bradl (Team LCR Honda RC213V): 17th, 1m 51.778s “Well, today we could not lap so much because of the bad weather conditions but as soon as it started to rain consistently we went out for a couple of laps. Immediately I had a good feeling with the bike, the tyres and everything was good from the beginning. Then we made a change to make the bike turn easier and it worked: we went out on another set of tyres that had me lapping comfortably and I could improve the lap time quite easy. Unfortunately the asphalt was not fully wet so this means that you destroy the tyres too quickly and we have decided to finish the session earlier. We’ll see if the weather is sunny tomorrow for the last outing.” Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V): 18th, 1m 51.856s “We realised that the weather conditions weren’t really suitable for what we needed to work on today so we decided to wait for the heavier rain, which never appeared. We went out briefly, but realised it wasn’t really wet enough to work on anything regarding wet set-up and there was no reason for us to stay out on track and ruin sets of tyres. They were 50/50 conditions and you never set up a bike for these circumstances. I hope the weather improves tomorrow so we can continue our plan.”