FIAT YAMAHA FINISH NIGHT TEST IN PROMISING STYLE WITH SECOND AND THIRD The Fiat Yamaha Team finished the Qatar night test in good spirits this evening, with Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi second and third respectively in the standings. Lorenzo made a huge improvement as he continued to adapt to the new Bridgestone tyres and his new-found confidence led to a promising long run, in which he set a string of consistent laps. His best time of 1’56.733 left him second behind Casey Stoner and last year’s leading rookie is now confident of being on the pace at the first race in one months time. After a strong showing yesterday, Rossi ran into a few problems later on this evening when the cold meant the grip level of the track went down significantly. He is confident however that in the warmer temperatures expected at the race in a months time he will be in better shape. He posted the third best time tonight, with a fastest lap of 1’56.972. The team now returns to Europe for the final test of the year, the Official MotoGP Test in Jerez, Spain on 28th and 29th March. Valentino Rossi Position: 3rd Time: 1’56.972 Laps: 75 “In the early part of the evening we were fast enough but later on, when it became much colder and the grip went down, we suffered quite a bit. I started a long run but in fact I was getting slower and slower, so we didn’t finish and concentrated on trying some different things with the setting instead. Our position is not so bad; we’re third, close to Lorenzo. Stoner is very fast but I am not too worried because we have a good idea about our path for the race and I think that in one month, when it is hopefully a few degrees warmer, we will be okay. This is not a great track for me or for the bike and the target for the race will be to be to be better than last year! Next we go to Jerez for the final test and I am expecting to be strong there.” Jorge Lorenzo Position: 2nd Time: 1’56.733 Laps: 82 “I am so happy tonight because this session has been much, much better for us. The long run was especially good but in fact the whole evening has been an improvement, so I am very pleased about the job we have done. We’ve tried some different settings, which have helped, but mainly I have adapted and found a way to be comfortable, which means I can ride faster. I have a much better feeling with the Bridgestone tyres and I was able to be very consistent throughout the long run and keep a good rhythm. Everyone has worked really hard to make this step and I am happy to finish this test on a good note. Now I am looking forward to the race!” Davide Brivio Team Manager “Overall we’re satisfied with this test because we’ve found some good new things in the electronics and to improve the acceleration and in general we’ve been quite fast. Tonight we suffered later on when it was colder and there was less grip, but we’ve spent a lot of time working on a solution and we have gathered a lot of information which we will now study carefully. This is very important because this season we will have one practice session less at each race and we need to be ready!” Daniele Romagnoli Team Manager “This has been quite a positive day for us. We found a good setting that enabled Jorge to find the confidence to be faster into the corners and at the same time day by day he has improved his riding style on the Bridgestone tyres. I think the job we’ve done here will help us a lot when we come here for the first race in April.” Test Times 1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1’55.744 2. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1’56.733 3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1’56.972 4. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki MotoGP 1’57.224 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 1’57.225 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Suzuki MotoGP 1’57.253 7. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 1’57.401 8. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda 1’57.449 9. Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha 1’57.515 10. Alex De Angelis (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1’57.591 11. Toni Elias (SPA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1’57.804 12. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Racing 1’57.938 13. Niccolo Canepa (ITA) Pramac Racing 1’57.946 14. Yuki Takahashi (JPN) Scot Racing Team 1’58.412 15. James Toseland (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha 1’58.786 16. Marco Melandri (ITA) Hayate Racing Team 1’58.851 Losail: Record Lap C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1’55.153 Losail: Best Lap J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2008, 1’53.927 More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: DOVIZIOSO AND THE REPSOL HONDA TEAM WRAP UP QATAR TEST MotoGP tests, Losail, Qatar 3 March, 2009 The Repsol Honda Team completed its third night test session at the Losail circuit in Qatar today, with Andrea Dovizioso and his crew continuing to develop of the factory RC212V ahead of the season opener here in just over one month’s time. The Italian completed 74 laps of the 5.380km (3.343-mile) circuit during the 6-hour floodlit session and recorded his fastest time on his very last lap – a 1m 57.449s taking 0.4s off his best from yesterday. His team-mate Dani Pedrosa was absent today, having suffered a fall yesterday in which he damaged his left wrist and left knee. The Spaniard flew home this morning, and further scans at hospital revealed that he has a fracture in his left radius bone. The unlucky Pedrosa will undergo an operation at 6pm tomorrow to insert a titanium screw to secure the break. He will also receive a small skin graft on the existing wound in his left knee, which was re-opened in yesterday’s fall. The next outing for the Repsol Honda Team is the televised official IRTA test at Jerez in southern Spain, which begins on Saturday 28 March. Andrea Dovizioso: Best lap time 1m 57.449s “All in all I’m quite satisfied with these three days of testing because we have learned a lot. Today’s session didn’t go exactly according to plan because after an hour we started to get some chatter, which complicated the session and meant we had to adapt our plan for the day. I was able to do a longer run of 15 laps which showed that we still need to make some machine adjustments to suit the Bridgestone tyres. For this circuit specifically we need to improve the grip entering the turns, and in general find a smoother power delivery. There is still quite a lot of work to do, but I’m still pleased because we learned a lot about the bike at this test.” Kazuhiko Yamano – Team Manager “For me this was a good test because we got a lot of detailed feedback from our riders, which will be valuable for us to make improvements in preparation for the next test in Jerez. The machine set-up here is tricky because the test is held at night time, and also because we are in the desert and the sand on the track affects the grip. Still, these conditions are the same for all the teams of course. Dani’s fall was really unfortunate, though if I’m looking on the positive side, I’d rather this happened in a test than during a race weekend. We hope he will be fit again as soon as possible – hopefully for the Jerez test. Some of our rivals are looking fast, so we’re aiming to make some significant improvements at the next test.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Stoner ahead in Qatar as Bridgestone accelerates tyre development Losail, Qatar IRTA Test Sunday 1 – Monday 3 March 2009 During the three day night test at the Losail circuit, ahead of the season’s opening night race on 12 April, Bridgestone not only gathered valuable tyre compound selection data for forthcoming grands prix, but upped its 2010 tyre development programme following the recent FIM regulation changes. The test offered a chance for the selected soft and medium compound Bridgestone slicks to really prove their capability across a range of different conditions. Despite its desert location, an unusual and heavy downpour on the opening day left areas of the circuit damp and greasy, whilst high winds and a residual layer of sand tested their operating range across an unexpectedly diverse set of circumstances. Ducati Team’s Casey Stoner dominated proceedings, taking the top spot almost one second ahead of Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo. Competition throughout the rest of the field was far closer, with second to tenth positions being separated by just eight tenths of a second. Sixteen riders completed the final day of testing. Marco Melandri made the first appearance for Kawasaki this season with the newly-formed Hayate Racing team, whilst Grupo Francisco Hernando’s Sete Gibernau opted to sit out the test to rest a recent shoulder injury and Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa was sidelined after a crash on day two. Tohru Ubukata Bridgestone Motorsport Manager Motorcycle Race Tyre Development “The feedback from the riders over the last three days was positive in what were challenging conditions, and our tyres worked well here. “Track condition was quite dusty and sandy this time, and as a result of the increased abrasion we suffered slight graining with the soft compound tyre at the start of the test, but the medium compound worked well even in these tough conditions. I am happy about this result as it shows that just two specifications can cover such a range of difficult situations which is exactly what we have worked towards. “The recent FIM regulation changes have affected our development plan so looking now at development for 2010 is very important. We now have to finish 80 per cent of our development for next season during this winter testing period because in-season testing has been significantly reduced. “As a result, as well as bringing the soft and medium compound tyres from this year’s line-up, we brought some new compounds in development for 2010, where the target is to give the tyres a wider still operating range. “We have had successful tests both here and in Sepang last month, so we are now in a position to make more precise compound selections for each coming grand prix this season.” Overall top ten (all three days) (all times set on Tuesday 3 March) Pos Rider Team Practice Time Gap 1 Casey Stoner Ducati Team 1m55.744s 2 Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha 1m56.733s +0.989s 3 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha 1m56.972s +1.228s 4 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki MotoGP 1m57.224s +1.480s 5 Nicky Hayden Ducati Team 1m57.225s +1.481s 6 Loris Capirossi Suzuki MotoGP 1m57.253s +1.509s 7 Randy de Puniet LCR Honda 1m57.401s +1.657s 8 Andrea Dovizioso Repsol Honda 1m57.449s +1.705s 9 Colin Edwards Tech3 Yamaha 1m57.515s +1.771s 10 Alex de Angelis San Carlo Gresini 1m57.591s +1.847s Weather: Wet Sun, Dry Mon, Tue – Ambient Min 14 °C, Peak 21°C; Track Min 14°C, Peak 25°C More, from a press release issued by Pramac Ducati: NOCTURNAL TEST IN DOHA CONCLUDED THE PRAMAC RACING TEAM DUO GOES BACK HOME WITH TRUST Fabiano Sterlacchini – Pramac Racing Technical Director
“We are satisfied of the work done in these three days. Today we were well set up, but close to the end of the session when the track was getting colder, Mika preferred to end his session in advance. He has cleverly avoided repeating what happened yesterday and we totally agreed with him. From yesterday we improved by almost two seconds and this give us a lot of hopes for when we will come back here for the race in the middle of April.” Mika Kallio – Pramac Racing Rider “Today it went a bit better compared to yesterday even if the feeling with the front part of the bike wasn’t the best. I couldn’t find the right confidence to push even more. I am convinced that when we will come back here for the first race of the season we will do much better. The track conditions should be much warmer and this should facilitate our work.” Niccolo Canepa – Pramac Racing Rider “Like yesterday we have chosen to don’t step on the track in the last couple of hours because it was getting too cold. Some of the riders made it to improve their best lap times in the latest minutes overtaking us in the classification. But this doesn’t matter today. I am satisfied by the work done even if today I made a small mistake and I slipped. Luckily nothing serious happened. We will now go back home trustful and with high morale, surely much happier than at the end of the Sepang Test.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: As the MotoGP Official Night Test came to a conclusion at midnight in Qatar on Tuesday it was Casey Stoner who sat proudly at the head of the timesheet. The winner of the last two MotoGP races at the Losail International Circuit, including last year’s historical first ever floodlit Grand Prix, Stoner showed his strength around the 5.38km desert track again. The night time practice visit to Qatar, the second preseason test for the 2009 MotoGP field, ended with Stoner setting the pace just as he did in the opening test of the year in Malaysia in February. Stoner’s best effort of 1’55.744 was recorded shortly after 9pm on the 22nd of his 31 turns under the floodlights, the Australian completing far fewer laps than any of his rivals. The test saw him successfully debut a new carbon fibre swingarm on the Desmosedici GP9, though he was unable to undertake a race simulation and kept to short bursts on track as he rebuilds the strength in his left wrist, which was operated on over the winter. Stoner crashed without consequence on turn two around ten minutes after setting his best time, but was back out on track within an hour. Last year’s Qatar poleman Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha) got closest to Stoner on the timesheet, though he was nearly a full second (0.989s) behind the Ducati rider, with his best time registered late in the evening. Lorenzo’s colleague Valentino Rossi completed the top three with a 1’56.972 effort as the only other rider to go round under the 1’57 mark, the Italian satisfied with a new electronics system on the Yamaha M1. The top five was rounded off by Rizla Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen, his best time arriving on the last of his 70 laps, and Stoner’s new team-mate for 2009 Nicky Hayden. Also featuring in the top ten were Vermeulen’s Suzuki colleague Loris Capirossi, fastest Honda representative Randy de Puniet, factory Honda newcomer Andrea Dovizioso, the experienced Colin Edwards and San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Alex de Angelis. There were also crashes for Capirossi on turn six, Niccolo Canepa at turn 13 and Yuki Takahasi at turn three, but all three riders were reportedly unhurt. The three night test had commenced on Sunday at the state-of-the-art floodlit track, but the first evening saw the riders’ work restricted due to a rare downpour of rain earlier in the day and another shower an hour into the session. Some riders, including Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, did not venture out of their pit-boxes, whilst the likes of Rossi and Lorenzo only managed a lap each. A shortened timesheet was topped by Hayden, although his best effort was well off record pace due to the conditions, as he once again demonstrated his famous appetite for hard work whatever the weather. Monday night, meanwhile, saw Stoner top the timesheet by more than half a second, giving an indication of what was to come on the final night, but it was Pedrosa who took the headlines for the wrong reasons. The Repsol Honda man crashed heavily at turn ten, instantly ending his test. He flew back early to Spain for a full assessment of his injuries, with scans at Barcelona’s USP Institut Universitari Dexeus clinic on Tuesday revealing that a fractured radius (forearm) bone in his left arm will require an operation on Wednesday to insert a supportive screw, whilst his left knee is severely cut and needs a skin graft. The next outing for the MotoGP riders is the Official MotoGP Test at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain which takes place on 28th & 29th March. They will then return to Qatar for the first Grand Prix of the year on 10th-12th April. Official Test Best Times 1. Casey Stoner, Ducati Marlboro Team – 1’55.744 (31) 2. Jorge Lorenzo, Fiat Yamaha Team – 1’56.733 (82) 3. Valentino Rossi, Fiat Yamaha Team – 1’56.972 (75) 4. Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki MotoGP – 1’57.224 (70) 5. Nicky Hayden, Ducati Marlboro Team – 1’57.225 (53) 6. Loris Capirossi, Suzuki MotoGP – 1’57.253 (42) 7. Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda MotoGP – 1’57.401 (77) 8. Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda – 1’57.449 (74) 9. Colin Edwards, Monster Yamaha Tech3 – 1’57.515 (46) 10. Alex De Angelis, San Carlo Honda Gresini – 1’57.591 (61) 11. Toni Elias, San Carlo Honda Gresini – 1’57.804 (66) 12. Mika Kallio, Pramac Racing – 1’57.938 (54) 13. Niccolo Canepa, Pramac Racing – 1’57.946 (50) 14. Yuki Takahashi, Scot Racing Team – 1’58.412 (61) 15. James Toseland, Monster Yamaha Tech3 – 1’58.786 (51) 16. Marco Melandri, Hayate Racing Team – 1’58.851 (73) More, from a press release issued by Honda: MotoGP test Qatar final day of three day test session, March 3, 2009. Randy de Puniet fastest RC212V rider on final day of Qatar MotoGP test. The three day MotoGP test held at the floodlit 5.380 km Losail circuit in Qatar came to a close at midnight local time tonight leaving the Honda teams and riders present with contrasting results. Fastest RC212V Honda rider on the final day was LCR Hondas Randy de Puniet who set seventh fastest time. The Frenchman has adapted his style to improve his feeling with the Bridgestone front tyre he will race with for the first time in 2009 and now feels more confident aboard the machine than at the last test in Sepang. Andrea Dovizioso continued his successful transition from the 2008 satellite specification RC212V to the full factory spec machine. The Repsol Honda rider has quickly identified the areas where he and the machine need to improve. The Italian rider ran into chattering problems early on which disrupted the teams test plan for the final day but late in the day Dovizioso made big strides to end the day with eighth fastest time. Despite his early set back Dovizioso was pleased with the results of the three-day test. Dovizioso’s team-mate Dani Pedrosa was absent today, having suffered a fall yesterday in which he damaged his left wrist and left knee. The Spaniard flew home this morning, and further scans at hospital revealed that he has a fracture to his left radius bone. The unlucky Pedrosa will undergo an operation at 6pm tomorrow to insert a titanium screw to secure the break. He will also receive a small skin graft on the existing wound in his left knee, which was re-opened in yesterday’s fall. San Carlo Honda Gresini riders Alex De Angelis and Toni Elias ended the day in 10th and 11th places respectively. De Angelis was relatively happy with the overall performance once the team technicians had reduced real wheel chattering allowing the San Marinese rider to get the best out of his tyres. Elias was not content with the results of the three-day test and continued to test various changes in geometry and suspension settings in a bid to improve rear wheel traction on his RCV. The MotoGP debutant team of Scot Racing Team and rider Yuki Takahashi worked on establishing a base line set up that allowed Takahashi ride the RCV comfortably within his limits while at the same time learning the characteristics inherent in four-stroke race machines. But late in the day the Japanese rider was caught out at turn three and slid to earth. He emerged unscathed from the incident and went straight back out on track on his spare machine and ran respectable lap times. The teams now return to their European workshops to prepare their RC212V’s for the final MotoGP pre-season test at Jerez, Spain on March 29. Honda rider quotes and lap times. Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda MotoGP: 7th fastest time at 1m 57.401s – 77 laps. “All in all I’m satisfied of these 3 days of testing. We made an important step forward compared to Sepang. This evening I had a better feeling on the bike, my riding style adapted more to the machine and I understood how to use the Bridgestone front tyre at its best, especially entering the turns. Stoner is incredible fast so we need to work hard.” Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 8th. 1m 57.449s 74 laps. “All in all I’m quite satisfied with these three days of testing because we have learned a lot. Today’s session didn’t go exactly according to plan because after an hour we started to get some chatter, which complicated the session and meant we had to adapt our plan for the day. I was able to do a longer run of 15 laps which showed that we still need to make some machine adjustments to suit the Bridgestone tyres. For this circuit specifically we need to improve the grip entering the turns, and in general find a smoother power delivery. There is still quite a lot of work to do, but I’m still pleased because we learned a lot about the bike at this test.” Alex De Angelis, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 10th. 1m 57.591s 61 laps. “Today the track conditions were better but we couldn’t improve as we expected. We suffered from rear chattering so we worked on adapting the machine to Bridgestone tyres. At the end we improved a bit. All in all I’m quite happy with this test session, the bike is fast but we need to work to improve the traction in order to use all the potential of the bike.” Toni Elias, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 11th. 1m 57.804s 66 laps. “We continued working on the geometry of the bike and suspension trying to improve my feeling with the rear. We tested some radical solutions but we didn’t get the results we expected. My feeling is that we need more traction and also with more rear tyre contact on the asphalt.” Yuki Takahashi, Scot Racing Team: 14th. 1m 58.412s 61 laps “I’m still studying the bike set up but lap by lap my feeling is improving and we make a progress. Today I started to push a little bit and had a small crash but I continued on my second bike. I’m still learning but I’m confident and really looking forward to testing at Jerez.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: Pedrosa did not test due to wrist and knee injuries sustained in a crash at turn 10 during testing yesterday. Lap times 1.Casey Stoner (Ducati) 1’55.744 2. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1’56.733 3. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1’56.972 4. Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) 1’57.224 5. Nicky Hayden (Ducati) 1’57.225 6. Loris Capirossi (Suzuki) 1’57.253 7. Randy De Puniet (Honda) 1’57.401 77 laps 8 Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) 1’57.449 74 laps 9. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) 1’57.515 10. Alex De Angelis (Honda) 1’57.591 61 laps 11. Toni Elias (Honda) 1’57.804 66 laps 12. Mika Kallio (Ducati) 1’57.938 13. Niccolò Canepa (Ducati) 1’57.946 14. Yuki Takahashi (Honda) 1’58.412 61 15. James Toseland (Yamaha) 1’58.786 16. Marco Melandri (Hayate) 1’58.851 More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: STONER SUPER FAST IN QATAR AS HAYDEN TAKES IMPORTANT STEP FORWARD The deserts of Qatar are the last place you would expect to find an English climate but that is exactly what has greeted the MotoGP riders over a three-day test that ended today with low temperatures making for tricky track conditions after Sunday’s rain and yesterday’s high winds. Three riders were caught out by the conditions – Loris Capirossi, Niccolò Canepa and Casey Stoner all crashing but fortunately escaping without injury. The Ducati Marlboro Team’s Australian rider was able to return to the track immediately, shaking off any after effects with a series of hot laps including two efforts inside the 1’56 mark. His quickest time of 1’55.744 would prove to be the fastest overall, even though he stayed in his garage for the final available hour as track conditions got even more difficult and dangerous. Nicky Hayden can also look back on a positive test, the American finishing up in the top five of the unofficial standings, just a few tenths of a second off the second placed rider. The next appointment for the Ducati Marlboro Team is the final test session of the 2009 preseason at Jerez de la Frontera, in the south of Spain on the 28th and 29th March. Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team), fastest lap: 1’55.744 (on lap 22 of 31) “I’m obviously very happy with the lap time and the rhythm we put together today although I would have liked to have been able to get a few more laps in and test some more stuff. We knew the track conditions would get worse at around ten o’clock and that proved to be the case. The crash was on the way into turn 2 and it was very similar to the one here last year practically from an upright position. I got straight back on the other bike but with such an unpredictable track we decided to finish an hour early because the conditions were only getting worse. We still managed to try a few things with the electronics some of them good and some not so good and we confirmed the good feeling I had yesterday with the new swingarm, although we still need more time to work on it and that’s what we’ll be doing at Jerez. The wrist has responded quite well it’s not as painful as it was at Sepang even though the mobility still hasn’t improved much. We’ll have to see how at feels at circuits with harder braking and more left-hand corners, which is where I struggle the most.” Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro Team), fastest lap: 1’57.225 (on lap 35 of 53) “That was definitely a good day and we’ve made plenty of progress so I’m really pleased. I was thinking this morning that this would be the right time to take a step forward because we’ve only got two more days of testing before the season started so it’s obviously very satisfying to have done that. There is still plenty to do but my team has worked well and now we have a lot of information to work on. I got a good feel for the new swingarm straight away but we still have work to do and we need to make more comparisons with the previous version before drawing definite conclusions. I would have liked to have done more laps but after ten o’clock the conditions were on the limit, to the point that there were a few guys crashing and running straight, so we decided not to take any risks. I also did a practice start today and a test at switching bikes quickly in case of a race interrupted by rain.” Losail Circuit Circuit Record: Casey Stoner (Ducati 2008) 1’55.153 Best pole: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha 2008) 1’53.927 Unofficial lap times Tuesday 03/03/2009 1. Casey Stoner Ducati Marlboro Team 1:55.744 2. Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Team 1:56.733 3. Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 1:56.972 4. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki MotoGP 1:57.224 5. Nicky Hayden Ducati Marlboro Team 1:57.225 6. Loris Capirossi Suzuki MotoGP 1:57.253 7. Randy De Puniet LCR Honda MotoGP 1:57.401 8. Andrea Dovizioso Repsol Honda 1:57.449 9. Colin Edwards Tech3 Yamaha 1:57.515 10. Alex De Angelis San Carlo Honda Gresini 1:57.591 11. Toni Elias San Carlo Honda Gresini 1:57.804 12. Mika Kallio Pramac Racing 1:57.938 13. Niccolo Canepa Pramac Racing 1:57.946 14. Yuki Takahashi Scot Racing Team 1:58.412 15. James Toseland Tech3 Yamaha 1:58.786 16. Marco Melandri Hayate Racing Team 1:58.851