FIM MotoGP World Championship Jerez, Spain February 18, 2008 IRTA Test Free Practice Four Results: 1. Nicky HAYDEN (Honda), Michelin, 1:38.848 2. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha), Michelin, 1:39.252 3. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda), Michelin, 1:39.313 4. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda), Michelin, 1:39.351 5. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha), Bridgestone, 1:39.568 6. James TOSELAND (Yamaha), Michelin, 1:39.727 7. Casey STONER (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:39.845 8. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda), Bridgestone, 1:39.932 9. Shinya NAKANO (Honda), Bridgestone, 1:40.333 10. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki), Bridgestone, 1:40.442 11. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki), Bridgestone, 1:40.576 12. Anthony WEST (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, 1:41.026 13. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:41.177 14. Marco MELANDRI (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:41.292 15. Toni ELIAS SPA (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:41.311 16. Dani PEDROSA (Honda), Michelin, 1:41.699 17. Niccolo CANEPA (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:42.160 18. John HOPKINS (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, 1:42.970 19. Olivier JACQUE (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, 1:43.496 20. Vittoriano GUARESCHI (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:45.597 21. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha), Michelin, no times recorded Best Overall: 1. Nicky HAYDEN (Honda), Michelin, 1:38.848 2. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha), Michelin, 1:39.252 3. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda), Michelin, 1:39.313 4. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda), Michelin, 1:39.351 5. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha), Bridgestone, 1:39.568 6. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha), Michelin, 1:39.629 7. James TOSELAND (Yamaha), Michelin, 1:39.678 8. Casey STONER (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:39.845 9. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda), Bridgestone, 1:39.932 10. Shinya NAKANO (Honda), Bridgestone, 1:40.192 11. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki), Bridgestone, 1:40.442 12 Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki), Bridgestone, 1:40.576 13. Anthony WEST (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, 1:41.026 14. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:41.177 15. Marco MELANDRI (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:41.292 16. Toni ELIAS SPA (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:41.311 17. Dani PEDROSA (Honda), Michelin, 1:41.352 18. John HOPKINS (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, 1:41.901 19. Niccolo CANEPA (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:42.160 20. Olivier JACQUE (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, 1:42.557 21. Vittoriano GUARESCHI (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:43.435 From a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP makes forward steps on the final day in Spain Rizla Suzuki MotoGP has completed the first ‘official’ test of the year by making some important improvements to the performance of its 2008 machine. Loris Capirossi (54 laps) and Chris Vermeulen (62 laps) both recorded their best times whilst conducting a thorough evaluation of the latest Bridgestone qualifying tyres. Capirossi’s 1’40.442 was good enough to give the Italian 10th place and team-mate Vermeulen was just behind in 11th with a quickest time of 1’40.576. Capirossi and Vermeulen also improved their times throughout the day on race tyres as the two both worked tirelessly with their crews to find the best package for the Suzuki GSV-R. They are still looking for the optimum set-up to get the best out of their machines, but hope that they have a clear direction to go in during the next test. Today’s test was held in windy and overcast conditions and more than two hours of the test was lost this morning as the track took time to dry out from earlier rain showers. The fastest time of the day was set by former World Champion Nicky Hayden on his factory Honda. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP now travels to Losail in Qatar for the next Official IRTA test, a test that will have added interest because it will be held at night under floodlights as the MotoGP paddock prepares itself for the first-ever race at night, also at Qatar, next month. Loris Capirossi: “I think we were lucky with the weather today, even though we weren’t able to start till after lunchtime. We tried lots of things today and we found a better solution than we did on the first day. I think we are in a better shape now and we can go with a good feeling to Qatar and try and do the last few things at the last test so we will be ready for the first race. We are still struggling in a few places and we know we have to work on those, but we are quite confident for the first race.” Chris Vermeulen: “It was a difficult morning as we didn’t get any track-time, but the wind got up and dried the track out and we had reasonable conditions this afternoon apart from the wind! We made some progress with the bike to solve some of the problems we have had here this weekend and we now have a direction to go in. We tested some tyres for Bridgestone and I finally got the chance to test some qualifiers. They seemed to work quite well and suit our bike and although I only used two qualifying tyres I am happy with the lap-time that I did. There is still more to come out of both me and the bike, bit this was the most positive day we have had at this test.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “We got a break today in that the rain cleared and allowed us to do some much needed dry testing. The conditions weren’t the best but at least we were able to get through some of the programme. It was encouraging to see that when some rear grip was dialled into the bike using the qualifying tyres we were able to achieve a promising lap-time. It gave a better level of confidence to both riders and they also improved their times on race tyres as well. But there is no getting away from the fact that we aren’t where we hoped to be at the end of this test and we will be looking to put this behind us and make big steps in Qatar next week.” IRTA Test Jerez Day Three Classification: 1. Nicky Hayden (Honda) 1’38.848: 2. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) +0.404: 3. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) +0.465: 5. Randy de Puniet (Honda) +0.503: 5. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +0.720: 10. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.594: 11. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.728: More, from a press release issued by Monster Kawasaki: KAWASAKI CONCLUDE WEATHER AFFECTED JEREZ TEST Kawasaki’s John Hopkins and Anthony West concluded the three-day IRTA test at a blustery, but dry Jerez circuit today with encouraging results, as both riders continued to improve the set-up of their Ninja ZX-RR machines. West finished the test reasonably satisfied with 12th position, after making significant steps forward with the set-up of his machine. The 26-year-old Australian concentrated on improving the handling and cornering of his bike and he, along with his crew, has found a front-end setting that has given him much more confidence around the technical Jerez circuit. West also carried out an evaluation of qualifying tyres supplied by Bridgestone, whilst spending most of the day in the top five, completing a total of 63 laps of the 4.423km Spanish circuit. The Kawasaki rider concluded the day with a fastest time of 1:41.026. Hopkins completed the test with a run out on circuit this morning to finalise his clutch set-up. The Anglo-American completed a total of 20 laps, posting a best time of 1:42.970. Hopkins decided to stay off the track during the afternoon, as riding in the rain yesterday has caused some aggravation to the injury the 24-year-old sustained at Philip Island in pre-season testing. Hopkins will now return home to receive ultra-sound treatment on the torn abductor in his groin and focus on regaining strength in the injured muscle ahead of the Qatar test in just over a week’s time. Kawasaki Technical Manager, Naoya Kaneko, declared himself pleased with today’s proceedings and is confident that the team now have a clear direction for the final pre-season test at the Losail International circuit in Doha, Qatar. Anthony West 12th – 63 Laps – 1:41.026 “We’ve mainly worked on the handling and the steering of the bike today. We’ve made a big step forward in the front-end set-up and I feel a lot more confident, although there is still room for further improvement. We have also tested some qualifying tyres from Bridgestone that I have never used before and the results were promising, I am sure that given more time using them we could have gone even faster. We finished off the test with a 10-lap run to see what the tyre performance is like towards the middle of race distance and we found more consistency than with the previous tyres we have used. We now have a plan to fine-tune the set-up with what we have learned here in Jerez and I will return home to continue with my training programme before heading to the last pre-season test in Qatar.” John Hopkins 18th – 20 Laps -1:42.970 “Today we used the dry track time to warm up the clutch and try some practice starts, as we don’t have much time to do this before the first race. Riding in the rain yesterday took its toll on my injury and today I have definitely felt the effects. With our focus firmly on the first race, we decided it wasn’t necessary to go out on circuit this afternoon. I am flying home tomorrow to immediately have as much therapy and ultra-sound treatment as possible to maximise my recovery.” Naoya Kaneko Kawasaki Technical Manager “Today everything has gone well for us despite losing some track time this morning because of the weather conditions. Unfortunately John could only test a few parts due to his injury, but we have found some direction for our development ahead of the first race. With Anthony we tested some qualifying tyres, and we have worked particularly on his chassis set-up. We found a combination of components and settings that worked positively for us, which we will continue to work on. We now go to the final test, where we will concentrate on optimising the overall package to be as competitive as possible at the opening race of the season.” More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM END SUCCESSFUL TEST AT JEREZ A grey and cloudy sky cast an ominous shadow over the Jerez circuit at the start of the third and final day of the MotoGP Official Test, but more strong winds eventually opened the way for an afternoon of blue skies and bright sunshine drying out the circuit and allowing the riders to complete their testing programme. Stoner picked up where he’d left off on the first day of the test by working on his dry setting and the World Champion ended the day reflecting positively on the outcome with both race and qualifying tyres, even though his fastest lap was set when conditions weren’t at their optimum. A small crash midway through the afternoon did nothing to dent the Australian’s satisfaction at a job well done over the three days. Melandri continued to work hard with his crew to improve the feeling with the rear end of his bike although he was unable to find the ideal setting for this track. The next appointment for the Ducati Marlboro Team is a two-day test under floodlights in Doha, Qatar, on the 28th and 29th February. Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team), best time: 1.39.845 (57 laps) “The conditions haven’t been perfect here this weekend but this afternoon the sun came back out and we were finally able to get some good laps in and work on finding some more grip on the rear. We had another chassis setting prepared on my second bike but the crash meant that we weren’t able to switch the tyres over and make a direct comparison so that was a shame. The wind was making it quite difficult in some corners and it didn’t help with the crash but it was just a small front end slide and I was fine. We were able to continue the test and I tried out a completely new qualifying tyre. We actually tried it at the wrong time of the day because the wind was up and I could have gone much faster a little later on but the point of the test wasn’t to set the fastest time but to see if the new qualifier was better than the previous one, which it was so that was positive. Generally speaking it has been a very positive test although we have been careful not to make the setting too specific to this circuit because it is very unique and you often find that the same setting doesn’t work as well anywhere else. Now I’m really looking forward to going to Qatar, seeing how the bike goes there and making the final preparations for the start of the season.” Marco Melandri (Ducati Marlboro Team), best time: 1.41.292 (72 laps) “I can’t deny that I was hoping to do better here but the continual changes in weather and track conditions haven’t helped. At the moment we’re struggling to find a good balance for the rear of the bike so I don’t have the confidence to make the most out of the power. This circuit in particular is also probably not the most favourable for us but we still have to improve. Hopefully we can do that in Qatar, where a night test will provide something of the unknown for everybody.” Jerez Circuit info Circuit Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha – 2005) 1’40.596 Best pole: Loris Capirossi (Ducati – 2006) 1’39.064 More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Repsol Honda’s Nicky Hayden was the fastest man of the final day at the MotoGP Official Test, laying down the quickest lap of the week in the final hour of action in Jerez. The American was, as on the opening day in southern Spain, both the man at the head of the timesheets and the rider with the most laps to his name, his fastest of which being a 1’38.848 lap over half a second under team-mate Dani Pedrosa’s pole lap from 2007 and exactly the same as his time from last November’s test. The 2006 MotoGP World Champion was the only rider to break the 1’39 barrier on a day of mixed conditions for the 800cc competitors. The asphalt having dried late on in the afternoon after some uncharacteristic downpours, a selection of riders chose to conclude their three day excursion with a qualifying tyre run. As on day one, Hayden headed a timesheet that suggests that Michelin are still very much the qualifying tyre pacesetters at the scene of the first European MotoGP visit. Making amends for an uncomfortable ride in yesterday’s BMW M Award, Jorge Lorenzo was back amongst the frontrunners onboard the Fiat Yamaha M1. The Spaniard was four tenths of a second slower than Hayden in a tightly-packed top six. Fellow MotoGP rookie and long time rival Andrea Dovizioso was also turning heads with the latest episode of a productive adaptation to the premier class, putting in the third fastest lap of the day shortly after 5.15pm local time. The JiR Team Scot rider was almost inseparable from another satellite rider, LCR Honda’s Randy de Puniet, who undertook his hot lap at almost exactly the same time. Bridgestone newcomer Valentino Rossi was the highest placing rider on Japanese rubber in fifth, rivalling Hayden for industriousness at the scene of his 2007 victory. He chose against running a race simulation to round off his test, choosing instead to focus on corner entry troubles after some early problems in Spain with his factory machine. Sixth placed James Toseland once again impressed with the satellite version of the Yamaha M1, confirming his 1’39.678 lap from day one was far from beginners luck by recording a time less than a tenth of a second outside said marker. It wasn’t all good news for the Briton, however, as he suffered a crash on his second lap of the day that caused him to miss two hours of the session undergoing x-rays on a damaged ankle, returning on crutches with damaged right ankle ligaments before taking to the track once more. The star of the BMW M Award session yesterday, reigning World Champion Casey Stoner refused to be drawn into any late battle to top the timesheets. The Ducati Marlboro rider’s fastest lap came midway through his total of 57, and he was already packed up by the time the majority of the top ten were kitting out their bikes with qualifying tyres for a final surge. He suffered a small slide out in a repeat of last year’s final day, but without causing any injury. Stoner was the final rider to come within a second of Hayden’s time, with Alex de Angelis, Shinya Nakano and Loris Capirossi completing the top ten. Kawasaki’s injured representative John Hopkins rode just 18 laps of the track, limiting his work to the bare essentials. Another absentee from yesterday’s 40 minute qualifying session, Dani Pedrosa also took things easy at his home circuit. Of the regular MotoGP field, only Tech 3 Yamaha’s Colin Edwards elected against testing on day three after having completed his schedule yesterday. The Official Test now over for the premier class riders, the 125cc and 250cc competitors now take to the stage for a triumvirate of development sessions from Tuesday February 19th. More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: ROSSI FIFTH AT CLOSE OF JEREZ TEST Valentino Rossi completed a third and final day of testing at the Official MotoGP Tests in Jerez de la Frontera today, finishing fifth overall on his YZR-M1. The Fiat Yamaha rider completed 79 laps today, despite not starting until early afternoon due to a damp track in the morning. Rossi spent most of the day refining set-up and tyre testing with Bridgestone, although the tricky track conditions hampered progress somewhat. Towards the end of the day the Italian, like most of his competitors, tried a qualifying tyre and it was with this that he completed his best lap of the three days, in time of 1’39.568. His team-mate Jorge Lorenzo finished 2nd overall after a qualifying lap of 1’39.252. The next stop for the team will be Qatar in ten days time, where they face two days of night testing in preparation for the season opener and inaugural night race on 9th March. Valentino Rossi Position: 5th Time: 1’39.568 Laps: 79 “At the end of today it was quite cold which made things difficult, and generally the conditions have made our job harder for the whole three days. Despite this I think we’ve done some good work; I have a good rhythm and I am having a lot of fun riding the bike. I’m quite excited now about the start of the season! We have things to work on, especially our speed in the exit of the corner, which was worse today because we had less grip on the damp track. Overall though it’s been good, and I think we’ve learnt a lot both about the bike and the Bridgestones, plus I have been quite fast both with the qualifier and the race tyres. I didn’t use the qualifier I like best here, so I am confident that when we use it in Qatar we can be faster. Now there’s just one test left, which will be in the dark and therefore something quite strange! We will focus on our final days of preparation and be ready for the first race.” Davide Brivio Team Manager “Looking at the three days of the test, we can draw some good conclusions. We were pretty fast on Saturday, made some good progress in the wet yesterday and then today we tried some different things and made another important step in our preparation. The bike is good and it seems that the engine is too, but of course we need to wait and see how our whole package performs in Qatar in different conditions. We’re looking forward to the first race but we have more work to do before then and only two days of testing left, so we will be working at the maximum!” More, from another press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: LORENZO BATTLES THE BREEZE TO FINISH SECOND FASTEST IN JEREZ Fiat Yamaha rookie Jorge Lorenzo finished the three day Official MotoGP Test in second position overall today, after setting an impressive lap on qualifying tyres at the end of a very windy day in Jerez. It was a tricky three days for the youngest rider on the grid, who admits that he has struggled to adapt to riding a MotoGP bike in such changeable conditions and that he is still lacking pace on race tyres. However he proved with the Michelin qualifying tyre how fast he can be, setting a time of 1’39.252 on his 60th and final lap of the day, ahead of his team-mate Valentino Rossi in fifth. There is now a ten-day break before the final pre-season test in Qatar. The test will take place at night to allow the riders and teams to prepare for the first race, which will be the first ever MotoGP night race. Jorge Lorenzo Position: 2nd Time: 1’39.252 Laps: 60 “We’ve finished the three days second after a very fast lap this afternoon with the Michelin qualifying tyre, so I’m really happy about this. With the race tyre however we’re not in such good shape and we have quite a lot of work to do. We need to be faster but to do this I need to have more grip and more confidence. We need to speak a lot with Michelin in order to try to solve this, but I am confident that my team, the engineers and Michelin together will find the solution. Now the first race is very close and we don’t have a lot of time, but we are working very hard. Overall though it’s been an important three days and I am very happy that we’re so good with the qualifying tyre. I am looking forward to something new in Qatar now; riding at night!” Daniele Romagnoli Team Manager “We’ve finished the three days second after a very fast lap this afternoon with the Michelin qualifying tyre, so I’m really happy about this. With the race tyre however we’re not in such good shape and we have quite a lot of work to do. We need to be faster but to do this I need to have more grip and more confidence. We need to speak a lot with Michelin in order to try to solve this, but I am confident that my team, the engineers and Michelin together will find the solution. Now the first race is very close and we don’t have a lot of time, but we are working very hard. Overall though it’s been an important three days and I am very happy that we’re so good with the qualifying tyre. I am looking forward to something new in Qatar now; riding at night!” More, from a press release issued by Alice Ducati: OFFICIAL TEST IN JEREZ CONCLUDED Last day of work at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit for the Alice Team in preparation of the first European MotoGP World Championship round, on the same circuit, on March 30th. The French-Hispanic white and red duo has ridden for many laps notwithstanding rain has limited their work during the morning. Sylvain (Guintoli) has been constantly in the top ten during the day, concluding the session in thirteenth position. Toni (Elias), on the other side, was able to conquer the fifteenth position at the last attempt even if he committed a small mistake. The Alice Team will be back on track for the last winter test of the season in Qatar from February 27th. Sergio Verbena – Track Engineer “I am very satisfied by the work done by Sylvain (Guintoli) in these three days. Today we have made a good step forward on dry track, with race and qualifying tyres. We tried some new tyres that we will be using for next month’s race on the same track. We found a good front tyre solution, while for the rear we are still uncertain to which to use.” Sylvain Guintoli – Alice Team Rider (13th best lap time in 1:41.177 – Total laps 47) “These three days went well for us, I feel I am making good progress on the bike. Also yesterday’s forty minute session went well even if the track conditions weren’t the best. I really think that we can think positive for the beginning of the season. We are also improving our rhythm which is very important as the first race in Qatar will be in only twenty days. I am confident, physically I feel ready and I can’t wait for the beginning of the 2008 season.” Toni Elias – Alice Team Rider (15th best lap time in 1:41.311 – Total laps 71) “Complicated day for us, we didn’t make it to find a good set up of the bike, and I don’t really like this final classification. Only at the end of the day things looked better, but it was too late to improve. I made a mistake in the last fast lap, during my best performance, I went long in turn six and I could have finished surely in a better position. But better don’t think about it and look ahead, the only way to improve is to work hard and this is what I will do.” More, from a press release issued by Michelin: FOUR MICHELIN MEN ON TOP AT JEREZ Michelin riders topped the timesheets during this penultimate test session at Jerez, with the fastest four riders and five riders in the first top six. 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin) was the fastest man over the three days, recording his best lap on qualifiers at the end of the final day, his best lap half a second inside the pole position pace at last year’s Spanish GP. The weather was very changeable throughout the three days with cool, windy and rainy conditions. Hayden was four tenths ahead of impressive MotoGP rookies Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) and Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Team Scot Honda RC212V-Michelin), while new Michelin man Randy de Puniet (Honda LCR RC212V-Michelin) was fourth. Colin Edwards (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin) was sixth and James Toseland (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin) seventh. As is usual, most riders used qualifying tires to set their fastest laps during the tests, though Michelin’s seven MotoGP riders also did some impressive runs in race trim. “This test has been quite good for us,” said Jean-Philippe Weber, Michelin’s director of motorcycle racing. “We already had some useful information from the first day in dry conditions and yesterday we were able to do some good work with wets. Today we had to confirm a few things we tested on the first day and we had some new tires to tests that we hadn’t had time to test because of the bad weather. We now have a good working basis with our latest family of tires and I think all our teams now have a clear direction for race tires, so everybody did a good job here. “On Saturday we had some very good results with our 16-inch rear but when we tried it again today it wasn’t as good. So right now the 16 looks good, it’s getting better and it’s a direction we still keep in our development program. “The Qatar tests are going to be very interesting, they run from 5pm to 12pm, which means we will be able to test in race conditions for MotoGP’s first night race. It will be a big challenge because the track temperature will gradually decrease into the night, which is the opposite of what we usually have during daytime! At the Qatar tests we have to adapt the tires to the track specification.” The three-day session was affected by cool, windy, rainy weather, with Sunday’s traditional preseason ‘qualifying’ shootout taking place on a drying track. Michelin’s top performer in that outing was Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda Team RC212V-Michelin), the 2006 MotoGP World Champion running third fastest. There was further rain this morning, This was the fourth and penultimate preseason outing of 2008, following one session at Phillip Island and two at Sepang. The final tests will take place at Losail on February 28 and 29, one week before the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix on March 9. Fastest man Hayden was happy with progress as he looks towards the first race. “The Michelins work good here, they give me good confidence,” he said. “We’ve tried a few different tire options, and we’re still checking data between the 16 and 16.5 rears. We were really good in the full wet yesterday morning, the Michelins were working good and there was one front in particular that I liked.” Michelin have worked hard throughout this winter, determined to win back the MotoGP world title in 2008. “One of our main aims has been to improve the working range of the tires and we are quite happy with the work we’ve done in this area,” added Weber. “We have some new constructions, some new profiles and we have optimized compounds, because once you change one thing you have to adjust all the other parameters to suit. “Of course, we have also made some good progress with our front tires. Last year we had two front profiles, one wider than the other, and towards the end of the season we started testing an even bigger profile tire. Last year half the riders used the narrower of the first two tires, the other half used the wider of the first two tires, but now it looks like everyone is switching to the wider tire. We haven’t done so much testing with the widest profile because we didn’t want to confuse riders with too many front-tire choices, so we will leave that work until later. “At the moment we are very happy with our seven riders. On the one hand we have some experienced MotoGP riders like Nicky, Colin, Randy and Dani, who sadly hasn’t been able to do much testing because of his crash at Sepang. Then we have the new generation: Andrea, Jorge and James. It is really important to work with them because they are fast and extremely motivated.” Combined Free Practice Times ? Jerez de la Frontera Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda Team RC212V-Michelin): 1m 38.848 Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat-Yamaha Team-Michelin): 1:39.252 Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Team Scot Honda RC212V-Michelin): 1:39.313 Randy de Puniet (Honda LCR RC212V-Michelin): 1:39.351 Valentino Rossi (Fiat-Yamaha Team): 1:39.568 Colin Edwards (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin): 1:39.629 James Toseland (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin): 1:39.678 Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici): 1:39.845 Alex de Angelis (Honda Gresini RC212V): 1:39.932 Shinya Nakano (Honda Gresini RC212V): 1:40.192 Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki GSV-R): 1:40.442 Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki GSV-R): 1:40.576 Anthony West (Kawasaki Racing ZX-RR): 1:41.026 Sylvain Guintoli (Alice Ducati Desmosedici): 1:41.177 Marco Melandri (Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici): 1:41.292 Toni Elias (Alice Ducati Desmosedici): 1:41.311 Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC212V-Michelin): 1:41.352 John Hopkins (Kawasaki Racing ZX-RR): 1:41.901 2007 Spanish GP pole position Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC212V-Michelin), 1:39.402 Jerez lap record Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha YZR-M1-Michelin), 1:40.595, 158.284km/h-98.353mph (2005) More, from a press release issued by Repsol Media Service: NICKY HAYDEN, FASTEST AGAIN ON THE JEREZ CIRCUIT The Repsol rider finished the official MotoGP test satisfied with the improvements on the chassis. Dani Pedrosa took the opportunity to ride again in dry weather today. The weather forecast was fortunately wrong today, and in spite of the strong wind on the Spanish track throughout the day, the MotoGP riders were able to enjoy a completely dry track during the last test at Jerez. Now it is time for a few days’ rest before heading for Qatar at the end of this month. Next 28th and 29th of Febuary the last 2008 pre-season tests will be held in preparation for the Qatar GP, with the peculiarity of being run during the night, the first nocturnal race in the history of the World Motorcycling Championship, which starts this year on March 9th. After achieving the best time on Saturday and taking third place in yesterday’s timed session, Nicky Hayden leaves the Jerez Circuit leading the time sheet. The Repsol rider was the only rider to achieve times below 1’39 over the three days of training, demonstrating the enormous potential of the Michelin qualification tyres. The American has also been working on the development of his RC212V 2008, with new improvements on the chassis. In total he completed 82 laps on the Andalusian track, again the rider to complete the most laps. His best lap was No. 81, with classification tyres. Hayden also ran a race simulation with satisfactory results according to the rider himself. Teammate Dani Pedrosa was back in action this morning after he decided not to go on track yesterday due to the bad weather conditions. The strong wind today was also an invitation to be prudent, but Pedrosa did not want to miss the chance of completing another 35 laps on the Spanish track. For the Repsol Honda Team, today’s training sessions were an exact copy of those held last Saturday. In spite of still feeling discomfort in his right hand, Pedrosa completed 35 laps, his fastest being lap 33, with a time practically identical to last Saturday’s, only three tenths of a second behind. Quotes MotoGP Dani Pedrosa, fastest lap: 1m 41.352s (lap 33 of 35) “After this morning’s rain we were finally able to do some laps and it’s been a pretty good day for us. We were happy that we were able to test in the dry after yesterday’s rain and we did similar work to what we did on Saturday. My right hand feels the same as it did on Saturday. We’ve been trying to make some changes to the bike to make it easier for the hand and that’s been positive. But we weren’t able to try too many things because it’s been so windy, which makes it dangerous to ride fast, so it’s been difficult to improve. I don’t think the hand will be 100 per cent when we get to Qatar but I hope it will be better than it is now. We have ten days before the test, so we’ll do as much therapy as we can in order to be ready for the tests and for the race. The last test at Qatar will be difficult, especially for us because we still have a lot of work to do. And it will also be tough because we’ll be riding under floodlights for the first time, so we have to adapt to that. I hope the track conditions will be good at night and the track temperature not too low.” Repsol Nicky Hayden, fastest lap: 1m 38.848s (lap 81 of 82) “It’s definitely been a really positive and productive three days. We had high hopes coming here because when we tested here in November the bike worked pretty good and Michelin tyres normally work good at Jerez, so this is a good track for us, also there’s no big long straightaways. The wind here has made it tough, the conditions haven’t been easy, but I do feel more comfortable on this year’s bike in the wind. The team really worked hard and made some good moves and good decisions. We didn’t make a lot of big changes, we just got closer to race settings, tried a couple of qualifiers and did a 25 lap run. The chassis seems to be working good and also the tyres are working good. We tried a few different tyre options, and we’re still checking data between the 16 and 16.5 rears. But the show hasn’t started yet, we’ll find out what everybody’s really got and what we’re in for when we get to Qatar but we leave here pretty happy. At the Qatar tests we’ll see how it is under the lights and dial everything in for the first race.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: Nicky Hayden and Repsol Honda take the honours on final day of Jerez MotoGP test On arrival at the Jerez circuit for the final day of the three-day MotoGP test at the 4.423 km track this morning the riders were greeted by cool overcast conditions following a rain shower but the temperature slowly increased to reach an ambient 19 degrees with the track top at 16. Despite a strong prevailing wind the change in warmer weather allowed the teams and riders to make up much of the time lost to rain and a cold track on the opening two days. Repsol Honda factory team rider Nicky Hayden worked on chassis development and tyre testing today. Once happy with the set up of his RC212V the 2006 MotoGP World Champion went out on track to set the fastest lap of the day on Michelin qualifying tyres, the fastest of the three-day test. His time of 1m 38.848s was half a second faster than pole position time set for the Spanish GP at Jerez last year. Hayden’s team-mate, Spaniard Dani Pedrosa is still carrying a hand injury sustained during testing in January. But the determined Pedrosa returned to the track today after sitting out the wet day on Sunday. Pedrosa and his team technicians worked on his RC212V to try set up variations that would ease the stress on his injured hand. The injury has hampered Pedrosa’s pre-season test programme but the tough young man from Barcelona will be in better shape, but not 100% ready, at the next MotoGP test, at Qatar on February 28-29, the final test before racing begins in earnest at Qatar on March 9. Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Scot Honda) enjoyed a very positive final day. The young Italian spent virtually the whole day testing tyres for Michelin and was impressed with the results. Dovi, new to MotoGP machinery, had struggled to get the best out of qualifying tyres but today with the latest Michelin’s and minor suspension adjustments he mastered the soft rubber setting third fastest time of the day. Randy De Puniet took his LCR Honda RC212V to fourth fastest time of the day. Like Dovizioso he has struggled to get the best out of qualifying tyres but over the three-days of testing the team technicians have worked steadily towards providing the Frenchman with the set up he needs for the ultra-important GP qualifying sessions. LCR Honda team owner-manager Lucio Cecchinello was pleased with the way his team has worked to give De Puniet a competitive motorcycle. “I am very happy that we have found the reasons why Randy couldn’t go fast on qualifying tyres. There were several small setting points we changed to arrive at this conclusion. We are very close now, competitive and ready for the Qatar test.” Said Cecchinello. The San Carlo Gresini Honda squad continued their solid pre-season progress with both riders setting consistent fast times all day while testing tyres for supplier Bridgestone. MotoGP debutante De Angelis has been a revelation aboard the big 800cc RC212V four-stroke so far this winter. The young Sanmarinese was holding second place on the time sheets at one point eventually ending the day with eighth fastest time. De Angelis’ team-mate, Japanese star Shinya Nakano has found a spiritual home at Gresini Honda and his lap times reflect the progress he has made by switching to the vastly experienced San Carlo sponsored team. Nakano ended his day four-tenths of a second behind De Angelis. Honda rider lap times and quotes. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1m 38.848s – on lap 81 of 82. “It’s definitely been a really positive and productive three days. We had high hopes coming here because when we tested here in November the bike worked pretty good and Michelin tyres normally work good at Jerez, so this is a good track for us, also there’s no big long straightaways. The wind here has made it tough, the conditions haven’t been easy, but I do feel more comfortable on this year’s bike in the wind. The team really worked hard and made some good moves and good decisions. We didn’t make a lot of big changes, we just got closer to race settings, tried a couple of qualifiers and did a 25 lap run. The chassis seems to be working good and also the tyres are working good. We tried a few different tyre options, and we’re still checking data between the 16 and 16.5 rears. But the show hasn’t started yet, we’ll find out what everybody’s really got and what we’re in for when we get to Qatar but we leave here pretty happy. At the Qatar tests we’ll see how it is under the lights and dial everything in for the first race.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1m 41.699s on lap 33 of 35. “After this morning’s rain we were finally able to do some laps and it’s been a pretty good day for us. We were happy that we were able to test in the dry after yesterday’s rain and we did similar work to what we did on Saturday. My right hand feels the same as it did on Saturday. We’ve been trying to make some changes to the bike to make it easier for the hand and that’s been positive. But we weren’t able to try too many things because it’s been so windy, which makes it dangerous to ride fast, so it’s been difficult to improve. I don’t think the hand will be 100 per cent when we get to Qatar but I hope it will be better than it is now. We have ten days before the test, so we’ll do as much therapy as we can in order to be ready for the tests and for the race. The last test at Qatar will be difficult, especially for us because we still have a lot of work to do. And it will also be tough because we’ll be riding under floodlights for the first time, so we have to adapt to that. I hope the track conditions will be good at night and the track temperature not too low.” Andrea Dovizioso, JiR Scot Honda: 1m 39.313s on lap 56 of 65. “Despite the bad weather this morning we concentrated our attention this afternoon on qualifying tyres, which Michelin gave us in quantity and in different types. After finding the right settings we went out for a few runs, which confirmed to us the good performance of these tyres on my 800cc Honda and now I can grow in confidence with the MotoGP bike on qualifying tyres, which we didn’t use in the 250cc class. The team worked very well together and I think we’re now in position to do even better at the final test.” Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda: 1m 39.351s on lap 68 of 68. “Today we focused our work mainly on tyres testing getting good results. Today’s conditions were not perfect so we started at 2 pm and the wind was very strong. However we tested some rear tyres improving our pace and, at the end of the day, I came out on qualifiers improving my lap time as well thus I feel pretty satisfied. This track is too short to develop the new engine so we will work it out in Qatar”. Alex De Angelis, San Carlo, Honda Gresini: 1m 39.932s on lap 54 of 56. “I am very happy with my race pace. I did 20 consecutive laps on the same set of tyres ad at the end was still able to run at 1m 41s. I also tested two types of qualifying tyres for Bridgestone, one new set and one in an old specification we had tried before. They were quite similar in performance but I set my best lap on the old qualifying tyre but the new type was quite close in performance. The feel from the new engine is positive and I wish I had the same engine at Sepang so I could test it on a high speed track before we arrived here. We will get that done at Qatar.” Shinya Nakano, San Carlo, Honda Gresini: 1m 40.333s on lap 66 of 66. “I’m a little disappointed with today my lap time today it was not much better than on day one of the test. Today we used the same setting as on day one but something felt different which I didn’t understand. Maybe this has something to do with all the changes we tried for the wet session yesterday. We are not so bad on race tyres, on all three-days, but we have to improve a few things on set up with qualifying tyres when we get to Qatar, we have to be more aggressive.” More, from a press release issued by JiR Team Scot: Dovizioso happy with third position on final day at Jerez Rain once again disturbed today’s final day of testing at the official IRTA tests at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain. In the afternoon the sunshine finally dried out the 2.748-mile track and the JiR Team Scot squad was once more hard at work researching improved settings for their Honda RCV212V machine. Despite only a few hours of quality track-time available, the circuit was in good condition, but with some high winds affecting some riders in a number of corners. Today Andrea Dovizioso focussed his attention on qualifying tyres, setting the third fastest time overall. Gianluca Montiron Team Director, JiR Team Scot “The balance of this three-day test has been very positive. Our lap times in both the wet and dry, show that our performance has grown in both conditions. We now know that we have to go in this direction and also verify the feelings and feedback of our rider at the next important test in Qatar. We have to do better and we always want to improve but we know the starting point of where we are now and we are quite competitive and we are thinking positively for the future.” Cirano Mularoni Team Manager, JiR Team Scot “I’m particularly satisfied with these three days of testing. The whole team has done some excellent work and when you consider the weather conditions we have worked in, we have gone in the right direction with settings and times in both conditions. If we look at the lap-times, we can say we were near the front in both the wet and dry. I’m particularly satisfied with the relationship that has been created between our rider and the technicians and the relationship between the team and HRC, Michelin and Showa technicians. The very precise information that Andrea is giving to the group is creating a group spirit which is very positive and in these conditions our motivation is now very high.” Andrea Dovizioso Rider, JiR Team Scot MotoGP HONDA RC212V Best time: 3rd – 1′ 39″313 “Despite this morning with the bad weather we concentrated our attention this afternoon on qualifying tyres, which Michelin gave us in quantity and in different types. After finding the right settings we went out for a few runs, which confirmed to us the good performance of these tyres on my 800cc Honda and now I can grow in confidence with the MotoGP bike on qualifying tyres, which we didn’t use in the 250cc class. The team worked very well together and I think we’re now in position to do even better at the final test.” Pietro Caprara Technical Director, JiR Team Scot “The whole working schedule of these three days has been hallmarked by strange weather and this afternoon we decided to give Andrea the chance to try some qualifying tyres. During the afternoon the team worked well and we leave very satisfied with our technical package and the fact that we are working together well as a team. We’re looking forward to two days in Qatar to fine-tune our settings and prepare for the first race of the year.”