STONER UNLUCKY AT JEREZ, MELANDRI HAPPY WITH HIS DAY Ducati Marlboro Team riders Casey Stoner and Marco Melandri continued testing at Jerez today but the team’s day was marred by a crash involving Stoner. The World Champion fell heavily at turn three, sustaining suspected ligament damage to his left shoulder. He was treated by Clinica Mobile staff who put his left arm in a sling, he then returned to his hotel to rest. Melandri worked hard all day on chassis and suspension set-up, using only race tyres. By the end of the day he was happy with the set-up his crew had dialled into his Desmosedici. Tomorrow the Italian will focus on tyre testing. Casey Stoner, 1m 40.833s (32 laps) “Everything was going very well today. We were focusing on tyre testing, as we had planned, when I crashed at turn three. I hit the ground pretty heavily with my left shoulder. Straight away the injury was really painful, so I went to the Clinica Mobile where they fitted me with a sling and strapped the shoulder. We will wait and see how I feel tomorrow but I think it’s going to be difficult to continue this test.” Marco Melandri, 1m 41.424s (77 laps) “Today has been a long and tiring day but we got through a lot of work. This morning we continued working on chassis geometry, changing the weight distribution until we found a set-up I liked. Then we started on the suspension and we did a good job with that too. At that point the track temperature dropped, so we decided to postpone tyre testing until tomorrow. I’m happy with what we’ve done so far because my target is to understand the bike as well as possible, and if several riders hadn’t used use qualifying tyres today the lap times would be closer.” Today’s lap times 1.Pedrosa (Honda) 1.39.993 2. Rossi (Yamaha) 1.40.134 3. Nakano (Honda) 1.40.251 4. De Angelis (Honda) 1.40.332 5. Dovizioso (Honda) 1.40.650 6. Hayden (Honda) 1.40.692 7. De Puniet (Honda) 1.40.820 8. Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team) 1.40.883 9. Edwards (Yamaha) 1.40.833 10. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1.40.883 11. Hopkins (Kawasaki) 1.40.393 12. Toseland (Yamaha) 1.41.278 13. Melandri (Ducati Marlboro team) 1.41.424 14. West (Kawasaki)1.41.729 15. Canepa (Ducati) 1.42.188 16. Okada (Honda) 1.43.143 17. Guareschi(Ducati) 1.43.399 18. Itoh (Ducati) 1.43 869 More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing Honda: GREAT PERFORMANCE FOR NAKANO AND DE ANGELIS AT JEREZ A second day of testing at Jerez, in Spain saw the Gresini Honda riders Shinya Nakano and Alex De making solid progress throughout the session, as they gradually familiarised with the new bike and Bridgestone tyres. Both riders improved the feeling with the bike lap after lap. In particular Alex, at his debut in the Motogp class made a big step forward, finishing fourth at 3 tenths behind his team mate, the Japanese Shinya Nakano, third at 2 tenths from todays’ pacesetter Dani Pedrosa. Nakano’s and De Angelis’ best time of the day came on a qualifying tyre, but they are quite satisfied with race pace too, even if there is still a lot of work to do. SHINYA NAKANO (3rd, 1′.40.251): “I’m very satisfied. We worked with method and the atmosphere in the garage is relaxed and friendly. Today we tested some new front tyres, finding a good direction. Then we worked on the balance and finally we tested a qualifying tyre. I’m very happy with today’s lap time with qualifying tyre, but we need to improve the pace with race tyres. In particular, we need to improve the set up, but I also have to improve my riding style in order to get the maximum out of this bike”. ALEX DE ANGELIS (4°, 1’40.332) : “I didn’t expect to finish 4th and I’m very happy. This result is an extra motivation for the team too. This morning we tested some new front tyres and we worked on the setting. I continue to familiarise with the electronic setting and I feel a little bit more confident. I’m quite satisfied with race tyres too. We could do a little bit better, but we lost a part of the afternoon session because I crashed, fortunately without consequence. Thanks to the ideal weather conditions, I could complete many laps and take the most out of today’s test session”. LAP TIMES 1. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 1.39.993 2. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1.40.134 3. Shinya Nakano (Hodna Gresini) 1.40. 251 4. Alex De Angelis (Honda Gresini) 1.40.332 5. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) 1.40.650 More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: ROSSI ON THE PACE IN JEREZ Shaking off any remaining pain in his recovering hand in Jerez today, Valentino Rossi recorded the second fastest time of the day, dipping well under the lap record he set on the way to victory back in 2005. The Fiat Yamaha rider, who also won the race here last March, set a best lap of 1’40.134 on a qualifying tyre, after a total of 56 laps on the second day of the year-ending three-day test. Rossi’s second day on Bridgestone tyres was once again focused almost entirely around adapting his M1 to the different tyres and discovering as much as possible about his new rubber. Rossi’s time was bettered only by Dani Pedrosa with a lap of 1’39.993, whilst new 2008 Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was tenth with a lap of 1’40.883. Valentino Rossi (2nd, 1’40.134, 56 laps) “Today we made longer runs than yesterday and our times were still consistent, which means we are working in the right direction. We still are still missing something in terms of performance, but for sure we are making improvements in terms of constancy. Bridgestone has brought quite soft tyres here to Jerez, because they expected lower temperatures, so I am sure that with some harder material we could do even better. The pace is not bad at all and it is similar to the one I had in the race here at the beginning of the past season. I could probably have done even better today with the material I had, but I kept some “margin” to improve tomorrow. Tomorrow we will test some more qualifying tyres and we will also make a long run. Today we tested 2007 tyres, but tomorrow I will have some brand new tyres in order to find more grip. Of course we need to work on the bike, too; the bike’s power delivery puts a lot of pressure on the tyres, so we need to make it “sweeter”. Generally speaking this is what I was waiting for: new motivation and a lot of fun, and in fact I am having a lot of fun with the new tyres. I am looking forward to starting the next season because it will be exciting and interesting, but before that I want to finish this test in the best way and then start again in January in order to arrive at Qatar in the best possible shape”. Davide Brivio Team Manager “Today was another positive day for us. We are still working on “discovering” the Bridgestone world, which is brand new for us. We are testing several different solutions, reviewing all possible material from Bridgestone to find the best way to achieve our goal. Today we continued from where we finished yesterday to see how to adapt the bike to the new tyres and we also tested two different qualifying tyres. The rider’s feeling was positive, so we look forward to working in the same direction tomorrow.” LORENZO MAKING QUICK PROGRESS IN SPAIN New 2008 Yamaha signing Jorge Lorenzo continued to impress as he carried on with his YZR-M1 testing programme in Jerez today, despite a fall in the morning. The 20-year-old was luckily unhurt and was able to continue almost immediately, eventually improving nearly 0.4 seconds on his time from yesterday. Lorenzo and his new team carried on with set-up work, looking to perfect his position on the bike in order to make him as comfortable as possible. After 49 laps, the Spaniard’s time of 1’40.883 put him tenth today, whilst new team-mate Valentino Rossi was second on the time sheets with a best lap of 1’40.134. Jorge Lorenzo (10th, 1’40.883, 49 laps) “Today it went even better than yesterday, despite my fall this morning, which was due to the fact that I entered turn 11 too fast and I slid out. Fortunately I did not hurt myself at all and I immediately got back on the track. Today we improved in the hard braking areas: now I feel that I am braking later and riding more cleanly. Today we also tested a new front tyre and I found it to be quite good, so I think we will keep working in that direction tomorrow. Today I only tested race tyres and I am quite satisfied with the times, but I am sure we can improve further tomorrow.” Daniele Romagnoli Team Manager “Unfortunately today’s fall slowed down our working schedule a little, but despite this we used all the information we collected yesterday in order to improve the bike set-up even more. For sure we improved the bike stability in braking and going into the turn, working on the overall set-up and particularly on suspension and bike geometry. Day after day Jorge is more and more the “owner” of his bike, he gets more confidence and now we need to improve the traction a little bit, but we have some good ideas and information for tomorrow. We also found a good front race tyre and we will keep on working on that tomorrow. Generally speaking it was a positive day for us and we look forward to making further improvements tomorrow.” Lap Times 1. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 1’39.993 2. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1’40.134 3. Shinya Nakano (Honda) 1’40.251 4. Alex de Angelis (Honda) 1’40.332 5. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) 1.40.650 6. Nicky Hayden (Honda) 1’40.692 7. Randy de Puniet (Honda) 1’40.820 8. Casey Stoner (Ducati) 1’40.833 9. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) 1’40.838 10. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1’40.883 11. John Hopkins (Kawasaki) 1’40.939 12. James Toseland (Yamaha) 1’41.278 13. Marco Melandri (Ducati) 1’41.424 14. Anthony West (Kawasaki) 1’41.729 15. Nicolo Canepa (Ducati) 1’42.188 16. Tadayuki Okada (Honda) 1’43.143 17. Vittoriano Guareschi (Ducati) 1’43.399 18. Shinichi Ito (Bridgestone) 1’43.869 More, from a press release issued by JiR Team Scot: Dovizioso and JiR Team Scot set fourth fastest time at Jerez tests Andrea Dovizioso and his JiR Team Scot squad slashed almost two seconds from their lap time at Jerez today, to post the fourth fastest time of the day. The rookie MotoGP rider is using the three-day test session at Jerez to get accustomed to the four-stroke RC212V machine he will campaign in the 2008 MotoGP Championship. The 2004 125cc champion impressed once more at the 2.748 mile (4.423km) Jerez track as he continued to get used to four-stroke power, after years on two-stroke machinery. Today was spent tyre testing for Michelin, where Andrea had the opportunity to acquaint himself with qualifying rubber. The test continues tomorrow before the test ban comes into force between December 1st and January 20th. Cirano Mularoni Team Manager, JiR Team Scot “Today was a good day. Andrea at the moment stays in some of the top positions overall for the two days with his lap time of today. All the riders have been using the soft tyre for the best lap and Andrea also took advantage of this and he is second rider overall that uses Michelin tyre so this is good for us. So, it has been a satisfying day. Tomorrow our work must continue but I think that everyone has been impressed with the way Andrea has methodically gone through things with us and his feedback to the technicians has been very good also.” Andrea Dovizioso Rider, JiR Team Scot MotoGP – Best time: 1′ 40.650″, total laps: 69 “Today went better than yesterday and I was quite fast and not too far from the lap record, although some other riders were a little faster than me. Like yesterday I’m not so worried about this or the overall time. The last two runs were on qualifying tyres and it was very strange for me! These were not such perfect laps because for me there was so much-grip from the rear, but this also causes some chatter from the front-end of the bike and you have to brake early so I still need some time to learn how to get the best from qualifying tyres. We made some improvements today to make the RC212V more stable at the front, although we still have some work to do to improve stability under braking. But overall I am happy!” Gianni Berti – Technical Coordinator, JiR Team Scot MotoGP “We had a very positive day today. We did a lot of work with Michelin and did a thorough tyre test. We improved with race tyres and it is good to see Michelin doing some good work with Andrea as they are following his requests, which is very positive for us. Today that was the most important point. We didn’t make many setting changes just mapping changes and this also meant that Andrea had the chance to get more used to this track on the MotoGP bike. He tried qualifying tyres today, but again the priority was that he improved on race tyres, which is much more important.” MotoGP Jerez day two test times 1) Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1′ 40.134″ 2) Shinya Nakano Honda 1′ 40.251″ 3) Alex de Angelis Honda 1′ 40.332″ 4) Andrea Dovizioso Honda 1′ 40.650″ 5) Dani Pedrosa Honda 1′ 40.651″ More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: PEDROSA FASTEST ON DAY TWO AT JEREZ Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa finished the second day of testing at the Jerez circuit in Spain by setting the fastest time of the test so far with a lap on Michelin qualifying tyres. The 22-year-old confirmed the continuing progress of the new prototype Honda RC212V by setting a mark of 1m 39.993s with his final lap of the day. Considering it was the Spaniard’s first run on qualifying rubber at the Jerez circuit on the new 2008 machine, this compares well with Pedrosa’s pole position time of 1m 39.402s, set here at the Spanish Grand Prix in March. Pedrosa was also topping the timesheets on race rubber today before the top five riders had used qualifiers late this afternoon. Nicky Hayden had a productive day as he continued to develop the RC212V at the final test of the year before the MotoGP winter testing ban comes into effect on December 1. The 2006 World Champion chose not to run on qualifying rubber today as he and his crew analysed the effects of various changes to chassis set-up. Hayden’s quickest lap of 1m 40.692s on race tyres was an improvement of 0.3s over yesterday and the 26-year-old American was only 0.04s behind Pedrosa’s best on race rubber. The test continues for one final day tomorrow before the 2007 MotoGP programme finally grinds to a close. Dani Pedrosa Fastest lap: 1m 39.993s 53 laps “We ended up with the fastest time of the day which is nice, and the day’s testing was pretty productive. We started quite late again this morning after waiting for the track conditions to warm up and we also spent quite a lot of time stopped in the garage making machine setting changes, but this is normal for testing. In the afternoon we did more laps, making further set-up adjustments and continuing the work from yesterday. We’ve been doing short runs of not many laps because it’s a new bike and there are many small things to adjust. When we have done this base work we will begin to do longer runs. My fastest lap today was on qualifying tyres because it’s important to see how the bike reacts with the extra grip. It was not a bad lap time, especially since it’s the first time with this bike on qualifiers at Jerez, though we’re not at the level that we were at the end of the season when I took the four pole positions in a row. We didn’t have time to test the other Michelin tyre options here today so there’s plenty of work still to do tomorrow.” Nicky Hayden Fastest lap: 1m 40.692s 78 laps “I think we picked up where we left off yesterday and the test went quite well again. We didn’t work any miracles out there but we chipped away at the times and made some improvements. I wasn’t a lot faster today but I was able to take a little bit off the lap time and was certainly more consistent in my pace than before. I think everyone in front of me today used qualifying tyres and as far as the team knew nobody went faster than 1m 40.6s on race tyres, which is pretty encouraging because yesterday I was definitely off by a couple of tenths on race tyres. Today we were right in there, the team’s done a good job and we had quite a good day. We were trying some quite big changes with the chassis set-up today which is what you have to do to learn how the bike reacts and behaves in different conditions. Overall we collected a lot of useful information and hopefully we can keep the progress going tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: Pedrosa sets the pace as six Hondas fill the top seven places at Jerez Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa clocked the fastest time in testing today as the majority of the MotoGP field returned to bright sunny Jerez circuit for a second day of testing. The Spaniard’s quick lap came on qualifying tyres at the end of a day on which he also set the pace on race rubber. His single flying lap of 1m 39.993s was only half a second off his own pole position time from the Spanish Grand Prix in March. It was a good day for the Honda Gresini Team whose riders Shinya Nakano and Alex de Angelis finished in third and fourth places on their 2007-spec RC212Vs after late laps on qualifying tyres. Having also tested set-up changes and race tyres today, Nakano will aim to further improve his pace on race rubber tomorrow. His rookie team-mate continued his rapid MotoGP familiarisation by working on machine and electronic settings before the run on qualifiers. The Italian also escaped unhurt from a fall today. In the JiR Team Scot camp, fellow MotoGP rookie Andrea Dovizioso impressed on his satellite RC212V by setting the fifth fastest time with a late lap on qualifying Michelins. The 250cc world championship runner-up found improvements in the front end stability of his Honda today and will aim to find similar benefits at the rear of his machine under braking tomorrow. 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden was one of the quickest riders on race tyres today, being only fractionally behind the pace of his Repsol Honda team-mate, Dani Pedrosa, on race rubber. Hayden focused on analysing machine set-up changes, working with his team to gain more data on the new RC212V’s response to chassis adjustments. Randy de Puniet, who has transferred from Kawasaki to Honda for the 2008 season, was one of only two riders in the top seven not to run on qualifiers today, the other being Hayden. De Puniet completed a committed 77-laps today, one fewer that Hayden, as he worked on honing the balance of his 2007-spec RC212V ahead of the coming season. The only non-Honda rider in the top seven was Valentino Rossi riding the Fiat Yamaha whose lap on qualifying tyres was good enough for second place, 0.141s behind Pedrosa. The three-day test will come to a close at Jerez tomorrow and the MotoGP winter test ban will commence on December 1. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1m 39.993s 53 laps “We ended up with the fastest time of the day which is nice, and the day’s testing was pretty productive. We started quite late again this morning after waiting for the track conditions to warm up and we also spent quite a lot of time stopped in the garage making machine setting changes, but this is normal for testing. In the afternoon we did more laps, making further set-up adjustments and continuing the work from yesterday. We’ve been doing short runs of not many laps because it’s a new bike and there are many small things to adjust. When we have done this base work we will begin to do longer runs. My fastest lap today was on qualifying tyres because it’s important to see how the bike reacts with the extra grip. It was not a bad lap time, especially since it’s the first time with this bike on qualifiers at Jerez, though we’re not at the level that we were at the end of the season when I took the four pole positions in a row. We didn’t have time to test the other Michelin tyre options here today so there’s plenty of work still to do tomorrow.” Nicky Hayden Repsol Honda: 1m 40.692s 78 laps “I think we picked up where we left off yesterday and the test went quite well again. We didn’t work any miracles out there but we chipped away at the times and made some improvements. I wasn’t a lot faster today but I was able to take a little bit off the lap time and was certainly more consistent in my pace than before. I think everyone in front of me today used qualifying tyres and as far as the team knew nobody went faster than 1m 40.6s on race tyres, which is pretty encouraging because yesterday I was definitely off by a couple of tenths on race tyres. Today we were right in there, the team’s done a good job and we had quite a good day. We were trying some quite big changes with the chassis set-up today which is what you have to do to learn how the bike reacts and behaves in different conditions. Overall we collected a lot of useful information and hopefully we can keep the progress going tomorrow.” Shinya Nakano, Honda Gresini: 1m 40.251s – 71 laps “I’m very satisfied. We worked with method and the atmosphere in the garage is relaxed and friendly. Today we tested some new front tyres, finding a good direction. Then we worked on the balance and finally we tested a qualifying tyre. I’m very happy with today’s lap time with the qualifying tyre, but we need to improve the pace with race tyres. In particular, we need to improve the set-up, but I also have to improve my riding style in order to get the maximum out of this bike”. Alex de Angelis, Honda Gresini: 1m 40.332s – 53 laps “I didn’t expect to finish fourth and I’m very happy. This result is an extra motivation for the team too. This morning we tested some new front tyres and we worked on the machine settings. I’m continuing to familiarize myself with the electronic settings and I feel a little bit more confident. I’m quite satisfied with race tyres too. We could do a little bit better, but we lost a part of the afternoon session because I crashed, fortunately without any harm to me. Thanks to the ideal weather conditions, I could complete many laps and take the most out of today’s test session”. Andrea Dovizioso, JiR Team Scot, 1m 40.650s – 69 laps “Today went better than yesterday and I was quite fast and not too far from the lap record, although some other riders were a little faster than me. Like yesterday I’m not so worried about this or the overall time. The last two runs were on qualifying tyres and it was very strange for me! These were not such perfect laps because for me there was so much-grip from the rear, but this also causes some chatter from the front-end of the bike and you have to brake early so I still need some time to learn how to get the best from qualifying tyres. We made some improvements today to make the RC212V more stable at the front, although we still have some work to do to improve stability under braking. But overall I am happy!” Randy de Puniet, LCR Honda, 1m 40.820s – 79 laps “This morning we worked to improve the rear grip, trying different solutions for the suspension and the rear tyres. The results were not really good but after lunch we made some new adjustments to the bike balance and geometry and every time I went out I was more confident. I clocked some consistently fast times on race tyres because the machine was more rideable – I did not use a qualifier today. I feel satisfied about the work we completed today but I am pretty sure we can go faster. I came in a bit earlier because this second day of testing has been very long and tiring. We got some progress in some areas but in other areas we still have some work to do tomorrow”. More, from a press release issued by Repsol Media Service: DANI PEDROSA, THE FASTEST AFTER THE SECOND DAY IN JEREZ Nicky Hayden, sixth, the best of those only using race tyres Second day of training for the Repsol riders at the Circuito de Jerez, who carried out the three day testing schedule according to plan, ending the day with positive sensations. Both Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden only rode the RC212V 2008, and the two were able top get a good pace which in the end brought them first and sixth position respectively, the Spanish rider being the fastest with classification tyres and the American the fastest with race tyres. The riders also had to wait for the track to warm up today, because even though the day was clear the cold weather meant that the track was not in the most favourable conditions. Once out on the track Dani Pedrosa continued to work where he left off yesterday, trying to improve the specifications of the RC212V 2008 step by step, although he spent a large part of the morning in the pits whilst his mechanics made some changes. In the afternoon he did a lot of laps and was able to make progress on several fronts. However, all the tyre work has been left for tomorrow. His teammate, Nicky Hayden, did quite a few more laps, almost 80, and was able to end the day pleased with the progress he had made and with the consistency of his times. The Repsol rider ended the day being the fastest of those who had not been using classification tyres, something else that will make him optimistic about the work he has been doing. Tomorrow the riders have another tough day`s testing ahead of them, the aim being to collect as much useful information as possible for the development of the bike the two Repsol riders will use next year. Quotes MotoGP Nicky Hayden, 1’40.692 secs, 78 laps, 345 Km. “I think we picked up where we left off yesterday and the test went quite well again. We didn’t work any miracles out there but we chipped away at the times and made some improvements. I wasn’t a lot faster today but I was able to take a little bit off the lap time and was certainly more consistent in my pace than before. I think everyone in front of me today used qualifying tyres and as far as the team knew nobody went faster than 1m 40.6s on race tyres, which is pretty encouraging because yesterday I was definitely off by a couple of tenths on race tyres. Today we were right in there, the team’s done a good job and we had quite a good day. We were trying some quite big changes with the chassis set-up today which is what you have to do to learn how the bike reacts and behaves in different conditions. Overall we collected a lot of useful information and hopefully we can keep the progress going tomorrow.” Dani Pedrosa, 1’39.993 secs, 53 laps, 235 Km. “We ended up with the fastest time of the day which is nice, and the day’s testing was pretty productive. We started quite late again this morning after waiting for the track conditions to warm up and we also spent quite a lot of time stopped in the garage making machine setting changes, but this is normal for testing. In the afternoon we did more laps, making further set-up adjustments and continuing the work from yesterday. We’ve been doing short runs of not many laps because it’s a new bike and there are many small things to adjust. When we have done this base work we will begin to do longer runs. My fastest lap today was on qualifying tyres because it’s important to see how the bike reacts with the extra grip. It was not a bad lap time, especially since it’s the first time with this bike on qualifiers at Jerez, though we’re not at the level that we were at the end of the season when I took the four pole positions in a row. We didn’t have time to test the other Michelin tyre options here today so there’s plenty of work still to do tomorrow.” Official results MotoGP 1. Dani PEDROSA (HONDA) 1’39.993 2. Valentino ROSSI (YAMAHA) 1’40.134 3. Shinya NAKANO (HONDA) 1’40.251 4. Alex DE ANGELIS (HONDA) 1’40.332 5. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (HONDA) 1’40.650 6. Nicky HAYDEN (REPSOL HONDA) 1’40.692