FIM MotoGP World Championship Losail International Circuit Doha, Qatar March 10, 2007 Race Results: 1. Casey STONER (Duc GP07), Bridgestone, 22 laps, 43:02.788 2. Valentino ROSSI (Yam YZR-M1), Michelin, -2.838 seconds 3. Dani PEDROSA (Hon RC212V), Michelin, -8.530 seconds 4. John HOPKINS (Suz GSV-R), Bridgestone, -9.071 seconds 5. Marco MELANDRI (Hon RC212V), Bridgestone, -17.433 seconds 6. Colin EDWARDS (Yam YZR-M1), Michelin, -18.647 seconds 7. Chris VERMEULEN (Suz GSV-R), Bridgestone, -22.916 seconds 8. Nicky HAYDEN (Hon RC212V), Michelin, -23.057 seconds 9. Alex BARROS (Duc GP07), Bridgestone, -25.961 seconds 10. Shinya NAKANO (Hon RC212V), Michelin, -28.456 seconds 11. Alex HOFMANN (Duc GP07), Bridgestone, -35.029 seconds 12. Olivier JACQUE (Kaw ZX-RR), Bridgestone, -42.948 seconds 13. Kenny Lee ROBERTS (Hon KR212V), Michelin, -42.977 seconds 14. Toni ELIAS (Hon RC212V), Bridgestone, -42.989 seconds 15. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Yam YZR-M1), Dunlop, -51.639 seconds 16. Makoto TAMADA (Yam YZR-M1), Dunlop, -57.853 seconds 17. Andrew PITT (Ilmor GP), Michelin, -7 laps, DNF, mechanical 18. Carlos CHECA (Hon RC212V), Michelin, -14 laps, DNF, crash 19. Randy DE PUNIET (Kaw ZX-RR), Bridgestone, -15 laps, DNF, crash 20. Loris CAPIROSSI (Duc GP07), Bridgestone, -16 laps, DNF, crash 21. Jeremy McWILLIAMS (Ilmor GP), Michelin, DNS More, from a press release issued by Ilmor GP: Disappointing first race for Ilmor GP Losail International Circuit 10.03.07: Following his crash yesterday at the end of the hour long qualifying session, Ilmor GP rider Jeremy McWilliams was left unable to participate in the first race of the 2007 MotoGP World Championship today in Qatar. During his fall from the bike the Northern Irishman knocked his previously fractured left femur and irritated the muscle around the healing bone causing an extremely painful haematoma in his thigh. His injury prevented him from taking part in the warm-up session this morning and then subsequently the race McWilliams attended the medical centre first thing this morning where he received pain relief treatment and was strongly advised against him competing. After deciding to sit-out the warm up session in favour of resting his leg further in the hope that he could later make it out on to the grid, McWilliams was in so much pain that he was forced to withdraw from the race. McWilliams Australian team mate Andrew Pitt didn’t fare much better either. Pitt had a disappointing race and had to stop before the end due to an as yet unidentified issue. The team are now analysing the data accumulated from the warm up session and the race to try and figure out what went wrong. Pitt resumes testing duties tomorrow as the team stay a further day in Qatar McWilliams understandably will not take part instead focusing on getting himself race fit in time for the second leg of the championship in Jerez, Spain in two weeks. Andrew Pitt, Ilmor GP Rider (Not Classified): I’m really disappointed with today. We did so well on Thursday, things were looking good but yesterday and today left a lot to be desired. I had a bad start and I was having problems with corner entry which really slowed me down I decided that my best plan of action was to just maintain a steady speed and finish the race however the bike had other ideas. I know that the team are working hard to solve the problems that we’ve experienced in the past few days the test tomorrow will definitely help.” Jeremy McWilliams, Ilmor GP Rider (Not Starting): “I am totally gutted that I couldn’t race today. We made great progress on the bike at the test in Jerez and here on Thursday then we were cruelly dealt a blow yesterday we definitely didn’t need that. I’ve been sat watching the race today and looking at our lap times from the past few days and we would have had a good chance of scoring points today – that’s very frustrating for me. The decision not to race was really hard for me but when you have a medical professional telling you that you will do more harm than good if you race then you really don’t have a choice I had to look at the bigger picture and think about Jerez. After I spoke with the doctor, I took some time out, sat in a room and tried to see what I could do with my leg and it was then that I realised there was no way that I could race.” Mario Illien, Ilmor GP Team Principal: “I’m very disappointed. The team have worked so hard and we have made some positive changes to the bike I was expecting better today after the pace we managed to achieve over the past couple of days but we were a couple of seconds down on our own time let alone anyone else’s. We have to concentrate now on identifying the weak areas where we have gone adrift and making some serious improvements ahead of Jerez.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Stoner Powers To Qatar Victory On Bridgestone Tyres Round 01 – Qatar – Race Losail International Circuit, Saturday 10 March 2007 Bridgestone-shod Ducati rider Casey Stoner today scored an historic maiden victory, setting the fastest lap of the race on his final lap to beat Valentino Rossi into second place by almost three seconds. Stoner’s win marks the ninth victory and 25th podium on Bridgestone tyres since Bridgestone entered MotoGP in 2002. Following Loris Capirossi’s win in Jerez 2006, today’s Qatari success makes it two years in a row that a Bridgestone-shod Ducati rider has won the season-opening GP. Bridgestone can now also claim that it has provided tyres to the final winner of the 990cc era (Troy Bayliss, Valencia 2006) and the first winner of the new 800cc era (Casey Stoner, Qatar 2007). Suzuki’s John Hopkins translated his outstanding winter testing form into a near podium result, finishing just half a second from Dani Pedrosa to take fourth spot. The top four finishers were the only men to lap under 1m57s in today’s race. Stoner’s best of 1m56.528s was 0.8s quicker than the previous record held by Rossi, underlining the year-on-year development undertaken by Bridgestone since last year’s race. Behind Hopkins, Honda Gresini rider Marco Melandri converted his tenth place on the grid into fifth spot on his Bridgestone race debut, Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen scored nine points for seventh place, while Alex Barros also achieved a top ten with ninth place. His team-mate Alex Hofmann picked up points for 11th, as did Olivier Jacque for 12th and Toni Elias for 14th. Loris Capirossi and Randy de Puniet were not classified, the former, however, setting the fifth fastest lap of the GP. Since 2002, riders on Bridgestone tyres have amassed a combined total of 2030 points in the championship, including the 76 tallied in Qatar this afternoon. Hiroshi Yasukawa Director of Bridgestone Motorsport “It was an extremely satisfying weekend for Bridgestone in Qatar and I was very happy to see Casey Stoner on our tyres take his first victory in MotoGP. I would like to pass on my congratulations to the whole Ducati team for an excellent result. Compliments must go to all five of our teams for their performances this weekend. They were all able to achieve points-scoring results today and we saw five Bridgestone-shod riders in the top ten. This is particularly encouraging for the rest of the season and is the perfect way to start this exciting 2007 season in MotoGP. Lastly, it has been a job well done for all our on-track staff members and for our employees back at the factory and the result is a testament to all their hard work during the winter season.” Hirohide Hamashima Director of Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development “I am very pleased that we have been able to show consistently competitive performance over this Qatar week. Our tyres have coupled well with our teams’ bikes to produce some strong overall packages. To start the first race of the season in this way is very important and motivating for us all. I am appreciative of the work from our technical side for all the hard work over the winter. The victory with Casey and Ducati, as well as the fantastic results for Suzuki and Honda Gresini today show that we have followed the correct direction with regard to our development for the 800cc bikes and the new tyre regulations. The gap with our competitors is still very close so we must continue to work even harder to maintain this momentum. We will be relying on the close collaboration we have built up with each of our teams to help accomplish this.” Casey Stoner Ducati Winner “We couldn’t ask for much more, it was my first time riding with Ducati and Bridgestone, a perfect start! I couldn’t be happier with the weekend, the team worked perfectly. The bike and tyres also worked perfectly in the race. On the last lap, I didn’t realise that I had a gap and I rode the fastest lap of the race, which shows how well the Bridgestones are working. I think we will get stronger and stronger but we have to see how the season pans out.” Bridgestone Race Results Front Rear P1 Casey Stoner Ducati 43m02.788s Winner Slick Medium Slick Medium P4 John Hopkins Suzuki 43m11.859s +9.071s Slick Hard Slick Medium P5 Marco Melandri Honda Gresini 43m20.221s +17.433s Slick Hard Slick Medium P7 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki 43m25.704s +22.916s Slick Hard Slick Medium P9 Alex Barros Pramac d’Antin43m28.749s +25.961s Slick Hard Slick Medium P11 Alex Hofmann Pramac d’Antin43m37.817s +35.029s Slick Hard Slick Medium P12 Olivier Jacque Kawasaki 43m45.736s +42.948s Slick Hard Slick Hard P14 Toni Elias Honda Gresini 43m45.777s +42.989s Slick Soft Slick Soft DNF Randy de Puniet Kawasaki 13m56.908s +15 laps Slick Hard Slick Hard DNF Loris Capirossi Ducati 11m53.279s +16 laps Slick Medium Slick Medium Weather: Dry. Air 29°C, Track 45°C, Humidity 11% More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Hopkins narrowly misses the podium in Qatar Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer John Hopkins battled to a superb fourth place at today’s Qatar Grand Prix, missing out on a place on the podium by only half a second. Anglo-American Hopkins has been suffering all weekend with the after-effects of a heavy crash at Qatar last month, but he overcame the pain to equal his best-ever MotoGP result. He got off to a good start and consolidated his sixth place starting position in the early laps. Hopkins then moved up the field to third place at one point setting one of the fastest laps of the race in the process where he then became involved in a race long battle with Dani Pedrosa. Although Hopkins tried to make an overtaking manoeuvre on the last lap, he was unable to get past Pedrosa and had to settle for fourth. Chris Vermeulen had an equally impressive race finishing in seventh after starting back on the fifth row in 13th place. He got relegated back to 16th on the first lap, but fought his way up the field to record valuable points for himself and the Team. Today’s race was held in warm and sunny conditions with track temperatures reaching 45°C. Australian Casey Stoner took victory on his Bridgestone-shod Ducati. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP now travels back to Europe for the second round of the 2007 MotoGP World Championship at Jerez in Spain on Sunday 25th March. John Hopkins: “I am really happy with the way the race went after coming to this event in quite a bit of pain. I was never sure how I’d ride or even if I’d ride! I got off to a good start but lost a couple of places on the first few laps, I soon got them back and from there on I just tried to keep myself up towards the front. It was important not to lose any positions, but unfortunately Rossi and Stoner had a great pace and it was difficult to keep up with them. I stayed with Pedrosa and pushed him all the way till the end. I tried to get past him on the last lap but he’s so little he gets out of the corners so quick that I just couldn’t get past him! I’ve got to say thanks to the Team Physio Dean Miller and my trainer Johnny Louch for getting me fit enough to race here this weekend. It was also great to have my Mum here and my girlfriend Ashleigh, as they both helped me cope with the injury well. I am now ready to go to Jerez and hope to take that step up onto the podium!” Chris Vermeulen: “It was a difficult race starting so far back and I ran wide on the first turn and lost some more places. I started to get through the field even though it’s not easy to pass on this track. I had a lot of work to do and was passing people quite hard and pushing the front tyre, which might have used the tyre up a bit too much early on, but I had to get past! In the end I was trying to catch some quick guys and just couldn’t get up to them. I ended up seventh which was obviously a lot better than last year, but we still have a lot to do. The plan is now to go to Jerez and win, but irrespective if we can go there and improve on this position it will be a good result.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “It has been a great day’s work by the Team, by Suzuki and by Bridgestone. John did everything and more that we wanted of him and I am sure he would have loved to have been on that podium. He had a good go on the last lap, but it wasn’t going to happen without a massive risk and it was good to see him show maturity and bring the bike and himself home safely. “Chris has had a difficult weekend but showed what an asset he is by bringing the bike from 16th on the first lap to a very creditable seventh. That result will give him great confidence for the next few races and when he improves on his qualifying positions I am sure he will be challenging right up there. “I guess today’s result and the potential we have shown demonstrates how far we have come since the race here last year. It’s a solid start to this season and we are really looking forward to getting to Jerez and carrying on with the good work.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Superb Stoner takes maiden MotoGP victory in Qatar Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar – Saturday 10th March Race Report Casey Stoner was the worthy victor of today’s Commercialbank Grand Prix Of Qatar, taking his first ever win in the MotoGP class on his race debut for Ducati. The Australian puts himself into the history books as the first ever winner of an 800cc MotoGP race. Stoner started from second on the grid, but set the tone for the race when he pulled a cheeky manoeuvre on Valentino Rossi at the end of lap one. A three-rider pack then formed, with Stoner, Rossi and Dani Pedrosa breaking away from the rest of the field. The difference between the Ducati, Yamaha and Honda bikes was illustrated perfectly during the trio’s duel, as Rossi and Pedrosa either made up ground or overtook Stoner, before being caught on the straight courtesy of the Desmosedici GP7’s monstrous power. Rossi attempted to take a more permanent lead on lap 18, and it seemed that ‘The Doctor’ was on course for a third consecutive victory at Losail. However, Stoner showed his ever-growing maturity to bite straight back at his Italian rival and pull away over the final laps to have a cushion of nearly three seconds as he took the chequered flag. Third-placed Pedrosa bowed out of the proceedings when he ran wide on a corner, not only leaving a two-rider battle for the win but also allowing John Hopkins to provide a real podium threat. Hopkins was determination personified, refusing to take things easy despite still being far from 100% fit. The Suzuki rider was only half a second away from both Pedrosa and his debut appearance on the podium, and confirmed his status as one of the gutsiest riders in motorcycle racing. Marco Melandri and Colin Edwards rounded off the top six, with the latter having dropped down the field owing to a bad start. Behind them, Chris Vermeulen concluded a positive day for Suzuki, ahead of reigning World Champion Nicky Hayden. The 2006 title holder never really established himself during the practice sessions or the race, but will be hoping to find some sort of quick solution before Jerez as he attempts to retain his crown. Alex Barros finished ninth on his return to MotoGP, ahead of Honda debutant Shinya Nakano. There were crashes for Loris Capirossi, Carlos Checa and Randy de Puniet, without serious consequences, whilst Andrew Pitt suffered mechanical problems and had to return to the garage on the only Ilmor bike to run today. Jeremy McWilliams had chosen against riding as a result of his crash yesterday. 250cc Jorge Lorenzo began the defence of his 250cc world title in the best possible way, taking a convincing victory in Qatar. The Spaniard was only troubled in the early stages of the race, when he had to work his way past quarter-litre debutant Thomas Luthi after the Swiss rider took an impressive holeshot. After that, Lorenzo broke away with a consistent cushion of around a second, imposing his own rhythm on the race. Alex de Angelis took second after an impressive performance, having set a series of fastest race laps at the midway point to join up with the trailing group. He then progressed past both Luthi and Barbera to cap a fine season start for the San Marino rider. For Barbera, the first race for Team Toth was a chance to prove his quality in the 250 category. Having been on the pace during practice, he stormed out of the blocks before engaging in a duel with Luthi for the final podium place. Although Barbera’s place was well deserved, few would have begrudged the Swiss rider a rostrum finish at his maiden 250cc Grand Prix appearance. He was followed by Andrea Dovizioso in fifth, the fastest Honda of the day, and Roberto Locatelli. The Metis Gilera veteran almost had a repeat performance of last year’s astonishing comeback through the field, and eventually capped off the top six. Yuki Takahashi, Julian Simon, Marco Simoncelli and Shuhei Aoyama completed the first ten past the line. Mika Kallio had to pull into the pits after suffering a mechanical problem on the final laps, ending what had been a good race for the KTM rider. His team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama was also out of luck, crashing on lap two along with reigning 125cc champ Alvaro Bautista. 125cc Hector Faubel took victory at the first 125cc race of the season, following a masterclass in slipstreaming by the Spaniard. Carrying on from his win at the end of last year at Valencia, Faubel took the 25 points up for grabs from under the nose of team-mate Gabor Talmacsi. The two Bancaja Aspar riders were out on their own for the majority of the race, although two of their early rivals dropped off the pace with a variety of mechanical problems. Team-mate Sergio Gadea had taken the holeshot at the Losail International Circuit, but eventually had to retire. His troubles were mirrored by ex-Aspar rider Mattia Pasini, now with Polaris World, who suffered a fuel breather problem at the end of the first lap. After making up a gap of nearly a second with a series of flying laps, Talmacsi finally took the lead with six laps to go, and he and Faubel traded the top spot over the final stages. The Hungarian looked to be on course for a repeat of his last Grand Prix win at Qatar two years ago, but was followed to the line by his new team-mate and mugged of glory after an audacious slipstreaming manoeuvre from Faubel. Engaging in their own battle for a podium spot, Lukas Pesek and Raffaele de Rosa went hammer and tongs for third place. Pesek eventually came out on top, with De Rosa joined in the top six by Simone Corsi and Tomoyoshi Koyama. Pol Espargaro and Esteve Rabat continued their rivalry from the Spanish Championship in seventh and eighth respectively, with Pablo Nieto and Alexis Masbou completing the top ten. The second race of the 2007 season takes place on March 25th at Jerez. More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: Rossi Launches 800cc Challenge With Hard-Fought Second In Qatar Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi finished second in the inaugural Grand Prix of the 800cc era today after losing out in a close battle with Casey Stoner (Ducati), who took his first MotoGP win. After starting from pole position for the 46th time in his career, Rossi got a good start but surrendered his lead to the eventual winner as they crossed the line at the end of the first lap with Dani Pedrosa (Honda) and John Hopkins (Suzuki) in close contention. From then on seven-time World Champion Rossi stalked the Australian youngster with both showing their strength in different parts of the track; Rossi’s Yamaha was generally faster in the corners whilst the Ducati claimed the advantage on the straights. With four laps to go Rossi made his move and passed but Stoner passed him back over the line and Rossi was unable to stay with him in the final few laps. Stoner eventually took the chequered flag 2.8 seconds clear of Rossi with Pedrosa just holding on for third ahead of Hopkins. After being consistently fast throughout the practice sessions and also starting from the front row in third, today was not to be Colin Edwards’ day and a small slide off the start line saw him lose his grid position into turn one before dropping to seventh by the end of the first lap. The Texan had a few problems during the race and was unable to make it back up to the front group, settling into a best position of fifth before Marco Melandri (Honda) eventually relegated him to sixth with three laps to go. 46 Valentino Rossi Position: 2nd Time: +2.838 “It was a great race today and a good battle, although of course we would have preferred to start the season with a win! After the practice this morning we were a little bit scared because we had some problems with the tyre, but we understood what to do and I definitely made the right tyre choice with Michelin, so I am happy for that. I got a great start and my M1 worked very well, I could ride it how I wanted on the limit and keep pushing. I wanted to push Casey and try to take the fight to him more, but in fact he was perfect today. He didn’t make a single mistake as far as I could see and he rode very well; he deserved to win so congratulations to him. I could see that he was faster on the straight and so I knew that if I got in front I was going to need to make a gap from him, but in fact he was too strong! In the last few laps we were getting faster and faster and I thought I still had a chance, but then he kept on going and my tyre started to slide a little bit so I wasn’t able to stay with him to the finish. Anyway, we only waved the white flag right at the end so I am happy about this! Of course it’s not perfect but my team have worked very hard and it’s much better to have 20 points like this than two like last year! Now we need to find a little bit more horsepower, but Yamaha is working very hard and I am confident that we will continue to improve.” 5 Colin Edwards Position: 6th Time: +18.647 “I spun off the line on the dirty part of the track and so my start wasn’t great, which was annoying. I had a bit of a feeling just before we went out that we would be slower in the first few laps as the tyre was going to take time to heat up and unfortunately that was the case; I just couldn’t push hard enough in those vital first few laps. Anyway after that I was holding pace okay and thought I could stay with the top group but then I had a near crash on lap seven or eight coming into turn seven, to the extent when I was holding the bike up on my knee and elbow! I somehow figured out how to get it back up after 30 metres but we lost quite a bit of time. From then on my rhythm was okay and honestly the race as a whole wasn’t so bad, but the tyre felt a bit greasy and I was lacking some front grip, which was strange after it had been perfect all weekend. We definitely need more power – that was obvious today, so that’s priority number one for Yamaha I guess! Anyway, we’ve learnt a lot this weekend so let’s go forward from here.” Fiat Yamaha Team Davide Bribio Team Director “It could be a better start for us and it’s not what we hoped for after starting on the front row with both riders, but anyway it’s not so bad! Our bike is good and we can fight for the victory as Valentino showed today, but we have some more work to do. Colin unfortunately wasn’t able to match the potential he showed during the practices, but I am sure he will be back at the top in Jerez. In some areas our bike is very strong and in other areas less so; now we will do our best to even this out. We gathered a lot more important information this weekend which will help our engineers over the coming days and I am sure we will be ready to fight again in Jerez.” More, from a press release issued by Konica Minolta Honda: KONICA MINOLTA Honda secures top 10 finish at season opener KONICA MINOLTA Honda rider Shinya Nakano made a steady start to his 2007 MotoGP campaign with a hard-fought tenth place at the Losail circuit in Qatar. The 29-year-old Japanese rider made good his promise of wanting to finish the first race with some points in what promises to be a long, gruelling season. Shinya spent most of the race in good company, battling with Chris Vermeulen, Alex Barros and 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden. The race was won by Ducati’s Casey Stoner; marking the 21-year-old Australian’s debut victory in the MotoGP class. The MotoGP circus now heads to Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez over the weekend of 23rd-25th March. Gianluca Montiron Team Manager KONICA MINOLTA Honda “Obviously we are disappointed with our final position but we need to be positive about what we have learned about our new machine and the tyres. For Shinya it was important to get used to the feeling of the bike with worn tyres and low fuel-load towards the end of the race, as you can only do so many race simulations during the winter. Now we need to analyse the data from this first race and work hard with our partners Honda, HRC and Michelin to improve our overall package so Shinya can fight with the top riders. This is our aim, so we are all looking forward to the next race in Jerez.” Shinya Nakano Rider, KONICA MINOLTA Honda (Final position 10th) “Well I at least did what I said I would do and cross the line and get some points, which is so important in such a long season. My start was not so good, but I soon got into a good rhythm. I benefited from a number of people crashing out and soon spent most of the race battling with Nicky Hayden and Chris Vermeulen. I so wanted to catch and pass both of these riders but unfortunately I didn’t have the lap times to do it. I think we really needed to be around half a second a lap faster to be competitive where we deserve to be, but we finished the race and learned a lot about the bike, which is so important.” Giulio Bernardelle Technical Director, KONICA MINOLTA Honda “We had to work hard in morning warm-up as the crash yesterday meant that we had to make our tyre choice for the race this morning. We ended up going with the medium compound tyre, which I think was the same choice as most of the other Honda/Michelin riders. By analysing the data, we know what our main problem is. Through the series of fast right-hand corners, which includes turn 13 where Shinya crashed yesterday, he couldn’t push very hard at all. Shinya has a good feeling with the front tyre but we need to improve the grip from both the front and the rear tyres for him to be able to push harder in the faster corners. We now need to work with Michelin to rectify this situation and from there improve our mechanical grip levels. Also it was clear today that the Ducatis and Suzukis are very fast, so we need something more from Honda from the engine to be more competitive. I’m still very positive as we have identified our problem through the data and the Team and our technicians can now work on this before we head to Spain for the second race of the season. Also, Jerez is a slower circuit, without many long straights so I think this track may suit us a little more.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: JACQUE IN THE POINTS AS DE PUNIET CRASHES OUT Olivier Jacque was the sole Kawasaki survivor in today’s opening race of the season in Qatar, bringing his Ninja ZX-RR home in twelfth place after his young teammate, Randy de Puniet, crashed out of contention after just seven laps Jacque was forced to change his riding style after one-third distance, after the hard compound rear tyre he opted to use in the race started to slide under acceleration. Despite the lack of traction, the 33-year-old Kawasaki pilot maintained a consistent pace to close onto the back of Kenny Roberts and Toni Elias at the start of the final lap. Jacque waited until the final corner to slingshot past the two Honda powered machines to steal a hard fought twelfth place finish at the line, and to claim Kawasaki’s first championship points of the new season. De Puniet managed a good start from the third row of the grid, but lost one place as the leading riders fought for position into the first turn, and then lost another as former teammate, Shinya Nakano, passed him on the next short straight. The 26-year-old Frenchman then found himself chasing reigning World Champion, Nicky Hayden, but despite being able to close right onto the back wheel of the American, de Puniet didn’t have the outright top speed to put in a clean pass on the main straight. Instead, the Kawasaki pilot was forced to try and carry more speed though the turns, and it was while pushing hard to make up ground that he lost the front of his Ninja ZX-RR in the final turn and ended his race without injury in the gravel trap.The Kawasaki Racing Team will remain at the Losail International circuit for a one-day test tomorrow, where they will focus on a tyre evaluation programme set by Bridgestone. Olivier Jacque: 12th “Considering how hard the practice sessions were, I was not expecting to finish like this. Twelfth position is not where I want to be, but the rhythm and the fight have been satisfying. Following my team’s advice, I took it easy at the beginning looking for my pace. I felt good and had a nice fight with Elias and Roberts. On the last lap I was behind Elias and he surprised me, making me go wide. Roberts overtook me but at the last turn I braked later than them and exited the corner faster, allowing me to finish in front. It was great to come back to racing and understand the bike better.” Randy de Puniet: DNF “I’m really disappointed to end the first race this way. It is always hard to crash, but it is even worse doing it in the first race of the season while fighting with the current World Champion and being sure that you can beat him. Hayden’s bike was faster than mine, but I managed to close on him. If I had had a little bit more top speed I think I would have been able to overtake him. I made a mistake trying to pass him and I lost two positions. I was riding at the limit and suddenly the front tucked under; maybe I kept the brake on too much, but the result was that I crashed. I feel bad now as I felt very good on the bike.” Michael Bartholemy: Kawasaki Competition Manager “We were under no illusions about how difficult this first race would be for us, but still, this is not exactly the start to the new season we were hoping for. Randy was going well right up until his crash, but he has to push so hard to put himself in contention that, sometimes, a crash is unavoidable. Olivier rode a steady race to finish twelfth and at least salvage some points for the team in the opening race of the season, but we know that we still have some work to do to improve our engine performance. Now we must look forward to the next race in Jerez, where the circuit suits the characteristics of our Ninja ZX-RR better than Qatar.” More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing Honda: MELANDRI FIFTH IN QATAR Marco finishes as second Honda after fighting hard in a high-paced race The opening round of the 2007 MotoGP World Championship matched all expectations as the new 800cc machines lapped faster than the 990s and allowed for an incredible pace to be set in the Grand Prix of Qatar. It required a determined performance from both Team Honda Gresini riders – Marco Melandri and Toni Elias getting good starts as they moved up to fourth and fifth place. From that point they did their best to stay in the lead group, squeezing every ounce of potential out of their bike and tyre package for the race. Melandri managed to hang on to fifth place, boosting his confidence ahead of the next round in Jerez. Elias, meanwhile, paid heavily for a mistake on lap 16 and finished back in 14th place. Tomorrow the Honda Gresini riders will be back on track for an important day of tests ahead of the Grand Prix of Spain, which takes place on the 25th March. MARCO MELANDRI (5th) : “I knew I had a good race pace and I was actually hopeful of a better result than this. I got a good start and that allowed me to make up positions from the first lap. I tried to hang on to fourth place because I felt confident but we were losing time in the straight and I had to brake really late to make up time. That put a lot of stress on the front tyre and that forced me to slow down. In the second half of the race when the fuel load started to lighten the bike was more balanced and I was able to push again. The race was tough and the pace was really high. We still have a lot of work to do – the bike is new and we need to develop it.” TONI ELIAS (14th): “I’m disappointed with this result because I was expecting something much better. We worked well and I got a good start but lap after lap I started to suffer. We need more consistency and have to work hard to find a good setting over race distance.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: STONER STORMS TO PERFECT FIRST WIN AT LOSAIL Casey Stoner made a perfect start with the Ducati Marlboro Team at Qatar today, riding to a magnificent season-opening victory aboard his Desmosedici GP7. The Australian’s breathtaking maiden win in the first race of MotoGP’s new 800cc era repeats Loris Capirossi’s 2006 season-opening win at Jerez and follows Troy Bayliss’ 2006 season-ending win at Valencia on the 990cc GP6. Capirossi had an unluckier start to his 2007 campaign, sliding off without injury at one-third distance while charging forward and aiming for a podium result. Stoner rode a perfectly judged race, leading the first lap and then battling with former World Champion Valentino Rossi throughout. The pair swapped positions several times, separated by just a few tenths for most of the 22 laps, Stoner crossing the finish line 2.8 seconds ahead after setting a new track record on the final lap. Casey Stoner, race winner, World Championship leader “We couldn’t ask for much more, it was my first time racing with Ducati and Bridgestone, a perfect start. I couldn’t be happier with the weekend, the team worked perfectly and the bike and tyres were perfect in the race. We had a bit of a speed advantage and though we had some dramas in other parts of the track I played to the strengths of the bike and was able to do some pretty fast lap times. Valentino and I had a good battle, it was nice riding up front again. When he came by later on I decided to see how much further the bike can go and I was able to break a bit of an advantage. On the last lap I didn’t realise I had a gap and rode the fastest lap, which shows how well the Bridgestones worked. I’m really happy with the way things are going and think we’ll get stronger and stronger, but we’ll have to see how the season pans out. I’m leading the championship which feels a little strange but it’s only the first race of a very, very long year.” Loris Capriossi, DNF “It’s a real shame because I got a great start but someone touched me in the first turn and I lost a few places. After that I was recovering, pushing hard, then I lost the front in the last corner. It’s a pity because I could have got a good result, as Casey proved our whole package is strong, and it’s good that a Ducati won. I always said that Casey is a great talent, a good guy, and he deserved to win.” Federico Minoli, president and CEO Ducati Motor Holding “This is an extraordinary day – we’ve won the first 800 race, just like we won the last 990 race. Ducati is enjoying a great start to the year, both in racing and commercially, because our new 1098 is going so well. The win is a testimony to Ducati, it shows the strength of our brand and technology. We have created something that’s good for us, for motorcycling and for Italy. Our technology is second to none, it’s entirely developed in Bologna by a group of dedicated engineers and shows the world that when Italians focus on something they can do it very well. Stoner was amazing, he’s so young and he won so well, he didn’t dare too much, he knew he had more speed on the straight and he rode a very intelligent race. Loris had an unlucky day but he doesn’t need to prove anything, he is the symbol of Ducati, we know he’s strong and we know he will be back. We are extremely satisfied with today, the engine was beyond our expectations, the desmodromic system works so well. The tyres were also very good, so our thanks to Bridgestone, to our other technical partner Shell Advance and all our sponsors.” More, from Honda Racing: STONER STORMS TO WIN IN QATAR WITH DANI THIRD Casey Stoner (Ducati) powered to victory here at Losail with Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) second and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) third. This was a convincing win for the Italian factory’s new recruit, the speed of his Ducati too much for the rest of the field here. Under sunny skies with an ambient temperature of 28 degrees and the track at 47 degrees the grid assembled for the first contest of an 18-race season. With new fuel regulations in place for 2007 a 21-litre capacity reduced by one litre from 2006 there were suggestions that some machines might be marginal on their ability to complete the race distance: 22 laps of this 5.4km circuit. Rossi roared into the lead at turn one, but Stoner soon relieved the Italian of top spot with Dani a close third on this opening lap. Casey soon proved his intent setting an early fastest lap on the second tour with Toni Elias (Gresini Honda RC212V) and Marco Melandri (Gresini Honda RC212V) fourth and fifth. But Rossi was never content to merely follow the 21-year-old race leader and the Italian then set a fastest lap on lap three as he bested the pace of the Aussie tyro. The pair sized each other up with a series of passes and re-passes at the front while Suzuki runner John Hopkins took a turn at holding the fastest lap with a 1m 57.278s effort. This record would be reduced considerably as the race unfolded. On lap five Rossi edged past Stoner, but on the main straight Stoner demonstrated the outright power and pace of the red machine by simply leaving the Yamaha in his wake into turn one where Rossi desperately closed up under braking. The pattern was set for the rest of this race. Stoner’s team-mate Capirossi set a fastest lap on lap six before crashing out of the race on lap eight at turn seven. Then it was Stoner’s turn to show the way as he led Rossi, Dani and fourth-placed Hopkins. This foursome had by now left Melandri, Colin Edwards (Yamaha) and Elias way out of contention. Dani, in third, wasn’t looking likely to make any inroads into the leading duo. He was fastest man in the morning warm-up despite a crash, but this honour was meaningless as the leaders set a pace that no one else could match. Hopkins temporarily moved past Dani at mid-race distance but the American couldn’t hold the place and the pair would finish with Dani ahead as the leaders approached the final laps with a the crowd wondering if Rossi had anything left to offer by way of a challenge. Stoner’s fastest lap of 1m 56.708s on lap 16 was quick enough, but didn’t show the pace he had left to burn in the closing laps. As Rossi moved into the lead at turn nine on the next lap, sliding neatly underneath the Ducati, Stoner simply blitzed him on the straight to lead again. Rossi had another look at turn nine again but no matter how agile his machine was on the infield, he had no answer to the 20km/h top speed advantage enjoyed by the Ducati. Stoner won by 2.83 seconds at the flag. And set a fastest lap and race record of 1m 56.528s on that final blistering lap. Dani in third was 8.5 seconds away from Stoner too far away for consolation. Dani said, “I’m happy with the result today and to start the season with a third place is pretty useful. We had a fair few problems this weekend, so to finish on the podium is good for us. I made a great start, which I was happy with because my practice starts this weekend weren’t as good as this. In the race I was trying to ride at the maximum and then I made a mistake in the last corner and lost the slipstream to the riders in front. The next race is very important and Jerez is a good track, so I hope we can move on from the good result today and do great job there.” Melandri in fifth said, “I tried to hang on to fourth place because I felt confident but we were losing time in the straight and I had to brake really late to make up time. That put a lot of stress on the front tyre and forced me to slow down. In the second half of the race when the fuel load started to lighten the bike was more balanced and I was able to push again. The race was tough and the pace was really high. We still have a lot of work to do the bike is new and we need to develop it.” Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) finished a distant eighth. The reigning World Champion said, “I tried to learn as much as I could in the race. I really felt like I rode my hardest and had some good dices with a few of the guys I just about caught Vermeulen on the last lap and I got faster as the race went on. My last two laps were my fastest laps of the race and that’s the positive thing. It’s been a tough weekend but I’m not going to whine and make a bunch of excuses. I qualified ninth and finished eight and, compared to the top boys, we we’ve just been off the pace for the whole weekend.” Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda RC212V) was tenth and said, “Well I at least did what I said I would do and crossed the line to get some points, which is so important in such a long season. My start was not so good, but I soon got into a good rhythm. I benefited from a number of people crashing out and soon spent most of the race battling with Nicky Hayden and Chris Vermeulen. I so wanted to catch and pass both of these riders but unfortunately I didn’t have the lap times to do it.” Elias wandered off track on lap 17 while ninth and returned to the tarmac to finish 14th. He said, “I’m disappointed with this result because I was expecting something much better. We worked well and I got a good start but lap after lap I started to suffer. We need more consistency and have to work hard to find a good setting over race distance.” Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR212V) was deeply unhappy about his 13th place and said, “I honestly don’t have anything positive to say about this race. We just need to continue making progress at Jerez.” Carlos Checa (LCR Honda RC212V) crashed out on lap nine. The veteran Spaniard said, “It is a great shame to crash in the first race after all the hard work by the team and. I had just passed Nicky Hayden and was settling into a good rhythm but I had too much brake and lean angle, and lost the front-end. I felt like I had the pace for some good points today but now it’s done, I must look forward to next race at Jerez and fix this mistake.” The 250cc race belonged to reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo. The Spaniard took control of the race on lap one and never relinquished his lead throughout the 20-lap contest. Alex de Angelis was second and Hector Barbera third (all Aprilia). Rookie and 125cc graduate (as World Champion in 2005) Tom Luthi grabbed the lead into turn one and rode a mature race after being overhauled by the ‘old-stagers’ of the class to finish fourth ahead of another former 125cc World Champion Andrea Dovizioso (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW). Yuki Takahashi (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) rode a strong race for seventh. The tough Japanese man is still recovering from a badly broken leg sustained in the final race of last year in Valencia. Julian Simon (Repsol Honda RS250RW) and Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW) did not fare that well here with an eighth and a tenth. While debutants Ratthapark Wilairot (Stop And Go Racing Honda RS250RW) and Eugene Laverty (LCR Honda RS250RW) made strong starts to their Grands Prix careers with 14th and 18th places. Dovi said, “I did my best to stay with the leaders. Both Aprilia and Honda riders have the same problem of front-end feel and then we also have less acceleration compared to the Aprilias. I’m always forced to ride at my limit. Then when my tyres were finished my lap times dropped off even more. We hope for better in Jerez.” Takahashi said, “I’m very happy. I started badly but then I recovered racing at my best. Until last year I didn’t like this track, but now I appreciate it. In Jerez I’ll try to improve more.” “The start wasn’t very good,” said Simon. “I stayed with Kallio, Locatelli and Takahashi until halfway, riding almost at the limit. Then I made a couple of mistakes and wasn’t able to improve anymore. But we finished the race and that was the main thing. I’m looking forward to Jerez and I’m happy for enjoying my debut in the 250cc with a good finish.” Aoyama said, “I didn’t make a good start and I just wasn’t able to overtake other riders. It hasn’t been good at all. The main problem is my riding style, because I cannot find good settings and I wasn’t able to understand this circuit.” Hector Faubel won the 125cc race from his team-mate Gabor Talmacsi (both Aprilia) with Lukas Pesek (Derbi) in third. The Aprilia duo were always in charge of this contest and finished 17 seconds ahead of Pesek, Faubel expertly drafting Talmacsi on the finish straight to pull out of his slipstream before the line to take the flag. There were encouraging signs from the Repsol duo of Esteve Rabat (Repsol Honda RS125R) and Bradley Smith (Repsol Honda RS125R) who finished eighth and 12th with Alex Masbou (FFM Racing Honda RS125R) in 10th. Mike di Meglio (Humangest Honda RS125R) managed a 14th place. Rabat said, “I had some problems with the rear tyre in the last five laps and in the end, on the last lap, I lost another position. Eighth in the first race isn’t bad. I’m very happy and I want to thank the team, the sponsors and everybody supporting me.” “I’ve proved I’m able to make a fast lap when I have a clear track,” said Smith. “But as soon as the other riders get onto the straight they just pass me. But well, I must be happy because I’ve scored four points more than I took last year from here. I’m obviously totally disappointed for what has happened and for the result, but the only thing I can do now is to look forward and focus on Jerez.” Di Meglio said, “I made a good start but after few laps I lost contact with other riders and I fell behind. Then from the middle of the race I felt some chattering problems. Anyway I’m confident and I believe we have a good opportunity to recover in Jerez.” Honda rider quotes Qatar race, Saturday March 10, 2007. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 3rd. “I’m happy with the result today and to start the season with a third place is pretty useful. We had a fair few problems this weekend, so to finish on the podium is good for us. I made a great start which I was happy with because my practice starts this weekend weren’t as good as this. In the race I was trying to ride at the maximum and then I made a mistake in the last corner and lost the slipstream to the riders in front. Anyway I was not able to follow them in the corners because I was having some wheelspin and I lost my rhythm a little. The bike was sliding quite a lot and it was difficult to stay ahead of John Hopkins at the end because he was pushing hard. This season is going to be a tough competition between the bikes, tyres and the riders and it should be very interesting. The next race is very important and Jerez is a good track, so I hope we can move on from the good result today and do great job there.” Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 5th. “I knew I had a good race pace and I was actually hopeful of a better result than this. I got a good start and that allowed me to make up positions from the first lap. I tried to hang on to fourth place because I felt confident but we were losing time in the straight and I had to brake really late to make up time. That put a lot of stress on the front tyre and that forced me to slow down. In the second half of the race when the fuel load started to lighten the bike was more balanced and I was able to push again. The race was tough and the pace was really high. We still have a lot of work to do the bike is new and we need to develop it.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 8th. “I tried to learn as much as I could in the race. I really felt like I rode my hardest and had some good dices with a few of the guys I just about caught Vermeulen on the last lap and I got faster as the race went on. My last two laps were my fastest laps of the race and that’s the positive thing. It’s been a tough weekend but I’m not going to whine and make a bunch of excuses. I qualified ninth and finished eight and, compared to the top boys, we we’ve just been off the pace for the whole weekend. The biggest problem is confidence in the front and getting it to steer how I want it to. I want to say thanks to the team because those guys have been working hard. We’ll stay here to test tomorrow and try to figure out some improvements, and hopefully be a lot closer when we get to the next race at Jerez.” Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 10th.”Well I at least did what I said I would do and cross the line and get some points, which is so important in such a long season. My start was not so good, but I soon got into a good rhythm. I benefited from a number of people crashing out and soon spent most of the race battling with Nicky Hayden and Chris Vermeulen. I so wanted to catch and pass both of these riders but unfortunately I didn’t have the lap times to do it. I think we really needed to be around half a second a lap faster to be competitive where we deserve to be, but we finished the race and learned a lot about the bike, which is so important.” Kenny Roberts Jnr: 13th. “I honestly don’t have anything positive to say about this race. We just need to continue making progress at Jerez.” Kenny Roberts Snr Team Owner “A bad weekend. It’s down on motor, as it appears. He gets passed down the straightaway, so it’s kind of hard to put together a decent lap, and he could never gain any ground. I don’t think the race-track suited the motorcycle. No problem with fuel or anything but speed-wise, it wasn’t running its best. It’s all very new.” Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 14th. “I’m disappointed with this result because I was expecting something much better. We worked well and I got a good start but lap after lap I started to suffer. We need more consistency and have to work hard to find a good setting over race distance.” Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: dnf crash. “It is a great shame to crash in the first race after all the hard work by the team and my potential after six laps, when I moved forward into the top ten, I was racing strongly. I had just passed Nicky Hayden and was settling into a good rhythm but I had too much brake and lean angle, and lost the front-end. I felt like I had the pace for some good points today but now it’s done, I must look forward to next race at Jerez and fix this mistake.” 250cc. Andrea Dovizioso, Humangest Honda: 5th. “I made all my best efforts to be with the leaders. Both Aprilia and Honda riders have the same problem with the steering closing the front and then we have also had less acceleration compared to the Aprilia’s, I was always forced to drive at my limit. Then when my tyres were finished I could not find the best lap time. We hope for better in Jerez.” Yukio Takahashi, Humangest Honda: 7th. “I’m very happy. I started not very well from the starting grid but then I recovered racing at my best. Until this year this track didn’t like me, but now I appreciate it enough and also for this I’m satisfied. In Jerez I’ll try to improve more, I want to stay within the first group.” Julian Simon, Repsol Honda: 8th. “It’s been a weekend in which I have to thank the team very much for their work, because they have helped me so much to continue and to try to set the bike as good as possible to be able to ride with little pain. We have been progressing bit by bit until we got to the race. The start wasn’t very good. Maybe the start as such was, but I went wide in the first corner and had to recover positions during the first lap. I stayed with Kallio, Locatelli and Takahashi until halfway the race, riding almost at the limit. Then I made a couple of mistakes and wasn’t able to improve anymore, because the pain was very intense, especially in the right forearm. I was putting the whole load on that side, and my arm was just overloaded. But well, we finished the race and that was the main thing. I’m looking forward to Jerez and I’m happy for having my debut in the 250cc with a good finish. I want to thank the team, Alberto (Puig) and Repsol for all their efforts.” Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: 10th. “I didn’t make a good start and I just wasn’t able to overtake other riders. It hasn’t been good at all. The main problem is my riding style, because I cannot find good settings and I wasn’t able to understand this circuit.” Ratthapark Wilairot, Thai Honda PTT-SAG: 14th. “I’m really happy because we worked well throughout the weekend and our efforts are rewarded with those two points, which mean a lot when you how competitive the class is. It was a tough race because of the heat. I took a good start and I pushed from the start to get as close as possible to the points. After a couple laps behind West, I realized it would have been really hard to chase him, but I could keep the pace and I was able to maintain the gap ahead of Heidolf, who was closing on us at some point. It’s a great result, a great reward for the efforts that all the people involved in the project put in. Now we have to keep up the good work.” Eugene Laverty, LCR Honda: 18th. “I enjoyed myself and learned a lot out there today. We are down on tope speed on the long straight and I feel we need to work on the chassis a bit before Jerez. As the fuel load started to go down the bike was much better, much easier to ride. I was not sure how the tyres would perform in the race but halfway through the race the tyres started to go off but they reached a point where the performance levelled out. So I learned a lot today which will be useful for the future.” 125cc. Tito Rabat, Repsol Honda: 8th. “I didn’t make a good start but I had a good place. I was starting from the inside and I was able to recover some positions in the first corner. Then I got into a group and we started pushing. I was able to keep the pace all the time. Then Corsi escaped and I stayed there with Koyama. I had some problems with the rear tyre in the last five laps and in the end, in the last lap, I lost another position. Eighth in the first race isn’t bad. I’m very happy and I want to thank the team, the sponsors and everybody supporting me.” Alexis Masbou, FFM Honda: 10th. “After the sliding problem of yesterday I am happy with 10th place. I got a good start and was with the group and enjoyed racing with them. The only problems I had was a few small rear wheel slides late in the race and this made it a little difficult to control the bike. The engine temperature was high in the closing laps but it was much hotter weather today. That was my first race for the team and I am very pleased for them because they have worked so hard for me. “ Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: 12th.”It’s a bad start, but the bike didn’t work much better. I don’t know why, although it seems that we had some problem with the full fuel tank. It began when we started this morning and it didn’t get better. The bike wasn’t fast either, because we made a mistake with the gearbox. We had tailwind yesterday and the settings with the headwind today caused me trouble every time I wanted to overtake. The only thing I could do was to stay with the group and that’s it. I’ve done everything I could and I’ve been riding to the limit all the time. I have proven that I’m able to make a fast lap when I have a clear track but as soon as the other riders get onto the straight they just pass me. But well, I must be happy because I’ve scored four points more than what I took last year from here. I’m obviously totally disappointed for what has happened and for the result, but the only thing I can do now is to look forward to and focus on Jerez.” Mike Di Meglio, Humangest Honda: 14th. “I made a good start but after few laps I lost contact with the other riders and I fell behind. Then from thee middle of the race I felt some chattering problems that slowed me. Anyway I’m confident and I believe that we have a good opportunity to recover and make a good job in Jerez de la Frontera, in two weeks’ time.” Joey Litjens, Molenaar Honda: 21st. “That was a bad race for me I was slow of the start and could not get close to the group ahead on the first lap. I was caught by other riders in the race and we went faster than alone but here it is almost impossible to get close to those in front if you don’t have good acceleration and I didn’t have that today. I broke my best engine yesterday but the one I used today had good top speed but no acceleration.” Danny Webb, Molenaar Honda: dnf battery failed.”I was OK in the opening laps of the race but after a while I started to tense up and started to make mistakes. When Bonsey came passed me I tried to relax and find my rhythm. The two of us had a battle for a few laps and I got ahead of him but with two laps to go the battery failed.”