1. Marco Melandri, Honda, Bridgestone, 1:42.563 2. Casey Stoner, Ducati, Bridgestone, 1:42.634 3. Dani Pedrosa, Honda, Michelin, 1:42.706 4. Carlos Checa, Honda, Michelin, 1:43.206 5. Alex Barros, Ducati, Bridgestone, 1:43.214 6. Randy de Puniet, Kawasaki, Bridgestone, 1:43.315 7. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, Bridgestone, 1:43.475 8. Alex Hofmann, Ducati, Bridgestone, 1:43.673 9. Toni Elias, Honda, Bridgestone, 1:43.687 10. Shinya Nakano, Honda, Michelin, 1:43.817 11. Colin Edwards, Yamaha, Michelin, 1:43.845 12. Chris Vermuelen, Suzuki, Bridgestone, 1:44.052 13. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, Michelin, 1:44.494 14. Olivier Jacque, Kawasaki, Bridgestone, 1:44.659 15. Makoto Tamada, Yamaha, Dunlop, 1:45.081 16. Sylvain Guintoli, Yamaha, Dunlop, 1:45.208 17. Vittoriano Guareschi, Ducati, Bridgestone, 1:45.603 18. Shinichi Ito, Ducati, Bridgestone, 1:45.826 19. Nicky Hayden, Honda, Michelin, 1:45.901 20. Kenny Roberts, KR212V, Michelin, 1:45.937 21. Kousuke Akiyoshi, Suzuki, Bridgestone, 1:47.191 22. Jeremy McWilliams, Ilmor, Michelin, 1:47.696 23. Andrew Pitt, Ilmor, Michelin, 1:49.365 More, from a press release issued by Dorna Sports: Melandri quickest on wet MotoGP Official Test opener at Jerez Friday 23rd February Jerez, Spain MotoGP Official Test With MotoGP’s two-stroke classes concluding their designated testing days at Jerez yesterday, the premier MotoGP class today took to the track for the first of three Official Test day sessions. As has been the case throughout the week, meteorological conditions at the Spanish circuit hampered any early outings for the teams. With the track still wet from yesterday, and skies overcast, turns on track were taken at a leisurely pace due to the inability to test either wet or dry settings. A downpour at around 12pm local time finally provided the grid with fully wet conditions, and this prompted a buzz of activity in the garages. First out were the test riders for Ducati and Suzuki, joined shortly after by Kawasaki Racing regular Olivier Jacque. From then the pace picked up, as the skies cleared slightly and the track slowly dried. Marco Melandri was the fastest rider of the day, heading the field for the first time this preseason. He clocked a time of 1’42.563 on his Honda RC212V, which was presented this morning as one of a series of team photos. Also on the pace was Ducati’s Casey Stoner, who was less than a tenth of a second off the former 250cc World Champion’s hot lap. Both riders were using Bridgestone tyres, having made the switch from Michelins at the end of last season. Home rider Dani Pedrosa was the only other MotoGP star to break the 1’43 barrier, continuing his recent run of good form. The Spaniard rounded off the previous visit to Jerez, at the final test of 2006, as the quickest rider at the Spanish circuit, and seems to be well adapted to the new 800cc Honda. Another local favourite, Carlos Checa also had an excellent day of testing on the RC212V. The veteran managed 48 laps on day one, one of the most active of the regular MotoGP riders. Alex Barros and Randy de Puniet completed a top six comprising of as many different teams, within a second of Melandri’s fastest time, illustrating the competitive environment provided by the 800cc machines. On a good day for Bridgestone, Loris Capirossi, Alex Hofmann and Toni Elias all added to the Japanese tyre manufacturer’s presence in the top ten, which was rounded off by Shinya Nakano. Both World Champion Nicky Hayden and last year’s runner up Valentino Rossi were outside the fastest ten, with the former 19th quickest and the latter 13th. A number of teams were on track bright and early this morning, albeit only for their 2007 team photograph sessions. Honda, Ducati and Suzuki all posed for the cameras with their new bikes and uniforms. The latter had already presented their new livery yesterday at an event held in their team garage, whilst Kawasaki went slightly further afield to the Royal Andalusian School Of Equestrian Art for their team launch last night. MotoGP action continues tomorrow and Sunday, as the riders prepare for the season-opening race on March 10th in Qatar. The final day of practice in Jerez plays host to the 40 minute “qualifying session” where one member of the premier class grid will drive away with a brand new BMW. MotoGP Official Test Jerez Day 1 Official Times 1. Marco Melandri (Honda Gresini) – 1’42.563 2. Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team) – 1’42.634 3. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) – 1’42.796 4. Carlos Checa (Honda LCR) – 1’43.206 5. Alex Barros (Pramac d’Antin) – 1’43.214 6. Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki Racing Team) – 1’43.315 7. Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team) – 1’43.475 8. Alex Hofmann (Pramac d’Antin) – 1’43.673 9. Toni Elias (Honda Gresini) – 1’43.687 10. Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda) – 1’43.817 11. Colin Edwards (Yamaha Factory Racing) – 1’43.845 12. Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) – 1’44.052 13. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha Factory Racing Team) – 1’44.494 14. Olivier Jacque (Kawasaki Racing Team) – 1’44.659 15. Makoto Tamada (Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3) – 1’45.081 16. Sylvain Guintoli (Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3) – 1’45.208 17. Vittoriano Guareschi (Ducati Marlboro) – 1’45.603 18. Shinichi Ito (Ducati Marlboro) – 1’45.826 19. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda) – 1’45.901 20. Kousuke Akiyoshi (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) – 1’47.191 21. Kenny Roberts Jr. (Team Roberts) – 1’45.937 22. Jeremy McWilliams (Ilmor GP) – 1’47.191 23. Andrew Pitt (Ilmor GP) – 1’49.365 More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: DUCATI MARLBORO MEN ON PACE IN WET & DRY Ducati Marlboro Team riders Casey Stoner and Loris Capirossi made the best of changeable weather conditions at Jerez today, continuing development work on the Desmosedici GP7. Both men ran up front in the wet and the dry, Stoner second fastest overall, Capirossi a close seventh quickest. This morning’s rain did at least allow the Australian and the Italian to test the 800 for the first time in wet conditions. The circuit started to dry this afternoon but damp patches and cool track temperatures (a maximum of 24 degrees) prevented them from getting close to lap-record pace. Nonetheless the team is happy that the GP7 seems to have improved since they tested here last November. This three-day outing is the final test session before the 2007 MotoGP World Championship commences in Qatar on March 10, so the team hopes for good weather over the next two days. Casey Stoner, 32 laps – 2nd fastest, 1m 42.634s “We were competitive in the dry and the wet today but it wasn’t really a useful day for anybody because the weather was so on and off. We did get some dry time at the end, though there was still some water around, so we couldn’t really get any good sense from anything and we couldn’t use proper tyres because the track was too cold and wet. When it started drying out we worked on a problem I’ve had with the rear-end pumping when I’m on the gas. We had it here last November and we seemed to solve it in Phillip Island and Qatar, so if we get decent weather over the next couple of days we should be able to get it sorted out. I only got a few laps in the rain, so I was getting used to the Bridgestone tyres because I’ve never ridden them in the wet. I’m very, very happy with the front, it’s similar to the dry, it gives a very good feeling.” Loris Capirossi, 21 laps – 7th fastest, 1m 43.475s “It’s been a strange day with track conditions always changing. At first we did some laps in the wet and the bike felt good with rain settings. When the track improved I felt that the bike works a lot better than it did last November, when we had a few problems. I’m pretty happy because the GP7 worked well during tests at Sepang, Phillip Island and Qatar, and if it works well here too that suggests we can be competitive at all the races. I stopped a bit early today because there was no point trying to go faster when the track isn’t in really good condition. Tomorrow I plan to do a long run, if conditions are good enough.” Jerez Official Record : Valentino Rossi (Yamaha – 2005), 1’40.596 Jerez Pole Record : Loris Capirossi (Ducati – 2006), 1’39.064 Temperature: Air 19 ° C – Ground 22° C More, from a press release issued by Ilmor: Official MotoGP Test Jerez Day One Circuito de Jerez de la Frontera 23.02.07 Despite being delayed by poor weather conditions during the first half of today’s test, the team made reasonable progress this afternoon continuing to build on the developments made last week at the Losail Circuit in Qatar. It was an interesting day for Jeremy McWilliams as he made his first return to the Spanish circuit in Jerez since his spectacular crash in November however both Ilmor GP riders focussed on the job in hand clocking up a total of 50 laps of the 4.42km track. The team have a lot to do over the next 48 hours the test this weekend in Jerez is the final run out for McWilliams and Pitt before March 10th sees Qatar play host to the MotoGP World Championship opener so everyone is hoping for drier weather in the coming days to ensure as much track time as possible. Jeremy McWilliams #99 Laps: 27 Fastest Lap: 1.47.696 Top Speed: 259.2 Andrew Pitt #88 Laps: 33 Fastest Lap: 1.49.365 Top Speed: 259.2 Jeremy McWilliams, Ilmor GP Rider: “The track condition today was awful, it was really wet this morning and very patchy in places even when it began to dry out which made for dangerous riding. It’s too risky to really go flat out when the surface is so unpredictable. We only really picked up some speed in the final hour or so today. Dry weather would definitely help tomorrow. “Even though I crashed here back at the test in November it feels good to be back in spite of the weather I still have a little difficulty getting on and off the bike but riding feels very natural.” Andrew Pitt, Ilmor GP Rider: “It was an interesting day for me today. I was trying out a new engine set-up so I would have loved to have a dry track to test it properly however even in the poor conditions I can tell that the changes have made the engine smoother and changed the way the bike turns. It feels different, the throttle feels better and I’m looking forward to really pushing it over the next couple of days.” Mike Janes, Team Manager: “I think Jeremy did fantastically today given his limited amount of time onboard the bike since his recovery. With Andrew, the 2007 engine seems to be a positive step in the right direction although we do have one or two issues to iron out. Both riders have given us some great feedback today and we have plenty of work to do over the remainder of the test. We have a long way to go still and I’m hoping to get as much track time as possible with both riders.” More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Racing: Weather ruins first day at Jerez Rizla Suzuki MotoGP endured a frustrating first day at the Official MotoGP Test in Spain, as heavy showers this morning meant that today’s testing schedule was severely disrupted. Chris Vermeulen managed to complete a number of wet laps in the morning, but as the track dried out it was too dangerous for either wet or dry tyres and he had to wait for the 4.4km Jerez track to dry out. He managed to get back on track later in the afternoon and set his quickest time during this session. John Hopkins was present at the test and underwent further physiotherapy as he recovers from the heavy crash he had in Qatar last week. The Anglo-American racer will not participate at this test as he sets his target on being fit for the first round of the MotoGP season also in Qatar in two weeks time. Kousuke Akiyoshi completed 55 laps today as he acquainted himself with the Spanish circuit. Suzuki’s All-Japan Championship rider was appearing at Jerez for the first time as he prepares himself for his race debut here next month. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will have two further days of testing at Jerez, culminating with a 40-minute all-action timed session on Sunday afternoon where the rider with the quickest time will win a BMW car. Chris Vermeulen: “Yesterday there was a lot of rain here so we started today with a wet track and although it looked like it would dry up more heavy showers made sure that it didn’t. It was pretty good to start with as I was able to get out and do some wet testing and we learnt quite a bit in the wet with both chassis settings and engine mapping. Then the track got too dry for wet testing and not dry enough to get some race tyres on. We sat out and waited till later this afternoon when the track dried out which seemed to take ages and some of the other guys started to go a bit quicker. I didn’t feel like there was that much to be learnt as the track was still wet in places. So I kept it upright and just did a few laps to get the feel of the bike. Hopefully we’ll have some good weather tomorrow so we can get a lot more done.” More, from a press release issued by Gresini Honda: VERY GOOD START FOR MELANDRI AT JEREZ The Gresini Honda Team began the final pre-season test at Jerez today ahead of the 2007 MotoGP Championship which begins with the Grand Prix of Qatar in two weekend’s time. The changeable weather and resulting variable track conditions limited the amount of useful time available to the teams today, though better weather is expected for later in the weekend. The Italian Marco Melandri put in the first fastest lap of the day as the track conditions began to improve towards the second part of the day. Marco could verify the improvements of the bike done during the winter test. In progress also his team mate Toni Elias (9°) who tested some new tyres brought by Bridgestone with positive feelings. MARCO MELANDRI (1°, 34 laps, 1’42″563): “I’m happy because we could verify the improvements done during the winter test sessions. Today the track conditions were difficult, especially this morning because it was neither wet nor dry. In the afternoon we could start the work programme scheduled for today. I like the rolling chassis and now I really start to have fun in riding. Today we started working on the power delivery of the engine and did a few tyre testing. Tomorrow we will try some more tyres and I’d like to do a race simulation and try the qualifying tyre in order to be prepared for Sunday.” TONI ELIAS (9°, 51 laps, 1.43″687): “Today we did an important step forward and it’s a pity that we couldn’t test the whole day, because of the rain. Bridgestone brought us some new tyres that should help me and in fact the feeling was immediately better. Tomorrow we have more tyres to test and I’m confident that we can improve. If we have enough time, I’d like to do a race simulation because I haven’t done one during the Irta Test. There is still a lot of work to do but I’m confident because we are going in the right direction.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: MotoGP test Jerez, Spain. Day one of three-day test. February 23, 2007. Melandri shines on good day for Honda riders on day one of final pre-season MotoGP test. Gresini Honda rider Marco Melandri set the pace on the opening day of the three-day MotoGP test at Jerez, Spain the final test session before the season opens at Qatar on March 10. Five Honda RC212V riders ended the day among the fastest top ten. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda, set third fastest time of the day with the LCR Honda of Carlos Checa fourth. Melandri’s tam-mate, Spaniard Toni Elias and Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda taking ninth and tenth places respectively. The day got off to a slow start with dull overcast weather that turned to rain as the morning session began. The riders waited until the sun began to filter through the clouds before going out to begin their final shake-down test of the year. Melandri was immediately fast out of the box, in both damp and dry track conditions. The former 250cc world champion took to the track with the same base set up that Team Gresini had used at the November test at the 4.423 km Andalusia circuit and Melandri fine-tuned the suspension of the RCV then worked on the power delivery before trying two new tyres for Bridgestone. But track conditions were far from optimal and the Italian called a halt to his day 20-minutes before the track closed. Repsol Honda factory team rider Dani Pedrosa was held back slightly by the weather conditions and was not able to test as many developments as planned. The young Spaniard kept an eye on track conditions before deciding on tyres but as the day wore down the track cooled and Pedrosa called a halt hoping or better track conditions on day two of the test. MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden experienced an unrewarding day to say the least. Having missed the test at Jerez last November Hayden was debuting his 800cc RC212V at the circuit but the track top still had several damp patches when the Champion went out and he said. “I was just uncomfortable and it felt a bit sketchy.” Consequently the American was unable to call upon prior experience to improve his understanding of his RCV in the prevailing track conditions. Melandri’s Gresini Honda team mate, Toni Elias took a big step forward today his confidence in the Bridgestone tyre engineers rewarded with new tyres specifically produced to suit his riding style. Having waited so long for improvements Elias was held back by the tricky track conditions but is confident Bridgestone and Team Gresini have found the best direction for him to work in. LCR Honda rider Carlos Checa worked on engine braking and chassis set up but put in only 48 laps on the ever-changing track surface but despite his cautious approach Checa took fourth fastest time of the day. Konica Minolta rider Shinya Nakano continues his steady progress towards finding his feet with the RC212V, his new team and Michelin tyres. The Japanese star made the best of the two hours of track time he had concentrating on general machine balance and suspension in order to have suitable settings for the tyre testing session planned for tomorrow, weather permitting. Kenny Roberts Jnr was thwarted in his efforts to set up his two machines in identical spec. Roberts ran with his number on bike early I the session, always in the top six while chasing a base set up for Jerez. However, his fortunes changed somewhat when he took his second machine out on track. The American returned to the pits immediately complaining of severe handling problems. Team Roberts technicians discovered the triple clamps were bent the undetected legacy of a freighting accident! Honda rider quotes and lap times. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1m 45.901s 63 laps.”We’ve made good progress during some of the winter tests but the weather didn’t help us here today. The track was still damp in some places and where it was still patchy I was just uncomfortable and it felt a bit sketchy. Also I didn’t test here at the last test in November, which probably didn’t help either. It’s not really how we’d wanted to start this test but hopefully we’ll get some better weather over the next two days and we’ll be able to move forward.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1m 42.706s 50 laps. “Today we were able to put in some good laps, though the weather stopped us from testing too much on the bike. For a lot of the time we were unsure what to do – whether to go out on rain tyres, on slick tyres or to wait in the garage. We just kept an eye on the conditions and tried to do some laps when things dried out. The track improved at the end of the day, however there were still two or three damp corners and the temperature was going down so we’ll look to make more progress tomorrow.” Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 1m 42.563s 34 laps. “I’m happy because we could verify the improvements done during the winter test sessions. Today the track conditions were difficult, especially this morning because it was neither wet nor dry. In the afternoon we could start the work programme scheduled for today. I like the rolling chassis and now I really start to have fun in riding. Today we started working on the power delivery of the engine and did a few tyre testing. Tomorrow we will try some more tyres and I’d like to do a race simulation and try the qualifying tyre in order to be prepared for Sunday.” Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 1m 43.687s 51 laps. “Today we did an important step forward and it’s a pity that we couldn’t test the whole day, because of the rain. Bridgestone brought us some new tyres that should help me and in fact the feeling was immediately better. Tomorrow we have more tyres to test and I’m confident that we can improve. If we have enough time, I’d like to do a race simulation because I haven’t done one during the IRTA Test. There is still a lot of work to do but I’m confident because we are going in the right direction”. Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 1m 43.206s 48 laps. “Today the conditions were not the best but I continued my adaptation to the new 800cc machine. We worked especially on the engine braking and on the chassis set up. I circulated in the wet for 10 laps to gather information for the wet settings. As the circuit began to dry out the conditions were too tricky for slick tyres so we spent time in the box but towards the end I put in some laps on intermediate tyres. Even though we didn’t put in too many laps today it was a productive test for the team.” Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 1m 43.817s 38 laps. “When in the afternoon we decided to enter the track its surface was not completely dry and so I decided not to push too much and avoid useless risks. During the first laps I used Michelin rain tyres for the first time but the time was so short to have a precise idea of their characteristics. Together with my staff we started making some comparisons between the setting defined in Qatar and the one of last November in Jerez. Weather permitting, tomorrow we will work on the definition of the front suspension because I’m still suffering chattering problems and we will try to find the right combination permitting me to have a good rear grip.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR212V: 1m 45.937s. “Not my day! When I first went out we were running well, always around fourth fifth on lap times. When I went in to take out my second bike it felt real weird. The guys in the team had to work hard to find out what was wrong with the thing. They took two hours to figure it out and fix it. Believe me or not the triple clamps had been bent in transit somehow. Tomorrow we will try different set ups on the two bikes and start tyre testing.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: ADVERSE WEATHER ON OPENING DAY AT JEREZ It was relaxed return to the track today for the Kawasaki Racing Team and their MotoGP rivals, as a storm yesterday followed by intermittent rain this morning saw most riders opting to await the arrival of better weather and dryer track conditions in their respective pit boxes. The rain finally stopped mid-morning, after which both Randy de Puniet and Olivier Jacque took the opportunity to test the wet weather balance of their 800cc Ninja ZX-RR machines for the first time, completing a total of fifteen laps between them. With the skies clear by midday, and an increasing breeze helping to dry out the track surface, de Puniet and Olivier were left with only three hours of track time when they finally got down to testing proper. Despite the improvement in the weather, track conditions remained unpredictable, so both Kawasaki pilots concentrated on further refining the set-up of their Ninja ZX-RR machines, at a track that differs completely in character to Sepang and Qatar, the only other circuits at which the Kawasaki Racing Team have tested this season. Although not looking for a fast lap on the opening day, de Puniet managed to complete 33 laps in total, to finish sixth fastest overall with a time of 1’43.315s. Jacque, now completely recovered from the crash that sidelined him from the recent Qatar test, completed 31 laps during the late afternoon, eventually ending the session 13th fastest with a time of 1’44.659s. Randy de Puniet: 6th – 40 Laps – Best Lap 1’43.315 “It was a hard session today because of the weather. In the wet my feeling with the bike was quite good. In the afternoon, we had to wait a long time before the track dried out a little and we could try in almost dry conditions. There were some wet patches in a couple of turns, so it made no sense to push too hard. I concentrated on getting used to the circuit and found a base set up to work on for tomorrow. The most important days will be tomorrow and Sunday.” Olivier Jacque: 13th – 39 laps – Best Lap 1’44.659 “Yesterday I was a little bit worried but today I can say that I am almost 100% fit, but certainly recovered from the crash. Due to the bad weather we only had two hours in the afternoon to work and it was important not to rush. It was a long time since I rode here last and coming from two fast circuits, this one is surprisingly small! Anyway, I got used to it quickly and enjoyed riding the bike a lot. For the first day, everything worked all right.” Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager “Today, we tested our new machine in wet conditions and the first impressions were quite good. We confirmed that the balance of the machine works well in wet conditions without doing any major changes. We need to be faster but, for being the first time, speed wasn’t so bad. In the afternoon session, we were able to try in the dry and we saw many points where we need to improve to get consistent lap times. Our base set up, though, is working here as well, we just need to make some small adjustments.”