LORIS CAPIROSSI (DUCATI DESMOSEDICI GP6) MAKES GOOD PROGRESS WITH BRIDGESTONE TYRES IN SEPANG The Italian rider, satisfied with the progress achieved by Bridgestone, continues the development work on bike set-up, engine and tyres. Sete Gibernau sidelined with a stomach complaint. Sepang (Malaysia), Wednesday 15 February – After another morning of sunshine, the typical afternoon storms brought an early end to the Ducati Marlboro Team’s testing session at the Sepang circuit at about 3.30 pm. This did not prevent Loris Capirossi from making use of the dry track time to continue the set-up work on his Ducati Desmosedici. On the only track that allows comparative data to be accumulated following the previous test of the GP6 at this circuit, the Italian focussed on power delivery and engine braking set-up. Loris was particularly satisfied with the tyres that Bridgestone has produced on the basis of the indications that emerged during the first Malaysian test in January. It was a disappointing day on the other hand for his team-mate Sete Gibernau. The Spanish rider, who had a sleepless night due to severe abdominal pains, had to return to the hotel after just a few laps. When he came back to the circuit in the afternoon, he was unable to resume testing activity because of the rain. Just tomorrow’s third and final day remains for the new Ducati Marlboro Team rider to complete his testing programme. Loris CAPIROSSI (50 laps – 2m01.87s) “Today was a really positive day” declared a smiling Loris. “In the morning we worked on the chassis settings, engine management and engine braking and we found an excellent set-up. We also concentrated on testing several new rear tyres. These are a real step forward over the ‘standard’ tyres (with which Loris won the Malaysian GP – Ed.) and I am pleased with the work carried out by Bridgestone. Tomorrow, thunderstorms permitting, we have scheduled a long-run to verify the duration of the tyres, which already looked good anyway in today’s testing”. Sete GIBERNAU (17 laps – 2m02.87s) “I didn’t sleep a wink all night but I wanted to test at all costs so I came to the circuit early” commented Sete. “After a few laps I was feeling really sick and decided to go back and rest in the hotel. At 3 o’clock, I still didn’t feel well but returned to the track to try and go out again but it started to rain. It just wasn’t my day .. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll feel better again because we’ve got a lot of things to test”. The Ducati Marlboro Team engineers and riders are hoping that the weather will remain good tomorrow for the final day of scheduled testing at the Sepang circuit. Temperatures: air 30°- 34° C/ track 36°- 53° C More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Honda: THE FORTUNA HONDA RIDERS CONTINUE WORKING AT SEPANG Sepang (Malaysia), Wednesday, 15th of February 2006 – Rain continues to spoil the third round of pre-season test session. The second day of testing was characterized in fact by very high temperatures in the morning (with the asphalt temperature reaching 53°C ) and heavy rain in the afternoon. A heavy shower that started to fall around 03.00 p.m. local time interrupted the work of the Fortuna Honda riders. A bad crash at the fast right hand corner before the straight complicated the day to Marco Melandri, that fortunately had no physical consequences. Positive day, on the contrary for the Spaniard Toni Elias who improved his rhythm and started working with Michelin technicians for some tyre testing. TONI ELIAS (41 laps, 2’02″62): “I’m satisfied of today’s session and it was really a pity that at 03.00 p.m. started to rain and the afternoon test session was completed spoiled. This morning we worked at the balance of the bike as I have some problem at weight distribution. we tested some different solutions and the feeling with the bike improved a lot. Then we started working with Michelin technicians, we tested some tyres and the bike was working well. Thanks to the work done on the weight distribution and tyre testing I could improve my rhythm and I was quite satisfied. It was scheduled to test some new Michelin tyres in the afternoon but I couldn’t because of the heavy rain. Tomorrow we will continue tyre testing, For me it’s very important to work alongside the Michelin technicians, I’m confident that I can improve my pace.” MARCO MELANDRI (37 laps, 2’02″65): “It was a bad day for me. This morning I crashed at the fast right hand corner before the straight. I’m ok, I really don’t know why the crash happened. It was strange because I was on the throttle when I went down. We checked the data and according to the telemetry everything is fine. Anyway, it was a really hot day. The bike was working better than yesterday in these extreme hot conditions. Unfortunately, the heavy rain spoiled the afternoon session. Tomorrow we will focus on tyre testing. Michelin has several tyres they want us to test and it will be very important for us to understand how the bike feel with these new tyres.” Temperature: air: 30°/34° C – asphalt: 36°/53° C UNOFFICIAL LAPTIMES S. Nakano (Kawasaki) 2 01 80 L. Capirossi (Ducati) 2 01 87 V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2 01 89 J. Hopkins (Suzuki) 2 01 90 D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2 01 93 C. Checa (Yamaha) 2 02 06 C. Edwards (Yamaha) 2 02 16 R. De Puniet (Kawasaki) 2 02 37 M. Tamada (Honda) 2 02 56 T. Elias (Honda) 2 02 62 M. Melandri (Honda) 2 02 65 S. Gibernau (Ducati) 2 02 90 N. Hayden (Honda) 2 02 93 K. Roberts KR (Honda) 2 02 95 C. Vermeulen (Suzuki) 2 03 18 A. Hofmann (Ducati) 2 04 23 J.L. Cardoso (Ducati) 2 04 65 J. Ellison (Yamaha) 2 05 08 More, from a press release issued by Camel Yamaha: CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM TEST Sepang, Malaysia February 15th 2006 Ambient temperature: 31 degrees C Track temperature: 45 degrees C Humidity: 74% RAIN SHOWER CALLS EARLY HALT TO SECOND DAY OF SEPANG TEST Work ended early for Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards today when day two of the Camel Yamaha Team’s Sepang Test was cut short by a mid-afternoon rainstorm. The Team spent the morning working on different settings and testing tyres with Michelin, looking to eliminate the vibration that the riders have been experiencing lately, before the rain came down after lunch. Both riders ventured out in the wet on the 2006-spec M1, the first time they have been able to see the performance of the new bike in these conditions, but the track soon started to dry out in patches and they decided to call it a day after just a few laps. Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) set the fastest time of the day with a lap of 2’01.80, followed by Loris Capirossi (Ducati, 2’01.87). Rossi, who celebrates his 27th birthday tomorrow, was close behind him with a time of 2’01.89 after 47 laps, whilst team-mate Edwards completed 57 laps and set the seventh fastest time with a lap of 2’02.20. The Camel Yamaha Team has one final day of testing remaining tomorrow. VALENTINO ROSSI (2’01.89, 47 Laps) “This morning we did quite a lot of laps and we were quite fast and consistent, so I was happy. We worked very well with Michelin and with one or two new tyres that they brought we made some good improvements to the vibration. Unfortunately in the afternoon it rained and we couldn’t go on as we wished. We made a few laps in the rain just to see how the new bike was in the wet; we had some new things to try with the electronic mapping in these conditions, but we needed more time. After a few laps the track started to dry and then with the conditions half wet and half dry, we had to stop. Tomorrow we might do a long run and we will also continue with the work we started today.” COLIN EDWARDS (2’02.20, 57 Laps) “The weather was a real disappointment today because we had a lot of work to do and we weren’t able to complete as many laps as we had hoped. Anyway in the morning we concentrated on a new front fork setting and generally played around, looking for some improvements to the chatter issue. We didn’t have enough time to do everything but we definitely made some steps in the right direction. We tested a couple of tyres for Michelin but then the rain came down. We did a few laps in the rain, just to check some settings and try out a couple of new things for Yamaha, and everything seemed okay in that area. Tomorrow we’re going to get started nice and early as we’ve got a lot still to do; I really hope the weather is better!” DAVIDE BRIVIO CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “Unfortunately the rain stopped us from completing all the work we wanted to do, but anyway we tried to use these conditions as best we could to check some things with the new bike. Tomorrow is our final day of testing in warm conditions before we return to Europe and we have to try to use all the time we have available to us.” Unofficial Lap Times: 1. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki, 2’01.80 2. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati, 2’01.87 3. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Yamaha, 2’01.89 4. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 2’01.90 5. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda, 2’01.93 6. Carlos Checa (SPA) Yamaha, 2’02.06 7. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Yamaha, 2’02.20 8. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki, 2’02.37 9. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda, 2’02.62 10. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda, 2’02.65 11. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Honda, 2’03.66 12. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati, 2’02.87 13. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda, 2’02.93 14. Kenny Roberts (USA) KR Honda, 2’02.95 15. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki, 2’03.18 16. Alex Hofmann (GER) Ducati, 2’04.23 17. Jose Luis Cardoso (SPA) Ducati, 2’04.65 18. James Ellison (GBR) Yamaha, 2’05.08 Sepang Lap Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005 2’02.993 Sepang Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2005 2’01.731 More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: Second Sepang three-day MotoGP test of 2006. Day two of three-day MotoGP test. February 15, 2006. Rain stops play on second day of MotoGP test at Sepang. Heavy tropical rain brought the second of the MotoGP test at Sepang, Malaysia to an early close today and the majority of riders of riders elected to stop testing for the day. The weather proved an inconvenience for several Honda riders who had hoped to run race simulations on their new 2006 five-cylinder 990cc RC211V GP machines. For Repsol Honda rider Nicky Hayden the conditions brought to an end a promising day on the latest prototype factory RCV, just when he was beginning to get the best out of his new charge. Hayden, 24 from Kentucky set faster lap times than at the last Sepang test, in January, and was in positive mood, pleased with the progress he has made with the prototype machine. Hayden’s teammate, Spaniard Dani Pedrosa worked hard on the engine braking system of his RCV. Pedrosa was another who fell victim to the weather and he had to cancel a planned tyre test session for Michelin. Fortuna Honda riders Marco Melandri and Toni Elias ended their day with contrasting feelings. Elias was rewarded for his recent hard work with the RCV. The young Spaniard has struggled to find a comfortable fast rhythm with the Honda but today everything came together for him and he put in his best performance yet aboard the RCV. By contrast Melandri was unfortunate to crash at high speed, particularly unfortunate because he could not find a reasonable explanation for the fall. However, he was pleased with the improved performance of the RCV on an extremely hot mid-morning track surface. Konica Minolta Honda teamster Makoto Tamada began to make up for his late start to pre- season testing making great progress with the suspension of his RCV posting lap times one second faster than on the opening day. The popular Japanese rider goes into tomorrow’s final day of the test in buoyant mood. Kenny Roberts Junior put in the best one-day session yet aboard the Honda powered KR211V. Roberts broke the 2m 02s bracket for the first time at Sepang, and but for the heavy rain the Californian would have been faster. The former 500cc World Champion and the team have gathered sufficient data to move onto the next stage of chassis development for the KR211V. Australian Casey Stoner (LCR Honda) is suffering the effects of an old injury that reared its head during a physical training session last week. Stoner has a problem with a tendon in his shoulder and will take no part in testing at Sepang, wisely deciding to return to Australia for specialist treatment. Honda rider lap times and quotes. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 2m 02.93s – 53 laps. “Today I rode the new bike all day and we made some good progress. It was the first time we’ve had chance to spend a lot of time on the chassis and engine and I went quite a lot faster on it than I did last time here so that’s positive. It’s still a prototype machine and there are a lot of things we still need to try because it’s quite a bit different to my other bike. It would have been nice to test the two bikes back to back but I’m sure we’ll get a chance tomorrow.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2m 01.93s – 50 laps. “Today we did a short job, but it was good quality. The track was good this morning and the lap time was also good. We tried some different settings with the engine braking which was important for me to gain more experience and understand how the bike reacts. This afternoon we were going to do some tyre testing and a longer run, but the rain interrupted us.” Makoto Tanaka – Repsol Honda Team Manager “I hoped for good weather today but instead we got a storm at 3pm! With Nicky is leading the development of the new bike and again had many items to test. Because of the rain we couldn’t get though everything but I am not worried because we have tomorrow. Dani put in a good time before lunch and will continues to learn step-by-step.” Tady Okada, HRC test rider: Not chasing lap time. “We are at the first stage with the bike and today we concentrated on the handling. The bike has very good points and is now very good on deceleration. Acceleration is not yet perfect but we are going in he right direction. The machine also holds its line very well.” Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda: 2m 02.74s – 38 laps. “Bad day for me. I had a big crash at the first fast right hand corner, I’m OK but the bike is a mess. I really don’t know why the crash happened it was very strange because I was on the throttle when I went down. Checking the telemetry after the crash we got the bike back the data showed exactly the same settings as the previous laps had at that corner. Anyway, on the positive side when it was really hot today I felt the bike has improved from yesterday. I have to say we are not so far off where we need to be. Tomorrow we start a day of tyre testing. Michelin have several tyres they want us to test and it will be very important for us to understand how the bike behaves with the new tyres.” Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: 2m 02.686s – 38 laps. “I’m satisfied of today’s test session and it was really a pity that at lunchtime started to rain and the afternoon session was completely spoiled. This morning we worked at the balance of the bike as I have some problem with weight distribution. We tested some different solutions and the feeling with the bike improved a lot. Then we started working with Michelin technicians, we started testing some tyres and the bike was working well. Thanks to the work done on the weight distribution and tyre testing I could improve my rhythm and I was quite satisfied. It was scheduled to test some new Michelin tyres in the afternoon but I couldn’t because of the heavy rain. Tomorrow we will continue tyre testing, For me it’s very important to work alongside the Michelin technicians, I’m confident that I can improve my pace.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 2m 02.645s – 50 laps. “I am very satisfied with today’s progress. I was trying various suspension set up options. I found a good one for the front-end setting and I am close with the rear. I now have more feed back from the machine. I also tried three different rear tyres we were going to do a long run but the rain interrupted our plans. From now on we move to more delicate settings but I have a good feeling for tomorrow, and the coming IRTA tests. Tomorrow I will do a long run and, maybe, a time attack. I feel comfortable and I am enjoying riding very much.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR Honda: 2m 02.94s – 41 laps. “We spent the day testing front tyres for Michelin and found one we really like. Basically we confirmed Michelin’s theory about the tyres individually and Michelin are happy with the feedback we gave them. The bike worked really well today and we are making real progress. When the rain came we decided to stop, as we were close on mileage with the engine so we fitted a new engine ready for tomorrow. We will start testing rear tyres. tomorrow. We are really happy with what we achieved today.” Casey Stoner, LCR Honda: “I suffered this injury nearly six years ago during a dirt track training. In that period the doctor decided to avoid any operation because he thought it was not necessary and for the following 5 years I really never had problems. Last November I started a new intensive training to increase my muscles preparing my body to the new effort required by this type of bike and I have probably inflamed the old tendonitis. Tomorrow morning I will fly back home to see a sports specialist involved in the National Football League and we will value the solution together. Honestly I will do my best to be at 100% soon because I think that a simple tendonitis is not a insuperable problem”. More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Honda: THE FORTUNA HONDA RIDERS CONTINUE WORKING AT SEPANG Sepang (Malaysia), Wednesday, 15th of February 2006 – Rain continues to spoil the third round of pre-season test session. The second day of testing was characterized in fact by very high temperatures in the morning (with the asphalt temperature reaching 53°C ) and heavy rain in the afternoon. A heavy shower that started to fall around 03.00 p.m. local time interrupted the work of the Fortuna Honda riders. A bad crash at the fast right hand corner before the straight complicated the day to Marco Melandri, that fortunately had no physical consequences. Positive day, on the contrary for the Spaniard Toni Elias who improved his rhythm and started working with Michelin technicians for some tyre testing. TONI ELIAS (41 laps, 2’02″62): “I’m satisfied of today’s session and it was really a pity that at 03.00 p.m. started to rain and the afternoon test session was completed spoiled. This morning we worked at the balance of the bike as I have some problem at weight distribution. we tested some different solutions and the feeling with the bike improved a lot. Then we started working with Michelin technicians, we tested some tyres and the bike was working well. Thanks to the work done on the weight distribution and tyre testing I could improve my rhythm and I was quite satisfied. It was scheduled to test some new Michelin tyres in the afternoon but I couldn’t because of the heavy rain. Tomorrow we will continue tyre testing, For me it’s very important to work alongside the Michelin technicians, I’m confident that I can improve my pace.” MARCO MELANDRI (37 laps, 2’02″65): “It was a bad day for me. This morning I crashed at the fast right hand corner before the straight. I’m ok, I really don’t know why the crash happened. It was strange because I was on the throttle when I went down. We checked the data and according to the telemetry everything is fine. Anyway, it was a really hot day. The bike was working better than yesterday in these extreme hot conditions. Unfortunately, the heavy rain spoiled the afternoon session. Tomorrow we will focus on tyre testing. Michelin has several tyres they want us to test and it will be very important for us to understand how the bike feel with these new tyres.” Temperature: air: 30°/34° – asphalt: 36°/53° UNOFFICIAL LAPTIMES S. Nakano (Kawasaki) 2 01 80 L. Capirossi (Ducati) 2 01 87 V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2 01 89 J. Hopkins (Suzuki) 2 01 90 D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2 01 93 C. Checa (Yamaha) 2 02 06 C. Edwards (Yamaha) 2 02 16 R. De Puniet (Kawasaki) 2 02 37 M. Tamada (Honda) 2 02 56 T. Elias (Honda) 2 02 62 M. Melandri (Honda) 2 02 65 S. Gibernau (Ducati) 2 02 90 N. Hayden (Honda) 2 02 93 K. Roberts KR (Honda) 2 02 95 C. Vermeulen (Suzuki) 2 03 18 A. Hofmann (Ducati) 2 04 23 J.L. Cardoso (Ducati) 2 04 65 J. Ellison (Yamaha) 2 05 08 More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team SUZUKI MotoGP was unable to complete a full day of testing at Sepang in Malaysia today as a thunderstorm ended the day’s proceedings early. John Hopkins had managed to clock a fastest time of 2’01.94 during his 44 laps before the conditions deteriorated. His time was yet another improvement on his best ever at Sepang and saw him well placed amongst the quickest riders of the day. Chris Vermeulen shaved a second off his best time from the first day to record a time of 2’03.10 in the course of his 46 laps. The rookie Australian again completed a lot of good work onboard his new Suzuki GSV-R and is settling in well to the role of a MotoGP racer. Today’s test was held in front of Suzuki’s Racing Department General Manager Masahito Imada, who is attending the test to assist in the ongoing development of the new bike.