Winter testing ends at Jerez, with young guns fastest of MotoGP bunch The end of a long and arduous winter test programme came to a close for MotoGP teams and riders with the final day of three at official tests in Jerez de la Frontera today. With rain having spoiled yesterday’s session, the riders made the most of the time at their disposal, clocking up endless laps as they prepare their machines for the first Grand Prix of the upcoming 2005 season in under two weeks time, at this very same circuit. Finishing off the pre-season on the highest note were a young trio of MotoGP starlets, all aiming to prove that they have the necessary mettle to stick out a season at the top of motorcycling’s premier series. Nicky Hayden topped the lot, with an impressive lap time of 1:39.983, albeit set on qualifying tyres, but who has demonstrated over the last two tests in Barcelona and here in Jerez, that he is certainly a candidate for his first Grand Prix victory in two weeks. The 23 year-old from Owensboro in Kentucky was more than pleased with his performances, “This has been a great test for us. The team has worked really hard and I’ve tried my best to do everything they’ve asked of me. I got my best lap today on a qualifier but it’s important to do that at this stage, in less than two weeks I’ll have to do that for real!” Beaming smiles have become synonymous with the American, and with one of his trademark grins he added confidently, “I definitely feel the best I’ve felt on the machine and I’m ready to race now. At this level, if you can find that extra little bit from somewhere, it can make all the difference and I really think we’ve gone a long way to finding that this weekend.” Meanwhile, another two of MotoGP’s youngest, Marco Melandri and John Hopkins, were just behind Hayden on the timesheets. The Honda and Suzuki riders have both shown they can find that “little bit extra” this weekend, and have raised eyebrows with their performances in Jerez. They will aim to take that form into the season proper, despite a late crash for the Californian which ended his day early. Behind the young riders came reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi, who seems to have solved any question marks over the 2005 spec Yamaha M1 at this test, and who now must look forward to the season with confidence as he aims to collect his fifth consecutive World Championship in the elite class. He was trailed by championship rivals Loris Capirossi, Alex Barros, Sete Gibernau and team-mate Colin Edwards. The MotoGP paddock will re-form once more at the Jerez circuit in just over one week’s time, with practice for the Gran Premio Marlboro de España beginning on Friday April 8th. 1. Hayden (Honda) 1:39.983; 2. Melandri (Honda.) 1:40.291; 3. Hopkins (Suzuki) 1:40.418; 4. Rossi (Yamaha) 1:40.539 ; 5. Capirossi (Ducati) 1:40.559 ; 6. Barros (Honda) 1:40.569; 7. Gibernau (Honda) 1:40.662; 8. Edwards (Yamaha) 1:41.284; 9. Nakano (Kawasaki) 1:41.328; 10. Tamada (Honda) 1:41.380; 11. Biaggi (Honda) 1:41.431; 12. Hofmann (Kawasaki) 1:41.453; 13. Bayliss (Honda) 1:41.529; 14. Roberts (Suzuki) 1:41.913; 15. Aoki (Suzuki test team) 1:42.121; 16. Elías (Yamaha) 1:42.387; 17. Xaus (Yamaha) 1:43.961; 18. Ellison (Proton WCM) 1:44.041; 19. Byrne (1:44.272); 21. Rolfo (Ducati) 1:44.395; 22. Guareschi (Ducati test team) 1:44.447; 22. Battaini (Blata WCM) 1:45.379 More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2005 IRTA PRE-SEASON TEST – CIRCUITO DE JEREZ, SPAIN 27 MARCH 2005 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE KAWASAKI CONCLUDES PRE-SEASON TESTING AT JEREZ Kawasaki factory riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, wrapped-up their preparations for the 2005 MotoGP World Championship Season at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain today. On the third and final day of the IRTA test both Nakano and Hofmann recorded personal best performances at the 4.2 km circuit. Over three days Nakano completed a total of 190 laps, for a fastest lap of 1:41.328, which is 1.4s faster than Valentino Rossi’s current track record. Hofmann posted 179 laps for a quickest time of 1:41.453, with the final day of testing being run in warm and dry, but slightly overcast conditions. The final day programme for both riders was interrupted by some electrical and software problems, which took some time for Kawasaki technicians to resolve. Both Nakano and Hofmann are also seeking improved engine braking stability on corner entry. A mechanical problem in the afternoon forced Nakano to switch to his spare bike, on which he set his fastest lap, despite this machine not having the Japanese rider’s preferred set-up. The test brought to a conclusion an exhausting series of winter tests, made all the more intense for the Kawasaki Racing Team by the introduction of the big-bang firing order engine specification in February. The engine has already confirmed its increased performance potential over the previous ‘screamer’ version of the 990cc, in-line four cylinder motor. Kawasaki Technical Director Ichiro Yoda has confirmed that both riders will race the big-bang motor in the Spanish GP at Jerez on April 10. The next phase of engine development will now continue in Japan, with further tests planned after the second race of the season at Estoril. Shinya Nakano: #56 – 55 laps (1:41.328) “Today was definitely not my day. But, despite the problems, I’m positive because it is better to have learnt these things in testing than to only find out next week when we are here for the first race. After the engine problem in my number one bike I had to switch to the spare, but I didn’t have the same feeling with this set-up. I tried a qualifying tyre at the end and did a good time. Overall the test was a good outcome, and I’m much more confident than after the Barcelona test.” Alex Hofmann: #66 – 43 laps (1:41.453) “I put a soft tyre in for my final quick time, but I didn’t get the best out of that lap, I was a little disappointed with the time because I had done a 1:41.7 on race tyres. It was a difficult day until the team got the electrical problems sorted, so I never got into a good rhythm. But we are not far off, and I think we can look to the Jerez race with some confidence. I’m happy to finish testing, now I just want to go racing.” Ichiro Yoda: Technical Director “Today neither Shinya nor Alex had a lot of time to go for fast laps, or to complete a race simulation. We had some engine management system software problems, which took time to correct. Shinya also had a motor problem, which stopped his main race bike. From this test we understand that we need more performance and to fine-tune the engine braking system. Although the performance level is not where we want it to be, we are in a good position considering we only started testing the big bang motor just seven weeks ago.” IRTA Jerez Day 3 – Final Times: 1. Nicky Hayden – (Repsol Honda) – 1’39.983; 2. Marco Melandri – (Telefonica Movistar Honda) – 1’40.291; 3. John Hopkins – (Suzuki MotoGP) – 1’40.418; 4. Valentino Rossi – (Gauloises Yamaha) – 1’40.539; 5. Loris Capirossi – (Marlboro Ducati) – 1’40.559; 6. Alex Barros – (Camel Honda) – 1’40.569; 7. Sete Gibernau – (Telefonica Movistar Honda) – 1’40.662; 8. Colin Edwards – (Gauloises Yamaha) – 1’41.284; 9. Shinya Nakano – (Kawasaki Racing Team) – 1’41.328; 10. Makoto Tamada – (JIR Honda) – 1’41.380; 11. Max Biaggi – (Repsol Honda) – 1’41.431; 12. Alex Hofmann – (Kawasaki Racing Team) – 1’41.453; 13. Troy Bayliss – (Camel Honda) – 1’41.529; 14. Kenny Roberts – (Suzuki MotoGP) – 1’41.913; 15. Nobuatsu Aoki – (Suzuki MotoGP) – 1’42.121 More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: FINAL DAY OF IRTA TEST FOR DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM Capirossi concentrates on Bridgestone tyre development. Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), Sunday 27 March 2005 – Fine weather (air 21° C/track 43°) greeted the third and final day of the last winter testing session prior to the start of the 2005 MotoGP championship season and all the MotoGP teams present were able to prepare their bikes in view of the opening round of the season scheduled to be held here on April 10. The three-day Jerez test concluded with a generally positive balance sheet for the Ducati Marlboro Team, which could only count on the services of Loris Capirossi and test-rider Vittoriano Guareschi as Carlos Checa is recovering from a dislocated left shoulder. Today Loris concentrated mainly on testing several types of tyres, and the Italian obtained positive impressions from the qualifying and front tyres. “I am very satisfied with the qualifying tyres: the ones I tested were really excellent” commented Loris. “Even the front tyres go well here at Jerez and the rear race tyres are already pretty good. We felt the absence of Carlos over the last three days, and with him for sure we could have got through a lot more work. However I gave everything I could, now all we have to do is wait for April 10.” Loris completed a total of 93 laps of the Spanish track, setting a best time of 1:40.55. Vittoriano Guareschi was also on the track for the final day of the test, and amongst other things the Italian completed a long-run with the new engine braking system. “These were three hard days of work”, declared Filippo Preziosi, Director of Ducati Corse, who has been present at both of the tests at Barcelona and Jerez. “We return home with a massive amount of data accumulated by Loris and Vitto, who were both tireless in their work as always. I would like to thank Loris for his dedication and professionalism: he worked really hard and that allowed us to make the most of this important test session, even in Carlos’s absence”. The Ducati Marlboro Team’s next appointment will be on April 10, again at Jerez, for the opening round of the 2005 MotoGP World Championship. More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Yamaha: Jerez IRTA Tests Jerez, Spain Sunday 27th March 2005 YAMAHA MEN COMPLETE FINAL DAY OF PRE-SEASON TESTING IN JEREZ Gauloises Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards completed the last of 21 days of pre-season testing today, as the final day of the Jerez IRTA Tests drew to a close. Rossi completed the day with the fourth fastest time and his team-mate was eighth; both bettering the times they set on Friday and well inside the existing lap record of 1:42.788. They spent the day making last minute alterations and checks in order to refine the set-up of their YZR-M1s in preparation for the season-opening Grand Prix here in two weeks time. After yesterday’s rain the Spanish circuit stayed dry today and there were fast times from all the MotoGP riders throughout. Many elected to try out a qualifying tyre at the end of the day and the best time of the whole test was set by Honda rider Nicky Hayden. The American set a lap of 1:39.983 in the dying stages of the eight-hour session, nearly a second faster than Rossi’s pole position time from last year’s Grand Prix. Second fastest was Marco Melandri (Honda, 1:40.291) and John Hopkins was in the top four for the third day running after setting a lap of 1:40.418 on his Suzuki. Rossi completed 96 laps today, his most over the three days of the test, setting a best time of 1’40.539, despite a few complications with rear grip in the afternoon. Edwards also made the most of the last hours of testing before the first race, completing 73 laps with a best time of 1:41.284. VALENTINO ROSSI (1:40.539, 96 laps) “We went quite well until lunchtime. However, during the afternoon we tried some new things and they didn’t go quite as well as we had hoped. We had some troubles in the braking sections because the bike was quite nervous when the tyre was coming to an end. We know we can do better and what we have to improve, so we are not too worried, it’s just that there is not quite enough rear grip after I’ve done a lot of laps. The front is okay because we already fixed this in Barcelona. Anyway, I’m now really happy to finish the testing and I am feeling okay about the first race, the bike has good potential and I am looking forward to a good battle this year!” COLIN EDWARDS (1:41.284, 73 laps) “I’m pleased because, other than Valentino, all the seven riders above me in the timings put on a qualifying tyre. I had a really good pace on the race tyres, consistently in the low 1’41s, and this bodes well for the race in two weeks time. However it took a lot of work to get to this point. We tried so many things today but finally we hit the nail on the head and now the bike works really well. I’ve got pretty much the same setting as Valentino, we’re very similar in the way we ride the bike. I am now ready for a quick break at home and then, finally, the first race! It’s been a long winter of testing!” DANIELE ROMAGNOLI – EDWARDS’ CREW CHIEF “Today we had some difficulties with the chassis set-up but we found several different solutions. We found a good base in the morning and we’ve found a good Michelin tyre, which has helped to improve the traction. We’ve managed to keep the bike turning well too, which is really important. We did some good runs on a race tyre and Colin set his best time on this, which is encouraging. I think we’ve got a good base to fine-tune when we return here for the GP weekend.” TIMES: 1. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda Team) 1’39.983 2. Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda) 1’40.291 3. John Hopkins (Team Suzuki MotoGP) 1’40.418 4. VALENTINO ROSSI (GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM) 1’40.539 5. Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team) 1’40.559 6. Alex Barros (Camel Honda) 1’40.569 7. Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda) 1’40.662 8. COLIN EDWARDS (GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM) 1’41.284 9. Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki Racing Team) 1’41.328 10. Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda) 1’41.380 More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Racing: Hopkins on fire as Suzuki goes to the sharp end of the time sheets Team SUZUKI MotoGP racer John Hopkins finished the last day of the Official MotoGP pre-season test at Jerez in Spain with the third fastest time on Suzuki’s GSV-R990 prototype racer. Hopkins improved on his quickest lap from Friday by nearly half a second to record a time of 1:40.418. His lap was over 2.5-seconds faster than his qualifying time during the 2004 Jerez race weekend and comfortably faster than the pole position set by Valentino Rossi at 1:40.818. In warm and sunny conditions, the 21-year-old Anglo-American was able to test many of the latest generation of Bridgestone race tyres at varying track temperatures and was impressed with the results. Kenny Roberts Jr worked on his GSV-R tirelessly throughout the final day’s testing. He fine tuned his suspension and chassis settings and found a rear tyre that will allow him to run fast laps over race distance at the Jerez circuit. Roberts Jr’s fastest time of 1:41.913 was nearly half a second better than his Friday best and confirmed his belief that the GSV-R is getting better with every day’s testing. Team SUZUKI MotoGP now returns to its headquarters in England to prepare for the MotoGP season that begins at Jerez in Spain on April 10th. John Hopkins (1:40.418): “This test has been really good for me and the team. I proved that I can go as fast as anybody on race tyres and we have also showed that we were able to step it up in the rain and run in the top places. The biggest achievement for me this weekend was showing that I could ride as fast as any other rider in the wet. I am now looking forward to racing, I can’t wait!” Tom O’Kane – Kenny Roberts Jr’s Chief Technician: “Kenny’s prime target this weekend was to get the best possible suspension and chassis settings for his GSV-R over a race distance. I believe we have achieved this with some success. Kenny sacrificed the chance of `quick’ laps with qualifying tyres to make sure that the changes we made are the correct ones to take us forward when we race here in two-week’s time.” Howard Plumpton – Operation Manager: “This has been a tough two-weeks with back-to-back tests, but the team has worked really well and is looking in good shape for the racing to begin. The effort that everybody has put in over the winter has really shown this weekend and we hope to show some dramatic improvements on our 2004 results, starting here in two weeks time.” MotoGP Test – Free practice classification: 1. Nicky Hayden (Honda) 1’39.383: 2. Marco Melandri (Honda) 1’40.291: 3 JOHN HOPKINS (TEAM SUZUKI MOTOGP) 1’40.418: 4. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1’40.539: 5. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 1’40.559: 6. Alex Barros (Honda) 1’40.662: 7. Sete Gibernau (Honda) 1’40.669: 8. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) 1’41.284. 9. Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) 1’41.328. 10. Makoto Tamada (Honda) 1’41.380: 14. KENNY ROBERTS JR (TEAM SUZUKI MOTOGP) 1’41.913. More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: IRTA MotoGP test Jerez, Spain. Final day of three day test March 27, 2005. Nicky Hayden top man at final pre-season MotoGP test. The long series of pre-season MotoGP winter test session drew to a close at Jerez, Spain today in fine sunny weather with Nicky Hayden setting the fastest lap time over the three-day test. Repsol Honda factory rider Hayden scorched around the 4.423km Spanish circuit in an astonishing 1:39.983 on his RC211V. He shattered the lap record by almost three seconds with a time of 1:39.983. In past years the young American has not performed at his best in a GP at Jerez but this time round it will be a different story. With Jerez hosting the season opening Spanish GP in two weeks time Hayden goes into the race brimful with justifiable confidence with his RCV and his new technical crew led by Peter Benson. Hayden’s teammate, Max Biaggi so fast at the Barcelona test last week had some difficulty finding the optimum settings to suit his RCV at Jerez on the opening day of the test. These were compounded yesterday by heavy rain and a slow drying track. But the Italian and his technical crew rallied today and managed to achieve some of the objectives they set for the test. Marco Melandri took his Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V second fastest time of the day a superb performance from the young Italian who made the switch to Honda for the 2005 season. Melandri and his crew chief, Fabrizio Cecchini decided upon a step by step policy for winter testing and it has paid off handsomely. The two men have formed a solid partnership over the five months of the close season Cecchini keeping a tight rein on his young charge when necessary but allowing him to express himself when Melandri was comfortable on the 990cc V-5 machine. Melandri ran a race simulation test lapping consistently inside the 1m 42 second mark to rounded off his test as fastest Italian present and would have been faster had he used slightly softer compound tyres. Sete Gibernau, on the second Telefonica MoviStar liveried Honda ran out of time for a race simulation preferring to finish chassis and suspension work on his RCV. Spaniard Gibernau won the GP at Jerez last season and departed for his Barcelona home in confident mood. The Camel Honda team is ready to race at Jerez in two weeks time. Team riders Alex Barros and Troy Bayliss completed their test schedule and both are confident they have found the best possible base settings for their RC211V Hondas. Barros worked on the electronics and just about everything related to the chassis. Suspension and tyre combinations were tested together with various adjustments to the geometry of his RCV before Barros finished his winter preparations. Bayliss ran through a variety of machine settings different to those he used in Friday’s dry session to wrap up his pre-season. Australian Bayliss, a former World Superbike Champion, is in his first season with Honda and has spent the winter adapting to his style to suit the RC211V.His ability and determination to master the Honda have been rewarded. “The next time we get out on track will be for the race. I honestly can’t wait.” He said. Makoto Tamada worked on the front end of his Konica Minolta Honda before running a race simulation test on his RCV. The Japanese rider will race on Michelin tyres for the first time in a GP when the season opens in two weeks time and the winter tests have convinced Tamada he has the pace and the tyres to compete with the fastest exponents of MotoGP racing. Honda rider lap times and quotes. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1:39.983. “This has been a great test for us. The team has worked really hard and I’ve tried my best to do everything they’ve asked of me. I got my best lap today on a qualifier but it’s important to do that at this stage, in less than two weeks I’ll have to do that for real! “I still need to be faster on race set-up and we’ve identified a problem with the third of the four sections of the circuit here, we need to put a bit of work in that area to try and improve for the race in two weeks.” “It’s great to see the guys in the garage smiling, this is the last day of 26 days of winter testing and they’ve done a great job. My own personal performance at Jerez has improved and that’s down to the work Honda has put in and the work Michelin has done over the winter. “I definitely feel the best I’ve felt on the machine and I’m ready to race now. At this level, if you can find that extra little bit from somewhere, it can make all the difference and I really think we’ve gone a long way to finding that this weekend.” Max Biaggi, Repsol Honda: 1:41.431. “This was a really hard weekend. The good bike I had in Barcelona disappeared. Since Friday I carried on new problems until Sunday evening. The settings that were working on all the other tracks here didn’t respond and it’s difficult to know why. I have chattering troubles entering the corners and traction troubles going out like. Anyhow I don’t give up. In this moment, more than ever, I must be strong and work with my team to move towards the best solution.” Makoto Tanaka, Repsol Honda Team Manager: “This test has been very successful for Nicky, his crew arrived with a plan, moved step by step and continued to improve the Repsol RC211V throughout the weekend here at Jerez. Nicky was also in a strong position when it came to using a Michelin qualifying tyre this afternoon and he made full of that with a good lap time. “Max has had a very difficult test and eventually found some direction this afternoon. Max and his crew have had a demanding time here at Jerez but finally they found a good setting and his lap time wasn’t too bad in the end – considering the time lost working on settings and the fact that he did not use a qualifying tyre.” Marco Melandri, Telefonica MoviStar Honda: 1:40.291 93 laps. “This test has been very positive for us we did a lot of good work over the three-days. I ran a race simulation and was able to run in 1m 41s consistently. Maybe I could have been faster if I had used a set of tyres with a softer compound. Michelin gave me some qualifying tyres to test and they were impressive. We have a break before the GP but I can’t wait for the race.” Sete Gibernau, Telefonica MoviStar Honda: 1:40.662 73 laps. “I’m very satisfied with the results of this test, everything went very well for us. The work we have done has given us a very good base set up to start the season. We lost most of yesterday to the rain so it was important to get everything done today. I didn’t have time to run the race simulation that we needed but I have a good set up and I didn’t want to change it just to run a fast lap on qualifying tyres.” Alex Barros, Camel Honda: 1:40.569 – 100 laps. “In these Jerez tests we have really worked hard, especially today when I did over a hundred laps. We have honestly explored every avenue: electronics, front tyres, rear tyres, suspension, various geometric settings and at the end we managed to improve the bike where I wanted. Friday I was very nervous, today meanwhile I was able to ride cleaner, with a used tyre over 15 laps old I did a 1’41 and a half. With the qualifier I rode a 40.5 but I used my spare machine, so I think we can safely say things have gone well.” Ramon Forcada Camel Honda: Alex Barros’s crew chief. “We have done all the work we had scheduled, in the end we found a good solution for the bike’s suspension both on the front and back. We are ready for the race, in the sense that we have a good basis from which to start from, because we mustn’t forget that Jerez is a track that is affected by even the slightest change in weather. After yesterday and today for example, and by yesterday I mean when the track was dry, the conditions were completely different.” Troy Bayliss, Camel Honda: 1:41.529 – 92 laps. “All the tests are now finished, so the next time we get out on track will be for the race. I honestly can’t wait. Compared to the first test we had in Jerez, I rode slower today, but what counts is that during all the tests we have done throughout the winter there has been a constant improvement in my feeling with this bike.” Santiago Mulero Camel Honda: Troy Bayliss’s crew chief. “With a beautiful day today we were able to do some good work. We have tried a variety of settings on the bike, which were completely different to yesterday, and also we tested a lot of different tyre types. By the end, Troy has found a reasonably satisfying set-up and improved his time by half a second compared to Friday.” Luca Montiron – Konica Minolta Honda Team Manager. “This winter has been very hard for us because we had to reorganize the team from zero, but we made it anyway to cover about 3500 kilometers with our bike during the winter testing. This period has been very important to make the team blend together. During this test we didn’t concentrate on a single lap performance but on the understanding of the bike and the new tyres on a race setting. I’m anxiously waiting the first race of the year to clearly understand our potential.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 1:41.380 89 laps. “We are satisfied with the work done during the winter testing and for the setting of the bike we have defined. We consider our selves well equipped to compete in the season and the fact that I have maintained the rhythm of the best riders in all the testing done until now it confirm it. From when I began to compete in the MotoGP World Championship in the 2003 season, this has surely been the winter period where I have achieved the best times, therefore I’m trustful that when we’ll come back here in two weeks we’ll be able to compete with the best teams.” Giulio Bernardelle – Konica Minolta Honda Technical Director “This morning we have tested various regulations on the asset of the front part of the bike by also testing some new front tyres. I can confirm that during all the winter testing we have followed the right direction to find a good setting of the bike and this makes us trustful for the new season. This afternoon we had the possibility to have a race simulation obtaining a good rhythm. Now, after the last two weekend of intense work, we’ll have a weekend of break which will help us to focus on the beginning of the Konica Minolta Honda adventure in the MotoGP 2005 World Championship.”