From a press release issued by Honda Racing:

ROSSI LEADS THE WAY IN SUZUKA TEST

World Champion Valentino Rossi led the way in the final test session of the season before the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on Sunday. The Italian, riding the RC 211V Repsol Honda, fought off the challenge of the new Camel Pramac Honda Pons pairing of Tohru Ukawa and Max Biaggi in the two day test which ended at the Suzuka circuit today, (Monday).

Ukawa crashed late in the session but will be fit to compete in the first practice session on Friday morning. Just over one second separated the first ten riders with less than two tenths of one second between Rossi and Ukawa.

Spaniard Sete Gibernau was fifth fastest, one place in front of his Telefonica Movistar Honda team-mate Daijiro Kato who has won four 250cc Japanese Grands Prix. Rossi’s team-mate Nicky Hayden put in two days of good testing to finally finish 12th fastest, one place behind the Pramac RC211V Honda of Makoto Tamada.

Quotes

Valentino Rossi:
“I’m happy after the two days of test here. We’ve been concentrating on a good race set-up and I’m satisfied with the results. This will be a very hard year for everybody because there are so many riders who will want to fight for the win. I think it will be a great season for everyone who loves racing. Every race will be a battle. We have a couple of days rest here in Japan and after that we go – we are ready for the season”!

Nicky Hayden:
“I’ve had an enjoyable couple of days here. If I think back to my first experience on the 5-cylinder RC211V here at Suzuka at the back end of last year I’m happy because I’ve knocked a load of time off the laps and I’m feeling so much more comfortable and confident on the bike. The team’s working well and I’m feeling really positive about my first MotoGP race.”

Tohru Ukawa:
“I am very happy with the lap times I have set here in training as I have improved considerably on yesterday’s times. I think we are ready to be competitive right from the start of the championship and I hope not to have any physical after-effects from the crash I suffered this afternoon. My hand and leg are sore, but doctors have told me I can race and I will do everything possible to start the World Championship with a good result”.

Max Biaggi:
“We still have not fixed the problem which has been hindering our progress all preseason, although I hope to find a solution before the race. There are six or seven riders who are very close and we must continue to work to be competitive. I hope to make a good start in the Championship, although so far I have given my all and we have got the maximum performance out of the material we have. From now on we will continue to work along these lines and, if possible, test some new parts to improve the bike which, in its base form, is very good although it has a margin for improvement which we must exploit to the maximum.”

Daijiro Kato:
“I would say that I’m about seventy percent happy with my work at this test at Suzuka. The time I did was okay, but I feel I could have done much better. The setting I have doesn’t need to be changed too much, but it will still require some slight adjustments during the qualifying sessions to have a good race. I love riding at this Suzuka circuit, and have been successful here in the past, but there isn’t any added pressure for me to ride here, I enjoy it and will do what I always do and hope that this pleases all my fans who come this weekend. I found the new corners hard to get used to because I know the circuit so well, but I am picking up a rhythm now, and I am very positive that I can go out there and win the first race of 2003.”

Sete Gibernau:
“We are definitely doing the job, and we are on schedule for what we need to do. It is a case of going through certain things that are a requirement, and so it is important for us to be patient. I have shown already that I can do my job as a rider, and now we are going through the steps which will allow us to challenge at the front. We are working at a very good pace, and I am still getting used to the Honda, but what is positive for us is the consistency we are showing. I tried an endurance test this afternoon, which I’m not sure if other riders did as they searched for fast times. I had a good rhythm and set regularly fast times which makes me happy, because I know that there is lots more to come of my partnership between myself, the team and the bike. We know it will be a tough season with its ups and downs, but everything is in place for it to be good for us all.”

Makoto Tamada:
“The right set-up for my Honda is what we perfected this afternoon, so I’m very pleased about all the work we’ve done. As far as the tyres are concerned, I tried various sizes at the front and we’ll have a number of types to choose from for the race. I worked really hard to complete all the work we’d planned and, looking at today’s results, I’m confident about the race. We may have to do some more endurance tests but we’ve still got some time left to tweak things here and there before the green light comes on for the 2003 MotoGP.”

LapTimes
Suzuka Testing

Valentino Rossi
Sunday time 2:05.080 63 laps
Monday time 2:04.170 66 laps

Nicky Hayden
Sunday time 2:06.704 76 laps
Monday time 2:05.393 76 laps

Tohru Ukawa
Sunday time 2:06.383
Monday time 2:04.359

Max Biaggi
Sunday time 2:05.293
Monday time 2:04.567

Daijiro Kato
Sunday time 2:05.397
Monday time 2:04.629

Sete Gibernau
Sunday time 2:05.397
Monday time 2:04.616

Makoto Tamada
Monday time 2:05.309


More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

MotoGP pre-season IRTA Tests
Monday 31 March 2003 (day 2 of 2)
Suzuka, Japan

CHECA AND MELANDRI READY TO RACE AT SUZUKA

Fortuna Yamaha Team riders Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri today completed their final day of pre-season testing, ending the two day session ninth and 13th fastest. The pair spent the weekend continuing to fine tune the set up of their Yamaha YZR-M1s before the fast approaching season’s start. The surprising fine weather lasted throughout the test, although rain is forecast for this weekend’s inaugural Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.

Despite a slow start yesterday when the testing of some new electronic components lost Checa track time, the Spaniard was back to his old form in this afternoon’s exciting closing stages as just under a second separated the fastest ten riders. Today he tested a new, more aerodynamic fairing for his M1 for the first time and felt immediate benefits, saving his best for later in the day.

“I felt much more comfortable today,” said Checa. “We’ve been working as usual on set up these two days. We lost the way a little bit at the Barcelona test two weeks ago but now we have recovered a good feeling, though we still have room to improve the bike.”

Commenting on the wet weather prediction for this weekend the Spaniard said, “I will take my conclusions from today and wait and see. For sure it’s going to be a very close race as the lap times at this test have been so quick and so many riders are capable of doing a good race.”

Melandri was also in good spirits at the conclusion of today’s test, “Today is my best day of MotoGP so far! This circuit is definitely more difficult than Barcelona on the M1. I have improved a lot today and I hope I can improve even more in the two qualifying sessions this weekend. I have a feeling I can do better anyway in the race than during qualifying. I like the new part of the track, well anyway I like the first part of the new chicane but not the exit. But I think it’s more safe than before.”

Team Director Davide Brivio added: “We introduced some new parts at this test, including some electrical components. We had to spend a while to set them up properly which caused us to lose some time. By the end we found a good direction for both Carlos and Marco, which showed as their times improved this afternoon. We still have Friday and Saturday’s qualifying sessions, and then it’s the race that counts. We will see how things really are on Sunday. Let’s hope that rain does not make all the work fruitless.”

The Fortuna Yamaha Team riders and the other MotoGP riders will commence practice and qualifying this Friday. Sunday’s Grand Prix will be the first of the 16 round championship.

Please find below the official combined MotoGP results from the two day Suzuka IRTA test:

1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Repsol Honda 2:04.170

2. Tohru Ukawa (JPN) Camel Pramac Pons 2:04.359

3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Camel Pramac Pons 2:04.567

4. Alex Barros (BRA) Gauloises Yamaha Team 2:04.605

5. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Telefonica Movistar Honda 2:04.616

6. Daijiro Kato (JPN) Telefonica Movistar Honda 2:04.629

7. Colin Edwards (USA) Alice Aprilia Racing 2:04.846

8. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team 2:04.889

9. CARLOS CHECA (SPA) FORTUNA YAMAHA TEAM 2:04.908

10. Noriyuki Haga (JPN) Alice Aprilia Racing 2:05.193

13. MARCO MELANDRI (ITA) FORTUNA YAMAHA TEAM 2:05.431



More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

TWO DAYS OF MOTOGP TESTS COMPLETED AT SUZUKA.

The Ducati Marlboro Team ended its two Suzuka test days positively by perfecting its set-up of the Desmosedici for this demanding Japanese track.

With weather conditions more or less the same as yesterday (slightly overcast and a temperature of 14°C) both riders continued to perfect set-up in readiness for the first GP, to be held next Sunday. The leading nine riders are all grouped within a second of each other (as today’s times confirm), so we can expect to see an exciting, hard-fought race.

Loris Capirossi (50 laps and the best with 2:04.889) continued to focus his efforts on the front end. In the morning he slid off at the third curve, avoiding injury but damaging one of his two bikes. Undeterred, the rider from Borgo Rivola carried on testing in the afternoon with the spare bike, completing a series of laps in quick succession and achieving good times.

“Luckily, the fall didn’t really have any effect on the day’s progress”, said Loris at the end of the test session. “I’m very pleased with what we’ve achieved over the last couple of days. I never really pushed it, yet I was always close to the leaders. The Desmosedici is running smoothly and pre-race preparation is going well.”

Troy Bayliss (73 laps, 2:06.272) made the most of the opportunity to learn this difficult circuit– one that, until yesterday, he’d never ridden before.

“Being here for these two test days has been a great help. The circuit’s a demanding one and there are plenty of riders who know it really well. If we hadn’t done these tests my debut in MotoGP would have been a lot trickier. Yet today I’ve already improved on yesterday’s time by a second – a sure sign that I’m getting to grips with this track. We’ve worked hard on suspension set-up and choice of tyres and gathered plenty of data that’ll be useful next weekend.”

Tomorrow, the Ducati Marlboro Team riders will travel to Tokyo where they will attend a meeting with the Japanese press, to be held at the Italian Embassy.



More, from a press release issued by John Hopkins’ publicist, Larry Lawrence:

Hopkins facing challenges as 2003 Motorcycle Grand Prix season begins

SUZUKA, Japan (March 31, 2003) – Factory Suzuki Grand Prix rider John Hopkins completed the final round of pre-season testing in Suzuka, Japan, today in preparation for the kick off of the 2003 world championship season on April 6 at the Suzuka Circuit. The testing did not go as well as Hopkins would have hoped, but despite being down on the final test time results, he feels like there was progress made with the team’s redesigned GSV-R.

“The first day of the test we had a lot of little nagging problems that kept us from really getting in a lot of laps,” Hopkins said. “Today I got a good number of laps in, but with the new chassis, I needed to come into the pits a lot so the team could make adjustments. They probably went through at least 10 major settings changes during the course of the day. We’re definitely still in the early stages of development of the bike, which will continue into the season. The new chassis enabled me to hold better lines through the corners, so the team is making progress even though the times didn’t necessarily show it.”

Another challenge facing Hopkins is learning the highly technical Suzuka Circuit.

“Most of the riders here have a lot of experience at Suzuka,” explained Hopkins, who qualified 18th and finished 12th at the circuit last year. “I raced here once before and a lot of these guys have raced here many times, including the Eight Hour, so I’m still learning something every time I make a lap here.”

Hopkins feels his preparation and training during the off-season have put him in the best shape of his life. His training regime included hours at the gym and on the motocross practice track each week. He feels confident that Suzuki will continue to improve the GSV-R and that he’ll be running at or near the front at some point this season.

Having former world champion Kenny Roberts, Jr. as a teammate has been a big boost to 19-year-old Hopkins.

“Kenny is a great teammate,” Hopkins says. “He’s already passed on so much knowledge to me. It’s great because we share information freely with each other and that teamwork should really help us develop the bike more quickly.”

It’s no secret that Hopkins and Kenny’s little brother Kurtis Roberts were not best of friends after several controversial run ins during heated AMA Supersport battles a few years back. When asked if that subject was ever brought up with Kenny, Hopkins replied.

“Yeah, we talked about it,” Hopkins smiled. “Kenny just laughed and told me that Kurtis got on his nerves sometimes too.”

Hopkins said that he and his chief mechanic Stuart Shenton would spend the next few days analyzing the data obtained in the most recent test. Hopkins and girlfriend Desiree will try to take in some sights around Suzuka in the next few days as well.

“Suzuki gave us a Burgman scooter,” Hopkins said. “Those things are deluxe! It’s a great way to get around here. Suzuka is not that big of a city, but there is a shopping mall here so we’ll check that out and maybe if the weather is good just do some touring around on the Burgman.”


More, from a press release issued by Pramac Honda:

Pramac Honda Team Press Information

Suzuka (Japan) IRTA Tests – 30/31 March 2003
Monday 31 March

Successful second day of tests for Makoto Tamada, who makes eleventh overall place.



Pramac Honda Team’s gifted Japanese rider ended the two days of tests leading up to the championship with eleventh quickest time. A very honourable result considering that Tamada never used qualifying tyres. The two days of tests, always in race configuration, thus enabled Makoto and the technicians of the team and from Bridgestone to prepare for next Sunday’s race in the best possible way. Right from the practice session in the morning, Makoto started making considerable improvements over yesterday and achieved 7th best time. Then in the afternoon he improved his performance even further and ended up with 2:05.309, which made him eleventh overall in the IRTA tests. The data collected during these two days of tests thus make it possible to look forward to next Sunday with optimism: the materials from Bridgestone have proved to be competitive and Tamada’s untiring efforts made it possible to get through an enormous amount of work.

The next time out on track, again here in Suzuka, will be on 4 April for the first tests leading up to the Japan Grand Prix.

Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda Team): 11th – 2:05.309

“The right set-up for my Honda is what we perfected this afternoon, so I’m very pleased about all the work we’ve done. As far as the tyres are concerned, I tried various sizes at the front and we’ll have a number of types to choose from for the race. I worked really hard to complete all the work we’d planned and, looking at today’s results, I’m confident about the race. We may have to do some more endurance tests but we’ve still got some time left to tweak things here and there before the green light comes on for the 2003 MotoGP.”