DUCATI UPS THE PACE AT PHILLIP ISLAND Ducati dominated the second day of testing at Phillip Island both with the qualifying tyres used on the satellite team version of Alex Barros and with race tyres, which were tested today by Loris Capirossi and Casey Stoner while they continued their set-up work on the new GP7 machines. There was satisfaction in the Ducati Marlboro Team camp, both for Loris Capirossi, who successfully tested the new Bridgestones, setting his best time of the day on race tyres, and for Casey Stoner, who completed two ten-lap long-runs at an excellent pace; the Australian used the same tyre each time and recorded the second quickest time of the day in race trim. Tomorrow, the final day of the session before returning to Europe, the Ducati Marlboro Team is scheduled to test new qualifying tyres with both riders and also has in programme a race simulation for Loris Capirossi. The next tests scheduled for the team are in Qatar from 13-15 February. Loris Capirossi (59 laps, best time 1m30.34s): “Today was a positive day. We succeeded in completing the work load both regarding the tyres and the bike set-up. We have now reached a good balance and tomorrow, weather conditions permitting, we’ll do a full race simulation. On this track we have always gone well, and I’m pleased that the GP7 has also shown that it adapts well to this circuit, which is one of my favourites. The new Bridgestone race tyres are a step ahead of the ones we had before here in September for the GP, which were already pretty good. Tomorrow we’ll also be testing the new qualifying tyres”. Casey Stoner (54 laps, best time 1m30.39s): “Today we made a big step forward. Of the two bikes I have available, I prefer one more than the other. We don’t exactly know why, but the feeling is much better even when they have the same set-up. Unfortunately on this bike I had a minor technical problem that lost me a bit of time. After resolving the problem I then began to put in some good laps and I’m really pleased with my time and my pace. The tyres brought here by Bridgestone give a great feeling and are very constant. We’re improving day by day and I’m happy with the progress”. Phillip Island lap record: Marco Melandri (Honda) 2005, 1m30.332s Phillip Island pole record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2006, 1m29.020s Temperature: air 24 / track 20 – 30 C Unofficial times – Wednesday 31 January: Barros (Ducati), 1m30.00s (60 laps) Capirossi (Ducati), 1m30.34s (59) Stoner (Ducati), 1m30.39s (54) Pedrosa (Honda), 1m30.44s (82) Hofmann (Ducati), 1m30.60s (74) Hayden (Honda), 1m30.61s (88) Melandri (Honda), 1m30.74s (86) Checa (Honda), 1m30.84s (100) Vermeulen (Suzuki), 1m31.18s (75) Nakano (Honda), 1m31.35s (89) Elias (Honda), 1m31.51s (90) Roberts Jr. (KR), 1m31.55s (94) Hopkins (Suzuki), 1m31.63s (65) More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing Honda: THE GRESINI HONDA RIDERS IMPROVE THE PACE AT PHILLIP ISLAND Marco Melandri and Toni Elias were back on track today as the second MotoGP test of 2007 resumed at Phillip Island, Australia. The fine weather allowed the Gresini Honda riders to continue the development of the bike. They both improved on the race pace and lap time as they worked on suspensions, chassis and Bridgestone tyre testing. Both Marco and Toni did a great job and completed an impressive 99 laps for the Italian rider, 90 for the Spaniard. In particular, Melandri found a good feeling with the bike from the beginning and a good race pace that allowed him to carry out the tyre testing programme with very positive results. His team mate, Toni Elias, improved his lap time of 6 tenths from yesterday and was more confident. He tested many tyres and found a good solution for his characteristics. MARCO MELANDRI (99 laps, 1.30.70): “I’m quite satisfied. I like the bike and today we focused on tyre testing. We completed an impressive 99 laps. We tested many tyres and now we have decided the line to follow. I didn’t improve too much my lap time on a single lap but the race pace was good. In the morning we started with yesterday setting and I had a good feeling from the beginning, then, during the day, we tested some different set up solutions but we didn’t got the results we wanted, this slowed down the work programme so I couldn’t make further improvements in the lap time. From a physical point, the 800cc is quite demanding as the old 1000, in fact it is faster in the corner but it is has the same weight of the 1000cc”. TONI ELIAS (90 laps, 1.31.40): “This morning we struggled a bit but then we found a good solution that allowed us to make a small step forward. We tested several tyres and found one that is good to my characteristics, this allowed me to improve also my feeling with the bike. Tomorrow we will keep on working in this direction and further improvements are expected. In fact it’s very important to create a good base and find a good compromise for the Honda-Bridgestone package”. UNOFFICIAL LAPTIMES 1. Alex Barros, D’Antin Ducati 1m 30.01s 2. Loris Capirossi, Marlboro Ducati: 1m 30.34s. 3. Casey Stoner, MarlboroDucati: 1m 30.39s. 4. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1m 30.45s. 5. Alex Hofmann, D’Antin Ducati: 1m 30.60s. 6. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1m 30.61s. 7. Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 1m 30.70s. 8. Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 1m 30.84s. 9. Chris Vermeulen, Rizla Suzuki: 1m 31.19s. 10. Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 1m 31.35s. 11. Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 1m 31.40s. 12. Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR212V: 1m 31.55s. 13. John Hopkins, Rizla Suzuki: 1m 31.63s More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Ducati dominate on second test day in Australia MotoGP Testing Day 2/3 – Phillip Island, Australia – Wednesday 31st January After yesterday’s slightly premature end to testing due to a rainy late afternoon, sunny skies welcomed the premier class riders for day two of MotoGP’s first Australian excursion of 2007, where thirteen of the top talents on two wheels continued their adaptation to their brand new 800cc prototypes. Traditionally strong runners at the Phillip Island circuit, Ducati took over on the second day ‘Down Under’, occupying the top three places on the timesheets. Repeating his impressive performance from yesterday, Alex Barros topped the board with a 1’30.01 lap. The Brazilian, who makes his return to MotoGP after a year away, was also a frontrunner last week in Sepang on the Bridgestone-shod Desmosedici GP7, and today undertook a race simulation. Factory Ducati riders Loris Capirossi and Casey Stoner occupied the second and third spots, with the former just over three tenths of a second slower than the flying Barros. At his home track, Stoner put in his fastest ride of the year so far, just five hundredths of a second off his veteran team-mate Capirossi. The fastest Honda of the day was Dani Pedrosa, working on the set-up of the RC212V. The Spaniard was trailed by Alex Hofmann, who made it four Ducati riders in the top five. Still on the mend after shoulder surgery at the end of 2006, World Champion Nicky Hayden was just a thousandth of a second behind Hofmann, on a bike that the American notes will have to have its geometry changed for his slightly larger frame. Honda will certainly have enough data to help with this development, after Hayden yesterday undertook 81 laps of the track and had an uninterrupted session on day two. Honda satellite riders Marco Melandri and Carlos Checa were within a second of the fastest lap of the day, ahead of Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen at his home circuit. The GSV-R800 has not had as much success at Phillip Island as in Sepang, but with another session to go and riders Vermeulen and John Hopkins both looking for solutions, there is little reason for panic in the Suzuki garage. All riders who tested yesterday were back on track, with four teams skipping the Australian test. The Factory Yamaha team, alongside their Tech 3 satellite, chose against a visit to Phillip Island and will next be in action at the second Sepang Test. Kawasaki likewise will return for the Malaysian visit, whilst Ilmor have also been absent from this week’s sessions. Phillip Island Test Day Two Unofficial Times 1.Alex Barros – Pramac d’Antin 1’30.01 2. Loris Capirossi – Ducati MotoGP 1’30.34 3. Casey Stoner- Ducati MotoGP 1’30.39 4. Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda 1’30.45 5. Alex Hofmann – Pramac d’Antin 1’30.60 6. Nicky Hayden – Repsol Honda 1’30.61 7. Marco Melandri – Gresini Honda 1’30.74 8. Carlos Checa – Honda LCR 1’30.84 9. Chris Vermeulen – Rizla Suzuki 1’31.19 10. Shinya Nakano – Konica Minolta 1’31.35 11. Kenny Roberts JR – Team Roberts 1’31.55 12. John Hopkins – Rizla Suzuki 1’31.65 More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: MotoGP test Phillip Island, Australia. Day two day of three-day test January 31, 2007. Fruitful day for Honda MotoGP riders on day two of Phillip Island test The Honda RC212V riders today put the second day of the three-day MotoGP test at Phillip Island, Australia to good use as they continue their preparations for the 18-round world championship series that begins with the Qatar GP on March 10. In bright sunshine greeted the riders as they arrived at the 4.448 km circuit to begin an arduous day gathering and evaluating technical data from the all-new for 2007 RCV 800cc four-cylinder machines they will campaign this season. All seven Honda powered riders put in marathon stints of between 82 laps, put in by Dani Pedrosa, and the 100 laps from Carlos Checa. Despite his relatively modest 82 laps Repsol Honda factory rider Pedrosa was the fastest Honda man on the day. The former three-time world champion in the smaller capacity classes continued working on the chassis and suspension plus adjustments to the engine electronic mapping before moving on to tyre testing with Michelin. Thee young Spaniard ended the day with a best lap time of 1m 30.45s 0.84 seconds faster than his best time of yesterday. World Champion Nicky Hayden just failed to equal the time set by his Repsol Honda team-mate ending his day 0.57 seconds adrift of Pedrosa. The Champion had continued working on overall machine balance evaluating various changes to the geometry of his RCV in combination with several different Michelin tyres. Hayden improved but the front end of his RCV still needs work to eradicate front wheel ‘Pushing’ in the fast corners. The Gresini Honda riders dedicated their day to tyre testing for Bridgestone. Marco Melandri running 99 laps testing a range of tyres in a bid to decide the best direction for developing a winning combination of tyres, suspension and chassis. Single lap times showed no significant improvement but Melandri established a fast consistent race pace. Toni Elias, on the second Gresini Honda, got off to a slow start but once he found a set of Bridgestone tyres to suit his riding style the Spaniard made a step forward. The tyres and refined setting adjustments gave Elias improved feeling for the RCV and more feed back for the Gresini technicians to work with Spaniard Carlos Checa continued his successful start to his debut season with Honda four-stroke power. At 34 Checa is the elder statesman among the Honda riders but the near veteran has retained his enthusiasm for racing and his ability to provide precise assessments of machine performance for his technical crew to work with. Working on chassis and suspension settings to suit the 4.448 km track the team found a good base line that allowed Checa to ride comfortably the Spaniard eventually completed 100 consistently fast laps the best at 1m 30.84s, a full second faster than on the opening day of the test. The Spaniard had a lucky escape when struck by a seagull while travelling at 210 km/h. Checa, he was unhurt in the incident. Konica Minolta Honda rider Shinya Nakano abandoned yesterdays test session due to illness but returned to the track today and put in 89 hard laps. Team technicians trying to gauge the effect various front suspension changes brought to bear and how sensitive Nakano was to the changes. Nakano improved on his best time of yesterday by 0.875 seconds. Team Roberts concentrated on trying to improve grip on the exit from the fast corners at Phillip Island. Team rider Kenny Roberts Jnr bettered the best lap time he set yesterday by almost half a second but the team still have work to do to perfect fast corner exit. Honda rider quotes and lap times. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1m 30.61s – 91 laps “We went quite a bit faster today which is good, and we got through a lot of options and settings. We’re working on the balance of the bike which we haven’t got quite right yet, especially in the fast corners. We improved our pace, though there’s the same basic issue where the bike isn’t quite turning as I’d like it to and it pushes the front a little. Still, we got a lot of data today so the guys will put their heads together tonight and figure out some more improvements for tomorrow.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1m 30.45s – 82 laps “The weather was good to us today and we got through a lot of testing, including chassis and suspension adjustments, plus some engine settings work. As well as that we did some more tyre testing with Michelin, which was positive. We made some good progress especially towards the end of the day and the lap time is not so bad. Now we have to analyse the data we collected today and work on going quicker still on the last day tomorrow. Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 1m 30.70s 99 laps. “I’m quite satisfied. I like the bike and today we focused on tyre testing. We completed an impressive 99 laps. We tested many tyres and now we have decided the line to follow. I didn’t improve too much my lap time on a single lap but the race pace was good. In the morning we started with yesterday setting and I had a good feeling from the beginning, then, during the day, we tested some different set up solutions but we didn’t got the results we wanted, this slowed down the work programme so I couldn’t make further improvements in the lap time. From a physical point, the 800cc is quite demanding asthe old 1000, in fact it is faster in the corner but it is has the same weight of the 1000cc”. Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 1m 31.40s – 90 laps. “This morning we struggled a bit but then we found a good solution that allowed us to make a small step forward. We tested several tyres and found one that is good to my characteristics, this allowed me to improve also my feeling with the bike. Tomorrow we will keep on working in this direction and further improvements are expected. In fact it’s very important to create a good base and find a good compromise for the Honda- Bridgestone package”. Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 1m 30.84s 100 laps. “Today was much better! We worked to adjust the chassis and the suspensions setting to this track and we found a good base. In fact today I lapped constantly with a good pace improving my lap time of one second. We tested some Michelin tyres with pretty good results and now I feel more comfortable on the bike. I can easily say that the things are going in the right way and tomorrow we will focus on the engine adjustment and the electronic parts. These two day were pretty productive for us but the sad part regards the impact I had with a sea gull along the track this morning. It hit the wind screen of my bike and also my arm when I was 210kmh of speed. I couldn’t’ avoid it!”. Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 1m 31.355s 89 laps. “I’m very sorry for the team that I was not 100% fit yesterday and that I was not able to cover so many laps. Today I feel so much better and having been able to cover many more laps we have obtained lots of information that has led us to a finer set-up on the new Honda RC212V. Today we started to test the new Michelin front tyres and tomorrow this hard work will continue with some new rear tyres to find a good balance for the bike. I’m very happy about today’s work, even if I know I’m far from my best lap time at this early stage in testing. The important thing is that at the moment my feeling with the bike is getting better and better and the communication with the staff in the team is improving daily and getting easier and easier. This is vital, as in testing it’s not just the bike being developed, but the relationship in the team. At the moment, we are trying to make a good solid foundation for what we all know will be a fruitful collaboration for the future.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR212V: 1m 31.55s 94 laps. “We improved setting-wise and lowered our lap time by half a second or so today. We were working on exit grip at four or five points on the track -and we’ll try and improve that tonight. If we can do that we should make up another half-second. We also tried to get through some tyre testing with Michelin. Everything was pretty standard today – it was a little bit windy but it was fine other than that – nothing too special today.” Unofficial lap times. 1. Alex Barros, D’Antin Ducati: 1m 30.01s – 54 laps 2. Loris Capirossi, Ducati Marlboro Team: 1m 30.34s 59 laps. 3. Casey Stoner, Ducati Marlboro: 1m 30.39s 54 laps. 4. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1m 30.45s 82 laps. 5. Alex Hofmann, D’Antin Ducati:1m 30.60s 74 laps. 6. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1m 30.61s 91 laps. 7. Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 1m 30.74s 99 laps. 8. Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 1m 30.84s – 100 laps. 9. Chris Vermeulen, Rizla Suzuki: 1m 31.18s 75 laps. 10. Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 1m 31.35s 89 laps. 11. Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 1m 31.51s 90 laps. 12. Kenny Roberts Jnr, Team Roberts: 1m 31.55s 94 laps. 13. John Hopkins, Rizla Suzuki: 1m 31.63s 65 laps.