Friday Afternoon MotoGP Practice Times: 1. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:30.728 2. Marco MELANDRI, Honda, 1:30.748 3. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:30.768 4. Troy BAYLISS, Honda, 1:30.839 5. Colin EDWARDS, Yamaha, 1:30.843 6. Carlos CHECA, Ducati, 1:30.854 7. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:30.897 8. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:30.912 9. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:31.327 10. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:31.424 11. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:31.680 12. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:31.965 13. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:31.989 14. Kenny Lee ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:32.148 15. Toni ELIAS, Yamaha, 1:32.198 16. Roberto ROLFO, Yamaha, 1:32.531 17. Ruben XAUS, Yamaha, 1:32.567 18. Shane BYRNE, Proton, 1:32.741 19. James ELLISON, Blata, 1:34.143 20. Franco BATTAINI, Blata, 1:35.026 21. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:39.586 Friday’s Combined MotoGP Practice Times: 1. Colin EDWARDS, Yamaha, 1:29.960 2. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:29.985 3. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:30.098 4. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:30.118 5. Marco MELANDRI, Honda, 1:30.308 6. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:30.398 7. Kenny Lee ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:30.494 8. Troy BAYLISS, Honda, 1:30.561 9. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:30.580 10. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:30.597 11. Carlos CHECA, Ducati, 1:30.854 12. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:31.327 13. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:31.680 14. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:31.860 15. Toni ELIAS, Yamaha, 1:31.904 16. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:31.989 17. Roberto ROLFO, Ducati, 1:32.492 18. Ruben XAUS, Yamaha, 1:32.561 19. Shane BYRNE, Proton, 1:32.741 20. James ELLISON, Blata, 1:34.143 21. Franco BATTAINI, Blata, 1:34.268 More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: NAKANO AND HOFMANN STRUGGLE FOR GRIP AT COOL DONINGTON Kawasaki riders Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann struggled to come to grips with a day of dismal summer weather, and the Donington circuit, in today’s opening free practice sessions. Cool and heavily overcast conditions dominated proceedings, with the afternoon practice session interrupted by rain showers that restricted track time. This has left Kawasaki technicians with a number of set-up issues to solve during tomorrow’s final day of practice and qualifying in advance of Sunday’s 30-lap race. Improving rear grip and tyre endurance on the Ninja ZX-RR for the unique, two-part layout of the four-kilometre Donington circuit is the primary focus. Other areas of interest are engine brake settings for Donington’s combination of fast flowing sections and three dead-stop hairpins turns, plus the chassis and suspension balance to cope with these conditions. Both Nakano and Hofmann spent much of the afternoon session in the garage as rain showers made conditions slippery. However, both riders were able to improve their times from the morning session, in which an ideal set-up and tyre grip proved elusive for both Nakano and Hofmann. Hofmann ended the day 13th fastest overall while Nakano was just 0.3s slower in 16th place. Both riders and technicians are hoping for a day of stable weather for tomorrow’s practice and qualifying sessions to make up for lost time. Alex Hofmann: #66 – Thirteen – 1’31.680 “Another enjoyable day of typical English weather! In any case it was as an important day, because we struggled at this track last year and it was important to gather information. We still have a lot of things to try to make sure we have a set-up that will allow 30 fast laps on Sunday – there are no points for being able to do just a couple of quick laps. We need a dry day tomorrow to find better rear grip and balance.” Shinya Nakano: # 56 – Sixteen – 1’31.989 “The weather was very strange today, it wasn’t completely wet or dry in the afternoon and this made it difficult to find an ideal set-up. The bike was much better in the afternoon, but I am still looking for more rear grip, I have a lot of spinning, and also our engine brake settings are still not perfect here. But the Ninja ZX-RR is much better in the final slow part of the track than last year, so we are making progress. We still have a lot to do tomorrow, I hope the weather is much better.” Ichiro Yoda: Technical Director “Rear grip and race tyre endurance is our main consideration. The right side of the tyre carries a heavy load here and we lost a lot of set-up time this afternoon to evaluate tyres, chassis and engine settings for the race. We have a lot of work to do to find an ideal set-up for 30 laps at this track.” More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Yamaha: GAULOISES YAMAHA RIDERS SET PACE AT GLOOMY DONINGTON Gauloises Yamaha Team riders Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi set the pace on the opening day of the British Grand Prix under damp grey skies at Donington Park today. Edwards and Rossi were first and second fastest respectively in the morning session and their best times remained unbeaten in the afternoon as light rainfall interrupted the second free practice. Arriving in Great Britain on the back of consecutive podium finishes at Assen and Laguna Seca, Edwards was quickly on the pace this morning and was the only rider able to beat his own lap record of 1’29.973 – set on his way to second place behind Rossi during last year’s race. Using the same base set-up that has propelled him to the lead positions over the past two races, Edwards made minor adjustments to his YZR-M1 machine before clocking a best time of 1’29.960 after 27 laps of the morning session. The American had planned to test a variety of tyre compounds in the afternoon but was thwarted by a brief shower that made track conditions extremely slippery and led to a crash for Nicky Hayden (Honda). The rain also affected Rossi’s programme as the Italian missed out on the opportunity to make further adjustments to his own base setting. The Italian lapped just 0.025 seconds slower than his team-mate but was not entirely comfortable and was hoping for more track time in dry conditions during the afternoon. COLIN EDWARDS (1st; 1’29.960 33 laps) “The bike has become better and better over the past few weeks so the aim today was to continue along that line. I felt comfortable from the first lap and when I came in and saw the lap times I was doing I decided to put my head down for a couple of laps and see what I was capable of. To break the lap record in first practice obviously gives you a lot of confidence, but the main thing that is giving me confidence right now is the performance of my bike and the way I am working with all of the guys in the team. To be considered as a serious challenger to Valentino you have to make the top three on a very consistent basis so that is what we are trying to do. Obviously I know this track well and I’ve spent a lot of time working in England in the past so I’m getting an extra push from the fans. The only thing I don’t like here is the weather”¦ and the food!” VALENTINO ROSSI (2nd; 1’29.985 36 laps) “We lost the practice this afternoon because it was half wet and half dry. It is a shame because that was an important time to work on the set-up of the bike and get the machine to work at this circuit. I was in London last Sunday and the weather was very hot but the temperature has dropped by about 10ºC in the last two days and they are saying it could get worse. It’s disappointing because this track is great and it would be good to race here in the dry. The M1 does go well in the wet as well though anyway. To be honest the bike felt a little nervous in these conditions and especially this morning it was difficult to get the tyres up to the right temperature. However, I am satisfied to be second even though we haven’t learned much today.” JEREMY BURGESS ROSSI’S CREW CHIEF “This afternoon the conditions made it a bit of a waste of time for us but both Yamahas were quick in the morning so essentially we know the bike is okay. This track is split into two very different sections but you can never make up time in slow corners so our focus is to set the bike up to work as well as possible through the fast ones, in particular from Redgate through Craner Curves. The question mark is over the weather and choosing the right tyre at the right time. As I say, today was pretty useless for that because everybody went faster in the morning than they did in the afternoon.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Rain clouds overshadow first day at Donington Park The opening day of the betandwin.com British Grand Prix was interrupted by rain today as the clouds hovering above the Donington Park circuit eventually gave way to light showers during this afternoon’s second free practice session. Whilst Alex Barros was leading the time sheets at that point, the fastest time of the day went to Colin Edwards, who had been the only rider to dip beneath his own lap record in the morning’s first practice. Flying high on the confidence of consecutive podiums in the last two races, Edwards is now targeting his first ever MotoGP victory in front of a supportive British crowd. “I finished third at Assen and second at Laguna Seca so I’m guessing it must be time for a first!” smiled the American. “I like Donington, I always get along with it and it’s been one of my favourite tracks for a long time. I’ve spent a lot of time working in England in the past so I’m getting an extra push from the fans. The bike has gotten better and better over the past few weeks so the aim today was to continue along that line. I felt comfortable from the first lap and when I came in and saw the lap times I was doing I decided to put my head down for a couple of laps and see what I was capable of.” Edwards’ Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi was second fastest today, just 0.025 seconds down on the American’s best lap of 1’29.960 at a circuit where he has celebrated victory on four of his last five visits. John Hopkins completed the hypothetical front row in third place riding the Suzuki, although grid positions will not be decided until tomorrow’s single qualifying practice session, which takes place at 14.00h BST. Despite setting the fastest time in the afternoon, Barros was unable to improve on his own best effort from the morning and ended the day fourth fastest on the combined time sheets. The Brazilian, who is suffering from slight back pain after his crash on the opening lap of the race at Laguna Seca in the last round, is making his 250th Grand Prix appearance this weekend and is searching for his fourth podium finish at this circuit. Marco Melandri was involved in the collision with Barros that saw both riders end up in the gravel two weeks ago but the Italian returned to form with the fifth fastest time of the day at a circuit that lies just two kilometres from his adopted home village. Melandri was just 0.060 seconds faster than his Honda team-mate Sete Gibernau, with the Spaniard followed by Kenny Roberts, Troy Bayliss, Nicky Hayden and Loris Capirossi all separated by less than a tenth of a second each. Hayden was literally brought back down to earth after the joy of his debut win at Laguna Seca two weeks ago when he was caught out by the afternoon rain and crashed. The American escaped uninjured, as did fellow crashers Roberto Rolfo, Carlos Checa, Makoto Tamada and Rubén Xaus, who all tumbled out during the morning practice. Jorge Lorenzo set provisional pole position for the 250cc race on his first ever visit to Donington Park on a quarter-litre machine, overshadowing the performance of last year’s pole man Alex de Angelis. Hiroshi Aoyama and Dani Pedrosa completed the front row after a crash in qualifying saw Casey Stoner drop to fifth. Pedrosa had also crashed in the morning session but escaped unhurt as he prepares to defend a 37-point lead over the Australian in the championship. Whilst Stoner is aiming to grab the headlines from Pedrosa this weekend, most eyes during today’s 250cc action were on his compatriot Anthony West, who rode the new quarter-litre KTM for the first time. The Austrian factory machine made a belated but impressive debut, with West able to clock up a total of 43 laps and qualify 15th fastest in a field of 32 riders. It was a good day all round for KTM as their rider Mika Kallio took provisional pole position for the 125cc race. Kallio was joined on the front row by his team-mate Gabor Talmacsi, with the Finn and the Hungarian sandwiching Thomas Lüthi and Mattia Pasini. Talmacsi and Pasini are currently joint leaders of the series, with Lüthi and Kallio trailing by 11 and 18 points respectively. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Superb first day at Donington for Team SUZUKI MotoGP Team SUZUKI MotoGP racers John Hopkins and Kenny Roberts Jr both had their best first day results of the season at the betandwin.com British Grand Prix from Donington Park in England. Hopkins (1’30.089, 36 laps) finished in third place overall with team-mate Roberts Jr (1’30.494, 34 laps) close behind in seventh. Both racers set their quickest times in this morning’s free practice session which was held in cool but dry conditions. None of the top-ten riders were able to better their times this afternoon as the second session was marred by fine rain that left the track surface very greasy. Yamaha’s Colin Edwards set today’s fastest time with World Champion Valentino Rossi second. Team SUZUKI MotoGP will have another practice session tomorrow morning followed by an hour of qualifying in the afternoon. Sundays’ race will be round nine of the MotoGP World Championship and gets underway at 15.30 local time (16.30CET). John Hopkins: “Basically I’ve had a pretty decent day. We’ve been trying to run through some tyres and find what we’re going to use as a race tyre. We are still a bit in-between tyres at the moment and I think we need it to be either a little bit hotter or a little bit colder – but we’ll see how it goes. “We ended up alright on the day and it feels good to be at my ‘home away from home’ GP and to get back on track. I really enjoy Donington, I would say it’s probably one of my favourites because everything is just really flowing. I enjoy it a lot, so hopefully we can continue progressing and get that top-five finish we’ve always wanted.” Kenny Roberts Jr: “In the second session our timing was off. When it was dry we were inside and when it was misting we were outside. We were kind of unlucky with the circumstances not to be able to make some changes to the GSV-R and see if they were the correct way or not. But it looks like it’s going to be wet tomorrow and possibly for Sunday. We should have a good wet base and hopefully the Bridgestone tyres will work as well as they did the last time we had a wet race, and we should be competitive. This morning the bike was not so bad and we were in the top-ten and hopefully this weekend we will have a little bit of luck in our direction. Paul Denning Team Manager: “Despite the great British Summer, Team SUZUKI MotoGP has had a good day at Donington Park with John and Kenny both running competitively and John putting the Suzuki GSV-R in the top-three overall. “Bridgestone has worked hard again this weekend to bring new development tyres which we hope will enable us to be consistent over the race distance. Because of the disruption from the weather in the second session we haven’t been able to verify which one of the compounds will take us the race distance and give us enough grip, but we have another session tomorrow to work on that. “Both riders seem to enjoy the circuit and for John it is his second home Grand Prix in succession. He seems to be going as hard if not harder than he did at Laguna! “It’s great to be supported this weekend by former World Champion Kevin Schwantz, who pretty much owned this circuit in the early nineties and also by Mr Imada, Head of Suzuki Racing Department. Hopefully with their additional support this weekend we will turn in a decent result.” More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda: GOOD START FOR CAMEL HONDA IN DONINGTON There were variable weather conditions today at Donington especially in the second of today’s two MotoGP free practices, which forced the riders to spend long stints in the pits whilst a fine rain washed intermittently across the track. Alex Barros and Troy Bayliss were however capable of making the most of the dreary conditions and the damp track, setting the first and third fastest times respectively in the afternoon session, even though they were unable to make a dent in the times set during the dry morning practice. In the combined classification they took the fourth and eighth fastest times, just hundredths of a second outside the fastest riders. All in all a good start for the Camel Honda team. Sito Pons Camel Honda “As a first day of practice goes, I would say we are rather well positioned, with Alex and Troy very quick this afternoon when the track conditions weren’t easy, and also had a good rhythm in the morning when riding was more normal. In any case, tomorrow is what counts, because whether it’s wet or dry we need to work hard to be quick in the afternoon. We still have some testing to do, but overall we’re in a good spot.” Alex Barros Camel Honda 1’30.118 4th fastest “We worked well up to the end of the morning practice. The bike was pretty well set-up and we only had to make a few slight modifications for the second session. In the end it was a pretty good set-up because in the afternoon I was the fastest despite the track conditions preventing us from pushing too hard. We will still need to make a few more checks though to see if we really are in a good shape in the dry. We still need to pick out the right rear tyre for the race, if it is dry, but if it were to rain tyre choice isn’t a problem.” Troy Bayliss Camel Honda 1’30.580 8th fastest “I’m quite satisfied, because here in Donington like at Laguna Seca I already feel comfortable on the bike. We have got off on the right foot just like two weeks ago, but now I want to finish it off better. The uncertain conditions today meant we couldn’t test too much, but I have to say that I’m very optimistic about this weekend.” More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda: BRITISH GRAND PRIX – MOTOGP FREE PRACTICE The British Grand Prix began today with the constant threat of rain hanging over the Donington Park circuit. The MotoGP riders were able to work in dry conditions in the first hour of morning practice but their programme was interrupted twice during the afternoon by short showers that forced the riders back into the pit as they avoided taking risks on a track that already offers low levels of grip. Marco Melandri set the fifth fastest lap of the day, 0.3 seconds slower than pace-setting American Colin Edwards, whilst Sete Gibernau was one place behind in sixth. The Italian completed 24 laps in the morning and 13 in the afternoon whilst Sete clocked up a total of 25 laps, gathering positive feedback in both sessions despite completing just six laps in the afternoon. MARCO MELANDRI (5th, 1’30″308): “I like this track a lot – I consider it as my second home Grand Prix bec! ause I live only two miles away. I felt really calm when I arrived and this morning I was already feeling comfortable on the bike. In the afternoon we lost a little time because the track was neither dry or wet enough but I did manage to put in a couple of laps on a soft tyre and I felt good. Tomorrow we have to keep working on the setting but I am confident, even if it rains.” SETE GIBERNAU (6th, 1’30″398): “We began working here with a decent base setting and in the morning we gathered information that helped us make a good start to the weekend. In the afternoon the few drops of rain that fell interrupted our programme but even so the few laps we did manage were useful.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corsa: DUCATI MARLBORO MEN TACKLE COOL, DRIZZLY DONINGTON Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Carlos Checa did their best to get to grips with a cool and damp Donington Park today. But the changeable weather played havoc with their normal Friday schedule of establishing base settings and testing new Bridgestone tyres as they work towards the best-possible combination for Sunday’s race. Morning conditions were very cool, with the track offering minimal grip, while drizzle fell throughout much of this afternoon’s practice session. “We are enjoying the English summer!” smiled Ducati MotoGP project manager Livio Suppo. “Conditions were cold this morning and damp this afternoon, so it was difficult for us to do the kind of set-up work we usually do on the first day of practice. Let’s hope that tomorrow’s weather is at least consistent, though from what we’ve heard of the forecast, there’ll be showers tomorrow and heavier rain on race day.” CAPIROSSI IMPRESSED BY 2005 DESMOSEDICI Loris Capirossi may only have ended today’s two sessions in tenth spot, but the cautious Ducati Marlboro Team man was pleased to note how his 2005 Desmosedici handles Donington’s crucial slow-speed section. The Italian ended up just 0.637 seconds off the fastest rider of the day. “Like everyone, I realise that Sunday’s race may be damp, just like this afternoon,” he said. “But there’s no point in pushing too hard when practicing in these conditions, it’s too risky, so it becomes like roulette, only the lucky guys don’t crash. The track was very slippery this afternoon, so we’ve not had much chance to test all the new tyres that Bridgestone have brought here for us. Now we need to decide with Bridgestone which tyres we will test tomorrow, because we have a lot to test. One thing I was pleased to note was that this year’s bike works really well here, especially in the slow parts of the track, which were a real problem last year.” CHECA 11th IN WET ‘N’ DRY CONDITIONS Carlos Checa ended the day just one place behind his team-mate and 0.894 seconds off ‘pole position’, doing his best to test tyres and work on set-up between the rain showers. The Spaniard slid off at low speed at the Goddard hairpin this morning but was able to complete the session. “We weren’t able to learn much today,” said the Ducati Marlboro Team rider. “When conditions keep changing, there’s not much you can do of any real use. This afternoon we couldn’t even do any rain-tyre testing because the track wasn’t wet enough. After it started drizzling I returned to the pits to wait for the track to dry, because there’s not much you can do in these half-wet, half-dry conditions. Our main focus for Sunday is to help the bike use the right side of the tyre as gently as possible, because the right side gets a lot of stress during 30 laps here.” More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha: First day / RAIN AFFECTS FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE FOR BRITISH GRAND PRIX Poor weather conditions affected the first day of practice for the British Grand Prix, which took place at the Donington Park circuit in England today. In the morning the Fortuna Yamaha team riders Toni Elias and Ruben Xaus worked on the set-up of their Yamaha M1 machines as they looked to adapt them to the demands of the circuit. However, a spell of rain prevented the riders from completing the day’s programme in the second free practice during the afternoon. In the end Toni Elias and Ruben Xaus had to make do with 15th and 18th position respectively. In any case both riders are confident of making improvements on the second day of practice, which takes place tomorrow. TONI ELIAS 1’31.904 seconds, + 1’944 from pole. 15th position 8/10 laps “Today we couldn’t work on all the different aspects that we would have liked. We also had a problem this morning that delayed the programme we had in place. Later, the weather conditions in the afternoon meant that we could not make any further progress. My scaphoid is hurting quite a lot more than I had expected but we all know that it is not going to be a quick recovery. I’m hoping to improve in every aspect ahead of Sunday’s race.” RUBEN XAUS 1’32.567 seconds, + 2’601 from pole. 18th position 12/13 laps “I’ve found it a little difficult because my riding style is not ideal for the characteristics of this bike. Lately I’ve been having problems on new tyres and this morning I crashed out even though I wasn’t pushing hard. We have to continue working and I won’t stop until we find the right way.” Hervé Poncharal, Fortuna Yamaha Team Manager “It wasn’t a very fruitful day although I think the circuit is favourable to the Yamaha. The weather conditions meant that we couldn’t carry out our entire programme. Hopefully we can get some dry track time in tomorrow and make the right preparations for Sunday’s race.”