SEPANG DAY 2: Melandri and Elias keep on working Action goes on at Sepang, Malaysia, for the first test session of the 2007 season, in preparation of World Championship. Today the Honda Gresini riders focused on the best possible base line to work from and started an intense tyre programme together with the Bridgestone technicians. MARCO MELANDRI (76 laps, 2.03.253): “It was a demanding day. The temperatures were very high and we worked no stop to finish today’s programme. We struggled a bit in the morning but in the end we find a solution that I like. We tested different set up solutions and studied the geometry of the bike before starting to test tyres. I’m quite satisfied , the clutch has improved and I have a better feeling now. Tomorrow we will focus on tyre testing. I’m confident,.I see the Honda Engineers and the Bridgestone technicians very motivated”. TONI ELIAS (75 laps, 2.04.124): “Today we focused on tyre testing without making too many changes on chassis and suspensions. We tested many variations, rear tyres and front tyres, in order to find the right solution for the Honda- Bridgestone package. It has been a tough day but I’m happy and confident. At this moment of the year is important to work step by step, because we need to understand how the new bike works with these new tyres. Tomorrow we will continue the tyre testing while in Australia we will go back working on the setting of the bike”. UNOFFICIAL TIMES 1. Hopkins (Usa-Suzuki) 2’01″806 2. Edwards (Usa-Yamaha) 2’01″930; 3. Vermeulen (Aus-Suzuki) 2’02″275; 4. Barros (Bra-Ducati) 2’02″538; 5. Rossi (Ita-Yamaha) 2’02″613; 6. Capirossi (Ita-Ducati) 2’02″793; 7. De Puniet (Fra-Kawasaki) 2’02″806; 8. Hayden (Usa-Honda) 2’02″948; 9. Pedrosa (Spa-id.) 2’03”098; 10. Stoner (Aus-Ducati) 2’03″190; 11. Melandri (Ita-Honda) 2’03″253; 12 Nakano (Gia-id.) 2’03″633; 13. Checa (Spa-id.) 2’03″681; 14. Ito (Gia-Ducati) 2’03″700; 15. Roberts (Usa-Kr/Honda) 2’03″800; 16. Hoffman (Ger-Ducati) 2’03″895; 17. Elias (Spa-Honda) 2’04″124; 18. Jacque (Fra-Kawasaki) 2’04″171; 19. Tamada (Gia-Yamaha) 2’04″350; 20. Guintoli (Fra-id.) 2’04″892; 21. Yoshikawa (Gia-id.) 2’05″646; 21. Fujiwara (Gia-id.) 2’06″737. More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Hopkins heads Edwards on second day in Sepang MotoGP Testing Day 2/3 – Sepang, Tuesday 23rd January At the second of three days at the Malaysian circuit of Sepang, where nearly the entire MotoGP grid for 2007 are testing after a six week ban, teams were able to put in a full uninterrupted session as they look to develop their 800cc machines for the coming season. As yesterday, Suzuki and Yamaha continue to lead the way at this first test of the year. John Hopkins has been the stand-out rider of the first two days, topping the unofficial timesheets for the second day in a row with an impressive lap of 2’01.806. The 23 year-old American was joined by countryman Colin Edwards as they became the only two riders to go round in under 2’02. Edwards, the ‘Texan Tornado’, cut just under 1.5 seconds from his fastest lap yesterday, and the duo frequently dipped under race lap record pace set on last year’s 990cc machines. Behind the Americans, Chris Vermeulen was also on form with the Suzuki GSV-R800. Using a new chassis today, the Australian is found at ease with the 800cc bike as he maintains his confident preseason form. Despite taking a tumble earlier in the day, the returning MotoGP veteran Alex Barros was the fastest Ducati rider in the second session of the week, ahead of Pramac d’Antin team-mate Alex Hofmann and the official factory team duo. This could be further evidence of an elevation in competitiveness for the satellite team, who in the Brazilian have a proven podium finisher in their midst for 2007. Barros’ inclusion in the top four also put him faster than five-time World Champion Valentino Rossi, who had noted yesterday the fatigue induced by a break in action over the winter. Fellow Italian Capirossi was just behind the Yamaha star on the Ducati Desmosedici GP7, ahead of Kawasaki’s Randy de Puniet. The seven fastest riders were all within a second of Hopkins’ leading time, illustrating the closeness of the new 800cc bikes. Down in eighth, World Champion Nicky Hayden was the quickest Honda rider on day two. Getting used to the bike again after returning from shoulder surgery, the ‘Kentucky Kid’ went round in 2’02.948, followed by team-mate Dani Pedrosa, Ducati’s Casey Stoner and fellow RC212V developers Marco Melandri, Shinya Nakano and Carlos Checa. The weather stayed kind to the riders, who were spared wet conditions, although a continuation of the extreme humidity experienced over the past two days is forecast for tomorrow’s final day. Sepang MotoGP Test: Day 2 Unofficial Times 1. John Hopkins- Rizla Suzuki 2’01.806 2. Colin Edwards – Yamaha Racing 2’01.930 3. Chris Vermeulen- Rizla Suzuki 2’02.275 4. Alex Barros – Pramac d’Antin 2’02.538 5. Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Racing 2’02.619 6. Loris Capirossi – Ducati MotoGP 2’02.793 7. Randy De Puniet – Kawasaki Racing 2’02.806 8. Nicky Hayden – Repsol Honda 2’02.948 9. Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda 2’03.098 10. Casey Stoner – Ducati MotoGP 2’03.190 11. Marco Melandri – Honda Gresini 2’03.253 12. Shinya Nakano – Konica Minolta Honda 2’03.633 13. Carlos Checa – Honda LCR 2’03.681 14. Shinichi Ito – Bridgestone Test 2’03.700 15. Kenny Roberts Jr. – Team Roberts 2’03.800 16. Alex Hofmann – Pramac d’Antin 2’03.895 17. Toni Elias – Honda Gresini 2’04.124 18. Olivier Jacque – Kawasaki Racing 2’04.171 19. Makoto Tamada – Yamaha Tech3 2’04.350 20. Sylvain Guintoli – Yamaha Tech3 2’04.892 More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Factory Racing Team: Second Session Gives Yamaha More Confidence in Sepang A second day of testing in Malaysia today saw the Yamaha Factory Racing Team continue to come on in leaps and bounds with the development of their new prototype 800cc motorcycle. With rain threatening for tomorrow’s third and final day of testing, both Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards elected to take advantage of clear skies and complete their long-run today, the first for either rider on the new bike. Initial feedback was good and Rossi especially was very pleased with the performance of his Yamaha under race conditions. Edwards, who was trying a different set-up and tyre package to his team-mate in order to gather as much information as possible for Yamaha’s engineers and Michelin, was less comfortable during his long-run, but importantly was able to identify some of the key areas in which the team still need to focus their attention over the coming tests. Both riders improved on their times from yesterday, with Edwards dipping under the old 990cc lap record pace with a fastest lap of 2’01.930, set during the morning on race tyres. He was just behind Suzuki’s John Hopkins, who topped the unofficial time sheets for the second day running in a time of 2’01.806. Rossi posted the fifth fastest time of the day after completing 57 laps, with a time of 2’02.619. The Yamaha Factory Racing Team will complete their final day of this first test tomorrow. Colin Edwards Position: 2nd Time: 2’01.930 Laps: 60 “I’m not sure if it’s to do with the fact that I’m getting old, or just that I’ve been off the bike for six weeks, but this week it seems that I’m much stronger in the morning than in the afternoon! The morning felt really good today, Michelin had me working in one direction and Valentino in another and I was quite excited about how everything was feeling and about the times I was able to do. I did my best time on a race tyre and it was coming pretty easily. Michelin have worked seriously hard over the winter and the new front tyres they’re bringing us are just getting better and better, so congratulations to them. This afternoon was much harder and it was pretty hot out there too. The package I used for the long-run wasn’t so good, it definitely wasn’t the right direction for the rear tyre and it was hard work for me. Anyway Valentino’s package worked well and that’s why we’re here after all to work out what does work and what doesn’t! It’s given us some clear answers and now we can use tomorrow to double check what we’ve learned this week and finish on a good note.” Valentino Rossi Position: 5th Time: 2’02.619 Laps: 57 “Today I made my first long-run with the new bike, because I was worried about the weather for tomorrow. It was important to be able to see the level of the bike over a long distance, so we didn’t want to risk waiting for the last day. I am very happy about how it went; the performance of the bike and tyres was very good. We still need to improve the braking a bit, but I am sure it will get better as we continue to work on the set-up. The temperature at noon was very high and the sun felt like a sword beating down on my helmet, but it was still great fun and I really enjoyed myself! Of course with the 990cc bike the top speed was a bit faster, but overall with the new bike the pace on a long-run isn’t so different, because it puts less stress on the tyres so their performance remains higher for longer. The physical effort is similar for both bikes, and I feel very motivated after the long-run today. We tested the 16″ front tyre today; we still need to work more on this, but the initial feeling is very good and the handling is a bit better with it. The bike is more stable in the corner and therefore I have more confidence. I think in the end it could be a good solution, but we need more time to be sure. Tomorrow we have other tyres to test and we will just continue to work on the general set-up of the bike.” Davide Brivio Team Director “It has been another good day for us here in Malaysia. Every day we understand more and more about our new bike and we gain more experience about the right way to work and ride with this new 800cc Yamaha. Today both riders made a long-run, which is always an important indication of how we are progressing. Valentino’s was very positive and we gathered a lot of important information from it. Colin had more difficulty and showed some of the problem areas we need to work on, but he also gained positives from today and his best time this morning was very fast. Of course we’ve got a lot of work to do, but that is the reason for testing! Tomorrow we will continue like this, working on the set-up of our bike and also testing some new tyres for Michelin.” Unofficial Lap Times 1. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 2’01.806 2. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 2’01.930 3. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 2’02.275 4. Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati 2’02.538 5. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 2’02.619 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 2’02.793 7. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 2’02.806 8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 2’02.948 9. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 2’03.098 10. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati 2’03.190 11. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 2’03.253 12. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda 2’03.633 13. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda 2’03.681 14. Shinichi Ito (JPN) Bridgestone Test 2’03.700 15. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team KR 2’03.800 16. Alex Hoffman (GER) Ducati 2’03.895 17. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 2’04.124 18. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki 2’04.171 19. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha 2’04.350 20. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Yamaha 2’04.892 Sepang Lap Record (990cc) Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006 – 2’02.127 Sepang Best Lap (990cc) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006 – 2’00.605 More, from a press release issued by Konica Minolta Honda: KONICA MINOLTA Honda continues hard work at Sepang Today at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, the KONICA MINOLTA Honda team made more progress with their new rider Shinya Nakano in the first major test of the 2007 MotoGP season. Today’s work centred around testing new Michelin tyres and working on suspension as Nakano aims to get a good base setting as he adapts to his new Honda RC212V, Michelin tyres and his new team. Shinya completed 70 laps in good weather conditions and finished the day 12th overall in unofficial timing. Gianluca Montiron Team Manager KONICA MINOLTA Honda “I’m happy, as today we’ve improved. We modified the suspension a little bit and then we mostly worked on testing Michelin tyres. I think it’s clear that riders who have had the opportunity of testing the new prototypes here in November have an advantage and this can be clearly seen in the results. We are not too worried by this, as we know that the advantages of having tested here before are giving a benefit in improved lap-times to these riders. We are confident that tomorrow the difference in time will be lower than today. With a new rider for the team to work with and for Shinya to have to learn to work with his new team, new bike and new tyres, we knew we’d need much more time, which is why we planned a lot of pre-season testing. We are confident this will give Shinya the best opportunity to be competitive by the first race of the season in March.” Shinya Nakano Rider, KONICA MINOLTA Honda “Most time of the time today was dedicated to testing some new Michelin front tyres. Unfortunately it was difficult to get confidence in the front-end of the bike and I struggled a lot with chatter from the front of the bike. Because of this I was not able to keep up the corner speed you need with these new 800cc machines. Apart from this, as a team I can see that we are working in the right direction to solve this problem. Compared to my first test on the new bike in Jerez I have a much better feeling with the 212V and I’m starting to get used to the Honda, even if I have many new things to learn on this bike! Many other riders have recorded good times today, but I’m not worried, I’m concentrating on finding a good base setting for the new 212V and from there we will work on getting a good lap time. I know some riders are struggling with the fact that the new 800cc machines are much smaller than the 990cc bikes, but my feeling is that I’m very happy with the smaller, more compact size of the RC212V as it suits me very well.” Yutaka Hirano Head Technician, KONICA MINOLTA Honda “Today we have completely dedicated our time to tyre testing, with this work mainly concentrating on the front-end of the new RC212V. This has set us some chattering problems, but we have made some improvements on front suspension settings and we’re confident that we’ll find the overall solution. Tomorrow we plan to work on the electronics system on the bike as the new software gives us many possibilities for adjustments, but must be correctly set-up and fine-tuned for the rider and this takes time. We will start our work on this first thing tomorrow. By working on this we are sure that our overall lap time will be better. I’m happy with the team who are working very hard to give Nakano the best machine set-up possible.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: Honda riders up their pace on day two of Sepang MotoGP test The Honda teams present at the MotoGP test at Sepang, Malaysia got down to serious business on the second day of the three-day test session. In extremely high ambient and track top temperatures all six RC212V riders and Kenny Roberts Jnr (KR212V) improving their lap times by at least half a second Repsol riders Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa both improved on their performances of yesterday at Sepang today as the first of the year’s three-day MotoGP test sessions continued at the 5.548 km Malaysian track. The Repsol Honda factory riders worked through an extensive programme of tests aimed at further developing the prototype RC212V that will campaign the 2007 season. Hayden, the reigning MotoGP World Champion, began his day working on the front end of his RCV trying various front forks and settings in combination with a variety of Michelin front tyres. The team also worked on engine power delivery to improve top speed. Hayden’s Repsol Honda team-mate, Dani Pedrosa concentrated his efforts on overall chassis and suspension performance of his RCV. Pedrosa emerged unscathed from a slow speed crash at turn nine to set a best lap time half a second faster than his best of yesterday. Gresini Honda riders Marco Melandri and Toni Elias both put in 70 plus laps at the 5.548km circuit today. Italian Melandri working hard on machine balance, geometry and the clutch before moving on to test a range of tyres for team supplier Bridgestone. The former 250c world champion ended the day with a best lap time a full second faster than his best on the opening day of the test. Elias worked almost exclusively on tyre testing for Bridgestone. Working methodically the team tried several combinations of different profiles, constructions and compounds. The Spaniard improved on his best lap time of yesterday by six-tenths of a second. Shinya Nakano ran into front-end problems on his Konica Minolta liveried RC212V but despite the front ‘Hopping’ under heavy braking the Japanese rider lowered his lap times by half a second. Near veteran Spaniard Carlos Checa continued his efforts to adjust to the 800cc four-cylinder RC212V and put in a mammoth 86 lap stint that saw him improve his feel for the machine and his lap times of yesterday. Team Roberts changed to a second all new chassis overnight. The RC212V powered machine, which has the same geometry as the first chassis tested yesterday. The version tested today has a different method of construction to that of the chassis used on day one. Team rider Kenny Roberts Jnr felt some improvements on turning into corners and mid-corner speed and he was immediately able to lower his time to 2m 03.88s in the morning. With the hotter afternoon temperatures he wasn’t able to further improve his time. The team tested the same swinging-arms from yesterday, worked on some tyre testing and experimented with the engine braking control. Tomorrow they’ll work on engine power management. Honda rider quotes and lap times. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 2m 02.948s 82 laps “We actually learned quite a lot about how the new bike works today and we improved by almost half a second so it’s nice to see some progress. We weren’t testing new parts from HRC, just working with suspension, wheelbase, springs general settings stuff to try and get the bike a little bit quicker. We definitely improved the bike and learned some more about how it works and reacts to different settings and conditions. We’re still some way off where we need to be though so we’ve got to keep our heads down and keep working really hard.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2m 03.098 70 laps “Today we worked hard on many different ways to improve the bike. With testing there are always some things that work and some that don’t work so it was a useful day even though we didn’t set a very fast lap time. Unfortunately I made a small mistake on the brakes into the slow left-hander at turn nine – I was a little off-line and lost the front, but it wasn’t a big crash, just a human mistake. Tomorrow we will try to go a little quicker and we’ll also be working with Michelin on some tyre testing.” Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 2m 03.681s 86 laps. “Basically all the Honda riders have the same difficulties but we are working hard to fit the bike and I am pretty confident for the future. The last two years I raced on different bikes with different tyres and need more time to adapt to the new bike. I put more miles on the bike today testing different tyres with Michelin but we still miss something to be faster especially in the exacting part of the track.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, Team Roberts: 2m 03.800s. “We basically got on our new machine this morning and on the first run I got down into the high 2m 03s lap times. The bike felt a little bit more positive on turn-in and was better on mid-corner grip. We went through some settings and tried some different swing-arms – kinda a replica of what we did yesterday. Then we did some tyre testing at the end of the day but the team had a late night last night – until about two in the morning – so we stopped with a few hours to go to regroup and see what we had left, and to make a battle plan for tomorrow so that we can run all day.” Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 2m03sec.633s 70 laps. “Today I am a little bit disappointed because I was struggling with the set-up of the machine. In the beginning it went quite well so I thought I could mark good lap times. Then the front end started hopping during braking which made me a little nervous. I tried Michelin new 16 inch tyre but as the basic set-up wasn’t well fixed yet, I couldn’t feel the advantage of the tyre. But it is only the second day here and I still have improved my lap times from tomorrow, so I don’t have to worry so much. Tomorrow, I will change front suspension set-up drastically and see how it goes.” Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 2m 03.253s 76 laps. “It was a demanding day. The temperatures were very high and we worked non-stop to finish today’s programme. We struggled a bit in the morning but in the end we found a solution that I like. We tested different set up solutions and studied the geometry of the bike before starting to test tyres. I’m quite satisfied, the clutch has improved and I have a better feeling now. Tomorrow we will focus on tyre testing. I’m confident that there is enough time to be ready for the championship. I see the Honda Engineers and the Bridgestone technicians very motivated”. Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 2m 04.124s 75 laps. “Today we focused on tyre testing without making too many changes on chassis and suspensions. We tested many variations, rear tyres and front tyres, in order to find the right solution for the Honda- Bridgestone package. It has been a tough day but I’m happy and confident. At this moment of the year is important to work step by step, because we need to understand how the new bike works with these new tyres. Tomorrow we will continue the tyre testing while in Australia we will go back working on the setting of the bike”. Sepang MotoGP Test: Day 2. Unofficial Times 1. John Hopkins- Rizla Suzuki 2m 01.806s. 2. Colin Edwards – Yamaha Racing 2m 01.930s. 3. Chris Vermeulen- Rizla Suzuki 2m 02.275s. 4. Alex Barros – Pramac d’Antin 2m 02.538s. 5. Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Racing 2m 02.619s. 6. Loris Capirossi – Ducati MotoGP 2m 02.793s. 7. Randy De Puniet – Kawasaki Racing 2m 02.806s. 8. Nicky Hayden – Repsol Honda 2m 02.948s. 9. Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda 2m 03.098s. 10. Casey Stoner – Ducati MotoGP 2m 03.190s. 11. Marco Melandri – Honda Gresini 2m 03.253s. 12. Shinya Nakano – Konica Minolta Honda 2m 03.633s. 13. Carlos Checa – Honda LCR 2m 03.681s. 14. Shinichi Ito – Bridgestone Test 2m 03.700s. 15. Kenny Roberts Jr. – Team Roberts 2m 03.800s. 16. Alex Hofmann – Pramac d’Antin 2m 03.895s. 17. Toni Elias – Honda Gresini 2m 04.124s. 18. Olivier Jacque – Kawasaki Racing 2m 04.171s. 19. Makoto Tamada – Yamaha Tech3 2m 04.350s. 20. Sylvain Guintoli – Yamaha Tech3 2m 04.892s. More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: CAPIROSSI AND STONER MAKE PROGRESS ON DAY 2 OF TESTING IN MALAYSIA Testing in Malaysia is continuing at a rapid pace for the riders of the Ducati Marlboro Team who today were able to take advantage of more sunny weather and continue development work on the new 800cc machine. Both Capirossi and Stoner improved their times set Monday and while the Italian constantly improved the settings on his Desmosedici to join the group of sub 2m03s riders, his Australian team-mate was sidelined half-way through the afternoon with forearm cramp after setting a couple of early quick laps. The first test session of the new year will conclude tomorrow Wednesday. Loris Capirossi (58 laps – 2m02.793s) “We made a lot of progress today with engine management and generally improved the feeling with the new bike, but in particular we worked closely with Bridgestone on some new rear tyres. At the moment I have the best feeling with the �smaller’ profile tyre that makes the bike handle better and gives improvement under braking. It’s too early however to say whether or not this is the direction we have to take with the new 800cc because last year, on this track, we also preferred this type of profile and not the larger one that we used on all the other circuits. Tomorrow we’ve still got some more tyres to test and I am sure that we can improve”. Casey Stoner (42 laps – 2m03.190s) “We began the day really well: my first lap was 2m03.303s and my second, which ended up being my best time of the day, was 2m03.190s, a big improvement on yesterday. We’re moving in the right direction and just need to do a lot of laps. Unfortunately however late in the morning I began to get cramp in my arms which prevented me from riding and me and the team decided to stop so as not to worsen the situation and to be on form for tomorrow. A big thanks to the Clinica Mobile (Dr. Monica Lazzarotti and physiotherapist Francesco Chionne), who luckily are present at the test and who are helping me to resolve this problem which I have never had before. Hopefully they’ll help me to continue tomorrow so I can carry on testing and developing the bike and tyres”. Sepang lap record : Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006, 2’02.127 Sepang pole record : Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 2’00.605 Temperature: air 34� / track 53� C Tuesday Jan 23 – Unofficial times: Hopkins 2m01.806s Edwards 2m01.930s Vermeulen 2m02’275s Barros 2m02.538s Rossi 2m02.619s Capirossi 2m02.793s De Puniet 2m02.806s Hayden 2m02.948s Pedrosa 2m03.098s Stoner 2m03.190s Melandri 2m03.253s Nakano 2m03.633s Checa 2m03.681s Ito 2m03.700s Roberts 2m03.800s Hoffman 2m03.895s Elias 2m04.124s Jacques 2m04.171s Tamada 2m04.350s Guintoli 2m04.892s More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer John Hopkins today topped the timesheets for the second successive day at Sepang in Malaysia, recording a fastest time inside the current lap record. Hopkins’ time of 2’01.80 on the new GSV-R800 was over three tenths of a second quicker than the lap record held by Loris Capirossi on a 990cc Ducati. The Anglo-American continued his great form on day two of the three day test as he completed 60-laps of the 5.5km Sepang International circuit. Team-mate Chris Vermeulen was again right on Hopkins’ tail with a time of 2’02.27 to give him third place overall from his 67-laps. Both riders recorded their quickest times as they conducted thorough Bridgestone rear tyre tests. They completed many seven and 10 lap runs as they tested new compound and construction race tyres. Hopkins and Vermeulen also assessed many new chassis settings and analysed further developments to the GSV-R. The three-day test concludes tomorrow with Rizla Suzuki MotoGP planning to simulate race conditions by holding a race distance test during the afternoon.