Some useful basic work During two days of testing at the Valencia circuit, the Team YZF Yamaha and Shinichi Nakatomi have done a lot of basic work to improve the performance of the R1. This session was the opportunity for the team to try many new solutions, including the engine mapping. Some work was done also on the suspensions to have a better feeling regarding the tyres. Everything went well. There was not the smallest crash, nor any technical failure. Shinichi Nakatomi had the possibility during those two days to ride a total of 134 laps, which is the fourth overall total distance between all the riders in attendance, behind Bayliss, Biaggi and Morelli. So this test session was very positive regarding the next round of the World Championship that will be held at Donington. Shinichi Nakatomi: “I tried many new suspension settings on the machine in this test and some new parts. We worked a lot on suspension. We were looking for a base setting for the Valencia race and the feeling with the bike got better and better. We set the best lap time in the last session, even in the strong wind, so that proves that we made improvements.” Martial Garcia (team manager): “These tests were satisfying. We did not use qualifying tyres, because we did not look for the last tenths of a second. We have done a lot of basic work, which is very important.” Tests results: 1-Bayliss (Ducati) 1:34.102; 2-Xaus (Ducati) 1:34.565; 3-Lanzi (Ducati) 1:34.584; 4-Biaggi (Suzuki) 1:34.708; 5-Corser (Yamaha) 1:34.851; 6-Haga (Yamaha) 1:35.029; 7-Nieto (Kawasaki) 1:35.410; 8-Muggeridge (Honda) 1:35.470; 9-Neukirchner (Suzuki) 1:35.532; 10-Laconi (Kawasaki) 1:35.639 — ¦15-Nakatomi (Yamaha) 1:36.832 World Championship standings: 1-Toseland (Honda) 90 points, 2-Biaggi (Suzuki) 74, 3-Bayliss (Ducati) 64, 4-Haga (Yamaha) 50, 5-Corser (Yamaha) 45 –¦15-Nakatomi (Yamaha) 10 Valencia stats Practice record (2003): 1:34.633 Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 152.360 kph Lap record (best race time 2003): 1:35.007 Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 151.760 kph 2006 Yamaha Motor France practice times: Nakatomi: 1:36.794 / 21st; Abe: 1:35.974 / 8th; Alfonsi: 1:39.117 / 33rd Race 1 results 2006: 1- Bayliss (Ducati), 2-Corser (Suzuki), 3-Lanzi (Ducati), 4-Abe (Yamaha), 5-Haga (Yamaha) 2006 Yamaha Motor France race 1 results: Nakatomi: 12th; Abe: 4th; Alfonsi: DNF Race 2 results 2006: 1- Bayliss (Ducati), 2-Corser (Suzuki), 3-Lanzi (Ducati), 4-Abe (Yamaha), 5-Haga (Yamaha) 2006 Yamaha Motor France race 2 results: Nakatomi: 12th; Abe: 4th; Alfonsi: DNF 3rd round of the Superbike World Championship: April 1st at Donington (United Kingdom)