Rain and sun on second day of Irta test in Jerez
As was forecast, the MotoGP teams taking part in the second day of Irta testing at Jerez were hit by persistent rain-showers this morning, only for the skies to clear and the sun to shine from midday onwards. Naturally, with the weather this variable the riders’ work was affected badly, most of whom took advantage of the situation to set their bikes up for wet weather racing. However, once the rain stopped the track took a long time to dry out fully, consigning the teams to their pit garages until around five o’clock in the afternoon. Troy Bayliss was, as ever, one of the first to get out on track this morning, and made the most of the conditions to get a feeling for his RC211V in the wet, clocking up around twenty laps and testing several wet weather tyres. Barros meanwhile only rode in the last half-hour, to prepare tomorrow’s work and to check track conditions.
Ramon Forcada Camel Honda (Alex Barros’s crew chief) “Today was almost completely ruined because the overnight rain continued into this morning and left the track in less than perfect conditions for testing what we had scheduled. We want to try to modify our suspension settings both on the front and the rear, but to get perfect results, the track has to be right. In the last twenty minutes Alex did a dozen laps or so to check the condition of the ashpalt.
Alex Barros Camel Honda 1:43.328 (15 laps) 11th fastest “I went out at the end of the session to check the track and to begin tomorrow’s tests. Obviously in fifteen laps we hardly touched on the work we will try to complete during the whole day tomorrow.”
Santiago Mulero Camel Honda (Troy Bayliss’s crew chief) “Troy is such a tireless worker. I think he was about the second rider out there today, and straight away he began to test tyres for Michelin. We were working well and at that point it would have been better if it continued to rain. However, it stopped and we were stopped for a few hours because with the track half-wet and half-dry, it didn’t make any sense to ride. In the last hour we did a few laps more, but we focused on completing our work tomorrow.”
Troy Bayliss Camel Honda 1:43.130 (42 laps) 10th fastest “When I saw the rain this morning, I said to myself that it wasn’t too bad because I would be able to test a little in the wet and if we get rain in two weeks time then the conditions would be quite similar. We did around twenty laps, and both the bike and Michelin’s rain tyres went really well. Then it stopped raining however, and we were forced to wait for the track to dry completely. At the end we rode again, but the times weren’t too quick, there wasn’t great grip from the track.”
Official Lap Times 1. Nakano (Kawasaki) 1:42.112; 2. Hayden (Honda) 1:42. 139; 3. Gibernau (id.) 1:42.218; 4.Hopkins (Suzuki) 1:42.359; 5. Melandri (Honda) 1:42.573; 6. Hoffmann (Kawasaki) 1:42.699; 7.Rossi (Yamaha) 1:42.710; 8. Roberts (Suzuki) 1:43.083; 9. Edwards (Yamaha) 1:43.095; 10.Bayliss (Honda) 1:43.130; 11. Barros (Honda) 1:43.328; 12. Biaggi (id.) 1:43.559; 13. Xaus (Yamaha) 1:43.756; 14. Elias (Yamaha) 1:43.813; 15. Guareschi (Ducati test) 1:44.357; 16.Aoki (Suzuki test) 1:44.885; 17. Rolfo (Ducati) 1:45.087; 18. Capirossi (Ducati) 1:46.198; 19.Byrne (Proton) 1:46.467; 20. Battaini (Blata WCM) 1:47.410. 21. Tamada (Honda) 1:56.617; 22. Ellison (Blata WCM) 1:58.494.
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:
SUPER SHINYA FASTEST ON DAY TWO OF JEREZ TEST
A classy performance in variable weather conditions saw Japanese ace Shinya Nakano claim the fastest lap time on day two of the final pre-season IRTA test at Jerez.
Nakano’s stylish effort was backed-up by his ever-improving teammate Alex Hofmann, who was sixth fastest as he continued on a steep learning curve with the new Ninja ZX-RR big-bang motor.
Today was just Hofmann’s third outing using the new motor, which has completely different engine characteristics to last year’s ‘screamer’ version of the 990cc, in-line four-cylinder power plant.
Apart from engine set-up, Hofmann also tested a revised rear swinging arm and chassis geometry.
The pre-lunch session was conducted initially on a wet and then slowly drying track after steady morning rain showers.
Clearing sun broke through in the afternoon, although only the final hour provided close to ideal track conditions. Nakano’s fastest lap of 1’42.112 was three tenths of a second slower than his day one time.
However the conditions provided a valuable opportunity for Kawasaki and their tyre partner Bridgestone to collect valuable data for future development.
Bridgestone had variations of their latest full-tread, wet pattern tyres available and both Nakano and Hofmann were impressed with the improved side grip.
Also aiding wet track performance is the smoother power delivery and improved throttle control of the big-bang ZX-RR motor, although, as technical director Ichiro Yoda notes, there is still more to come from this motor, which is still in an early development phase.
In the dry afternoon session Nakano’s main job was to gather data for Bridgestone in advance of the first race, and his lap times reflect the competitive level of the Japanese tyres at Jerez.
Kawasaki engineers are planning to assess updated settings from electronics supplier Magneti Marelli during tomorrow’s third and final day of testing.
Shinya Nakano: #56 – 46 laps (1:42.112) “It’s a good feeling to be fastest, although there were still some wet patches from the rain. In the dry the Bridgestone tyres are very compatible with this track, and I just worked to provide as much data as possible. The new type Bridgestone wet tyre, combined with the big-bang engine, is a noticeable improvement from last year in the rain. There is now better side grip and easier throttle control in slippery conditions, but there is still more work to be done.”
Alex Hofmann: #66 – 42 laps (1:42.699) “The new Bridgestone wet tyres are a step forward, although the consistency is not perfect once the track starts to dry out. In the dry I’m working on the set-up of the engine braking with the big-bang motor, and I’m still lacking some confidence. In the slower first gear corners the motor is pushing me forward rather than helping me control the rear tyre. I hope we have a clear day tomorrow to try and solve this problem for the first race.”
Ichiro Yoda: Technical Director “Today’s weather was very beneficial, because it provided some very clear directions for our engineers, both at Kawasaki and Bridgestone. With the wet tyres the performance needs to improve in drying conditions when the rain has stopped. Also very clear from today’s wet conditions is that we have to improve the throttle connection and power delivery with the big-bang motor, as this is the most important function of a MotoGP engine. So, overall, today was an excellent day to provide a future direction for our next development phase.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna Sports:
MotoGP tests hit by rain on second day at Jerez
The MotoGP riders woke up to slashing rain at the Jerez circuit this morning as they prepared for the second of three days’ testing at the southern Spanish track. With most of the teams having spent their pre-season testing programme working in the sunshine of Malaysia and Australia, it was a first opportunity for many riders to try out their 2005 machines in wet conditions; a valuable exercise considering the fact that last year’s Grand Prix here was ridden entirely in the wet.
The very real possibility of there being a wet race somewhere along the seventeen races this year forced teams to try out their settings for the conditions, with reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi explaining the choice: “It was really important for us that it rained today, because we had never ridden this 2005 machine in the wet. Of course, it is also good preparation in case of a wet race too, which is always possible.”
“We got some good feelings out of the new bike in those conditions this morning, and of course, there are a few little problems that need ironing out, but I was quick straight away. We might not be at 100% in the wet, but were not too bad at all.”
The heavy rain came to a head around lunchtime, and with watery sunshine poking through the clouds, the riders decided to wait until the track was fully dry before embarking on further tests. Suzuki’s Kenny Roberts was fastest in the wet conditions with a lap of 1:53.218, but once the action got going once more it was Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano who surprisingly set the pace in the dry.
Nakano and his team-mate Alex Hofmann had both shown encouraging signs on the first day of the test and, although the lap times were not as fast today due to the inferior grip levels caused by the weather, the Japanese rider confirmed the progress being made with the Ninja ZX-RR machine. Nakano’s best time of 1:42.112 was over a second slower than John Hopkins’ effort yesterday but it was enough to secure top spot on the time sheets overnight as the riders cross their fingers for better conditions tomorrow.
“It’s a good feeling to be fastest but the track conditions weren’t so good today and there were a lot of wet patches,” explained Nakano. “The new Bridgestone tyres are very compatible with this circuit in the dry and, together with the new ‘big bang’ engine, there is a big improvement with the overall package. The tyre offers better side grip and the engine gives better throttle control in slippery conditions.”
Nicky Hayden was again second fastest on the Honda, just 0.027 seconds behind Nakano and less than a tenth ahead of factory colleague Sete Gibernau. Hopkins was fourth fastest today on the Suzuki whilst Gibernau’s team-mate Marco Melandri completed the top five. With Hofmann sixth fastest, Rossi made it four different manufacturers in the top seven riding the Yamaha.
More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Yamaha:
WET-WEATHER WORK FOR ROSSI AND EDWARDS DURING RAINY MORNING IN JEREZ
The second day of the Jerez IRTA Tests began with heavy rain and Gauloises Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards spent the morning doing some worthwhile wet-weather testing on the soaked track. The rain eased off as the day wore on and by mid afternoon the Spanish sun had appeared and, coupled with a brisk wind, had dried the track enough for the riders to go back out on slick tyres and put in some faster times. Rossi and Edwards continued to test tyres and work on set-up and finished the day seventh and ninth fastest.
The riders were pleased with the performance of their new 2005-spec YZR-M1s in the wet conditions. Both the world champion and his new team-mate made the most of the better conditions later on and continued testing right up to the six o’clock deadline, although with the track still slightly slippery, none of the 22 MotoGP riders were able to better their times from yesterday.
The fastest rider of the day was Shinya Nakano, who posted a time of 1:42.112 on his Kawasaki. Honda rider Nicky Hayden was under a tenth of a second slower with a time of 1:42.139. Sete Gibernau (Honda, 1:42.278) was third and Suzuki rider John Hopkins, fastest yesterday, was fourth today with a lap of 1:42.359. Rossi completed 42 laps, setting his best on the 39th in a time of 1:42.710, just inside the existing lap record of 1:42.788 but slower than his time from yesterday of 1:41.273. Edwards, who posted a time of 1:42.018 during yesterday’s session, recorded a best time today of 1:43.095 on the 55th of 57 laps.
VALENTINO ROSSI (1:42.710, 42 laps)
“I was really pleased to get the chance to try the bike in the wet and I was very happy with the level we were at in the rain. The afternoon was drier but we were not quite as good as yesterday; we tried out a different rear tyre, but it didn’t really help. Still, it was important to try and I am glad because we’ve learnt something from testing it. As a result, we were slower this afternoon but still not bad, and I was more or less happy. I hope that tomorrow it will be dry so we can go back to the settings we had yesterday and make the final alterations we need before we come back here for the first race in two weeks time.”
COLIN EDWARDS (1:43.095, 57 laps)
“I was really happy with the bike in the rain, and I think we were about 90% right with it. All the electrical aspects and the settings were good. The track was a little bit slippery this afternoon after the sun came out, but in some ways that was good because it exaggerated some of the small problems we still have. Now we know what we need to do about them tomorrow and, hopefully, how to fix them. The most important thing for us tomorrow is to find more traction.”
JEREMY BURGESS – ROSSI’S CREW CHIEF
“We’ve known since we got here that there was a risk of rain today and so we were prepared for it this morning. Unfortunately it didn’t rain for long enough to do everything that we wanted, but we were more than happy with the performance of the bike and rider in those conditions. The package worked okay and there certainly weren’t any big issues.”
More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda:
There was little activity on the second day of tests at Jerez, with morning rain meaning most of the riders decided to stay in their pit garages. However, Marco Melandri made the most of the opportunity to ride the RC211V in the wet and the Italian was satisfied with the result. The Telefónica MoviStar Honda rider completed 22 laps of the Spanish circuit with a best time of 1:54.100, as he aims to gather as much data as possible ahead of the start of the season in two weeks’ time. The track dried in the afternoon although there were still some damp patches, with Melandri adding a further 27 laps to take his total to 49 and improve his time to 1:42.573.
Sete Gibernau, who has proven to be a wet specialist in recent seasons, decided to wait and see if the weather improved before taking to the track in the afternoon. Even though the conditions were not as good as yesterday, Gibernau rode for 28 laps! as he continued to work on the chassis and new fork he tried yesterday and set a fastest lap of 1:42.278.
Weather permitting, the team are planning to do a race simulation in tomorrow’s final day of tests of the 2005 preseason.
SETE GIBERNAU (1:42.278, 28 laps): “I didn’t ride for long today but at least we were able to make the most of the final hour on track and move on from the work we did yesterday. We’ve basically done tests with the chassis, geometry, height and weight distribution. The track wasn’t perfect but I had the occasional interesting lap. I didn’t ride in the wet this morning because I still don’t think it’s the right time. Once I have the bike right in the dry I know what steps we have to take to go well in the wet, but for now we need to refine the base setting before we can make those comparisons.”
MARCO MELANDRI(1:42.573, 49 laps): “Yesterday we already! planned to test in the wet because I haven’t had chance to do it all preseason and it’s important to have references with the new bike. We took things calmly and the truth is that it went much better than I expected. I think the Honda is easier to ride in the wet at least in my case I felt a lot more confident with the front than I was with the Yamaha. I’m happy to have been able to try it out but I hope the weather improves tomorrow because we want to complete a race simulation, as we have done at every test this preseason.”
More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:
Hayden fastest Honda in weather extremes at Jerez
The second day of the three-day IRTA test at Jerez, Spain was run in mixed weather conditions. Heavy rain showers in the morning prevented all but wet weather chassis settings and rain tyre testing for the Honda RC211V riders. The sun broke through after lunch but the track was slow to dry with damp patches lingering until the test finished.
Repsol Hondas factory rider Nicky Hayden was again the fastest Honda rider of the day but conditions prevented fast times and his best was a full second slower than his best of yesterday. Max Biaggi on the second factory machine needed dry track to find better base settings than on the opening day. But it was not his day and he settled for rain tyre testing for Michelin.
Telefonica MoviStar team riders opted for opposite strategies for the day. Sete Gibernau sitting out most of the day waiting for a dry line to form around the 4.423km track preferring to retain the base set up he found yesterday. He eventually covered 28 laps with good results.
Teammate Marco Melandri has no experience of the 990cc V-5 RC211V in the wet and covered as many laps as possible building his confidence in the front end on the wet surface.
Brazilian Alex Barros only completed 15 laps on his Camel Honda RC211V. The team plan was to test a variety of suspension settings but the rain put pay to their plans. Wet weather specialist Barros has ample experience of Jerez in the rain and waited until the end of the day to go out in a bid to prepare his RCV for a dry track tomorrow.
Barros’ teammate, Australian Troy Bayliss was not unduly dismayed with the conditions. Bayliss is new to Honda and rode the RCV for the first time in heavy rain and he needed to establish good machine settings in case of rain at the Spanish GP at the track in two weeks time.
Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda) called a halt to his day as soon the track started to dry. The Japanese rider had completed his first full wet session with his RCV shod with Michelin tyres gathering invaluable wet weather performance knowledge.
Honda rider lap times and quotes.
Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda 1:42.139. “We’ve had a mixed day because of the weather. I went out in the wet conditions this morning but it didn’t stay wet long enough for us to really get into testing some wet weather settings and tyres. I’ve got a new Showa technician this year, Fukazawa-san, and it was good to work with him on wet settings. Michelin had some new wet weather tyres for us to test but the track dried up too soon for me to get out there and try them.”
“By the end of today’s session it was dry on the racing line but there were wet patches so you couldn’t really go that hard. I just used yesterday’s settings and we didn’t learn too much but it was good to be out there on the bike. Tomorrow will be a big day, we’ve got a lot of work to get through and Michelin have got some new rear race tyres for us to try out. We also made a gearbox ratio change after Friday’s testing so I’ve got that to test in the dry conditions in the morning.”
“Jerez has not been my best track so I’m looking to get ready for the race in a couple of weeks – hopefully it’ll be third time lucky. I crashed here two years ago and finished fifth in the rain last year so I’m keen to chase a good result this year.”
Max Biaggi, Repsol Honda: 1:43.559. “Because of the weather we really didn’t make the step forward we had hoped to today. The forecast is much better tomorrow and we all hope to leave the final day of the test with some good results and a positive feeling. Like I have been saying all along I trust my team and although these two days have not been the best we remain positive. Today was useful in a way, as it gave us all some wet weather experience in the set-up of the bike but in my heart I want to be at the top end of the time sheets and we hope for a big push tomorrow.”
Sete Gibernau, Telefonica MoviStar Honda: 1:42.278 – 28 laps. “I didn’t ride for long today but at least we were able to make the most of the final hour on track and move on from the work we did yesterday. We’ve basically done tests with the chassis, geometry, height and weight distribution. The track wasn’t perfect but I had the occasional interesting lap. I didn’t ride in the wet this morning because I still don’t think it’s the right time. Once I have the bike right in the dry I know what steps we have to take to go well in the wet, but for now we need to refine the base setting before we can make those comparisons.”
Marco Melandri, Telefonica MoviStar Honda: 1:42.573 – 49 laps. “Yesterday we already planned to test in the wet because I haven’t had chance to do it all preseason and it’s important to have references with the new bike. We took things calmly and the truth is that it went much better than I expected. I think the Honda is easier to ride in the wet – at least in my case I felt a lot more confident with the front than I was with the Yamaha. I’m happy to have been able to try it out but I hope the weather improves tomorrow because we want to complete a race simulation, as we have done at every test this preseason.”
Alex Barros, Camel Honda: 1:43.328 – 15 laps. “I went out at the end of the session to check the track and to begin tomorrow’s tests. Obviously in fifteen laps we hardly touched on the work we will try to complete during the whole day tomorrow.”
Troy Bayliss, Camel Honda: 1:43.130 – 42 laps. “When I saw the rain this morning, I said to myself that it wasn’t too bad because I would be able to test a little in the wet and if we get rain in two weeks time then the conditions would be quite similar. We did around twenty laps, and both the bike and Michelin’s rain tyres went really well. Then it stopped raining however, and we were forced to wait for the track to dry completely. At the end we rode again, but the times weren’t too quick, there wasn’t great grip from the track.”
Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 1:56.617 – 23 laps. “Today we didn’t work so much due to the rain, but I consider my self-satisfied after testing the RC211V in rain conditions since it is possible that we will find similar climatic conditions during the World Championship rounds. The track could have been barely used to develop the bike only at the end of the day and for this motive I preferred to don’t go out due to the work we have programmed. Now we’ll have to recover the time lost in the last day of testing, therefore we’ll have a day similar to when we’ll have an hour of test during the championships.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:
Roberts Jr shines at wet Jerez
Team SUZUKI MotoGP racer Kenny Roberts Jr recorded the quickest time in a wet practice session at Jerez this morning, during the second day of the Official MotoGP test at the Spanish circuit.
Roberts Jr clocked a time of 1:53.218 which was marginally quicker that Sete Gibernau’s fastest lap time during 2004’s wet race. Roberts Jr used the wet conditions to test various suspension set-ups on his Suzuki GSV-R prototype race-bike and to put the latest generation Bridgestone wet tyres through their paces.
Afternoon conditions left the track unusable for all riders as the Spanish circuit was drying but remained damp. Even when the track dried out later in the afternoon nobody was able to better John Hopkins’ time from the previous day as the rain had washed much of the rubber and grip off the track surface. The 21-year-old Anglo-American Suzuki rider still holds the fastest lap-time of the test so far from yesterday at 1:40.893.
Hopkins ran only three dry laps late in the afternoon and although he was only using old tyres from the previous day’s test, he still managed the fourth quickest time of the day with a 1:42.359 lap. Roberts Jr completed more laps on his bike and improved on yesterday’s time to record 1:43.083 and a creditable eighth position.
Team SUZUKI MotoGP completes its pre-season schedule with the final day’s testing at Jerez tomorrow, before the MotoGP season starts at the Spanish circuit on April 10th. Kenny Roberts JR (1:43.083): “It has been a long time since we rode in the wet so this test was important. We were reasonably competitive today but over a race distance that is an unknown quantity. We took some steps in the dry later on and have a better direction for tomorrow’s test and for when the racing starts in two-week’s time.”
John Hopkins (1:42.359): “I didn’t enjoy the wet very much, but it was good to confirm the grip that the Bridgestone tyres give in these conditions. I am quite confident that in a wet race we will be able to run with the front group. I managed to get a couple of dry laps on the bike later on and although I didn’t go as fast as yesterday, I still got a good feeling and I will be able to put in some fast laps on Sunday.”
Paul Denning – Team Manager: “It was another positive day’s testing. Both riders showed they were able to run at the front in the wet and for Kenny to go quickest in those conditions certainly gave his confidence a boost. In the short dry session at the end of the day Kenny improved his bike and is looking forward to tomorrow while John continued to look spectacular – even on old tyres he is able to put in some very competitive times.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
CAPIROSSI SATISFIED WITH WET-WEATHER BRIDGESTONE TYRES
The second day of official IRTA testing at Jerez was hampered by bad weather, with the track drying out only late in the afternoon.
Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), Saturday 26 March 2005 – The second of three days of IRTA testing at Jerez de la Frontera in Spain was conditioned by bad weather.
Loris Capirossi completed a few laps in the morning on the wet track, declaring that he was satisfied with the performance of Bridgestone’s wet weather tyres. Late in the afternoon, when the track conditions were back to normal again, Loris had a mechanical problem on his second bike which forced him into the pits.
“This morning I did a few laps and I was pleased with the performance of the tyres in the wet” declared Loris. “Then I stopped for a while to wait for the track to dry. Once it was back to normal, I started to lap but we had a split in the oil cooler and as Vitto was using my other bike, I went back into the pits”.
Vittoriano Guareschi continued development work with the new engine braking system, and also took to the track with Capirossi’s number 1 bike, which will be equipped tomorrow with the new system that was tested today by Vitto.
“The weather didn’t help us today, but this winter we have been quite lucky and we were sure to find rain sooner or later!”, declared Corrado Cecchinelli, Ducati Marlboro Team technical director. “It was useful in any case to see that the Bridgestone rain tyres work well here. Loris’s number 2 bike had a problem with the oil cooler and it was too late to get him to go back out again.”
Tomorrow is the final day of IRTA testing at the Spanish circuit. The next time the Ducati Marlboro Team will be out on track will be April 10, again at Jerez, for the opening round of the 2005 MotoGP World Championship.
More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:
FORTUNA YAMAHA CONCLUDE FIRST DAY OF TESTS AT JEREZ
Fortuna Yamaha concluded their testing programme on the first day of IRTA tests at Jerez, just one week after a three-day test at Montmeló. Fortuna Yamaha riders Rubén Xaus and Toni ElÃas lapped throughout the day with their Yamaha YZR M1 machines in perfect weather conditions.
Fortuna Yamaha rider Toni ElÃas, preparing for his rookie season in the category, was on good form and completed 90 laps of the Spanish circuit with a best time of 1:42.270, thirteenth fastest overall.
His team-mate Ruben Xaus worked quietly but clocked up 110 laps with a fastest time of 1:43.467, lying fifteenth overall. The best time of the day was set by John Hopkins, who stopped the clock at 1:40.893, followed closely by American compatriot Nicky Hayden (1:41.045) and Italian Valentino Rossi (1:41.273).
Toni ElÃas, (1:42.270, 13th fastest, 90 laps)
“I’m happy. We’ve done a great job today. We have to keep going like this because daily hard work is the secret to making progress. In the afternoon we improved my best time from the morning quite substantially. We’ve still got plenty of work to do but I’m happy that we’re on the right track. I’m already looking forward to getting back on the bike tomorrow!” Rubén Xaus (1:43.746, 15th fastest, 110 laps)
“I made more progress today than in six days of testing previously.Taking things slowly helps to make much faster progress. After Montmeló I had to ride and ride just to get a feeling with the bike. I had fun today and I felt comfortable on the Yamaha. I tried a new MichelÃn tyre that I liked quite a lot. Also, the new exhaust means I can hear the bike a lot more – I like it. I preferred not to touch too many things and I think that was a wise decision.”