MELANDRI AND ELIAS LEAVE LE MANS AFTER 2 POSITIVE DAYS OF TESTING The second and last day of testing at Le Mans was characterized by changeable weather conditions. TONI ELIAS (65 laps, 1’34″7): “Because of the light rain, the trach was quite slippery. Nevertheless in the afternoon we succeeded to complete a race simulation with very positive sensations. I could lap with a good rhythm confirming the work done during the race weekend on dry conditions”. MARCO MELANDRI (72 laps, 1’35″1): “we worked a lot on the suspensions in order to fix a chattering problem. Despite we tried several different solutions we couldn’t find the result we were looking for. We also made some tyre testing for Bridgestone. Now I look forward to race at Mugello, my home GP”. More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: FIAT YAMAHA TEAM LOOK FORWARD TO MUGELLO AFTER PROMISING FRENCH TEST After the disappointment of Sunday’s rain-lashed French Grand Prix, Fiat Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards have been back on board for two busy days of testing at the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans. With a run of six key races coming up in just two months, the team have worked on an array of things as they look to give themselves the best possible package with which to fight over the most intense part of the season. As ever much of the test was given over to tyre testing with Michelin, the new tyre regulations this year meaning that post-race tests such as these hold even more importance for the French manufacturer. The riders also tried some new chassis modifications in order to improve the stability of the M1 and Rossi also tested some new engine parts. The Fiat Yamaha Team now have just over a week off before the first of two ‘home’ races this year – the Grand Prix of Italy in Mugello on June 3rd. Davide Brivio Fiat Yamaha Team Director “We lost a bit of time yesterday and today due to the weather, but anyway we’ve got a lot done and it’s been a very productive couple of days. We’ve tested a lot of tyres for Michelin with both riders working in different ways and we’ve found two good directions to develop. Yesterday we also tried some new chassis parts in order to improve the stability of the bike and we think we’ve made some small improvements to our overall package. Valentino also tried some new engine modifications and we’ve seen a small improvement, so we think this is something we can bring to Mugello. In general it’s been a very valuable test for us and it’s also the last chance we’ll have for two days consecutive testing until Brno in August. We’ve got a very busy and very important part of the season coming up so it’s been good to have this time to work away from the pressure of a race weekend.” Test Times 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1’34.61 2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1’34.63 3. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda Gresini 1’34.81 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team 1’34.86 5. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda Gresini 1’35.13 6. Colin Edwards (USA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1’35.52 7. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 1’36.11 Le Mans: Lap Record V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 1’35.087 Le Mans: Best Lap C. Edwards (Yamaha) 2007, 1’33.616