FIAT YAMAHA OFF TO FLYING START IN MALAYSIA Reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi got his pre-season off to the best possible start today, finishing fastest on the first day of testing in Sepang. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate and last season’s runner-up Jorge Lorenzo also made a strong start, ending the day in fifth. Both riders concentrated on completing as many laps as possible on the latest evolution of the 2010 YZR-M1 and, with the weather staying dry until just a few minutes before the end of the session, it was a productive day all round. Rossi led the way and was one of four riders to dip under the existing lap record. His time of 2’01.411, set this morning on his 15th of 54 laps, was half a second quicker than second-placed Casey Stoner. Lorenzo found it a little harder to get back into the swing of things and took it gently this morning, but he felt much more comfortable on the new M1 this afternoon and gradually began to improve his time, setting his best time of 2’02.165 on the penultimate lap of the day, leaving him in fifth. The Fiat Yamaha riders will take part in a press conference in Malaysia this evening, a transcript of which will be available on www.yamahamotogp.com later tonight. Valentino Rossi Position: 1st Time: 2’01.411 Laps: 54 “Today was very important because this year we have just six days of testing in which to set the bike, so we can not waste any time. This first day was very positive, we tried the new bike for 2010, with a different chassis and a new engine, which can do more kilometres, and it is quite fast. Yamaha has worked very well over the winter. Now we need to spend time on setting some electronics and other things. This is only the start but it seems we’re already in good shape.” Jorge Lorenzo Position: 5th Time: 2’02.165 Laps: 57 “After such a long break I found it quite hard to find my rhythm on the bike today – motocross bikes are not the same as the new M1! It was quite a difficult start to the day but little by little i started to feel more comfortable and to improve my pace. This afternoon, when it was a bit warmer, i began to improve my times even more and get closer to the first rider, so in the end I was quite happy with our work. Yamaha have brought some good things for us; the bike is not completely different to the old one but the small details make it easier to ride and this is important. Today was my first day of riding with my new team manager, Wilco Zeelenberg, and I feel good with him. He is an ex rider and so we were able to share a lot of information and he was able to give me some good advice.” Test Times 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 2’01.411 2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 2’01.902 3. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2’01.932 4. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2’02.102 5. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 2’02.165 6. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 2’02.630 7. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 2’02.792 8. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 2’02.866 9. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team 2’02.987 10. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 2’03.030 11. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team 2’03.133 12. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2’03.142 13. Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 2’03.456 14. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2’03.558 15. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2’03.609 16. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2’03.609 17. Hiroshi Aoyama (JAP) Interwetten-Honda MotoGP 2’03.651 More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: REPSOL HONDA TEAM RETURN TO ACTION AT SEPANG The Repsol Honda Team began the first official test of 2010 today as the MotoGP winter break came to an end at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. With an unchanged rider line-up of Spaniard Dani Pedrosa and Italian Andrea Dovizioso, the factory Honda squad once again rolled up the garage shutters and got back out on track in preparation for the coming season. Although HRC’s engineers and test riders have continued development of the new 2010 RC212V during the winter testing ban, today was the first time that Pedrosa and Dovizioso had turned a wheel on the 800cc V4 Honda since 11 November last year. The 2010 machine features the new chassis and swingarm which debuted at the post-race test in Valencia, combined with an engine designed to comply with the new rules limiting engine numbers this year, and the latest evolution electronics. Both riders spent the time today reacclimatising to riding MotoGP machinery after a two-month layoff, and performed shakedown tests of the latest enhancements and machine updates completed by HRC over the winter period. Dovizioso completed 51 laps today and declared himself satisfied with the shakedown performance of his RC212V and encouraged by the potential shown by his machine. On a day when outright lap times were not the priority, the 23-year-old finished in 6th place with a best time of 2m 02.630s. Pedrosa, who won the final race of the 2009 season, began the test steadily, completing 51 laps on board the 2010 RC212V. Once more displaying his favoured number 26 on the front of his bike, 24-year-old Pedrosa felt no ill effects following a minor operation he underwent in December to remove a screw from his left wrist, and finished the day with a lap time of 2m 02.866s, which was good enough for eighth on the timesheets. The Repsol Honda riders will return to the track tomorrow to wrap up this two-day test, before returning to Sepang at the end of February for further pre-season testing. Andrea Dovizioso – Best lap 2m 02.630s 52 laps “This is a very important test and it’s good to be back on the bike after such a long winter break. This was a positive first day and I’m happy with the updated machine that Honda has brought here. We have a lot of work to do before we’re ready and many things that need to be tested, so today’s lap times are not indicative of our potential. The work that Honda has done on the electronics has made a big improvement, and also the feeling from the chassis is better. We’re concentrating on improving a pace that we can maintain throughout the race, and that’s what we’ll continue with tomorrow. There’s plenty still to test but this first session has been important to confirm we’re heading in the right direction.” Dani Pedrosa – Best lap 2m 02.866s 51 laps “This was a normal first day of testing for us. It’s been a long time since we last rode the bike and so it took some time to get used to the speed once again and work back into the rhythm – this is natural. We weren’t looking for lap times or high performance and we spent a lot of the day working on the Ohlins suspension because this is a major change for us this season compared to last. The feeling from my left wrist where I had a screw removed in December was good, so this is positive. Generally, I took it carefully today and we have plenty of places where we can make further improvements – starting tomorrow.” Official Times V. Rossi Fiat Yamaha 2:01.411 C. Stoner Marlboro Ducati 2:01.902 C. Edwards Yamaha Tech3 2:01.932 L. Capirossi Rizla Suzuki 2:02.102 J. Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha 2:02.165 A. Dovizioso Repsol Honda Team 2:02.630 N. Hayden Marlboro Ducati 2:02.792 D. Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 2:02.866 M. Kallio Pramac Ducati 2:02.987 H. Barbera Aspar MotoGP 2:03.030 A. Espargaro Pramac Ducati 2:03.133 B. Spies Yamaha Tech3 2:03.142 R. De Puniet LRC Honda 2:03.456 A. Bautista Rizla Suzuki 2.03.558 M. Simoncelli San Carlo Honda 2:03.563 M. Melandri San Carlo Honda 2:03.609 H. Aoyama Interwetten Honda 2:03.651 More, from a press release issued by Honda: Dovizioso fastest Honda RC212V rider on opening day of Sepang test Following a two month winter layoff the MotoGP World Championship riders returned to action with the first test of 2010 at the 5.548km Sepang circuit, Malaysia, all anticipating a step up in machine performance. HRC has spent the winter months developing every area of RC212V performance, with new technical regulations that limit the number of engines per rider per season durability has been improved without loss of performance, the chassis, first tested at Valencia last November, has a new swinging arm which combined with upgraded Ohlins suspension has greatly improved front end stability. However, it is the new electronics with smoother characteristics that have most impressed the riders. The track opened for testing at 09.00. and continued through a warm humid day until rain showers fell at 16.30. ending the session 30 minutes early. Establishing a base line machine set up dominated the best part of the day and it was not until lunchtime that the consistently fast lap times were set. Repsol Honda factory team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa spent the day adjusting to the new machine but both ended the day in positive mood. Dovizioso was particularly impressed with the electronics and the improved chassis. The young Italian was the fastest of the RC212V riders with sixth fastest time overall at 2m 2.630s. Pedrosa worked hard on setting his Ohlins suspension system and ended the day two-tenths of a second and two places behind his team mate. Frenchman Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda, found the new RCV a little unsettling on his first run but as the LCR technicians slowly improved the chassis and suspension settings De Puniet felt more comfortable and his lap times began to improve. He was on a long run when the rain came but was satisfied the team were working in the right direction. Marco Melandri, San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V, lost the best part of his opening day working in the wrong direction with machine set up. Melandri and his technicians had prepared his RCV based upon the results of the Valencia test of last November. The team technicians eventually reverted to the base set up of the new chassis and suspension and saw Melandri steadily lower his lap times during the remaining track time before the rain shower commenced. Melandri’s team mate and fellow Italian, MotoGP rookie Marco Simoncelli, had tested at Sepang in December and ended the opening day satisfied with his improvement in performance at the track aboard the new RC212V. The former 250cc World Champion was impressed with the RCV’s rear end traction but is still experiencing difficulties understanding the limit of front end adhesion. The second Honda mounted MotoGP rookie, reigning 250cc World Champion, Japanese Hiro Aoyama, struggled to find a good feeling while testing the all new machine today. Aoyama put in 66 grueling laps around the 5.548km circuit chasing a comfortable set up that will give him more feedback from the RCV. Honda rider quotes and lap times. Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 6th – 2m 02.630s. 51 laps. “This is a very important test and it’s good to be back on the bike after such a long winter break. This was a positive first day and I’m happy with the updated machine that Honda has brought here. We have a lot of work to do before we’re ready and many things that need to be tested, so today’s lap times are not indicative of our potential. The work that Honda has done on the electronics has made a big improvement, and also the feeling from the chassis is better. We’re concentrating on improving a pace that we can maintain throughout the race, and that’s what we’ll continue with tomorrow. There’s plenty still to test but this first session has been important to confirm we’re heading in the right direction.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 8th – 2m 02.866s. 52 laps. “This was a normal first day of testing for us. It’s been a long time since we last rode the bike and so it took some time to get used to the speed once again and work back into the rhythm – this is natural. We weren’t looking for lap times or high performance and we spent a lot of the day working on the Ohlins suspension because this is a major change for us this season compared to last. The feeling from my left wrist where I had a screw removed in December was good, so this is positive. Generally, I took it carefully today and we have plenty of places where we can make further improvements – starting tomorrow.” Randy de Puniet, LCR Honda: 13th – 2m 03.456s. 62 laps. “It was a hard day for us. The first impression was not so positive because the feeling of the bike was quite nervous. Then with the team we have worked a lot on the set up of the machine so that I could be more comfortable on the bike. Around 4.00 pm we made a long run, and the feeling of the bike improved so I’m confident for tomorrow”. Marco Simoncelli, San Carlo Gresini Honda: 14th – 2m 03.563s. 56 laps. “To be the first day of testing I can say I’m quite satisfied but I will need time to understand and know this bike. It was a useful day to understand the direction we need to follow and we also need to analyse the data. With the 250cc bike it was easier to feel the difference when you made some changes. With the MotoGP this is more difficult. Compare to the last December test here in Sepang I can say that the traction on the rear is improved but I struggle a little bit more with the front because it’s more difficult to understand the limit.” Marco Melandri, San Carlo Gresini Honda: 15th – 2m 03.609s. 28 laps. “Today I lost a lot of time because I followed the feelings that I got at the last Valencia test, so we worked in the wrong direction for almost the whole day, then went back to the base set up and the feeling improved. At the end of the test session is started raining so I couldn’t improve so much but we have clearer idea for tomorrow so I’m confident for tomorrow.” Hiro Aoyama, Interwetten Honda: 17th – 2m 03.651s. 66 laps. “It was a difficult day for me. I didn’t find the feeling with the bike and I struggled a lot especially in braking. Compared to the bike we tested here in December, this is a different machine so I need to know the bike, get used to it and work at the set up to improve my feeling with the bike.” Sepang MotoGP test: Day 1. February 4, 2010. Free practice times. 1. Valentino Rossi, Fiat Yamaha: 2m 01.411s 2. Casey Stoner, Marlboro Ducati: 2m 01.902s 3. Colin Edwards, Yamaha Tech3: 2m 01.932s 4. Loris Capirossi, Rizla Suzuki: 2m 02.102s 5. Jorge Lorenzo, Fiat Yamaha: 2m 02.165s 6. Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 2m 02.630s 7. Nicky Hayden, Marlboro Ducati: 2m 02.792s 8. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2m 02.866s 9. Mikka Kallio, Pramac Ducati: 2m 02.987s 10. Hector Barbera, Aspar MotoGP team: 2m 03.030s 11. Aleix Espargaro, Pramac Ducati: 2m 03.133s 12. Ben Spies, Yamaha Tech3: 2m 03.142s 13. Randy De Puniet, LRC Honda: 2m 03.456s 14. Alvaro Bautista, Rizla Suzuki: 2m 03.558s 15. Marco Simoncelli, San Carlo Honda: 2m 03.563s 16. Marco Melandri, San Carlo Honda: 2m 03.609s 17. Hiro Aoyama, Interwetten Honda: 2m 03.651s More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing Ducati: FIRST DAY OF TESTING IN SEPANG FOR THE PRAMAC RACING TEAM Pramac Racing riders, Mika Kallio and Aleix Espargarò, have returned at work on the Sepang circuit in Malaysia after the long winter break. The day was very hot and this has made an even tougher first day on track for 2010. Aleix Espargarò has slipped while it was going through a slow turn: nothing worrying for the Spanish rider who went back on track without complications just a few moments later. The Pramac Racing Team and its riders will be back on the track tomorrow for other important laps in preparation for the new agonistic season. Mika Kallio – Pramac Racing rider “It is always nice to come back on the track but like this it was really difficult: I passed from -20 degrees of Finland to the almost 40 degrees here in Malaysia. Today was really hard and now I need a long night of rest to feel better tomorrow. The situation on the track is good; the bike has significantly improved from last season thanks to the best delivery of the new engine prepared by Ducati. We are confident that in this direction we can have a good season.” Aleix Espargarò – Pramac Racing rider “Help, here is incredibly hot. We have succeeded in achieving an acceptable chronometric result anyway as we have worked well today. First impressions on this year bike is very good: when coming out of the turns the bike is less aggressive, it seems that there is not enough power, but instead the bike is as fast as last year which is really good. It is an excellent step forward. Now it’s our turn to find the best way to ride the bike and improve our lap times.” SEPANG TEST DAY 1 RIDERS FASTEST LAP TIMES 1. Rossi (Yamaha) 2:01.411 (54 laps) 2. Stoner (Ducati) 2:01.902 (42) 3. Edwards (Yamaha) 2:01.932 (48) 4. Capirossi (Suzuki) 2:02.102 (58) 5. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2:02.165 (57) 6. Dovizioso (Honda) 2:02.630 (51) 7. Hayden (Ducati) 2:02.792 (59) 8. Pedrosa (Honda) 2:02.866 (52) 9. Kallio (Pramac Racing – Ducati) 2:02.987 (70) 10. Barbera (Ducati) 2:03.030 (59) 11. Espargaro (Pramac Racing – Ducati) 2:03.133 (54) 12. Spies (Yamaha) 2:03.142 (55) 13. De Puniet (Honda) 2:03.456 (62) 14. Bautista (Suzuki) 2:03.558 (51) 15. Simoncelli (Honda) 2:03.563 (54) 16. Melandri (Honda) 2:03.609 (28) 17. Aoyama (Honda) 2:03.651 (66) More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Colin Edwards makes flying start to 2010 in Sepang Refreshed after a long winter break and boosted by the impressive performance of Yamaha’s new 2010 YZR-M1 machine, Colin Edwards produced a stunning return to MotoGP action at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia today. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider ended the first day of 2010 pre-season testing with the third fastest time, a best lap of 2.01.932 only bettered by Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner as the MotoGP paddock reconvened after a three-month winter break. Edwards completed 48 laps in typically demanding Sepang conditions as air temperatures reached close to 40 degrees and track temperatures hitting a searing 60 degrees. Edwards, who finished fifth in last y ear’s MotoGP world championship, was one of four riders who managed to lap under the existing lap record and he finished just 0.030s behind Stoner. The Texan was thrilled with the performance of Yamaha’s new 2010 YZR-M1 machine, particularly with bottom end performance on the in-line four-cylinder motor. Ben Spies kicked off his 2010 challenge with a fastest lap of 2.03.142 helping the reigning World Superbike champion secure 12th spot. A chronic bout of jetlag after the long trip to Kuala Lumpur stopped Spies from displaying his true potential, with the Texan continuing to adjust to the prototype YZR-M1 machine while also trying to learn the long and technical Sepang circuit. Colin Edwards 3rd 2.01.932 48 laps “After I blew off a few cobwebs this morning I’ve got to say t he bike worked really great and I’ve got to say a big thanks to Yamaha. They have impressed me because we knew it was a big challenge to achieve a high level of performance while also getting more durability out of the engine for the new rules. And they have done that and I’m really happy, so I’m already excited about the new season. The engine seems much better off the bottom. Last year I’d open the throttle and nothing really happened, but this year there’s a response when you push. I never even touched the bike today, I just got on it and rode it and it felt really natural and I could do what I wanted with the bike. It accelerated how I wanted, I could hold a line how I wanted and I was riding round talking to myself inside my helmet saying ‘how much fun is this?’ When the bike does what you ask, it’s pretty easy. It was a great way to start what hopefully is going to be another successful year with Herve Poncharal and the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team.” Ben Spies 12th 2.03.142 55 laps “I tried as hard as I could for the first day but I’ve got a little bit of jetlag and I wasn’t at 100 per cent. Despite that though the new bike is really good. I got behind a couple of people and the engine performance was really good and that is a real positive. I’m still working on my mid-corner speed and trusting the Bridgestone tyres and today was still a good day even if I’d like to have been a bit further up the timesheets. My times aren’t far off on a track that these guys know like the back of their hand, so I know there is plenty more to come from me. My guy’s asked me what I need to work on for tomorrow and right now it’s just me. There’s a good half-a-second just in myself. I’ve got a lot to learn and it takes time. I’ve already been getting a lot of help and advice from Colin about the track and that is great for me and for the Monster Yam aha Tech 3 Team that we are working together like that.” More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: POSITIVE FIRST DAY OF 2010 TESTING FOR DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM AT SEPANG Today the full complement of MotoGP riders roared back into action for the first time in 2010 at Sepang, after a first day exclusively available to test riders, who performed ‘shakedown’ sessions on their machines yesterday. It was a positive start for the two Ducati Marlboro Team riders, who were 2nd and 7th fastest respectively. Stoner, who expressed his satisfaction with the new engine, was quickly on the pace and then focused on the set-up of his bike trying to solve a problem of chatter. Hayden, who was also testing a new fairing today, set a good pace but struggled with the same problem as his team-mate. The pair are now looking forward to working more on the base settings of the GP10 and are confident of improving it tomorrow. Weather-wise it was a demanding day for all of the riders, with ambient temperatures reaching 40°C and the thermometer hitting 60°C on the track. Around fifteen minutes before the scheduled end of the test, a light rain shower brought it to an early conclusion. The track will be open again tomorrow from 9am to 5pm for the second and final day of the test. Casey Stoner 2nd fastest 2’01.902 (42 laps) “This first day was a bit difficult to understand: we started off with a setting that was quite good and that allowed us to make reasonably good lap times. We thought we would improve as the day went on but we had a few problems with chatter. We tried a lot of different combinations trying to make the bike feel a little bit better but we couldn’t really get an improvement. To be honest it was difficult to work out why because the track conditions were particularly difficult – it was so hot that it was actually hard to understand if you were make an improvement on the bike or not. In any case I’m really happy with the new engine, I think that with the other one we would have struggled more. Now the bike in general feel very good, very balanced and I’m happy with it. Hopefully the weather will be a little cooler tomorrow so that we can understand better if the changes we try are the right ones”. Nicky Hayden – 7th fastest 2’02.792 (59 laps) “Overall the day was positive, sure it went quite fast actually and at the end of the day when we were ready to do some more laps the rain came and cut it a little bit short. It would be nice to have the chance to do some more laps. But overall the bike was feeling quite good. We made a couple of little tweaks that helped us but we struggle a lot for edge chatter. There’s not much testing before the start of the season so we’ve got to move fast: day one is in the bag, we have established a good starting point and we go from here”. Sepang Record: Casey Stoner (Ducati – 2007) 2’02.108 Sepang Best Pole: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha – 2009), 2’00.518 Unofficial lap times 4th February 1. Rossi (Yamaha) 2:01.411 (54 laps) 2. Stoner (Ducati) 2:01.902 (42) 3. Edwards (Yamaha) 2:01.932 (48) 4. Capirossi (Suzuki) 2:02.102 (58) 5. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2:02.165 (57) 6. Dovizioso (Honda) 2:02.630 (51) 7. Hayden (Ducati) 2:02.792 (59) 8. Pedrosa (Honda) 2:02.866 (52) 9. Kallio (Ducati) 2:02.987 (70) 10. Barbera (Ducati) 2:03.030 (59) 11. Espargaro (Ducati) 2:03.133 (54) 12. Spies (Yamaha) 2:03.142 (55) 13. De Puniet (Honda) 2:03.456 (62) 14. Bautista (Suzuki) 2:03.558 (51) 15. Simoncelli (Honda) 2:03.563 (54) 16. Melandri (Honda) 2:03.609 (28) 17. Aoyama (Honda) 2:03.651 (66)