From a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: HOPKINS CONFIDENT AFTER SECOND DAY AT SEPANG Kawasaki’s John Hopkins continued to improve his lap time during the second day of testing at a blisteringly hot Sepang circuit. The Anglo-American was just over half-a-second off the fastest time today, but is confidently predicting that this gap will be much reduced once he gets the chance tomorrow to dial in further the set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR. Hopkins’s Kawasaki teammate, Anthony West, will be looking for the same level of improvement on the final day of testing, after a successful morning that saw his lap time tumbling with every run aboard the 2008 Ninja ZX-RR. Both riders worked their way through an intensive tyre testing program with Bridgestone while conditions were good this morning, before switching back to working on the set-up and evaluation of chassis and suspension components as track temperatures soared and grip levels dropped during the afternoon session. West identified a front tyre and rim combination that gave him more confidence in the front end of the bike, as he pushed to close the time gap on his more experienced teammate. The Australian will continue with the same combination tomorrow when he hopes to see another significant improvement in his lap time, before the Kawasaki Racing Team head for his home circuit in Australia for the next round of testing. Hopkins focussed mainly on evaluating rear tyres that may prove suitable for use at the first race in Qatar, which is likely to be run under similar conditions as experienced today in Sepang. The 24-year-old Kawasaki rider ended the test confident that the tyre data acquired today would allow Bridgestone to identify the best combination of construction, profile and compound for the unique demands of the Qatar circuit. The final day of testing tomorrow promises to be a punishing one for both riders, with race simulation runs scheduled in the morning and further work on machine set-up planned for the afternoon. John Hopkins 55 Laps – Best Time 2’01.874 “We started out this morning by running through some tyres that Bridgestone have brought here, basically to try and identify what will work for the first race of the season in Qatar. It was a useful test, I felt pretty comfortable on the bike and I think it will stand us in good stead come Qatar. We’ve also continued the evaluation of the two chassis options we have here, and at the moment we’ve gone with the one closest to the 2007 spec. The other chassis option has some positive points, but we need to do some more work on a few areas before we go with it on the race bike. The engineers will now take this chassis back to Japan, together with the data on it that we’ve collected, and I guess we will be testing further revisions pretty soon. Tomorrow I’ll do a long distance run, and then we’ll be looking to refine the set-up of the bike to suit my personal preferences, which I’m looking forward to.” Anthony West 66 Laps – Best Time 2’02.579 “This morning we kept the changes to a minimum and I just concentrated on improving my feeling with the bike, and also my lap time. I managed to improve with each run, so I was pretty happy about that. We also tested a new front tyre with a slightly different profile than I’ve used before, and there was some improvement in the front end feeling as a result. This afternoon we tried to do some rear tyre testing, but it was difficult to get a good feel for the different tyres, because the track lost a lot of grip as the surface temperature went up; I just ended up sliding around everywhere. Tomorrow will be a hard day, because I’m scheduled to do a race simulation, but it will be interesting to see how my lap time averages out over a long run.” Naoya Kaneko Kawasaki Technical Manager “Both riders have mainly focussed on tyre testing with Bridgestone today, with positive results from some of the new front and rear options that we’ve tested for the first time here in Sepang. Anthony found a front that gave him more confidence, and John identified some improvements on turn in with a couple of the rear tyres. We’ve also continued with comparison tests of the two chassis options we have here, and we now have a pretty clear direction for future development. Finally, we’ve continued refining the engine braking system on the bike with some success, but we know there are further improvements to be had in this area.” 1. Randy De Puniet (FRA) Honda LCR 2’01.139; 2. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha Tech 3 +0.188; 3. Valentino Rossi (46) Fiat Yamaha +0.298; 4. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha +0.444; 5. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.499; 6. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.735; 7. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +0.778; 8. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JIR Team Scott +0.867; 9. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda Gresini +0.956; 10. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.963; 11. James Toseland (GBR) Yamaha Tech 3 +1.137; 12. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +1.232; 13. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.440; More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: STONER FINISHES AHEAD OF SCHEDULE AND MELANDRI IMPROVES ON DAY TWO The MotoGP test at Sepang in Malaysia continued to enjoy favourable weather conditions on the second day, with bright sunshine and a dry track for the entire session. It provided the platform for an extremely positive day for the World Champion, who was able to clock a time of 2’01.836, inside his own circuit record, on just his second lap of the morning. The good feeling Casey Stoner has already found with the new GP8 has allowed him to get straight into some serious tyre tests and conduct a long run in the afternoon. Unfortunately the race simulation was interrupted at the halfway point by a small clutch problem that was causing the rear wheel to judder under braking. It wasn’t enough to cause the bike to stop but Casey rightly decided to return to the pits and examine the problem. On his return to the track, the Australian suffered cramps in his left arm – the same side as his injured shoulder – and he was forced to end the day early, saving his strength for another important day tomorrow. Marco Melandri worked hard throughout the day with his team and is confident that he can gradually find the right feeling with his new bike. Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team), best time: 2’01’638 (33 laps) “That was much better than yesterday! I felt much more comfortable on the bike from the first lap, so much so that we were able to start some front tyre tests for Bridgestone straight away. We’ve found some really interesting things and definitely a good base for the season – the Japanese guys are doing a great job. After lunch we starter a long run and everything went great for the first ten laps. I had a good pace together, inside lap record, but then we started to get a strange vibration from the rear that was upsetting the bike in a couple of braking areas. I preferred to stop to try and work out what it was and we found a small problem with the clutch. We went back out again on the same tyres but started to get cramps in my left arm, so we decided it was better not to push it too much and to sit the rest of the day out. When I think that I was still suffering from pain in my shoulder only a week ago I have to be really happy with how things are going. I’m still not 100% but I’m able to ride much better than I expected. Now I know that I can begin making the right preparations to be ready for the start of the season. We’ll keep working with Bridgestone tomorrow and give the new qualifiers a try.” Marco Melandri (Ducati Marlboro Team), best time: 2’03.311 (46 laps) “Today went a little bit better than yesterday. I feel better with the geometry now and we can start to work on the suspension. I’m still not completely used to the power delivery of the Ducati because there is plenty of it but it’s not easy to make the most of it with my riding style. We are working on this aspect though and we’ll find the best configuration for me. Tomorrow I want to start testing the new Bridgestones and I think they can also help me find something that will allow me to go a little faster. It is proving to be more difficult than I thought but there is no reason why we can’t find a solution to the current problems. We’ll keep working calmly and I’m sure we’ll improve!” Sepang Circuit Circuit Record: Casey Stoner (Ducati – 2007) 2’02.108 Pole Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha – 2006) 2’00.605 Lap times 23/01/2008 1. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda) 2:01.139 2. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha) 2:01.327 3. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha) 2:01.437 4. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha) 2:01.583 5. Casey STONER (Ducati) 2:01.638 6. John HOPKINS (Kawasaki) 2:01.874 7. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki) 2:01.917 8. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda) 2:02.006 9. Shinya NAKANO (Honda) 2:02.095 10. Nicky HAYDEN (Honda) 2:02.102 11. James TOSELAND (Yamaha) 2:02.276 12. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki) 2:02.371 13. Anthony WEST (Kawasaki) 2:02.579 14. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda) 2:02.914 15. Toni ELIAS (Ducati) 2:03.311 16. Marco MELANDRI (Ducati) 2:03.380 17. Olivier JACQUE (Kawasaki) 2:03.462 18. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Ducati) 2:04.217 19. Tamaki SERIZAWA (Kawasaki) 2:04.382 20. Niccolo CANEPA (Ducati) 2:04.427 More, from a press release issued by JIR Team Scot Racing: More hard work on day two Andrea Dovizioso improves to 8th Day two of JiR Team Scot’s three-day test at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia was once more made up of hard work and hot and humid weather. The team is working towards putting Andrea Dovizioso in the best position set-up wise with his Honda MotoGP machine for the first race of the season in Qatar in just six-weeks time. Today the team once more worked on improving the general handling of the Honda RC212V and eliminating the problems encountered yesterday with corner entry and engine braking. The team also tested some new tyres from Michelin, while Andrea also took the opportunity to become more familiar with Michelin’s qualifying tyre. The 21-year-old Italian managed to complete 55 laps during the day and improved his position to 8th place overall. Work will continue tomorrow before bike, rider and team pack-up and head to Australia for next week’s MotoGP test at Phillip Island. Luca Montiron JiR Team Scot Director “The second day of any test is very important for the team and the rider. The team has to work fast to ensure maximum efficiency and to make many changes on the bike so we can get through our test schedule. The lap time recorded today by Andrea shows good progress and this shows that the team is gelling well together and that the level of concentration from rider and team is very high. This is our target, as Andrea is a very sensible rider and wants to make good, steady progress. Andrea wants the best for himself and the team as do we! It’s important for us to make further improvements tomorrow and help Andrea get more accustomed and satisfied with his new machine. That will be our aim.” Andrea Dovizioso Rider, JiR Team Scot MotoGP Time 8th: 2′ 02.006″. Laps: 55 “I’m not totally satisfied about today, but this is because I set high targets for myself and want to solve as many problems as possible and as quickly as I can! We still have some issues with the engine braking setting and we do have some rear-end chattering from the bike. This in turn makes it harder to set-up the chassis so we are working hard together to find the best setting, which will give us a solution. It’s tiring riding a bike, which does this, so we will work hard to improve it. We are working hard with Michelin, as I know we can move forward together. Today I tried a qualifying tyre to find out how much faster I could be and we went around three-tenths quicker, which shows we need to improve the general setting of the bike.” Gianni Berti – Technical Coordinator, JiR Team Scot “Today we changed the geometry of the chassis and made some suspension changes in a bid to eliminate the chattering from the rear of the bike that’s been the main problem affecting us over the last two days. We need to find a good compromise between the engine braking and the chassis to improve the overall handling and corner entry of the RC212V. That was our key target of the day. We also tried some new materials brought to us by Michelin and both these tasks will be things we will be continuing with tomorrow as we continue to move forward with the new machine.” More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: Rossi Third Fastest On Second Day In Sepang Another scorching day in Sepang saw Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi putting in some fast laps on the new 2008 YZR-M1 today, on the second day of the opening test of the year. Proving he was harbouring no ill-effects from yesterday’s fall, the Italian was a second faster than yesterday and over half a second under lap record pace, setting the third fastest time of the day on a race tyre. Rossi once again worked on the pneumatic-valve engine and on the new electronics, as well as concentrating on tyre testing with Bridgestone as he and his crew continue their learning curve with their new tyre manufacturer. Rossi completed 60 laps and his best lap of the day, a time of 2’01.437, was set just before five pm. Rossi was one of three Yamaha riders in the top four as his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was just behind him with a time of 2’01.583 and Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards was just ahead of him in second place. For the second consecutive day Randy de Puniet topped the time sheets, in a time of 2’01.139 Valentino Rossi Position: 3rd Time: 2’01.437 Laps: 60 “Today we continued to work on bike set-up in the same way as yesterday and on the new engine, the electronics and the tyres. We continued with the pneumatic-valve engine as it’s important to get as much mileage as possible behind us with this engine to check the performance, the reliability and just to gain experience with it. With the electronics we worked a lot on the acceleration mapping and I’m quite happy with this. Although it doesn’t make us any faster, it helps me to be more comfortable on the bike. Finally we tested some different rear tyres with Bridgestone and also some qualifying tyres, although we didn’t improve on the time with the soft tyres so we need to work more in this area. We completed a lot of work today and hopefully we can have another good day tomorrow to finish.” Fiat Yamaha Team Davide Brivio Team Manager “We were able to get through a lot of work today and we’re finding some good results. We continued to work a lot with different settings, constantly modifying the bike, as we learn more about it, to make it easier and faster to ride. Valentino is getting more used to his new tyres and therefore he is gaining more confidence and going faster. We didn’t complete a long run today but this is on the schedule for tomorrow so we hope for more good weather to allow us to get through all of our testing schedule.” Results 1. Randy De Puniet – Honda Lcr 2:01.139 2. Colin Edwards – Yamaha Tech3 2:01.327 3. Valentino Rossi – Fiat Yamaha Team 2:01.437 4. Jorge Lorenzo – Fiat Yamaha Team 2:01.583 5. Casey Stoner – Ducati Marlboro 2:01.638 6. John Hopkins – Kawasaki Racing 2:01.874 7. Loris Capirossi – Rizla Suzuki 2:01.917 8. Andrea Dovizioso – Jir Team Scot 2:02.006 9. Shinya Nakano – Honda Gresini 2:02.095 10. Nicky Hayden – Repsol Hrc 2:02.102 11. James Toseland – Yamaha Tech3 2:02.276 12. Chris Vermeulen – Rizla Suzuki 2:02.371 13. Anthony West – Kawasaki Racing 2:02.579 14. Alex De Angelis – Honda Gresini 2:02.914 15. Toni Elias – Alice Team 2:03.311 16. Marco Melandri – Ducati Marlboro 2:03.380 17 Olivier Jacque – Kawasaki Racing 2:03.462 18 Sylvain Guintoli – Alice Team 2:04.217 19 Tamaki Serizawa – Kawasaki Racing 2:04.382 20 Niccolò Canepa – Ducati Test 2:04.427 Sepang Lap Record Casey Stoner (Ducati) 2007 – 2’02.108 Sepang Best Lap Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006 – 2’00.605 More, from another press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: Yamaha Rookie Shows His Pace In Malaysian Heat New Fiat Yamaha Team signing Jorge Lorenzo showed how quickly he’s getting to grips with his new YZR-M1 today when he finished the second day of testing in Sepang in fourth position, just 0.146 seconds behind his team-mate Valentino Rossi. Showing yesterday’s fall had done nothing to dent his confidence, the 20-year-old improved on his time from day one by a second and was also under the lap record pace. Continuing from where he left off yesterday, Lorenzo had his first chance to try the pneumatic-valve engine and reported some improvement with it. Aside from that, today’s primary focus was tyres and the Spaniard and his crew commenced an extensive programme of rubber testing with Michelin. His best lap, in a time of 2’01.583, was set on the 31st of 54 laps shortly before one pm. Rossi was just ahead of him with a best lap of 2’01.437 and Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards made it three Yamaha riders in the top four by setting the second fastest time. Randy de Puniet was on top for the second day running in a time of 2’01.139. Jorge Lorenzo Position: 4th Time: 2’01.583 Laps: 54 “Today was a good day! We continued in the same way as yesterday, working on our overall performance and we improved by one second, so this is very encouraging. I tested the new pneumatic-valve engine and this was interesting and I found some improvement with it. We’re still working on the hard braking and, although we have improved our performance in these areas a bit, we still need to do more work on this. Likewise I’m still adjusting my riding style to better suit the M1 but this is becoming more natural and comfortable for me day-by-day. Finally we also began testing tyres with Michelin today. We tried quite a lot of new material, especially for the rear, and found some good stuff. I’m happy with the day’s work and hopefully we can have an even better day tomorrow.” Fiat Yamaha Team Daniele Romagnoli Team Manager “Today we had even more positive results. We continued with our testing plan and Jorge showed a good overall performance today. We’re still focusing on improving the stability into the hard braking corners and Jorge also had his first chance to try the pneumatic-valve engine, which gave him a good feeling and worked well for him. Today we also began our testing programme with Michelin, trying several new compound tyres, which helped Jorge to improve his performance further. Tomorrow we’ll continue with Michelin and hopefully we will also have the chance to do a race simulation and check our overall performance.” More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Full day of detailed testing completed in Malaysia Rizla Suzuki MotoGP has finished the second day of the three-day Malaysian test by completing a thorough and comprehensive test of Bridgestone’s latest development tyres and revised brake components. Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen recorded 59 and 44 laps respectively of the 5.5km Sepang circuit, including some control runs to assess the durability and performance of the new compounds and constructions developed by Bridgestone during the off-season. The two Suzuki racers also conducted some brake comparison tests in conjunction with Brembo technicians present at the track, and with the emphasis on this and tyre testing today’s single lap-times were not the priority, although Capirossi did improve on his day-one time by almost half-a-second as he recorded the seventh quickest time of the day, with a 2’01.917 lap. Capirossi and Vermeulen have one more day in Sepang to undertake yet more tests on all aspects on the 2008 Rizla Suzuki GSV-R, including more tyre testing, chassis comparison tests and a race simulation run. Loris Capirossi: “The more I work with the bike and my crew the more I understand the GSV-R and what will be best for me in the future. I did a lot more laps today and every time we change parts or settings I feel my knowledge of the bike increases and I’m feeling more and more at home. I am confident that with combination of the best parts and settings that I have tested I can go quite a bit quicker than I have done so far, and most importantly the more I understand the GSV-R the more we can make it a better race bike.” Chris Vermeulen: “We had a couple of problems with my first bike this morning that needed sorting out, but that is the kind of thing to be expected when you are testing a new bike with so many new parts. After we had ironed them out we got through a lot of detailed set-up testing which took up a large portion of the day. Obviously testing development tyres and brakes is a major thing to do and takes a lot of time, but it was something we needed to do and made good progress. We have gathered a lot of information over the last two days and we certainly know the priorities for the next improvements.” Sepang Test Day Two Classification: 1. Randy De Puniet (Honda) 2’01.139: 2. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +0.188: 3. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +0.298: 4. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) +0.444: 5. Casey Stoner (Ducati) +0.499: 7. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +0.778: 12. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.232: More, from a press release issued by Honda: De Puniet and LCR Honda top Sepang lap time sheets again The second day of the three-day MotoGP test at Sepang, Malaysia again saw LCR rider Randy De Puniet top the lap time chart. In 35 degree temperatures, high humidity and a track top temperature of 51 degrees the Frenchman put in 63 fast consistent laps the majority under 2m 02.5s. With several laps in the low 2m 01s bracket. The LCR team technicians tested with 16.5 inch tyres in combination with a variety of suspension settings and a slight change to chassis geometry. Despite improving his lap time of yesterday with the adjustments the Frenchman will return to the base set up the team found on the opening day while using 16 inch tyres. The second fastest Honda at Sepang today was the JiR Scot Honda in the hands of Andrea Dovizioso. The young Italian worked on the geometry and the slipper clutch of his RC212V in a bid to reduce rear end chatter. The team turned their attention to working with tyre supplier Michelin testing 16 inch tyres. The results enabled Dovizioso to lower his best lap time of yesterday by an impressive 0.777s Repsol Honda factory rider Nicky Hayden spent most of the second day of testing evaluating HRC’s latest RC212V engine with pneumatic valves, having spent yesterday using an engine with conventional valves. The 2006 MotoGP World Champion put in 66-laps of the 5.542 km circuit in the gruelling conditions shaving four tenths off his lap time of yesterday while testing the latest prototype RCV. Hayden improved his feeling with the new RCV that he will campaign in the 18-round world championship that gets underway at the Losail circuit, Qatar on March 9. Hayden’s Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa is in Barcelona, Spain, awaiting surgery. The Spaniard broke a bone in his right hand when he crashed here yesterday. Dr. Xavier Mir at the Clinica Dexeus is expected to operate on the injury this afternoon. It is not yet known when Pedrosa will be able to ride again. Both Gresini Honda riders put in improved performances today. Shinya Nakano reaped the benefit of changes to the front fork settings and lowering the rear end ride height and ended the day half a second faster today Team-mate Alex De Angelis is, along with Dovizioso, a MotoGP debutant and has been impressive form at Sepang despite missing the November test at the track through injury. The Sanmarinese was consistently faster than his best time of yesterday, reducing his lap time by four-tenths of a second. De Angelis decided to take a rest from testing late on in the day when he suffered a jarred wrist while surviving a high speed ‘Tank-slapper’ when the RCV snapped sideways at a fast right hand corner. Honda rider lap times and quotes. Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda: 2m 01.139s 63 laps. “Another good day for us, I ran with 16.5 inch tyres today after trying the 16 inch tyres yesterday. We tried different front end geometry and suspension but returned to the setting we had yesterday. I also did a race simulation run and was very happy because I ran consistent lap times under 2m02.5s. Tomorrow we will go back to testing 16 inch tyres and would like to push harder in the morning session, if the conditions are good. I had a small crash at lunchtime, the front end just folded under me, nothing seriously damaged and I’m OK” Andrea Dovizioso, JiR Scot Honda: 2m 02.006s 55 laps. “I’m not totally satisfied about today, but this is because I set high targets for myself and want to solve as many problems as possible and as quickly as I can! We still have some issues with the engine braking setting and we do have some rear-end chattering from the bike. This in turn makes it harder to set-up the chassis so we are working hard together to find the best setting, which will give us a solution. It’s tiring riding a bike, which does this, so we will work hard to improve it. We are working hard with Michelin, as I know we can move forward together. Today I tried a qualifying tyre to find out how much faster I could be and we went around three-tenths quicker, which shows we need to improve the general setting of the bike.” Shinya Nakano, Gresini Honda: 2m 02.095s 54 laps. “Finally I set good lap times on race tyres the bike felt good today, especially around noon but in the afternoon I could not set so fast times as the track temperature was too high, even for a qualifying tyre. But I did find a very good rear tyre with Bridgestone today. The chassis was the same as yesterday but we found some very good front fork settings. I lowered the ride height on the rear and that helped us improve the feeling a lot. We didn’t try much on the electronics; we will do that at Phillip Island (Australia) next week. Tomorrow we will try some different chassis options and work on tyre testing. Everything is going really well for us here.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 2m 02.102s 66 laps. “We used the standard engine in the morning. I set my fastest lap, and then we started using the pneumatic-valve engine after about 25 laps. With that engine the bike did feel more like the prototype I rode last November, I guess because the bike was designed to have that engine, so maybe the extra weight makes it work a bit better. We did have a few little issues with the engine, it’s got smoother power and more rpm but top speed is a bit down, plus I was coming in every 12 laps to check the system so it wasn’t so easy to get into a rhythm. But I think the pneumatic valves are the way to go because that engine’s got more potential. We also tested a clutch with the pneumatic-valve engine, plus some setting parts and fuel injection, more engine type of stuff. We stayed on race tyres all day and made a little bit of progress, four tenths or so. We also tested a couple of tyres, I tried a 16 rear but the balance of the bike wasn’t right with that tyre, so we need to look at the data and see what’s happening. Now we’re going to sit down, talk about it and see which engine we’re going to use tomorrow.” Alex De Angelis, Gresini Honda: 2m 02.914s 41 laps. “This morning was very good because I improved my lap time; I was consistently faster than yesterday. We spent a lot of time working on the rear suspension settings and tried a lot of options, mainly spring rates, while running race tyres. The bike now behaves a lot better and I am better off the corners than before. We played with the electronics a little to get the bike to spin up and slide off the corners, that’s good for my riding style. I didn’t try any qualifying tyres today. “ Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: Did not test due an injured hand sustained at Sepang yesterday. More, from a press release issued by Repsol Media Service: NICKY HAYDEN IMPROVES HIS SPEED DURING THE SECOND DAY OF PRACTICE IN SEPANG Dani Pedrosa has returned to Barcelona and will be operated on today, Wednesday, after damaging the second metacarpian on his right hand Nicky Hayden continued his sterling work at Sepang today, once again riding more laps than anyone else at the Malaysian circuit. In gruelling tropical heat (ambient 35 degrees, track 51 degrees) the Repsol Honda rider rode 66 laps, cutting more than four tenths off his previous best time from yesterday. Hayden spent most of the day evaluating HRC’s latest RC212V engine with pneumatic valves, having spent yesterday using an engine with conventional valves. The 2006 MotoGP World Champion was Repsol Honda’s lone rider today, his team-mate Dani Pedrosa is in Barcelona, Spain, awaiting surgery. The Spaniard broke a bone in his right hand when he fell here yesterday afternoon. Dr Xavier Mir at the Clinica Dexeus is expected to operate on the injury this afternoon. It is not yet known when Pedrosa will be able to ride again. Quotes MotoGP Nicky Hayden, fastest lap: 2:02.102 “We used the standard engine in the morning. I set my fastest lap, then we started using the pneumatic-valve engine after about 25 laps. With that engine the bike did feel more like the prototype I rode last November, I guess because the bike was designed to have that engine, so maybe the extra weight makes it work a bit better. We did have a few little issues with the engine, it’s got smoother power and more rpm but top speed is a bit down, plus I was coming in every 12 laps to check the system so it wasn’t so easy to get into a rhythm. But I think the pneumatic valves are the way to go because that engine’s got more potential. We also tested a clutch with the pneumatic-valve engine, plus some setting parts and fuel injection, more engine type of stuff. We stayed on race tyres all day and made a little bit of progress, four tenths or so. We also tested a couple of tyres, I tried a 16 rear but the balance of the bike wasn’t right with that tyre, so we need to look at the data and see what’s happening. Now we’re going to sit down, talk about it and see which engine we’re going to use tomorrow.” Official results MotoGP: 1. Randy DE PUNIET (HONDA) 2:01:139 2. Colin EDWARDS (YAMAHA) 2:01:327 3. Valentino ROSSI (YAMAHA) 2:01:437 4. Jorge LORENZO (YAMAHA) 2:01:583 5. Casey STONER (DUCATI) 2:01:638 10. Nicky HAYDEN (REPSOL HONDA) 2:02:102 More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: Nicky Hayden continued his sterling work at Sepang today, once again riding more laps than anyone else at the Malaysian circuit. In gruelling tropical heat (ambient 35 degrees, track 51 degrees) the Repsol Honda rider rode 66 laps, cutting more than four tenths off his previous best time from yesterday. Hayden spent most of the day evaluating HRC’s latest RC212V engine with pneumatic valves, having spent yesterday using an engine with conventional valves. The 2006 MotoGP World Champion was Repsol Honda’s lone rider today, his team-mate Dani Pedrosa is in Barcelona, Spain, awaiting surgery. The Spaniard broke a bone in his right hand when he fell here yesterday afternoon. Dr Xavier Mir at the Clinica Dexeus is expected to operate on the injury this afternoon. It is not yet known when Pedrosa will be able to ride again. Nicky Hayden, fastest lap: 2m 02.102s (lap 24 of 66) “We used the standard engine in the morning. I set my fastest lap, then we started using the pneumatic-valve engine after about 25 laps. With that engine the bike did feel more like the prototype I rode last November, I guess because the bike was designed to have that engine, so maybe the extra weight makes it work a bit better. We did have a few little issues with the engine, it’s got smoother power and more rpm but top speed is a bit down, plus I was coming in every 12 laps to check the system so it wasn’t so easy to get into a rhythm. But I think the pneumatic valves are the way to go because that engine’s got more potential. We also tested a clutch with the pneumatic-valve engine, plus some setting parts and fuel injection, more engine type of stuff. We stayed on race tyres all day and made a little bit of progress, four tenths or so. We also tested a couple of tyres, I tried a 16 rear but the balance of the bike wasn’t right with that tyre, so we need to look at the data and see what’s happening. Now we’re going to sit down, talk about it and see which engine we’re going to use tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Alice Team Ducati: SECOND DAY OF TEST IN SEPANG FOR THE ALICE TEAM Another hard day of work has finished at the Sepang circuit, situated just a few kilometers from the city of Kuala Lumpur. The Alice Team French-Hispanic duo has ridden for many laps even if the temperature were very high. The asphalt temperature was six degrees higher than yesterday, reaching fifty-two degrees in the peak moment of the day. Tomorrow the first three days of the 2008 test will come to an end. Fabiano Sterlacchini – Technical Director “Today has been a useful day. During the morning we have obtained interesting lap times, but from the beginning of the afternoon we have begun to try different technical solutions. This heat doesn’t surely help our work, the asphalt temperature was really high and also for this reason we have taken a longer break at midday. Both riders are really happy of the package they have at their disposal and are working very well to adapt to the bike. Tomorrow we will try a different front fork and other tyres solutions.” Toni Elias – Alice Team Rider (15th best lap time in 2:03.311 – Total laps 46) “I am very happy on how we have worked today. We have tried many things during the day, mostly in the afternoon hours. This hasn’t allowed us to be between the fastest, but in this moment it’s not what it counts. Notwithstanding the heat I feel really good, I am physically ready, even if the shoulder I just had surgery on it’s not at the best yet. But this doesn’t worry me and I can’t wait to sit back on the bike tomorrow to improve even more.” Sylvain Guintoli – Alice Team Rider (18th best lap time in 2:04.217 – Total laps 37) “This morning, in one of my first laps, I made it to improve my best lap time obtained yesterday by almost two second. I am very happy of this; I think we are following the right direction. In the afternoon we have tried different technical solutions and some new tyres. Also with the Team everything is going well, we understand each other better day by day. This is very important to continue to improve our performances on track.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Three Yamaha riders topping the time sheets in Sepang Another scorching day in Sepang saw the Yamaha riders putting in some fast laps on the new 2008 YZR-M1 today, on the second day of the opening test of the year. Proving that Edwards, Rossi and Lorenzo were harbouring no ill-effects from yesterday’s falls, three out of four Yamaha riders topped the time sheets. Rossi was a second faster than yesterday and over half a second under lap record pace, setting the third fastest time of the day on a race tyre as his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was just behind him with a time of 2:01.583. Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards was just ahead of both Fiat Yamaha riders in second place in a time of 2.01.327. For the second consecutive day Randy de Puniet topped the time sheets. Rossi once again worked on the pneumatic-valve engine and on the new electronics, as well as concentrating on tyre testing with Bridgestone as he and his crew continue their learning curve with their new tyre manufacturer. Rossi completed 60 laps and his best lap of the day, a time of 2:01.437, was set just before five pm. Valentino Rossi – Position: 3rd Time: 2:01.437 Laps: 60 “Today we continued to work on bike set-up in the same way as yesterday and on the new engine, the electronics and the tyres. We continued with the pneumatic-valve engine as it’s important to get as much mileage as possible behind us with this engine to check the performance, the reliability and just to gain experience with it. With the electronics we worked a lot on the acceleration mapping and I’m quite happy with this. Although it doesn’t make us any faster, it helps me to be more comfortable on the bike. Finally we tested some different rear tyres with Bridgestone and also some qualifying tyres, although we didn’t improve on the time with the soft tyres so we need to work more in this area. We completed a lot of work today and hopefully we can have another good day tomorrow to finish.” Davide Brivio – Team Manager “We were able to get through a lot of work today and we’re finding some good results. We continued to work a lot with different settings, constantly modifying the bike, as we learn more about it, to make it easier and faster to ride. Valentino is getting more used to his new tyres and therefore he is gaining more confidence and going faster. We didn’t complete a long run today but this is on the schedule for tomorrow so we hope for more good weather to allow us to get through all of our testing schedule.” New Fiat Yamaha Team signing Jorge Lorenzo showed how quickly he’s getting to grips with his new YZR-M1 today when he finished the second day of testing in Sepang in fourth position. The 20-year-old improved on his time from day one by a second and was also under the lap record pace. Continuing from where he left off yesterday, Lorenzo had his first chance to try the pneumatic-valve engine and reported some improvement with it. Aside from that, today’s primary focus was tyres and the Spaniard and his crew commenced an extensive programme of rubber testing with Michelin. His best lap, in a time of 2:01.583, was set on the 31st of 54 laps shortly before one pm. Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 4th Time: 2:01.583 Laps: 54 “Today was a good day! We continued in the same way as yesterday, working on our overall performance and we improved by one second, so this is very encouraging. I tested the new pneumatic-valve engine and this was interesting and I found some improvement with it. We’re still working on the hard braking and, although we have improved our performance in these areas a bit, we still need to do more work on this. Likewise I’m still adjusting my riding style to better suit the M1 but this is becoming more natural and comfortable for me day-by-day. Finally we also began testing tyres with Michelin today. We tried quite a lot of new material, especially for the rear, and found some good stuff. I’m happy with the day’s work and hopefully we can have an even better day tomorrow.” Daniele Romagnoli – Team Manager “Today we had even more positive results. We continued with our testing plan and Jorge showed a good overall performance today. We’re still focusing on improving the stability into the hard braking corners and Jorge also had his first chance to try the pneumatic-valve engine, which gave him a good feeling and worked well for him. Today we also began our testing programme with Michelin, trying several new compound tyres, which helped Jorge to improve his performance further. Tomorrow we’ll continue with Michelin and hopefully we will also have the chance to do a race simulation and check our overall performance.” Edwards finds his feet on Sepang second day The second day of action for the Yamaha Tech3 MotoGP team at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia revealed further progress for the French crew and their riders Colin Edwards, who was second quickest, and James Toseland, clocking in with the eleventh best time but shaving a second off his best, with their YZR-M1 machinery. A total of 105 laps were completed at the venue which will host the penultimate round of eighteen in the 2008 MotoGP world championship. Edwards recorded a lap-time that was less than two-tenths of a second away from the fastest effort. The Texan immediately felt at home with a new chassis on the M1 and was also full of praise for the Michelin tyres that enabled him to register his impressive circulation. Colin Edwards – Position: 2nd time: 2.01.327, 46 laps “I am so happy right now,” he said. “Yesterday I was confused after the crash and what the problem could be. We had been struggling with engine braking but after we found the cause we went at it again this morning and the difference was huge. We made a small change to the new chassis and things were much better. I was more comfortable and the bike was working just how I wanted.” “We burned a few laps and I have to say ‘hats-off’ to Michelin and a big thank you! We had problems last year, but without a doubt they have redeemed themselves and more; I am really pleased and we should know better than to doubt Michelin anyway,” he added. “At tests you don’t push, not at 110% anyway,” the 33 year old said (34 next month), who has notched eight MotoGP podiums, “but I felt good out there. I was calming down and putting in less effort but I was still doing 2:01s and that little series of laps we made was great.” Edwards, also running a new swing-arm, is planning on making a longer on-track stint tomorrow to collect further valuable data for the chassis of the M1 and also tyre information. James Toseland, still getting acquainted with the M1 and the rigours of MotoGP testing, continued to cut his lap-times and today’s efforts saw a decent full second sliced from his personal best. James Toseland – Position: 11th time: 2:02.276, 59 laps “To make that reduction in the lap-time was good even if I did more or less stay in the same position in the standings,” the 27 year old World Superbike Champion said, “but I am not looking at positions at the moment, just the fact that I am getting quicker and quicker.” “We have a problem with chatter at the moment, which is holding us back, but we have a few things to try in terms of engine braking, electronics and traction control and we will be going through that stuff tomorrow,” he remarked after making 59 laps. “The adjustments seemed to work for Colin and if you look at the telemetry data then my setting was three times worse than his. So I am quite pleased that we are still doing pretty good lap-times. I made a 2:03 yesterday and I said to the team last night that I was looking forward to being in the 2:02s today. I hardly dropped out of that bracket so I am happy, and will hope to get in the 2:01s tomorrow!” The third and final day of work takes place at Sepang tomorrow before Tech3 box-up and travel to the flowing Phillip Island circuit in Australia. Results 1. Randy De Puniet – Honda Lcr 2:01.139 2. Colin Edwards – Yamaha Tech32:01.327 3. Valentino Rossi – Fiat Yamaha Team 2:01.437 4. Jorge Lorenzo – Fiat Yamaha Team 2:01.583 5. Casey Stoner – Ducati Marlboro 2:01.638 6. John Hopkins – Kawasaki Racing2:01.874 7. Loris Capirossi – Rizla Suzuki 2:01.917 8. Andrea Dovizioso – Jir Team Scot2:02.006 9. Shinya Nakano – Honda Gresini2:02.095 10. Nicky Hayden – Repsol Hrc2:02.102 11. James Toseland – Yamaha Tech32:02.276 12. Chris Vermeulen – Rizla Suzuki 2:02.371 13. Anthony West – Kawasaki Racing 2:02.579 14. Alex De Angelis – Honda Gresini 2:02.914 15. Toni Elias – Alice Team 2:03.311 16. Marco Melandri – Ducati Marlboro 2:03.380 17 Olivier Jacque – Kawasaki Racing2:03.462 18 Sylvain Guintoli – Alice Team2:04.217 19 Tamaki Serizawa – Kawasaki Racing2:04.382 20 Niccolò Canepa – Ducati Test2:04.427 Sepang Lap Record Casey Stoner (Ducati) 2007 – 2’02.108 Sepang Best Lap Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006 – 2’00.605