Edwards and Rossi ahead once again at Official Test in Qatar MotoGP Official Test Day 2/3 – Losail International Circuit, Qatar – Wednesday 14th February The second day of the MotoGP Official Test in Qatar saw a continuation from yesterday, both regarding form and weather. Temperatures were still comfortable for the riders, the sun was still shining and the factory Yamaha 800cc bikes remained on top of the timesheets courtesy of Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi. Edwards, yesterday’s pacesetter on the Yamaha M1, was nearly half a second quicker than his best lap from day one, and also faster than team-mate Valentino Rossi’s best race lap from the 2006 Grand Prix at Losail. The ‘Texan Tornado’ was using what he described as his ‘second choice’ front tyres, with the 16″ Michelin sets that brought him such success in Sepang unavailable for the Qatar visit. Fellow factory Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi once again followed hot on the heels of his American team-mate, just off Edwards’ storming lap of 1’56.296. The five time World Champion is satisfied with the team’s progress at this point in the preseason, commenting yesterday that they are in a much better position than this time last year. The fastest Honda in Qatar today, 2006 Rookie Of The Year Dani Pedrosa was another rider to spearhead the development of Michelin’s new front rubber, and clocked his quickest time towards the end of the afternoon session. The second RC212V in the top six was that of fellow Spaniard Carlos Checa, who put in the most laps of any rider as part of a race simulation. Ducati’s factory rider Casey Stoner, who took pole for last year’s race, was closely followed by a resurgent John Hopkins, who is looking to regain some of Suzuki’s pre-Phillip Island form when they were the early 800cc frontrunners. Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet rounded off a top eight all within a second of fastest rider Edwards. De Puniet’s progress was observed from trackside by Kawasaki team-mate Olivier Jacque, who sat out today’s session as a precautionary measure following a light crash yesterday. Kenny Roberts Jr and Marco Melandri were just ahead of World Champion Nicky Hayden, who suffered a small crash on the opening run-out at Losail. He was back on the bike immediately, eager to put in as many laps as possible on the new 800cc machine. Joining Jacque on the sidelines today was Ilmor GP rider Jeremy McWilliams, who elected to rest his still tender leg after an intense return to action yesterday. The two should both be back in action tomorrow, to once again line up the entire 2007 MotoGP grid for the final day of the Official Test. MotoGP Official Test: Qatar Day Two Official Times 1. Colin Edwards Yamaha Factory 1’56.296 2. Valentino Rossi Yamaha Factory 1’56.537 3. Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda 1’56.712 4. Carlos Checa LCR Honda 1’56. 874 5. Casey Stoner Ducati Marlboro – 1’57.040 6. John Hopkins Rizla Suzuki 1’57.065 7. Shinya Nakano Konica Minolta Honda 1’57.274 8. Randy de Puniet Kawasaki Racing 1’57.288 9. Kenny Roberts Jr Team Roberts 1’57.504 10. Marco Melandri Gresini Honda 1’57.591 11. Nicky Hayden Repsol Honda 1’57.629 12. Loris Capirossi Ducati Marlboro – 1’57.698 13. Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki – 1’57.770 14. Alex Hofmann Pramac d’Antin Ducati – 1’57.999 15. Alex Barros Pramac d’Antin Ducati – 1’58.513 16. Makoto Tamada Yamaha Tech 3 – 1’58.610 17. Toni Elias Gresini Honda 1’58.990 18. Sylvain Guintoli Yamaha Tech 3 1’59.138 19. Shinichi Ito Ducati TTT 1’59.617 20. Andrew Pitt Ilmor GP 2’02.453 More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: A HARD TEST DAY FOR KAWASAKI IN QATAR The Kawasaki Racing Team were back in action today for the second day of testing at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, but with only one of their two riders on track. Olivier Jacque was forced to sit out today’s test due to still suffering the effects of his turn two crash yesterday. The 33-year-old Frenchman was passed fit to ride, but opted to take a recovery day today, before returning to the track in better physical condition tomorrow. With his teammate sidelined, Randy de Puniet continued to refine the set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR, as he evaluated race tyre options from Bridgestone. In the process the Kawasaki rider, who celebrated his 26th birthday today, managed to cut half a second from his best time of yesterday, posting a fastest lap of 1’57.288s. De Puniet completed 54 laps of the Qatar circuit today, with 22 of them completed during a race distance simulation to test rear tyre endurance. The 26-year-old Frenchman is happy with his front race tyre choice, should conditions be the same when he returns for the first race in less than a months time, but will continue testing rear race tyres during the final day at the circuit tomorrow. The only problem on another successful day of testing for Kawasaki came when de Puniet crashed at turn eight after being caught out by gusting winds. The Kawasaki pilot was uninjured in the crash, and returned to the track aboard his spare Ninja ZX-RR when testing resumed after the compulsory lunch break. Randy de Puniet: 54 Laps – Best Lap 1’57.288 “Today we got on with the tyre testing we had planned, working our way through different options on both the front and rear of the bike. Bridgestone have done a great job, and we think we’ve identified a suitable front tyre for the race should conditions be the same here next month. I did a race distance run this afternoon to evaluate tyre endurance, and tomorrow we will try even more rear tyre options from Bridgestone. If we can end this test with a race tyre for front and rear then I’ll be happy. The bike felt better today, and I’d already improved my lap time before lunch. But then I crashed in turn eight; I’m not completely sure why, but it felt like the wind pushed me wide, and I lost the front trying to regain the right line. I was unhurt, but the bike was a wreck! I’m happy with the improvement in consistency today, but there is still room for improvement tomorrow.” Olivier Jacque: #19 “Today I feel much better than I did immediately after the crash yesterday, but I still feel pretty sore. I wanted to ride, but after the medical check up this morning we made the decision to sit out today’s test, instead of risking further injury and a longer delay. I’m sorry for the team, because I know how much work we need to do before the start of the season, but I hope we can catch up on our test schedule tomorrow.” Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager “Randy’s crash was unfortunate, but the important thing was that he was uninjured and it didn’t delay our planned test programme for today. Our overall assessment of today is positive. Our target was to evaluate a range of different tyre options and also to improve the set-up of the bike. Randy did a split run of 22 laps and found some consistency, although we haven’t yet identified a suitable rear tyre for the opening race of the season. For this reason we will focus tomorrow on evaluating more rear tyres, following a special programme provided by Bridgestone. I’m confident we’ll end the test with a good idea of the tyres we will need for the race here. It’s a pity Olivier couldn’t ride today, but the season hasn’t started yet so it would have been pointless to take any risks. He will almost certainly be back tomorrow, so the delay to our test schedule is not so great.” More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: DESERT RAIN AND SLIPPERY TRACK HAMPER SECOND DAY OF TESTING IN QATAR Overnight rain at the desert circuit of Losail in Qatar hampered today’s second day of testing for the MotoGP teams. Track conditions changed drastically and despite it being dry, the surface was totally without grip and this conditioned the work of the Ducati Marlboro Team for most of the day. Both riders concentrated on obtaining the best front-end set-up, and it was only towards the end of the day that they managed to find the right direction, as a result approaching the good pace set yesterday. Today it was the turn of Casey Stoner, again in amongst the top 5, to crash, but without consequences for himself or the bike. Both Stoner and Loris Capirossi hope for better weather tomorrow to continue testing and to put together a long-run. Casey Stoner (45 laps, best time 1m57.040s) “We had a hard time today. Last night’s rain changed the track conditions and in the morning there was no grip. Then the wind made things a bit more complicated. Late in the afternoon the track had some rubber on it, the wind had dropped and we managed to do some good laps again. Everyone says I crash too much so… just to make them happy I had my first crash on a Ducati a few minutes from the end! It was just a small one however, I lost the rear under acceleration and ended up on the grass on the inside of the corner! I wasn’t hurt and didn’t damage the bike so I suppose it was OK!” Loris Capirossi (52 laps, best time 1m57.698s) “Today was really tough because the track conditions after yesterday’s rain were a big problem. We didn’t have any feeling with the front and did everything possible to try and improve the situation but we lost our way a bit. In the end we managed to improve without even getting the right feeling with the bike. I hope it won’t rain tonight because tomorrow we want to carry on from where we left off today and do a long-run “. Losail lap record : Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 1m57.305s Losail pole record: Casey Stoner (Honda) 2006, 1m55.683s Temperature: air 22° / track 25° – 40°C Unofficial times, Wednesday 14 February: Colin Edwards (Yamaha), 1m56.296s Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), 1m56.537s Dani Pedrosa (Honda), 1m56.712s Carlos Checa (Honda), 1m56.874s Casey Stoner (Ducati), 1m57.040s John Hopkins (Suzuki), 1m57.065s Shinya Nakano (Honda), 1m57.274s Randy De Puniet (Kawasaki), 1m57.288s Kenny Roberts jr. (KR-Honda), 1m57.504s Marco Melandri (Honda), 1m57.591s Nicky Hayden (Hondal), 1m57.629s Loris Capirossi (Ducati), 1m57.698s Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki), 1m57.770s Alex Hofmann (Ducati), 1m57.999s Alex Barros (Ducati), 1m58.513s Makoto Tamada (Yamaha), 1m58.610s Toni Elias (Honda), 1m58.990s Sylvain Guintoli (Yamaha), 1m59.617s Shinichi Ito (Ducati), 1m59.617s Andrew Pitt (Ilmor), 2m02.453s More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Factory Racing Team: Edwards and Rossi Continue to Shine In Qatar Colin Edwards maintained his exemplary pre-season form by topping the unofficial time-sheets once again at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar today, with team-mate Valentino Rossi hot on his heels. The Yamaha pairing continue to forge ahead with the development of their 800cc Yamahas and their hard work is reaping rewards, with both riders feeling confident about the impending season. Edwards best lap of the day, an outstanding time of 1’56.296 set in the morning session, was over a second under the current 990cc lap record. Meanwhile Rossi bettered his time from yesterday with a lap of 1.56.537, despite running into a few set-up problems which he will look to iron-out tomorrow. Both riders will now aim to complete a long-run on the last day before they fly back to Europe for the final ‘dress-rehearsal’ in Jerez ahead of the first race. Colin Edwards Position: 1st Time: 1’56.296 Laps: 56 “Today was impressive! We got our second-choice front tyre from Michelin and it was instantly better than the third-choice one we had yesterday, it gave me a lot more confidence in the front-end. We made some big changes to the setting last night and we’re now in a different realm, close to what Valentino was running yesterday. It’s basically just something that works well on a flat track with no bumps and it felt really good. We made a small change to the rear shock and then we were just testing tyres for the rest of the day. We tested a series of right-side rubbers and then a series of left-side rubbers, searching for the best combination for the race. The times are great but they’re coming quite easily, I really haven’t pushed out of my comfort zone at all yet. This afternoon was slower because of the wind but at the end of the day, with the last rear tyre, I got my head down for a couple of laps and we still did a 56.4! We’ll do a long run tomorrow and see how it all works out then; hopefully we can stay on top and make it a clean sheet for the test!” Valentino Rossi Position: 2nd Time: 1’56.537 Laps: 62 “So, another fast day for Yamaha and I am happy that we’re one and two again. Actually, today we ran into a few problems which we need to work on, but anyway this is expected when you’re getting faster and faster and it’s much better that we find the problems now than in the race! Again we need to work to improve the stability of the bike under braking and this is a very delicate thing because we don’t want to sacrifice the agility of our bike. We need to find the right balance. We tried some more tyres for Michelin and today we didn’t find anything so great in this area, but we made some decisions about what to try for our long run tomorrow. We’re fast and we know we’re at a good level, but we can’t afford to relax because our rivals are getting closer and I think it’s going to be a very great battle this season. Tomorrow we’ll try to fix the problems we found today, we have some ideas and I am sure we can have a good last day.” Unofficial Lap Times: 1. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 1’56.296 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 1’56.537 3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 1’56.712 4. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda 1’56.874 5. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati 1’57.040 6. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 1’57.065 7. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda 1’57.274 8. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 1’57.288 9. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team KR 1’57.504 10. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 1’57.591 11. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 1’57.629 12. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 1’57.698 13. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 1’57.770 14. Alex Hoffman (GER) Ducati 1’57.999 15. Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati 1’58.513 16. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha 1’58.610 17. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 1’58.990 18. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Yamaha 1’59.138 19. Shinichi Ito (JPN) Bridgestone Test 1’59.617 20. Andrew Pitt (AUS) Ilmor 2’02.453 Qatar Lap Record (990cc): Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006 – 1’57.305 Qatar Best Lap (990cc): Casey Stoner (Honda) 2006 – 1’55.683 More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing Honda: MELANDRI AND ELIAS IMPROVE THE PACE AT LOSAIL, IN QATAR The second day of the MotoGP Official Test in Qatar was characterized by comfortable weather conditions but higher winds than yesterday, especially in the afternoon that prevented the riders to further improve their lap times compared to the morning session. Marco Melandri and Toni Elias continued their working programme in preparation of the first race of the 2007 World Championship that will take place here in Qatar on Saturday, the 10th of March. In particular, the Gresini Honda riders tested several tyres in order to understand the line to follow for the race on a track that, for its characteristics, is particularly demanding for the tyres. MARCO MELANDRI (76 laps, 1.57″59): “The team is doing a great job. I like the bike, I have a good feeling when I’m riding. Today we tested several tyres with Bridgestone and we found some interesting solutions that can be good in preparation of the race. I did my fastest time with race tyres because, in this moment, it’s important for us to be ready for the first round of the season. We still have to work hard, but I’m confident”. TONI ELIAS (61 laps, 1.58″99): “We are struggling a bit because we still haven’t found the tyre that it’s good for my riding style and my characteristics. I’m confident because we are working hard with the Bridgestone technicians. We will get probably some new stuff to test in Jerez for the next Irta test session, this would be very important for us “. MotoGP Official Test: Qatar Day Two Official Times 1. Colin Edwards – Yamaha Factory – 1’56.296 2. Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Factory – 1’56.537 3. Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda – 1’56.712 4. Carlos Checa – LCR Honda – 1’56. 874 5. Casey Stoner – Ducati Marlboro – 1’57.040 6. John Hopkins – Rizla Suzuki – 1’57.065 7. Shinya Nakano – Konica Minolta Honda – 1’57.274 8. Randy de Puniet – Kawasaki Racing – 1’57.288 9. Kenny Roberts Jr – Team Roberts – 1’57.504 10. Marco Melandri – Gresini Honda – 1’57.591 11. Nicky Hayden – Repsol Honda – 1’57.629 12. Loris Capirossi – Ducati Marlboro – 1’57.698 13. Chris Vermeulen – Rizla Suzuki – 1’57.770 14. Alex Hofmann – Pramac d’Antin Ducati – 1’57.999 15. Alex Barros – Pramac d’Antin Ducati – 1’58.513 16. Makoto Tamada – Yamaha Tech 3 – 1’58.610 17. Toni Elias – Gresini Honda – 1’58.990 18. Sylvain Guintoli – Yamaha Tech 3 – 1’59.138 19. Shinichi Ito – Ducati TTT – 1’59.617 20. Andrew Pitt – Ilmor GP – 2’02.453 More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: MotoGP test Losail, Qatar. Day two of three-day test, February 14, 2007. Pedrosa fastest RC212V rider on second day of Losail MotoGP test Mild weather and a steady breeze greeted the MotoGP riders as they took to the track on the second day of the three-day test at Losail, Qatar. The full compliment of teams contesting the senior two-wheeled world championship tested the latest technical developments to their 800cc four-stroke machines as they endeavoured to extract the maximum performance from both man and machine in time for the opening race of the season. Spaniard Dani Pedrosa was the fastest Honda man on track today setting a lap time one second faster than his best time of yesterday. Pedrosa was fast from the off this morning and continued to run at a consistently fast pace while putting in 87 laps mainly testing tyres for Michelin with chassis and suspension adjustments necessary to his Repsol Honda to get the best out of the variety of different tyres he tested. Following a strong showing on the opening day of the test World Champion Nicky Hayden experienced a frustrating second day at Losail. The American fell from his Repsol Honda RC212V twice today, escaping unscathed on both occasions. Hayden’s first crash happened in the morning and slowed the excellent progress made yesterday. Back on track Hayden later ran into an engine problem and his technicians were required to change front forks from one RCV to the other losing more time. To compound a miserable day for the World Champion he suffered his second crash of the day late in the afternoon. Despite his misfortune Hayden retained his ever-positive approach to testing and goes into the final day determined to end the test on a high note. Marco Melandri maintained his impressive pre-season form with another solid day. With Losail hosting the opening round of this years MotoGP World Championship on March 10 Melandri concentrated on preparing his RCV for the race. The Gresini Honda team technicians have established a good base set up for the RC212V and it works well at the 5.380 km desert circuit. This allowed Melandri to spend a large part of his day tyre testing for Bridgestone. The Italian tried several combinations with positive results that he feels will serve him well when he returns to Losail to race. Toni Elias on the second Gresini Honda has yet to find the optimum type of Bridgestone tyre to suit his all-action riding style. The Spaniard improved on his lap time of yesterday and is confident the cooperation between the technicians at Bridgestone and his Gresini Honda pit crew will have positive results and provide him with the tyres he needs in time for the final MotoGP test of the season, at Jerez on February 23 – 25. Carlos Checa put in a gruelling 108 laps aboard his LCR Honda today running at a constantly fast pace. The vastly experienced Spaniard worked with HRC engineers on the engine management system before moving on to tyre testing. Checa has worked diligently throughout winter testing and almost ready to race but he will go into the last pre-season test aiming to improve still further. Konica Minolta Honda rider was delighted with his day in Qatar, the Japanese star finding the elusive corner speed he has lacked so far in his brief Honda career. Nakano has struck up an excellent working relationship with the Konica Minolta technicians and the team grows in confidence with each test and is beginning to understand how to get the best out of the Michelin tyres he will race with for the first time in his career. Riding with greater confidence Nakano shaved half a second off his best lap time of yesterday. Team Roberts worked through a series of chassis and suspension settings on the KR212V while testing tyres for Michelin. Team rider Kenny Roberts Jnr is pleased with the progress made with the new chassis at Losail and goes into the final day confident development is moving in the right direction. Honda rider quotes and lap times. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1m 57.629s – 73 laps. “Well really it wasn’t the best day to be honest. Yesterday went well but today wasn’t so smooth. In the morning session I had a small crash and I also had an engine problem which meant we had to take the forks I like from one bike and put them on the other bike. At the end of the day I tried to go out and finish off strongly and had another crash which is a little frustrating. We’ll definitely try and sit down with the team tonight and go through all of the data to get things sorted for tomorrow – we’ll be looking to finish off with a strong day.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1m 56.712s – 87 laps “Today we were able to improve things a little bit more and it was a positive day. Basically we’ve been testing tyres and settings for the chassis and everything went quite well. At noon it was very windy, but it didn’t really interfere and we could test a lot of stuff and get through the programme we had in mind. The wind it was not too much of a problem, and anyway, it’s also good because Qatar is normally very windy and we can easily have these conditions at the first race here”. Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 1m 57.59s – 76 laps “The team is doing a great job. I like the bike, I have a good feeling when I’m riding. Today we tested several tyres with Bridgestone and we found some interesting solutions that can be good in preparation for the race. I did my fastest time with race tyres because at this moment it is important for us to be ready for the first round of the season. We still have to work hard but I’m confident”. Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 1m 58.99s – 61 laps. “We are struggling a bit because we still haven’t found the tyre that it’s good for my riding style and my characteristics. I’m confident because we are working hard with the Bridgestone technicians. We will get probably some new stuff to test in Jerez for the next IRTA test session, this would be very important for us ” Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 1m 56.874s – 108 laps. “I am quite satisfied about today’s position. The improvement we had show that we found the right direction to go but we need to work hard on the chassis and the engine. I gathered some important data for the HRC engineers to improve the engine performance. Then I tested different tyres trying to do a race simulation but the conditions were not suitable. Anyway the pace seems to be good and constant and this is very important cause the first race of the season is right here in a few weeks time”. Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 1m 57.274s – 73 laps. “I’m very satisfied with this second day of testing as finally I was fast, despite a harmless crash! Most of the time today has been dedicated to the important job of testing the Michelin tyres. These are vital for the set-up of the new Honda RC212V. Today, I found a good front tyre and with this I was able to increase my corner speed, which is important on this new breed of 800cc machines. During tomorrow’s final day we will continue the job of tyre testing for Michelin by aiming to find a good rear tyre to be used as a reference point for the race which takes place in less than four weeks time! In the afternoon, if we have the time to do so, we have scheduled a race simulation. I’m looking forward to getting to know my new bike even more and aiming to give the Team all the feedback and information they need so we can improve still further.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR212V: “We are running with the latest chassis today mainly worked on suspension and tyres and I feel we are moving in the right direction. We struggled a bit when the wind got up so we didn’t run real fast times, the same for everybody I guess. We stopped early when we hit the engine mileage limit. Tomorrow we will continue where we left off today, working on the basics.” MotoGP test Qatar. Day 2 unofficial lap times: 1. C. Edwards 1m 56.296s 2. V. Rossi 1m 56.537s 3. D. Pedrosa 1m 56.712s 4. C. Checa 1m 56.874s 5. C. Stoner 1m 57.040s 6. J. Hopkins 1m 57.065s 7. S. Nakano 1m 57.274s 8. R. De Puniet 1m 57.288s 9. K. Roberts 1m 57.504s 10. M. Melandri 1m 57.591s 11. N. Hayden 1m 57.629s 12. L. Capirossi 1m 57.698s 13. C. Vermeulen 1m 57.770s 14. A. Hoffman 1m 57.999s 15. A. Barros 1m 58.513s 16. M. Tamada 1m 58.610s 17. T. Elías 1m 58.990s 18. S. Guintoli 1m 59.138s 19. S. Itoh 1m 59.617s 20. A. Pitt 2m 02.453s