MotoGP World Championship Catalunya, Spain March 5, 2006 Sunday Afternoon Test Times: 1. Colin EDWARDS, Yamaha, 1:57.102 2. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:58.921 3. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:59.360 4. James ELLISON, Yamaha, 1:59.619 5. Chris VERMEULEN, Suzuki, 2:00.001 6. Marco MELANDRI, Honda, 2:00.218 7. Kenny Lee ROBERTS, Roberts/Honda, 2:00.225 8. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 2:00.551 9. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 2:00.621 10. Randy DE PUNIET, Kawasaki, 2:01.249 11. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 2:02.177 12. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 2:02.197 13. Alex HOFMANN, Ducati, 2:04.003 14. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 2:05.073 15. Toni ELIAS, Honda, 2:05.961 16. Sete GIBERNAU, Ducati, 2:06.724 17. Jose Luis CARDOSO, Ducati, 2:06.846 18. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 2:07.326 19. Vittoriano GUARESCHI, Ducati, 5:13.977 More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: DE PUNIET QUALIFIES TENTH IN CATALUNYA SHOOTOUT Kawasaki’s Randy de Puniet and Shinya Nakano faced difficult conditions in today’s annual qualifying shootout, after torrential rain hit the Catalunya circuit just one hour before the start of the 45-minute timed session. Fully recovered from his big crash in Friday’s opening day of testing, de Puniet continued to work with his crew on the set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR while conditions remained dry this morning. Just five laps into the session de Puniet dipped under his previous best lap time, before being forced back to the Kawasaki pit box by the deteriorating track conditions. The 25-year-old Frenchman made a cautious start to the wet qualifying session, increasing the pace only after assessing the level of grip available from a very cold and wet Catalunya track. While a number of more experienced riders were caught out by the slippery conditions, de Puniet rode consistently to finish his first MotoGP qualifying session in a creditable tenth position. Just one place behind his Kawasaki teammate, Shinya Nakano looked almost certain to break into the top five towards the end of the session, until a near highside forced the Japanese rider to back off the throttle on his final flying lap. Although disappointed not to have finished higher during the wet qualifying session, Nakano remained upbeat about the previous two days of testing in dry conditions. The Kawasaki rider was third fastest during testing yesterday, after making improvements to the set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR, and heads to next week’s IRTA test at Jerez confident of further improvements. The IRTA test at Jerez is the final pre-season test for the Kawasaki Racing Team before the 2006 MotoGP World Championship gets underway, again at Jerez, on Sunday 26th March. Randy de Puniet: #17 – 10th (2’01.249) “The bruising from my first day crash was better this morning and it only took five laps for me to improve on my best time from yesterday. Once again the team did a great job during this test. In dry conditions we found a good set-up and I was happy to finish yesterday with the sixth fastest time. The bike worked well during the wet qualifying session today, and I managed to improve my time with each lap completed, so I’m happy with that. But, of course, I would have been happier to finish higher than tenth position. I’m looking forward to testing at Jerez later this week, as it’s always been one of my favourite tracks and I think it will suit the Kawasaki very well.” Shinya Nakano: #56 – 11th (2’02.177) “The rain and cold made conditions for qualifying really difficult, the track was very slippery in places. But after so much testing it was good to ride competitively again, even if it was only for a 45-minute session. At the start I didn’t have a good rhythm on the bike, but this improved towards the end and as I got a feel for the level of grip available I was able to start improving my speed. But then, towards the end of the session, I lost the rear and the bike almost highsided me. That knocked my confidence a little and there just wasn’t enough time to get back up to speed before the 45 minutes were up. While I’m disappointed with 11th place in qualifying today, I’m happy with the progress we’ve made overall, and also with finishing third fastest in dry conditions yesterday.” Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager “This morning we concentrated again on set-up with both riders, before preparing for this afternoon’s qualifying session. While I’m sure the riders would have preferred qualifying to have been dry, the wet conditions proved useful for our engineers today. Normally the riders don’t push so hard during a wet free practice, but today they were out to set a fast lap and we have collected some very useful data as a result. Overall, the test has been a positive one for us and we leave here with a clear direction for further development between now and the opening race of the season.” Harald Eckl: Team Manager “Catalunya is a fast circuit, and not one that has suited the Kawasaki in the past, but this weekend both riders have been closer to the top of the timesheets and this confirms our feeling from the overseas tests that in the new Ninja ZX-RR we have a very competitive package indeed. But we cannot afford to rest on our laurels. In the wet conditions today we could see that we still have some work to do on the electronics package, to improve driveability and to make the bike easier for the rider to control. But, overall, this has been a successful test for us, and I leave here quite satisfied with the performance of the bike and the riders, and I’m looking forward to the final pre-season test at Jerez next week.” More, from a press release issued by Camel Yamaha: EDWARDS DRIVES AWAY IN NEW CAR AFTER CATALUNYA SUCCESS Camel Yamaha Team rider Colin Edwards clinched the first MotoGP accolade of 2006 as he charged through treacherously wet conditions at the Catalunya Circuit to the fastest time of the 40-minute MotoGP Official Practice and the prize of a brand new car. After a brief appearance in this morning’s dry free practice, Edwards emerged with a string of fast laps at the end of the afternoon session to usurp his otherwise dominant team-mate Valentino Rossi, who was unable to respond with a late effort of his own after a falling whilst leading the time sheets on his twelfth lap. Today’s success concludes a positive weekend for Yamaha, which saw Rossi set the pace in dry conditions on Friday and Saturday, with Edwards and Carlos Checa (Yamaha Tech 3) in close attendance. The surprise of today’s session was Checa’s team-mate James Ellison, who showed his prowess in the wet with the fourth fastest time as he continued to adapt to the YZR-M1 machine. Checa also challenged for the car today but, like Rossi, slid out of the session in turn ten, where Kenny Roberts Junior’s (Team KR) efforts also ended as he too mounted a challenge for the fastest lap. The exciting curtain raiser to the season now gives way to three more days of official tests at Jerez, starting next Friday, before the season proper gets underway at the same circuit in three weeks’ time. COLIN EDWARDS (1st, 1’57.102, 15 laps) “When I saw the weather before the session started I thought to myself that the car would end up in the hands of whoever was prepared to take the most risks. In the end the times came quite comfortably and we were able to keep chipping away throughout the session, just getting faster and faster, and to be honest I think I could have knocked even more time off with another couple of laps. This is a confidence boost for me but I have been saying since the last couple of tests that we are in good shape and this proves it. The team have been working so hard to come up with a bike that works out of the box and I believe we have that now. When you have a bike like that and it works in the rain too, then you know you have something special. It is nice to win the car but every rider out there wants to win races. I feel I am in a position to do that this season.” VALENTINO ROSSI (3rd, 1’59.360, 11 laps) “After I saw that I could not win the car I thought the best thing was for Colin to win it, so I am really happy for him. We have been working hard together over the winter and he deserves this success. I was setting some fast lap times and my pace was good but I made a mistake in braking and unfortunately that was the end of my practice. Anyway the most important thing from this weekend is the way the bike performed in the dry on Friday and Saturday and also in the wet today. This gives us a lot of confidence for the season. Now we go to Jerez for another test and it will be interesting to see if we have solved the problem we had with the vibration. If we have done that, then we are ready for the first race.” DAVIDE BRIVIO CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “It is nice for the team to start the season by winning the first ‘trophy’ available. It was a pity there wasn’t a closer battle at the end between Colin and Vale but the important thing is that the car ended up at Yamaha! We have had a good winter of testing and now we head to Jerez to make the final preparations before the first race.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communication: Edwards storms to BMW M Award at MotoGP Official Test On a soaking wet Catalunya circuit in northern Spain today, Camel Yamaha’s Colin Edwards won this year’s BMW M Award at the MotoGP Official Test. The American rider joins Loris Capirossi, Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau in the list of winners of the prize car, having racked up his fastest lap towards the very end of the timed 40-minute session. After early quick laps from Briton James Ellison, fellow American John Hopkins and Edwards’ team-mate Valentino Rossi traded the top spot with the wet track keeping times far off those of previous days. Rossi then took charge, continually improving his pace, and with Hopkins crashing out it seemed the World Champion would cruise to another first place. However just a minute later Rossi himself went to ground and with ten minutes left, the car was still up for grabs. It would eventually be Edwards who would drive home the brand new BMW Z4 M Roadster, after the Texan put in a scorching lap of 1’57.102 with hardly any time remaining in the timed session. Upon being presented with the keys to his new car, a clearly delighted Edwards commented on the appalling weather, before expressing his hope that this could be start of great things for the season. “When I saw the weather before the session started I thought to myself that the car would end up in the hands of whoever was prepared to take the most risks, but in the end the times came quite comfortably and we were able to just keep getting faster and faster throughout the session. I think this is the kick-start I need for the season. It’s my first time riding the same bike in two consecutive years, we’ve been going well and hope to have a good year,” said the Yamaha rider, who is still to earn a pole position or race victory in MotoGP. Late in the session American riders Kenny Roberts Jr and Nicky Hayden came out all guns blazing in their quest for the BMW, but on a hot lap Roberts himself took a slide down the asphalt, whilst Hayden fell short of Edwards time by over a second. The surprise of the weekend, Carlos Checa looked on course for success in the final moments, but became the only other rider to fall during what was an exciting televised session. With Edwards the proud owner of a brand new car for his collection, Hayden trailed in second, with Rossi third ahead of a morale-boosting fourth for James Ellison. New recruit Chris Vermeulen also performed well on board the Suzuki in fifth, with Melandri, Roberts, Checa, Hopkins and de Puniet making up the top ten. The BMW M Award aside, reigning World Champion Rossi dominated the rest of the MotoGP Official Test. Fastest over the three day session, he had the nine best laps on Friday and continued to assert himself yesterday, setting the weekend’s fastest lap of 1’42.477. In the final free practice at the Circuit de Catalunya, only 11 riders elected to continue testing. None improved on their times from the previous, dry sessions. The MotoGP Official Tests continue in Jerez tomorrow, with two days each for 125cc and 250cc, with three more days of MotoGP testing starting on Friday. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP shines in the Catalan rain Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racers John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen both shone in this afternoon’s timed session at the Official MotoGP Test at a wet and cold Catalunya. Hopkins was the quickest rider of the day in the dry with a time of 1’43.885 his best of the weekend – and was challenging for the top spot in the wet as well, trading fastest times lap-by-lap with World Champion Valentino Rossi. Unfortunately a fall with ten minutes of the session remaining dashed his hopes of winning the BMW car that was up for grabs. The Anglo-American showed his commitment by setting the fastest speed in the braking area on the start/finish straight during the timed session and led the leader board until his crash. Colin Edwards on a Yamaha set the fastest overall time and won the BMW Z4 Roadster. Vermeulen achieved a fantastic fifth fastest time in the wet conditions and the second highest top speed of all riders in the start/finish speed trap, just behind team-mate Hopkins. He clocked a time of 2’00.001 on the last of his 15 laps during the 40 minute session. In the morning free practise the rookie Australian was only able to complete five laps because the cold conditions aggravated his shoulder injury. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP now move onto Jerez in Southern Spain for a further Official MotoGP test next weekend before the season starts with the first race, also at Jerez, on Sunday 26th March. John Hopkins: “It was pretty dangerous out on the track this afternoon as there was hardly any temperature on the surface. I went out and got comfortable in the wet and ended up staying out there. The track got better and better and I think I just got too greedy too early on. I made a mistake and ended up going over the top and making a small high-side. I’d like to say I was not trying too hard because the first race is not for two weeks but I ended up crashing so I guess I must have been! We have done a lot of good stuff this weekend and it’s looking positive for Jerez – right now I’m pretty happy about the whole situation.” Chris Vermeulen: “Today from a test point of view was ok, in the fact that I got some wet time on the track which I needed. I’ve never ridden the new Rizla Suzuki GSV-R in the rain and have very little experience of the Bridgestones in the wet. The bike worked well and I was happy with my performance. I was not worried about winning the car as my goal was to get experience and to get quicker and quicker with every lap, but I am happy that I was quite competitive. This morning there was some dry time and I did five laps but my shoulder was quite stiff so I came in and got some treatment on it it feels ok now. We still have a lot of things to test in Jerez – which is another new track for me and I’m really looking forward to it.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “The third and final day of this Official MotoGP Test only brings Rizla Suzuki MotoGP more encouragement for the season ahead. In the very cold but dry conditions this morning, John did his fastest dry lap of the weekend again without a qualifying tyre. This afternoon in the wet timed session he had one target only and that was to win. It looked like a straight battle between John and Valentino Rossi, but I think they pushed each other to the limit and both ended up watching the last 10 minutes of the session. “Chris had never ridden the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R in the wet and took a different approach to the session. He gained experience with every lap and his customary steady progress made him the quickest Bridgestone rider and the fifth quickest overall. It was a fantastic job which will give him more encouragement as we go to Jerez and head towards the first race of the year.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: CAPIROSSI & GIBERNAU FAST IN THE RAIN IN SPAIN Ducati Marlboro Team rider Sete Gibernau recorded the fastest wet lap at Catalunya today, Loris Capirossi ending the day with the eighth fastest wet lap. Gibernau’s performance was particularly impressive considering that this was his first wet-weather outing with his Desmosedici GP6 and Bridgestone tyres, though it came too late for the official timed session at 2pm. Gibernau and Capirossi ended that 40-minute outing 16th and 14th quickest but continued working on set-up afterwards, obtaining good results. This afternoon’s rain followed two days of dry weather during which Gibernau and Capirossi were able to continue set-up work. Next weekend’s three-day team’s test at Jerez is the final session of the winter before the 2006 MotoGP World Championship begins in earnest at Jerez on March 26. LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager “We’ve learned a lot here, both in the dry and the wet. In cold, dry conditions this morning and yesterday afternoon Loris and Sete had a good feeling and recorded fast lap times. This means our tyres have come on a huge amount since last year, so thanks to Bridgestone for all their efforts this winter. This afternoon Sete had his first ride with the bike and tyres in the rain and he ended the day with the fastest wet time, so we’re happy with that. Now we have a more or less good knowledge of the GP6, so the goal at Jerez next weekend is to do some long runs, so we can give Bridgestone a good indication for the first race. We just hope the weather stays fine.” SETE GIBERNAU, 42 laps, 1m 44.098s (dry), 1m 56.355s (wet) “We ended up fastest in the wet and that’s what it’s all about – working and keeping our heads down. It was good to have some rain because I’ve never ridden this bike or these tyres in the wet. We found a good base for the rain, so thanks to the team and to Bridgestone for doing a great job. We’re all putting a lot of effort into this project and moving forward step by step. It keeps me motivated seeing us get better every time we go out. Now we just need to keep our motivation and concentration for the whole season, no matter what the results. At Jerez next week we just need to confirm everything we did here, keeping good consistency in the bike and the tyres because that’s what we need.” LORIS CAPIROSSI, 40 laps, 1m 44.924s (dry), 1m 59.560s (wet) “This hasn’t been a fantastic weekend for me. On the first day we had some engine-braking problems, then yesterday, when track conditions were at their best, I was sick, and today it was wet and very cold. Anyway, we solved the engine-braking problems and worked well on the set-up. I only did a few laps yesterday and today but we’re okay. We still need to fix the bike balance, which isn’t easy in cold conditions. Overall, I’m very happy with the progress made by Bridgestone at this track, which is the most critical thing for us. This makes us confident for the first races and for the future. Now we deserve a nice and sunny weekend at Jerez, so we can work properly and get ready for the first race.” More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Honda: FORTUNA HONDA CONTINUE TO MAKE PROGRESS AT CATALUNYA TEST The final day of official IRTA tests at the Circuit de Catalunya was watched by 35,000 fans today although they and the MotoGP riders were forced to endure bitter weather conditions that made life difficult on the track and in the grandstand. The BMW Award that took place between 14:00 and 14:45 was spoiled slightly by the strong wind and rain that hit the circuit in the morning. American rider Colin Edwards eventually drove away in the magnificent BMW Z4 after clocking a lap time of 1’59.492, whilst FORTUNA HONDA riders Marco Melandri and Toni Elias were forced to settle for sixth and fifteenth place respectively. In the afternoon FORTUNA HONDA rider Toni Elías followed his testing programme for today despite the poor track conditions. Marco, meanwhile, decided not to return to the track after coming in at 14:45. Melandri wore a new helmet design today bearing the logo of the non-profit organisation “Emergency”, which will be auctioned for the charity next week on Ebay.com The FORTUNA HONDA team now heads to Jerez for the second and final set of official tests which take place on the 10, 11 and 12 March. MARCO MELANDRI (2’00.218) 6th fastest: “We took a step forward today. We continued making satisfactory progress in understanding the problems that affect us. In a roundabout way the track conditions actually helped us with the set-up of the bike but we still have to work hard to find a comfortable setting for corner entry. I’m already looking forward to the next set of tests at Jerez next week – we have to make the most of the remaining time available to us before the start of the world championship.” TONI ELIAS (2’05.961 ) 15th fastest “This is not an easy situation but we have to stay focused and try to find a solution as soon as possible. The conditions we had to ride in throughout the day didn’t make things easy for us but the key to results is to keep working day by day and I feel calm about that – I have complete confidence in myself and my team. Bit by bit things will come together for us. I feel sorry for the fans, who had to put up with the rain all day, but for us to ride in the wet was a good opportunity to check the reactions of the bike in these conditions. We have to gather all this data together now and save it in case we come up against similar conditions during the season.”