Thursday’s Combined MotoGP Practice Times From Losail Circuit: 1. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:58.714 2. Toni ELIAS, Yamaha, 1:58.860 3. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:59.044 4. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:59.152 5. Carlos CHECA, Ducati, 1:59.466 6. Colin EDWARDS, Yamaha, 1:59.493 7. Marco MELANDRI, Honda, 1:59.568 8. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:59.814 9. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:59.978 10. Alex BARROS, Honda, 2:00.084 11. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 2:00.276 12. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 2:00.280 13. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 2:00.425 14. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 2:00.878 15. Roberto ROLFO, Ducati, 2:01.820 16. Ruben XAUS, Yamaha, 2:02.089 17. Shane BYRNE, Honda, 2:02.678 18. James ELLISON, Blata, 2:03.584 19. Olivier JACQUE, Kawasaki, 2:04.582* 20. Franco BATTAINI, Blata, 2:04.706 * Did not ride in Thursday afternoon practice. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: NAKANO BATTLES DOHA DESERT HEAT WAVE Under a blazing desert sun, and with track temperatures touching 50 degrees, Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano rode through a heat-soaked day of free practice at the Losail Circuit today. As track conditions improved with a clean line and more grip, Nakano sliced three seconds from his morning free practice time to finish the day in thirteenth place. The Japanese ace is satisfied with the progress of his preparations for Saturday’s Qatar Grand Prix, using a further refinement to the Ninja ZX-RR motor introduced for last week’s Malaysian race. Nakano qualified in fifth place, just 0.24s off pole, for this race last year and is building towards tomorrow afternoon’s one hour qualifying session. While Nakano battled the heat wave conditions his Kawasaki teammate, Olivier Jacque, was being treated in the Doha hospital and did not ride this afternoon. Jacque was transferred to hospital after suffering a bruised left shoulder and neck strain when he fell in the morning free practice session. Making his debut appearance at the Losail Circuit, Jacque ran straight on at the second-gear turn eight. Jacque’s Ninja ZX-RR became unbalanced as he rode across the gravel trap and he fell at relatively low speed. He returned to the track on his spare bike and finished 16th in the morning session, while still learning the convoluted 5.3 km Losail circuit. For the day Jacque finished 19th overall. Before the second free practice session Jacque went to the Clinica Mobile for massage treatment, but did not have a full range of movement so was admitted to hospital. A member of the Clinica Mobile staff accompanied Jacque to hospital. The Kawasaki team is awaiting a further medical report before assessing Jacque’s condition. Shinya Nakano: #56 – Thirteenth – 2’00.425 “My rhythm is good but at the moment the maximum lap time is not coming, I’m still looking for a little more confidence from the front-end – I need a more precise turn-in setting. But, overall, it was a productive day. The latest engine upgrade feels responsive because you need good acceleration and bottom-end throttle feel at this track. There are still some race tyre options to work through and, if we can improve the front end, I’m confident of a strong race. The only problem is a burning feeling on my right foot caused by heat radiation from the exhaust and engine in these conditions – it is hotter on the track compared to Malaysia.” Olivier Jacque: #19 – Nineteenth – 2’04.582 “It was a strange crash. I was still learning the track and just ran straight on across the gravel, but the stones were much bigger than normal and it was difficult to control the bike. I have strained my shoulder and neck. What I have found on my first day at Losail is that many of the corners look the same, they appear to repeat themselves, and there are not a lot of reference points for braking and track position.” Ichiro Yoda: Technical Manager “We have a small, second stage upgrade to the latest engine spec for Qatar, some internal parts plus revised electronic settings. So far Shinya likes the response of this motor and his pace is consistent, as is the endurance and performance of the Bridgestone tyres. We will continue the engine set-up work tomorrow and make some small modifications to assist the air flow around Shinya’s feet.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Rossi returns to top form in Qatar Valentino Rossi arrived in Doha last night after spending three days celebrating his latest MotoGP World Championship title in his native Italy but showed no signs of a hangover as he bounced back to the top of the time sheets on the opening day of free practice for the Marlboro Grand Prix of Qatar today. In ambient temperatures of 37ºC the Italian left it until his final lap to clock the fastest time of 1’58.714, inside Carlos Checa’s pole record from last season and 0.146 seconds quicker than the day’s surprise package Toni Elías, who briefly occupied top spot with a record lap of his own until Rossi’s late charge. “For sure myself and the whole team are more relaxed now that we have won the World Championship,” said Rossi, who was one of a number of riders to run off track and into the gravel trap as they searched for their bearings at a circuit used for the first time last season. “We have had a lot of problems for the past two races. It has been difficult and we have never found a good setting for the bike but here in the afternoon we found a good way. The track conditions are better than they were last season they’re still not 100% but compared to the first practice last year there is much more grip. As long as there is no wind or rain overnight it should improve a lot more by Saturday.” Nicky Hayden had dominated for much of the session, showing good consistency aboard the Honda before the late push for times. The American eventually set the third fastest time ahead of Ducati riders Loris Capirossi, who is looking for a hat-trick of victories after consecutive wins at Motegi and Sepang, and Carlos Checa. Last year’s race winner Sete Gibernau was second quickest in the morning free practice behind Hayden but could only manage the twelfth fastest time in the afternoon. Olivier Jacque did not take part in this afternoon’s session after injuring himself in a crash during the morning. The Frenchman was taken to hospital after hurting his back and his participation in the rest of the event is currently unclear. Alex Barros also crashed in the morning although the Brazilian escaped unhurt. Jorge Lorenzo made a stylish return from suspension by setting provisional pole position for the 250cc race with a time of 2’03.727. Lorenzo, who was given a one-race ban for his part in a last-lap collision with Alex de Angelis at Motegi two weeks ago, seemed to have benefited from the extra rest as he lapped 0.178 seconds quicker than current series leader Dani Pedrosa. Last year’s winner Sebastián Porto and Alex de Angelis complete the provisional front row whilst Casey Stoner, who trails Pedrosa by 38 points in the championship, was fifth fastest in the afternoon after setting the pace in morning free practice. Marco Simoncelli set the pace in the 125cc class with a time of 2’11.209 after series leader Thomas Lüthi crashed out. Lüthi hit the deck in the opening minutes of the session but was able to return to the track and set the eleventh fastest time in the closing stages. Simoncelli is joined on the provisional front row by former World Champion Manuel Poggiali, Italian rookie Lorenzo Zanetti and his experienced compatriot Fabrizio Lai. Mika Kallio, who trails Lüthi by eight points in the championship, was twelfth fastest. More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Yamaha: ROSSI BACK ON TOP AS THE ACTION HEATS UP IN QATAR Newly-crowned World Champion Valentino Rossi returned to the MotoGP paddock in dominant fashion today as he clocked a record lap of the Losail International Circuit to top the time sheets on the opening day of action at the Grand Prix of Qatar. Rossi arrived in the country last night but shook off any trace of jetlag with 19 laps of the 5.380km circuit in the first free practice, with temperatures already touching 34ºC during the morning session. The heat rose several degrees in the afternoon but so did Rossi’s pace, the Italian eventually dipping under Carlos Checa’s (Ducati) pole record time, set on the Yamaha YZR-M1 at last year’s inaugural Qatar Grand Prix. After spending much of last weekend at Sepang trying to solve front-end grip problems with the current version of the machine, Rossi today reported major progress and admitted to enjoying riding without the pressure of a potential World Championship success hanging over him. Rossi’s Gauloises Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards also showed signs of returning to his best form today, topping the time sheets for much of the afternoon session before eventually dropping to sixth place. The American had also struggled with front grip problems in Malaysia but reaped the benefits of a new range of Michelin tyres today at a circuit that saw him equal his best ever MotoGP finish of second place last season. VALENTINO ROSSI (1st 1’58.714; 42 laps) “For sure myself and the whole team are more relaxed now that we have won the World Championship. We have had a lot of problems for the past two races – it has been difficult and we have never found a good setting for the bike, but here in the afternoon we found the right way. Now we have returned to the level we were at two or three races ago, I have a better feeling for the front and rear of the bike. The track conditions are better than they were last season they’re still not 100% but compared to the first practice last year there is much more grip. As long as there is no wind or rain overnight it should improve a lot more by Saturday.” COLIN EDWARDS (6th 1’59.493; 43 laps) “I don’t know what it is about this place. At flat tracks I usually tend to struggle to get any kind of feel for the front but here it’s as flat as a pancake and for some reason it works for me. We spent most of the day testing front tyres and we had a lot of help from Michelin. At the end we tried out a new front tyre but it didn’t have the effect we hoped for so the lap time could have been much better than it was. I’m still having a little trouble between the braking point and the apex but this track doesn’t accentuate that as much as circuits like Motegi and Sepang, so it’s not so much of a worry. The main thing is that we’ve got grip, and when you’ve got grip it makes everything else much easier.” DANIELE ROMAGNOLI COLIN EDWARDS’ CREW CHIEF “Michelin have given us a lot of different tyres to choose from here and they’ve really helped us out. We already had a good base set-up for the bike from last season and it seems to have worked for Colin. We have obviously had some problems at the last few races at Sepang the conditions were very different from the tests and we were unable to use a lot of the data and at Motegi we had some front-end difficulties that we were unable to solve. We’re using a different range of front tyres here and things are looking much better. When a rider doesn’t have feeling with the front it makes it very difficult to set the bike up, particularly with Colin because he is so sensitive in this aspect. Hopefully this can be the start of a good weekend for us.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Hopkins eighth in a scorching Qatar Team SUZUKI MotoGP racer John Hopkins finished in eighth position in the time-sheets after today’s free practice sessions for the Marlboro Grand Prix of Qatar. Hopkins (1’59.814, 38 laps) improved throughout the two sessions and his fastest afternoon time was over two seconds quicker than his morning best. Hopkins had to change his aggressive riding style to compensate for the dusty condition of the Losail International Circuit. His consistent advancement and his determination to learn new lines was rewarded with his fastest lap at the end of the second session. Kenny Roberts Jr (P11, 2’00.276, 32 laps) is racing at Qatar for the first time and showed what a true professional he is by posting the fifth quickest time in the morning session without ever riding around the circuit before. His smooth riding style coped with the slippery surface and he quickly learnt the lines on this very technical track. Both riders will continue to search for the correct set-up in tomorrow’s free practice session to enable them to get the most out of the new race tyres that Bridgestone has supplied for the extreme conditions of Qatar. Today’s temperatures reached 40 degrees and the same can be expected for the rest of the weekend. World Champion Valentino Rossi set the fastest time with Spain’s Toni Elias in second place. Team SUZUKI MotoGP will go all out to get the best starting positions for the race during tomorrow afternoon’s qualifying session. The race will begin not only on a different day Saturday but also at the later start time of 15.00hrs (local time) 14.00CET to try to combat the intense early afternoon sun. John Hopkins: “Today has been pretty much a lot of street sweeping! That’s really what we went out on track doing this morning. We didn’t really get a whole lot to work with on set-up. It’s obvious what tyres we are going to use, the hardest front and the hardest rear. This afternoon I felt like an amateur out there it felt like I was club racing! I was struggling with my lines and my riding style. I like to run it in hard into the corners but how the track is that is pretty much of an impossibility. I had to change my riding style and on the last lap I tried something completely new, completely different. I changed my line and found a second alone just in the improvement I made on the track. We still have a lot to do with the set-up of the bike but I’m confident that we can run in the top eight consistently and stay there. It’s now my turn to go out and haul ass!” Kenny Roberts Jr: “A normal first day really, there’s not much to say. Bridgestone gave us some new tyres this afternoon that were much better than this morning so lap times improved. We will keep on trying with what we have and try to figure out which combination of tyres we will use for the race and what set-up. We still have a lot of work to do on set-up to get a little bit of a better balance for the machine.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “The track seems to be in a better condition than the first day last year and the initial problems with dust were pretty much gone by the middle of the second session. It’s tough, hot work out there – not only for the riders but also for the bike and the tyres. The tyre choice already seems very clear and that is the hardest option that Bridgestone can give us to enable us to do the distance. Kenny has done a great job to learn the track so quickly, he said it would take him four or five laps and that’s definitely all it took. John has struggled a little bit but found something in his lines and gear selection on his last lap of the day that should help. His crew also found some chassis settings that they will want to explore more tomorrow. Everybody is going really quick and there are some names up at the front that aren’t usually there. It looks like being an incredibly competitive race.” More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda: BARROS AND BYRNE FOCUS ON SET-UP IN QATAR The first free practice sessions in Qatar took place under searing sunshine but track conditions were better than expected yesterday, when the sandy crosswinds had provided a few worries. The fastest lap-times were already quick, at the same level as the pole position lap from last year, and it is likely times will come down even further tomorrow. Alex Barros improved his lap-time from the morning session by aroun two and a half seconds, but still found a few similar front end issues to those that affected his performance in Malaysia, and so tomorrow will try to find a better compromise between the set-up of the forks and the front tyre choice. Shane Byrne is increasingly comfortable on board the Honda and is confident of making a big step up the timesheets as early as tomorrow morning’s session. Sito Pons Camel Honda “In the tests we did here in winter we were quick, but conditions were very different, it was relatively cool for Qatar. With Alex we still need to find the right set-up for him to feel good under braking and tomorrow we will focus on this area alongside the Michelin engineers. As for Shane, I can see he is beginning to understand how to manage the Honda more and get the technicians to adapt it to his style. Now he has to make a step forward with his lap-times and I think that as he gets the know the track more tomorrow, he could move up the order considerably.” Alex Barros Camel Honda 2’00.084 – 10th fastest “Unfortunately we’re having trouble like in Malaysia while the times are getting really quick here. Work began quite well, but when we started to push, the problems with the front surfaced again. I’m not able to ride well, to brake hard and to get into the corner well because the bike is jumping. I’m forced to brake with the bike practically upright and then tip it in to make the corner. Perhaps we still need to find the right front tyre and that’s what stopping us going fast. The tests here went quite well, we were all quite close together then, and the bike’s still the same so I don’t think it’s a problem with set-up, or at least not just that. However we have an intense day’s work tomorrow to continue testing, and so we hope to find a solution so we can be competitive again.” Shane Byrne Camel Honda 2’02.678 – 17th fastest “I’m quite happy with how things are going here compared to Sepang. In every practice session in Malaysia, instead of getting the bike working well, I was only looking to go as fast as possible. Now I know the bike a little better and my confidence is rising rapidly. This morning we worked on the set-up and with every change I noticed improvements and even this afternoon we made another big step forward. The last tyre I used worked really well, and I think that with a few minutes more I would have bettered my lap-time. Anyway, we have some good ideas for tomorrow morning, and even though I’m in the same position today as I was in Malaysia, I’m much happier because I know we can make even more progress.” More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda: QATAR, HOTTER THAN EVER GP OF QATAR – FREE PRACTICE 1 & 2 The Grand Prix of Qatar, the 14th round of the season, got underway today at the Losail circuit with temperatures hitting 40 degrees, and 56 degrees down on the track. As a result, the settings gathered by at the winter tests here, when temperatures were some 20 degrees lower, were of little use in this first session. Marco Melandri, almost completely recovered from his foot injury, set the seventh fastest time of the day (1’59”568), some three tenths of the track record set last year by Colin Edwards, then of the Honda Telefonica Movistar team. Sete Gibernau, second in the morning session, tested various settings in the afternoon but they did not work as he had hoped and he ended the day back in 12th spot. MARCO MELANDRI (7th, 1’59″568): “I am feeling better now and am not taking the antibiotics I was forced to during the race in Malaysia. But it is even hotter here than Sepang, so I am tired and the foot is bur! ning more. Tomorrow I will have one boot put in the freezer every time I go back to the box to try and ease the pain. I am quite happy with this session. In the winter we went well here but we have a new chassis now and needed to make a few adjustments. Michelin is doing a very good job; for the first time this season we have used a new front wheel and it felt good. In the afternoon I used a rear tyre that allowed me to find a good rhythm and it went well.” SETE GIBERNAU (12th, 2’00″280): “The morning session went relatively well, but in the afternoon we did a series of tests which were quite risky, but we had to try them, and they did not give the results we hoped for. However, tomorrow we have to remain clam because we know which direction we need to head in. The winter test results haven’t been of much use because of the heat and the weather is even hotter than the race last year which has affected everyone. But we have to keep working! with calm.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: DUCATI MARLBORO MEN LOOKING GOOD AGAIN Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Carlos Checa finished today’s opening practice sessions for the Marlboro Qatar Grand Prix a promising fourth and fifth fastest. Fresh from their hugely popular double podium at Sepang last Sunday, the pair are once again looking very competitive, Capirossi leading much of the afternoon session, Checa not far behind. Biggest change this weekend is a batch of new Bridgestone front tyres for Losail’s hot, sandy and abrasive surface. “It looks like the new tyres are a step forward,” said Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. “When we tested here in March we had big problems with front tyre wear, that’s no longer a major worry, though at the moment front grip is still the limiting factor to our performance. However, as the track gets cleaner our tyres become more competitive compared to our rivals’, so we expect better tomorrow. At the moment we are not really playing around with set-up because it’s easy to lose your way if you make adjustments when the track is changing every session.” MAN OF THE MOMENT CAPIROSSI FOURTH With two victories from the last two weekends, Ducati Marlboro Team man Loris Capirossi is definitely the man of the moment. And he’s fast here too, finishing today less than half a second off ‘pole position’. “Things are going well,” smiled the Italian, now chasing second overall in the 2005 MotoGP World Championship. “The track is much better now than it was at this stage last year, it’s already in pretty good shape. We’ve tried quite a few tyres today and it seems Bridgestone has made a big step forward with its front tyres, compared to when we tested here. The new fronts are better into the corners and through the corners.” CHECA FIFTH AND FEELING OPTIMISTIC Third at Sepang last Sunday, Carlos Checa is confident after day one at Qatar, where he claimed pole position last season. “The track is in similar condition to when we tested here in March, but they’ve improved safety by extending the kerbs at the exit of some of the corners,” said the Spaniard. “The big difference from March is the heat. It’s maybe 15 degrees hotter than, which makes it hard for the tyres, and the air you breathe is so hot and dry that it really burns, it’s like sitting in front of 100 hairdryers on full heat! The new front tyres give us much better endurance than when we tested here, so I feel optimistic.” More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha: AN IMPRESSIVE ELIAS SHOWS HIS POTENTIAL AT LOSAIL Toni Elias enjoys superb first day of qualifying at the Grand Prix of Qatar. FORTUNA YAMAHA rider Toni Elias battled with World Champion Valentino Rossi to post the fastest time on the first day of qualifying at the Grand Prix of Qatar. The Spaniard is reaping the rewards of the new set-up he tried at Sepang last week and found a great rhythm on his M1. Elias ended the session in second position, whilst team-mate Ruben Xaus, who also worked hard on his Yamaha, ended up in 16th position. Toni Elias, 2nd Free session 1: 2’02.213, 8th Free session 2: 1’58.860, 2nd, + 0.146 “After Japan I was not all happy and in Malaysia we did a good job as we decided to try something new. The radical change really helped and so we have carried it on here. I am surprised, but I think we could have done it before. I can’t ask for more. MotoGP is a difficult class and things change a lot from one circuit to the next, but I am hoping to continue like this. When you begin to ride well you enjoy yourself, things become easier. Other seasons a similar thing has happened with the chassis set-up for whatever reason. When you find a good centre of gravity – that is when you go fast. Second today does not guarantee me anything, I will keep working hard.” Rubén Xaus Free session 1: 2’04.337, 14th Free session 2: 2’02.809, 16th, + 3.375 “There’s no way that I will be able to repeat my podium from last year here considering the situation we are in now, but we are still working hard so that I can enjoy myself on the bike. All I can say is that we are doing everything I can to get the best out of myself.” Hervé Poncharal, FORTUNA YAMAHA Team Manager “It’s easy to talk with hindsight, but I have always believed in Toni. Up until Le Mans we were working well but after the accident he’s found it tough, because for a rider it is really important to have your head straight. We’ve had problems at a lot of races but since Malaysia Toni has been excellent. He doesn’t have a race result to show for it yet but he is more focused and consistently near the top. I couldn’t have imagined that Toni would be fighting with Valentino for the best time but I did expect him to be up there amongst the top positions.”