Rizla MotoGP pleased with final test-day in Spain Rizla Suzuki MotoGP concluded its first 2008 pre-season test at Valencia in Spain today, with promising results from all three riders present. Chris Vermeulen spent the day evaluating the prototype 2008 Suzuki GSV-R and conducted thorough tests for the Suzuki factory and for Bridgestone. Vermeulen improved his times throughout the day and was able to record a lap-time quicker than he achieved in Sunday’s race. Loris Capirossi continued with the impressive start to his Suzuki career as he conducted in-depth tests on a variety of set-ups and characteristics of the 2007 machine, in an effort to fully understand the bike before he steps on the new GSV-R in Malaysia later this month. Nobuatsu Aoki again put in another great performance as he carried on with a non-stop test programme to evaluate many parts on the prototype bike, to make sure that the Vermeulen and Capirossi have the best start possible to next year’s campaign. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will now travel to Sepang in Malaysia for the next instalment of its 2008 testing schedule later this month. The 2008 MotoGP World Championship begins at Doha in Qatar next March. Chris Vermeulen: “It’s been a great second day and we got a lot done. We had plenty of time on the track today and tested a lot of stuff for Suzuki and Bridgestone. It was good because I was able to use the 2008 bike all day and I feel like we have made steps forward with it already. I was able to do consistent laps on that bike a lot easier than I did on the race weekend using the same tyres so that was great. I’m now looking forward to the Sepang test that is coming up and we will be very busy there that’s for sure. Suzuki definitely means business next year and that’s great to see!” Loris Capirossi: “This second day has been really interesting for me because I have begun to modify many things on the bike and start to really understand how it works. We didn’t do any tyre tests, we just used the 2007 bike and I have been very happy with how the day has gone. I am enjoying my time and it is important to keep working like this and get a total feel of the bike. I didn’t want to take a lot of risks today – I just needed to make sure I learnt all about the bike – but the next test in Malaysia will be really important because then I will be able to jump on the 2008 bike to see the comparison. The atmosphere in this team is really good and it is so easy to work here for me this was the best choice I could have made!” Nobuatsu Aoki: “We have mainly tested engine mapping control and we just made sure that it all worked properly because we have only tested it at Motegi and Sepang so far. We got a lot more data today and that will give us more reliability in the system for Chris and Loris to use. I think that things are going very good because Chris likes the new bike and I like that!” Paul Denning Team Manager: “It’s been another very productive day’s work for Rizla Suzuki MotoGP. For Loris to run through such a wide range of settings and options, to help him fully understand the full character of the bike, was a very pleasing thing to see. He now has an idea of which direction to take in order to get the most from the GSV-R. Loris has been consistently quick without taking any risks. It’s been a great start to his career at Suzuki and a very satisfying couple of days work for everybody and we all really like the guy! “Chris spent the whole day on the 2008 prototype machine and was able to go faster than he did on the 2007 bike, and more importantly provide Suzuki’s engineers with some constructive and clear comments to help finalise the bike’s specifications for next year’s challenge on the World Championship, which Chris is very focussed on. “Overall Rizla Suzuki MotoGP has enjoyed its trip to Valencia both on the race-track and on the test-track and we are all looking forward to going to Sepang next week and continuing with the programme.” Valencia Test Day Two Unofficial Classification 1. Casey Stoner (Ducati) 1’32.095: 2. Nicky Hayden (Honda) +0.339: 3. Randy de Puniet (Honda) +0.530: 4. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +0.623: 5. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +0.884: 7. LORIS CAPIROSSI (SUZUKI) +1.068: 16. NOBUATSU AOKI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +2.948: More, from a press release issued by Honda Gresini: VALENCIA TEST SESSION DAY 2 Second and last day of testing for the Gresini Honda riders at Valencia, in Spain. Both improved their feeling with the bike and worked with Bridgestone techs to get used to the feeling with the Japanese tyres. SHINYA NAKANO (9°, 1.33.465, 92 laps ): “I’m very satisfied of these 2 days of testing. My target was to get used to Bridgestone tyres and to know the team. This morning we focused on suspension set up and we worked with Bridgestone to find a front tyre that suits to my style. I’m very happy because the feeling with Bridgestone tyres is good and also the feeling with the mechanics. The Gresini squad is a top team and this gives me an extra motivation to do well, to work on me to improve my performance and to show that I’m back. Lap after lap the feeling with the bike and the pace improved. I look forward to next test session because I want to arrive ready for the start of the 2008 season”. ALEX DE ANGELIS (15°, 1.34.060, 84 laps) : “I’m happy of the RC212v, my target was to start studying the bike and make as much kilometres as possible. I completed 84 laps in total. This morning we worked on the rear suspension and the change worked well. My feeling improved and also my pace. In the afternoon we focused on the front chattering because it affects a lot my way of riding. We tested some different front tyres and got some interesting indications that will be useful for next test session. I like this bike, it’s fun to drive. In particular I’m impressed by the electronics!”. The team Honda Gresini will be back on track at Jerez, in Spain, from the 27th to 29th of this month for the last session of the year. More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: STONER FASTER THAN EVER, MELANDRI FEELING AT HOME The Ducati Marlboro Team today concluded its two-day test at Valencia with World Champion Casey Stoner continuing to dominate with his impressive pace and new team-mate Marco Melandri getting to grips with his Desmosedici V4. Casey Stoner, best lap 1m 32.095s (55 laps) “We found something extra during these tests. Straight away yesterday, second lap out, we went a lot quicker than we did in the race on Sunday and we just kept going from there. Today we kept getting faster and faster. We weren’t really trying to do that, we had a lot of tyres and things to test, so we weren’t out there trying to do lap times, but everything just seemed to come to us quite easily. It’s been a fantastic season for us and it’s really good to end this test with some positives and some more information which the Ducati technicians can take back to Bologna, knowing that we’ve got something more to work with and knowing the right direction in which to head.” Marco Melandri, best lap 1m 33.835s (87 laps) “Today we worked a lot on the engine and electronics, to understand how the bike reacts to every kind of change. It’s been demanding because the throttle feeling is very different to what I’m used to. This afternoon we started working on the chassis, making some important, if not radical, changes. During the last half hour of the day I could feel we were improving and that we were starting to go in the right direction for my riding style. It was maybe too late to better my lap time but the sensation was really encouraging. Generally I’m very happy because I’m beginning to understand this bike’s huge potential. All I’ve got to do is work hard to get it set up for my style.” Stoner 1’32.095 (55 giri) Hayden 1’32.434 (92) De Puniet 1’32.625 (83) Pedrosa 1’32.718 (88) Vermeulen 1’32.979 (88) Hopkins 1’33.058 (59) Capirossi 1’33.163 (64) Elias 1’33.294 (74) Nakano 1’33.465 (92) Guintoli 1’33. 571 (80) Lorenzo 1’33.588 (69) West 1’33.695 (99) Melandri 1’33.835 (87) Dovizioso 1’33.991 (82) De Angelis 1’34.060 (84) Aoki 1’35.043 (61) Guareschi 1’35.840 (59) More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: LORENZO SETTLES IN AT YAMAHA WITH ENCOURAGING SECOND DAY IN SPAIN A second day of testing for Jorge Lorenzo with the Fiat Yamaha Team in Valencia today saw the double 250cc World Champion making solid progress throughout, as he gradually got to grips with his new bike. The 20-year old Spaniard, who will officially join the team in January as team-mate to Valentino Rossi, completed an impressive total of 86 laps on a 2008 prototype YZR-M1 and his times improved constantly, as he gradually gained more confidence in his new machine. Lorenzo’s best time of the day came on a qualifying tyre, a lap of 1’32.68 putting him sixth in the unofficial standings. His best lap on a race tyre, a time of 1’33.57, was nearly a second faster than his best lap yesterday and for the second day running he was the fastest of the three MotoGP rookies, all of whom are joining the premier class from the quarter-litre category. Lorenzo will work with his his new team again next week in Malaysia, for a three-day test in Sepang. Jorge Lorenzo (6th, 1’32.68, 86 Laps) “Obviously I’m feeling much more comfortable and relaxed on the bike than I did yesterday, when everything felt very new! It’s been good to have a full day to really concentrate on getting used to the bike and I’ve been feeling better and better throughout the day. The set-up we used today was more or less the same as yesterday, but today we worked mostly on tyres, because these are also new for me. I’m happy with what we’ve done at this first test and I very am pleased to be here. Now I am looking forward to next week when we will go to Malaysia and I will have another chance to learn more about the bike.” Daniele Romagnoli Jorge Lorenzo’s Team Manager “We started today with yesterday’s setting and a reference tyre, just to check what we found yesterday. Then we began to work a bit with tyres, mainly rear, and we found some improvements. His riding is improving as he gains more confidence on the bike and the lap times are already quite good. We have seen him learn a lot about the MotoGP bike in just one and a half days and he’s made some very good progress. It’s been a good first test for him and now we will keep going like this next week in Malaysia.” Masahiko Nakajima Fiat Yamaha Team Director “Today we made some changes to the set-up and especially to the suspension, and these small changes together have made Jorge more comfortable. His lap times today have been very consistent and have gradually got faster, without making any steps backward, and this is very encouraging. Although a MotoGP bike is very new to him and he is only just beginning to learn about it, his lap times and data show he is adapting quickly and that the changes we have made are improving things for him. This is the feedback we need at this stage. His hard work over these two days has been much appreciated and we’re very happy.” Unofficial Lap Times 1. Casey Stoner (Ducati) 1’32.09 2. Nicky Hayden (Honda) 1’32.45 3. Randy de Puniet (Honda) 1’32.63 4. Shinya Nakano (Honda) 1’32.64 5. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 1’32.67 6. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1’32.68 7. Loris Capirossi (Suzuki) 1’33.05 8. Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) 1’33.05 9. John Hopkins (Kawasaki) 1’33.09 10. Toni Elias (Ducati) 1’33.20 11. Sylvain Guintoli (Ducati) 1’33.61 12. Anthony West (Kawasaki) 1’33.72 12. Marco Melandri (Ducati) 1’34.433 13. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) 1.34.00 14. Alex de Angelis (Honda) 1’34.13 More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: MotoGP test Valencia November 7, 2007. Final day of two day test. Busy day at Valencia for Honda MotoGP riders The second and final day of MotoGP testing at the Valencia in Spain saw the Honda riders in attendance get down to serious work as they began preparations for the 2008 season. The Repsol Honda Team completed the first full day of testing with the new-for-2008 RC212V MotoGP machine. Team riders Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa worked hard with the 800cc V4 prototype Honda. The two men spent much of the day of tyre testing for Michelin using the 2007 machine with both riders setting times inside the lap record of 1m 32.748s set by Pedrosa on his way to victory in Sunday’s Grand Prix of Valencia. Both Hayden and Pedrosa completed marathon sessions over the day. Hayden spent most of his time on the new bike putting in 92 laps around the 4.005km circuit and finished second fastest with a lap of 1m 32.434s. Team-mate Pedrosa set a best time of 1m 32.718s in his 88 lap stint as he switched from the new machine to the 2007 machine making invaluable comparison test in his search for valuable data. The Gresini Honda squad field two new riders in 2008 Japanese star Shinya Nakano and Italian Alex De Angelis. Both men ran with the 2007 RC212V Honda and both improved their times of yesterday. Nakano spent last year on the JiR Honda but is now using Bridgestone tyres on the 2008 Gresini Honda and has found the switch beneficial working mainly on the front end suspension with a variety of Bridgestone’s in a bid to find the ideal combination to suit his riding style. De Angelis is making his MotoGP debut and the former 250cc championship campaigner needs to put in as many laps as possible on the big four-stroke in order to adjust to the increase in horsepower, speed and weight of the RC212V. The young Italian put in 84 laps on his first full day aboard the RC212V spending the morning on improving the rear end suspension settings before an afternoon trying to eradicate font wheel chatter. LCR Honda have contracted Randy De Puniet for the 2008 season, his first for Honda, and the young Frenchman set third fastest time of the day 0.3s faster than his best time in Sundays race, again aboard a 2007 machine. De Puniet worked on the front end of the RCV and spent a lot of his time testing for Michelin, his first year on the French suppliers rubber after racing with Bridgestone in 2007. Andrea Dovizioso is another MotoGP debutante who will race for the new JiR Scot Honda team in 2008. Vice World Champion in the 250cc class for the last two years Dovizioso makes no secret of the fact he does not like the Valencia circuit and adopted a step by step approach to testing at the track. The team worked on the front end settings of the machine raced by Shinya Nakano this season. Dovizioso is working hard to understand the engine braking and slipper clutch of the RC212V and the Michelin tyres he is using for the first time in his career.. The Honda teams now set off to Sepang, Malaysia for a three-day test beginning on Thursday November 15. Honda rider quotes and lap times. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1m 32.434s – 92 laps “Today was pretty productive. We spent most of the day on the new machine and made some decent progress. We were focussed on trying to get the engine to run a little smoother at the top end and we’ve still got some work to do on that front. But it’s early days and we’ve gathered some useful data that the HRC engineers can use to hopefully improve things before we test at Sepang next week. I really like the chassis which is more balanced than the old machine. Not so much weight pitches to the front under braking and it wheelies less too. Overall I’m pretty happy with how this first test has gone and we’ve definitely got a better base compared with this time last year. Today I also did a long run on the 2007 bike to get some comparison data and I was still a little faster on the old machine – by about half a second – so we need to try to close that gap when we get down to work this winter.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1m 32.718s – 88 laps. “We’ve been testing a lot of things today and jumping from the old machine to the new one to gather comparison data. I think we’ve done a lot of useful work. One and a half days is not a lot of time to fully test a completely new machine but now we need to analyse the data we collected and come to some conclusions about the direction to take the machine. The feel of the new bike is quite different both in terms of the engine characteristics and the riding position. From the outside it looks bigger – and it is a bit bigger but it’s still OK for me. I didn’t focus on lap times today because the most important thing is getting familiar with the new bike and learning where we’re going to develop it. Anyway the lap times are not so bad for the first test. We also tested tyres for Michelin today, mainly with the old bike because we have a lot of reference data for that bike.” Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda: 1m 32.465s 84 laps. “I’m even happier today than I was yesterday when I tried the Honda RC212V and Michelin tyres for the first time. Using the same type of race tyre as Pedrosa I was 0.3s faster than my best on the Kawasaki in Sunday’s race here. Today we worked on suspension, mainly the front forks, and trying front and rear tyres for Michelin. I was more comfortable with the handling today. We also reduced the traction control to give a little more power and we need to work more in this electronic area, there are still more options to try. My decision to move to LCR for 2008 is already paying dividends the team is like a family. ” Shinya Nakano, Gresini Honda: 1m 33.465s – 92 laps. “I’m very satisfied of these two days of testing. My target was to get used to Bridgestone tyres and to know the team. This morning we focused on suspension set up and we worked with Bridgestone to find a front tyre that suits to my style. I’m very happy because the feeling with Bridgestone tyres is good and also the feeling with the mechanics. The Gresini squad is a top team and this gives me an extra motivation to do well, to work on me to improve my performance and to show that I’m back. Lap after lap the feeling with the bike and the pace improved. I look forward to next test session because I want to arrive ready for the start of the 2008 season”. Alex De Angelis, Gresini Honda: 1m 34.060s – 84 laps. “I’m happy of the RC212V, my target was to start studying the bike and make as much kilometres as possible. I completed 84 laps in total. This morning we worked on the rear suspension and the change worked well. My feeling improved and also my pace. In the afternoon we focused on the front chattering because it affects my way of riding a lot. We tested some different front tyres and got some interesting indications that will be useful for next test session. I like this bike, it’s fun to drive. In particular I’m impressed by the electronics!”. Andrea Dovizioso, JiR Team Scot MotoGP: 1m 33.991s 83 laps.”Today we made some good progress and it has helped me understand many things. Today I was finding some of the limits of the bike for me, and areas where we need to improve in Malaysia. For me the engine braking and slipper clutch is something we need to look at and also my confidence in the front-end of the RC212V is not 100% so we also need to understand more about that. We tried many different things today, including some different suspension settings and front and rear race tyres from Michelin so we could understand more about riding here at Valencia. This test was only for me to get a ‘feel’ for this bike, and I think it’s been a success. I’m looking forward to Malaysia though, as I don’t like the circuit layout at Valencia so much and I think Malaysia will suit me better!” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: REPSOL HONDA TEAM COMPLETES VALENCIA TEST The Repsol Honda Team waved a fond farewell to the Ricardo Tormo circuit today having completed the first full day of testing with the new-for-2008 RC212V race machine. Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa carried out further evaluation work aboard the 800cc V4 prototype which Honda unveiled to the world yesterday. The pair also undertook a programme of tyre testing for Michelin using the 2007 machine with both riders circulating inside the lap record of 1m 32.748s set by Pedrosa on his way to victory in Sunday’s Grand Prix of Valencia. Hayden completed 92 laps of the 4.005km (2.487-mile) circuit today and finished second fastest with a lap of 1m 32.434s. Pedrosa wasn’t far behind his American team-mate, stopping the clock at 1m 32.718s. With the sun finally setting on the 2007 MotoGP World Championship, the Repsol Honda squad now packs the crates and heads to Sepang in Malaysia for a three-day test beginning on Thursday November 15. Nicky Hayden Best lap time: 1m 32.434s 92 laps “Today was pretty productive. We spent most of the day on the new machine and made some decent progress. We were focussed on trying to get the engine to run a little smoother at the top end and we’ve still got some work to do on that front. But it’s early days and we’ve gathered some useful data that the HRC engineers can use to hopefully improve things before we test at Sepang next week. I really like thechassis which is more balanced than the old machine. Not so much weight pitches to the front under braking and it wheelies less too. Overall I’m pretty happy with how this first test has gone and we’ve definitely got a better base compared with this time last year. Today I also did a long run on the 2007 bike to get some comparison data and I was still a little faster on the old machine by about half a second so we need to try to close that gap when we get down to work this winter.” Dani Pedrosa Fastest lap time: 1:32.718s 88 laps “We’ve been testing a lot of things today and jumping from the old machine to the new one to gather comparison data. I think we’ve done a lot of useful work. One and a half days is not a lot of time to fully test a completely new machine but now we need to analyse the data we collected and come to some conclusions about the direction to take the machine.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: REPSOL HONDA TEAM COMPLETES VALENCIA TEST The Repsol Honda Team waved a fond farewell to the Ricardo Tormo circuit today having completed the first full day of testing with the new-for-2008 RC212V race machine. Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa carried out further evaluation work aboard the 800cc V4 prototype which Honda unveiled to the world yesterday. The pair also undertook a programme of tyre testing for Michelin using the 2007 machine with both riders circulating inside the lap record of 1m 32.748s set by Pedrosa on his way to victory in Sunday’s Grand Prix of Valencia. Hayden completed 92 laps of the 4.005km (2.487-mile) circuit today and finished second fastest with a lap of 1m 32.434s. Pedrosa wasn’t far behind his American team-mate, stopping the clock at 1m 32.718s. With the sun finally setting on the 2007 MotoGP World Championship, the Repsol Honda squad now packs the crates and heads to Sepang in Malaysia for a three-day test beginning on Thursday November 15. Nicky Hayden Best lap time: 1m 32.434s 92 laps “Today was pretty productive. We spent most of the day on the new machine and made some decent progress. We were focussed on trying to get the engine to run a little smoother at the top end and we’ve still got some work to do on that front. But it’s early days and we’ve gathered some useful data that the HRC engineers can use to hopefully improve things before we test at Sepang next week. I really like the chassis which is more balanced than the old machine. Not so much weight pitches to the front under braking and it wheelies less too. Overall I’m pretty happy with how this first test has gone and we’ve definitely got a better base compared with this time last year. Today I also did a long run on the 2007 bike to get some comparison data and I was still a little faster on the old machine by about half a second so we need to try to close that gap when we get down to work this winter.” Dani Pedrosa Fastest lap time: 1m 32.718s 88 laps “We’ve been testing a lot of things today and jumping from the old machine to the new one to gather comparison data. I think we’ve done a lot of useful work. One and a half days is not a lot of time to fully test a completely new machine but now we need to analyse the data we collected and come to some conclusions about the direction to take the machine. The feel of the new bike is quite different both in terms of the engine characteristics and the riding position. From the outside it looks bigger and it is a bit bigger but it’s still OK for me. I didn’t focus on lap times today because the most important thing is getting familiar with the new bike and learning where we’re going to develop it. Anyway the lap times are not so bad for the first test. We also tested tyres for Michelin today, mainly with the old bike because we have a lot of reference data for that bike.”