FIM MotoGP World Championship Jerez, Spain March 29, 2009 BMW M Award Qualifying Session (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Casey STONER (Ducati), 1:38.646 2. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha), 1:39.365 3. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki), 1:39.757 4. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha), 1:39.829 5. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki), 1:39.848 6. Mika KALLIO (Ducati), 1:40.149 7. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda), 1:40.168 8. Sete GIBERNAU (Ducati), 1:40.228 9. Toni ELIAS (Honda), 1:40.266 10. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha), 1:40.305 11. Nicky HAYDEN (Ducati), 1:40.401 12. Marco MELANDRI (Kawasaki), 1:40.405 13. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda), 1:40.646 14. Yuki TAKAHASHI (Honda), 1:40.814 15. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda), 1:40.869 16. James TOSELAND (Yamaha), 1:41.425 17. Vittoriano GUARESCHI (Ducati), 1:41.485 18. Niccolo CANEPA (Ducati), 1:41.551 19. Kousuke AKIYOSHI (Honda), 1:42.206 More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Ducati Marlboro’s Casey Stoner was the winner of a special edition BMW 135i in Sunday’s showdown session at the MotoGP Official Test. The 2007 World Champion was untouchable at the southern Spanish circuit of Jerez, dominating the session onboard his formidable Desmosedici GP9 machine. Stoner registered a superb 1’38.646s lap in the final ten minutes of the session, even finding time to give a wave to his Ducati Marlboro crew as he flew down the main straight. He was already leading the chase for the car prize at the time, courtesy of an early hot lap. The session was brought to a premature close by rainfall shortly after his final surge, with just over three minutes remaining on the clock. The winner of last year’s BMW M Award in the rain at Jerez, Stoner’s repeat trick added another car to his extensive collection. Thomas Schemera, BMW M Sales and Marketing Director, handed him the keys to a BMW 135i ‘BMW Sauber F1 Team Edition’, of which only 135 have been made. The reigning World Champion 2007 BMW M Award victor, Valentino Rossi got closest to Stoner with a 1’39.365s time which put him second on the timesheet, 0.719s behind the Australian. Like Stoner, the Fiat Yamaha man is enjoying a good preseason and the pair look like they will push each other hard for the title in 2009. Behind the front two it was Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen who sandwiched fourth-placed Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo in the top five. Causing a surprise in sixth place was rookie Mika Kallio, despite running off track at one point. The Finn was experiencing his first competitive MotoGP outing in the shootout session. In the continued absence of injured team-mate Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso was the fastest HRC representative. A good performance from returning Ducati rider Sete Gibernau, meanwhile, saw him lap eighth quickest on his Grupo Francisco Hernando satellite Desmosedici GP9. The top ten was rounded off by San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Toni Elias and the winner of the 2006 BMW M Award, Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Colin Edwards. With around 15 minutes remaining Edwards’ team-mate James Toseland suffered a nasty highside crash and was stretchered away. The session was briefly red flagged as the English rider was given medical attention at the side of the track, with early reports from Clinica Mobile later indicating that he was bruised but not seriously injured. Heavier rain arrived at the circuit shortly after the BMW M Award session, prompting some teams to leave early rather than test in the wet conditions during the scheduled final 3.15pm 6.00pm free practice session. The MotoGP paddock will reconvene at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar on the 10th-12th April weekend for the first race of the year. More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: ROSSI AND LORENZO SECOND AND FOURTH IN JEREZ OFFICIAL PRACTICE The first competitive outing of the year, the Official Practice Session in Jerez today, saw Fiat Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo finish second and fourth after the 45-minute session was interrupted by a red flag before being cut short by rain. In the first ‘qualifying’ session since the single-tyre rule came into play the riders were keen to get a feel for the new system and were disappointed not to be able use the session to the full, but both are nonetheless satisfied with the work they’ve done this weekend and are now looking forward to the first race in two weeks time, under the Qatar floodlights. Rossi was third in this morning’s free practice session, continuing to work on fine-tuning the setting of his M1 at this last test before the season. Lorenzo was even faster, finishing the morning second behind Stoner and the pair were looking forward to a competitive showing this afternoon. A crash from James Toseland with 15 minutes to go saw the red flags come out for five minutes and the delay meant the riders were only able to complete a couple of fast laps before the rain came down and spelled an end to the session, with Casey Stoner fastest after a lap of 1’38.646. Valentino Rossi Position: 2nd Time: 1’39.365 Laps: 16 “Really I was aiming for second place because I don’t think our sponsor Fiat wanted me to win the prize of a different car! Joking apart though, I am happy enough about this test because yesterday and this morning we worked very well, made some good progress and most importantly we were fast! We have a good setting for the race here and my race pace and speed is good. This afternoon I was quite unlucky because just before the red flag I was on a fast lap and was blocked, then we had the red flag and this meant there wasn’t much time before the rain came at the end. I am not sure I could have beaten Stoner today though; he was faster over one lap than me. It was strange not to have a qualifying tyre, the grip is not the same but Bridgestone have done a good job and you can still push so I think it will be possible to have some fun. Now we have finished testing and we’re waiting to go racing; I think we’re in good shape and it will be possible to push from the start.” Jorge Lorenzo Position: 4th Time: 1’39.829 Laps: 21 “Yesterday was good but today it was a lot colder and I found it harder to be as fast because the conditions were quite different. I think that the qualifying this year is going to be quite hard without the special tyres, which always suited my riding style quite well. I was quite a specialist with the qualifying tyres and now I don’t have that advantage, so I have to learn to adapt. My riding style is better with the harder Bridgestone tyre and so it will be quite difficult for me to be as good in the qualifying sessions this year I think! Today Stoner was so fast with the soft tyre and I didn’t have a chance to catch him. Anyway, the important thing is that I have felt really good on both days here, I have been consistently fast and I am definitely prepared to fight for the podium at the first race in Qatar.” Davide Brivio Team manager “It’s been a positive test because we’ve pretty much got through everything we needed to and at the end of the day we’re in good shape and we’ve made further improvements to our bike. Most importantly, Valentino’s race pace is now very good. It was unfortunate not to win the ‘qualifying’ session today because it’s always nice to start the season off on that note but Casey was very strong, so congratulations to him. We’re leaving here happy and satisfied; we have a few small things to work on for Qatar but we’re basically ready to race.” Daniele Romagnoli Team Manager “After yesterday and this morning’s sessions we expected to be closer to the front, but we couldn’t get there today. We used the harder tyre that we selected yesterday, with which Jorge had his best performance, but unfortunately the weather was colder today and so the potential for a few fast laps was higher with the softer tyre today. Our race pace is good, but obviously we still need to keep working to keep up with Casey, because he is very fast. Next time it will be the real thing in Qatar, where we had a very good test, and we’re confident that Jorge can be at the top.” More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi rode to a fantastic third position during today’s Official Practice at the final pre-season test, held at Jerez in Spain. Capirossi (1’39.757, 15 laps) spent much of this morning’s free practice session getting his Suzuki GSV-R finely tuned for the 4,423m re-surfaced Spanish circuit, in readiness for the timed afternoon shoot-out. He worked hard with his crew to get the best from his bike and reaped the rewards in the qualifying-type session to put his bike up towards the top of the timesheets. Team-mate Chris Vermeulen was only narrowly behind Capirossi, as he clocked a fastest time of 1’39.848 from his 13 laps. He used a harder compound Bridgestone tyre during the timed session to try and replicate the racing conditions he will encounter when the team return for the Jerez GP next month. Vermeulen was pleased with the results and is convinced that this shows the whole team is now capable to challenge this season. Today’s proceedings were held in very changeable conditions that varied from bright and warm sunshine, through strong winds and finally a heavy rainstorm for the final free practice of the day. Ducati’s Casey Stoner produced the fastest lap in the Official Practice to win a brand new car for his efforts. Rizla Suzuki now travels to the Middle East for the first round of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship. The season kicks off with the only night race on the calendar, which will be held at Losail in Qatar on Sunday 12th April. Loris Capirossi: “I think this has been a very positive day, especially this morning because we found a good setting that made the bike very comfortable for me to ride fast. I worked hard with the whole team and tested many things and I now have a really good feeling – I can say that it is a 100% improvement from last year! In every test we have been competitive and this is very important for us. Today’s third-place was in a 45-minute session, but the good thing is that this was like a qualifying session that we will have in the season and everybody had the same tyre so we have got to be pleased with that. The position today is good but we have to continue to work as hard as we have done this year. The Factory has done a really great job in the winter, but we have to continue because our potential is good, but not at the top and we need to be at the top! I want to say a big thanks to the whole crew for the work in testing and especially to Suzuki for the bike they have given us. This is only the beginning really because we need to go well in a race and we don’t care a lot about today’s result as it will be when the racing starts that it matters!” Chris Vermeulen: “It was a bit difficult today with the weather changing like it did, but I tried a hard tyre – which we will probably use as the race tyre here – in this afternoon’s session and I did a run of fast and consistent laps .Then I tried the softer tyres and went a bit quicker. I was fairly happy with the lap-time, but it would have been good to have been a couple of places up the board or even a bit closer to Casey’s time. I guess the time between Loris and me proves that the whole Rizla Suzuki team has lifted things and that Suzuki has done a great job in the off-season. It’s the closest we’ve both been to the front in a qualifying session for a long while and hopefully it’s a sign of what will be coming this year – if that’s the case it’s going to be a good year for us!” Paul Denning – Team Manager: “Everyone at Rizla Suzuki had hoped that the lack of qualifying tyres would help our race potential and looking at today’s result that theory seems to be true. We only kept back two new tyres for both of our guys because we’d planned a full test programme – including a long run – after the timed session and I think maybe some of our competitors used more than that. Nonetheless, we can be satisfied that we are continuing to show good potential and that both Loris and Chris are evenly matched. The confidence of both riders is increasing all the time and our target has always been to keep improving and we will try to keep doing that. We are all now looking forward to racing and trying to replicate the pre-season performances where it really matters!” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: REPSOL HONDA TEAM DODGES THE JEREZ RAIN AT FINAL PRE-SEASON TEST Sunday 29 March, 2009 The Jerez circuit today hosted the final pre-season test ahead of the 2009 MotoGP Championship, and the Repsol Honda team made maximum use of the time available to make final adjustments to the factory RC212V. The day was effectively split into three parts: a dry morning, the 45-minute official ‘qualifying’ session which began at just after 2.05pm, and then a wet final afternoon session caused by a thunderstorm that hit the track in the dying moments of the televised shoot-out. In the morning session, Repsol Honda’s new signing for 2009, Andrea Dovizioso continued the good work from yesterday as he and his crew evaluated adjustments to chassis and engine settings. The Italian finished the morning in 5th position with a time of 1m 40.806s, which was an improvement on his best time from yesterday. Dovizioso went quicker still in the official timed session, clocking a best lap of 1m 40.168s, which was good enough for seventh place. Casey Stoner set the fastest time of the session to win the sports car. Kosuke Akiyoshi, who was standing in for Dani Pedrosa at this test as the Spaniard recovers from injury, also had a profitable day. Honda’s Japanese test rider continued to evaluate chassis and engine mapping adjustments with Dani’s team and gathered further useful data for the HRC engineers. He was unfortunate to have a slow-speed fall at the end of the timed session, but still left Jerez satisfied with the test. The Repsol Honda Team will now pack the crates ready to be flown to Qatar in preparation for the first race of the year which will take place at the Losail circuit under floodlights on Sunday 12 April. Andrea Dovizioso: Best lap time 1m40.168s “During these two days of testing the machine has improved quite a lot, especially the stability and power delivery which were two important areas we were working on. My lap times on paper look reasonably good on their own, but if you compare them with Casey’s, the gap we need to close is still quite big. After the 45-minute shoot-out it started raining and this spoiled our programme for the afternoon, so we still have some things to try in dry conditions which might move us further forward. As far as the wet set-up, my feeling with the bike and tyres is good and I’m happy about this. Now I’m looking forward to getting to Qatar for the first race.” Kosuke Akiyoshi: Best lap time 1m42.058s “This was another positive day where we worked on both the chassis balance to improve the handling and the engine balance for driveability. My pace on the first section of the lap was very good and actually nearly as fast as the quickest riders. We were losing some time however in the middle section of the lap. Towards the end of the timed session I had a fall at the hairpin which was a shame, but the overall results from this test, in spite of the rain today and yesterday, are quite good.” Kazuhiko Yamano – Team Manager “We’ve made some useful improvements at this test and this is positive for the Repsol Honda Team, though there is still a sizeable gap to the fastest riders and we will keep working to close this as quickly as possible. We are not at our maximum level of potential with this machine yet. Andrea did a good job at this test and worked very hard, putting in a lot of laps. Akiyoshi also made a very valuable contribution and his input has helped us. Now we must prepare for Qatar and get ready to fight at the first race.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Stoner fastest as Bridgestone concludes 2009 pre-season testing Jerez, Spain IRTA Test Saturday 28 – Sunday 29 March 2009 The last pre-season test before the first grand prix in Qatar on 12 April saw both Spanish sunshine and heavy rain showers on the two days of MotoGP action, giving teams the opportunity to test the two compounds of slick tyres that were selected for the test and the single compound of wet tyre in the 2009 specification’s first wet test. Once Saturday’s rain subsided, the Spanish sun dried the track by midday. As per 2009 regulations, Bridgestone brought two slick tyre compounds to Jerez, plus a single wet compound. Front tyres were available in medium and hard compounds, and rear tyres offered in soft and medium compounds. Each rider received four sets of slicks on Saturday, and three sets on Sunday. In addition, each rider received four sets of wet tyres over the two days. Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo, who completed 25 wet laps, was fastest for Fiat Yamaha on the opening day, just over 0.3 seconds faster than the race lap record as set last year by Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa, who was replaced for this test by Kosuke Akiyoshi as he recovers from a knee injury. Valentino Rossi arrived after the rain to complete a Fiat Yamaha one-two whilst Casey Stoner was third for Ducati, the top three separated by just 0.11 seconds. It was the Australian however who dominated proceedings during Sunday’s 45 minute official practice session. Action was brought to a temporary halt with a short red flag period after James Toseland crashed in turn three, before another downpour cut the session short three minutes from the chequered flag. Stoner just beat the downpour to consolidate his control of the session, recording his fastest lap on number 12 of 13 to put himself 0.719 seconds clear of Rossi. Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi completed the official test 0.39 seconds further adrift. As free practice resumed, ten riders ventured on track to complete a handful of laps each as the rain lifted and the surface dried, before a final downpour at 1800hrs bode a final farewell to the pre-season testing period. Hiroshi Yamada Bridgestone Motorsport Manager Motorcycle Sport Unit “As the sole supplier our aim is to make each tyre suitable for a much wider range of conditions than last year, and I think we have seen over the last two days that we have achieved this so I am very pleased with the result of the test. Casey again looks impressive and it is good to see both Suzukis running well, but I am also pleased for Mika Kallio who was sixth fastest in official practice in his rookie season. Now we have finished winter testing and team feedback on our tyres has been good so we are looking forward to a good first race in Qatar in two weeks.” Tohru Ubukata Bridgestone Motorsport Manager Motorcycle Race Tyre Development “We have had all weather conditions this weekend, and it has been the first wet test for the 2009 specification wet tyre. The slick tyres have been run in cold to reasonably hot conditions this weekend, and both compounds worked well across the range. We have seen that with only two slick compounds and one wet compound offered to each rider our tyres can deal with these conditions with a good level of performance that I am very happy with. I’d also like to thank all the teams for their cooperation in our 2010 development programme, as we have now finalised our 2010 specification compounds.” Top ten from the official practice session (Sunday 14:05 14:50 CET) Pos Rider Team Practice Time Gap 1 Casey Stoner Ducati Team 1m38.646s 2 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha 1m39.365s +0.719s 3 Loris Capirossi Suzuki MotoGP 1m39.757s +1.111s 4 Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha 1m39.829s +1.183s 5 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki MotoGP 1m39.848s +1.202s 6 Mika Kallio Pramac Racing 1m40.149s +1.503s 7 Andrea Dovizioso Repsol Honda 1m40.168s +1.522s 8 Sete Gibernau Francisco Hernando 1m40.228s +1.582s 9 Toni Elias San Carlo Gresini 1m40.266s +1.620s 10 Colin Edwards Yamaha Tech3 1m40.305s +1.659s Note: Dani Pedrosa was replaced by Kosuke Akiyoshi whilst he recuperates from a knee injury Weather: Sat: wet, dry; Sun: dry, wet, dry. Ambient Min 10°C, Peak 22°C; Track Min 11°C, Peak 37°C More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Colin Edwards 10th, James Toseland in lucky escape The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 squad ended its 2009 MotoGP pre-season preparations with a day of contrasting fortunes for Colin Edwards and James Toseland in Jerez. Edwards finished 10th quickest overall, the Texan posting his best time of 1.40.305 in the televised 45-minute BMW shootout that was cut short by heavy rainfall. Edwards was less than 0.2s off a top six finish with his main focus spent working on a front-end setting to help him maximise the potential of the Bridgestone front tyre ahead of the first race in Qatar on April 12. British rider James Toseland had a lucky escape after he suffered a spectacular crash during the timed BMW session. Toseland fell heavily at Turn Three with 16 minutes remaining while he was in 15th position on the timesheets. The 28-year-old underwent precautionary scans at hospital in Cadiz this afternoon after suffering concussion in the fall, but having been given the all-clear by doctors, Toseland returned to the Jerez paddock later this evening. He will fly home to the UK tomorrow to rest and recuperate ahead of the season’s opening race under the Losail International Circuit’s floodlights. Colin Edwards 10th 1.40.305 “I started the timed session and I knew I could do a low 40 but to do a 39 I just didn’t have the right set-up. The harder I tried to push I seemed to get more chatter and it was a bit of a speed limit. We’ve got a good idea of how to make it better and we are just a little bit too hard on the front fork spring. When I saw Casey do a 39.1 on only his third lap, I knew my package wasn’t ready to do that and I’m not going to take any risks with the first race so close. I’m happy with the way the winter has gone. Yamaha has done a great job and at every test we have been competitive. I can’t wait for the first race to try and get a good start for Monster and Yamaha.” Herve Poncharal Team Manager “It was obviously not the way we wanted to finish what has been a very positive winter for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team. Firstly, I’d like to thank the team for all their hard work and effort over the winter. I believe we are in a great position to have our best season for a long time, and with our new partner Monster, the future is looking very bright for Tech 3. Colin has done another excellent job for the team and Yamaha here. He never came here to win the car, but he wanted to get more of an understanding of the new bike and the Bridgestone tyres ahead of the first race. I think we can be very optimistic after Colin’s performance during the winter of a very good season. I am obviously delighted that James is going to be fit for the first race after another big crash today. It is a real pity for him because he was really looking like his old self this weekend after the crash in Sepang and making some big progress with the bike and the tyres. I’m sure he will be ready and determined to give 100 per cent again in Qatar. All of us can’t wait for the first race.” More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: STONER DRIVES AWAY WITH FIRST MOTOGP PRIZE OF 2009 AT JEREZ With an incredible lap in tricky conditions, Casey Stoner was the winner of a brand new BMW today, as the fastest rider in the Official MotoGP Test session at the Jerez circuit in Southern Spain. Rain clouds threatened to dampen the atmosphere at the first competitive action of the 2009 MotoGP season, but the Ducati Marlboro Team rider lit up the 45-minute shootout by registering a stunning 1’38.646 lap before the showers came and brought the practice to an abrupt end, smashing the existing circuit lap record by nearly 1.5 seconds. Stoner’s Ducati Marlboro team-mate Nicky Hayden had a mixed session, as he set the eleventh fastest lap with a 1’40.401. The American continued his steady adaptation to the Ducati this weekend, with some positive steps forward during this morning’s first run out. However, he also had a brave escape as he ran off track towards the latter stages of the timed practice. The Kentucky rider bravely steered his Desmosedici GP9 to safety through the gravel trap as he left the track at high speed, but returned to the garage without a scratch. Despite the small setback, enough progress has been made for Hayden to be in a positive mood once he and the rest of the Ducati Marlboro join up at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar in two weeks time, for the opening race of the 2009 season. Factory test rider Vittoriano Guareschi also took part in the practice session, and was able to set his very own personal best on the Andalusian track in 1’41.485, confirming the progress made this weekend by the GP9. CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) Fastest overall – 1’38.646 “I really don’t know where that fast lap came from, especially at this track where I’ve never even been on the podium before! It’s been something of a bogey track for myself and the Ducati. The last two races here were difficult, but we definitely found something yesterday afternoon and that made us feeling more confident about Jerez. This is a very, very good step for us. This morning we went out and changed something else and immediately had a good feeling with the bike but still it was not in the right direction: we hit another wall. We were consistent but we needed to go a little bit further. This afternoon we changed a little bit the setting in the rear of the bike to try to get a bit more traction but I came out in the qualifying session not really expecting too much. I thought the rest were going to really up the ante. They did that and got their lap times down, but I never expected to do the lap times that I did when I needed to pull them out. It’s a great start to the year, but the real work now begins in Qatar. Now I need these two weeks to come better physically, just fitness. The wrist is coming better and better all the time and the arm is getting stronger and it doesn’t effect me when I ride so now I can use these two weeks to train a lot more and try to get ready for the beginning of the season. We look forward to it”. NICKY HAYDEN (Ducati Marlboro Team) 11th fastest – 1’40.401 “This morning we made some small improvements and I was able to go a bit quicker but the qualifying session was a bit of a disaster. We were making some changes beforehand but ran out of time to get the bike ready and I lost some time at the beginning of the session. Then when I went out we had a clutch problem and I had to change to my second bike, which I’ve hardly ridden this weekend, and it had a different setting. Casey has shown the package is good and to be honest I’d hoped to be closer to him by this stage but it’s time to go racing now so we’ll go out to Qatar, work hard and see what happens.” Circuit Record: Dani Pedrosa (Honda 2008) 1’40.116 Best Pole: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha 2008) 1’38.189 1. Casey Stoner (Ducati) 1’38.646 (13 laps) 2. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1’39.365 (16) 3. Loris Capirossi (Suzuki) 1’39.757 (15) 4. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1’39.829 (21) 5. Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) 1’39.848 (13) 6. Mika Kallio (Ducati) 1’40.149 (14) 7. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) 1’40.168 (17) 8. Sete Gibernau (Ducati) 1’40.228 (9) 9. Toni Elias (Honda) 1’40.266 (17) 10. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) 1’40.305 (17) 11. Nicky Hayden (Ducati) 1’40.401 (14) 12. Marco Melandri (Hayate) 1’40.405 (18) 13. Randy De Puniet (Honda) 1’40.646 (18) 14. Yuki Takahashi (Honda) 1’40.814 (18) 15. Alex De Angelis (Honda) 1’40.869 (15) 16. James Toseland (Yamaha) 1’41.425 (10) More, from a press release issued by Honda: Honda riders ready for MotoGP season opener at Qatar on April 12 Honda’s six MotoGP riders completed their offseason testing programmes at Jerez today, allowing them to look forward to next month’s long-awaited Qatar season opener, the first of 17 races for the 2009 World Championship. Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso was once again the fastest Honda man, the Italian running seventh quickest on his factory RC212V during this afternoon’s 45-minute ‘qualifying’ session, televised around the world and topped by Casey Stoner (Ducati). The outing was briefly red flagged, after Briton James Toseland (Yamaha) fell heavily, suffering concussion. The track was then soaked by a rain shower with five minutes of the 45 minutes remaining, spoiling some riders’ plans to complete the session with their fastest run of the day. Conditions were cooler than yesterday, with ambient temperature at 13 degrees and track temperature at 19 degrees. Still working to extract maximum performance from his RC212V, Dovizioso announced himself satisfied with these two days of testing and is now very much looking forward to making his race debut as a factory MotoGP rider. The Italian rode a lot of laps today, making important improvements to power delivery and stability, even though the rain cost him crucial dry track time. Dovizioso made the most of the rain anyway, venturing out on the wet track during the final two hours of the day. He recorded the fastest lap time during this period, clocking a 1m 51.488s on a drying track. San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Elias ended the 45 minute ‘qualifying’ session less than a tenth of a second slower than Dovizioso, but the Spaniard wasn’t happy because he knows he can go faster. Elias and his crew have been working at adapting machine set-up to get more heat into the rear tyre, but have been unable to find a solution here, despite their best efforts. They are optimistic that they will be able to get on top of the problem at the very different Qatar track. Despite the difficulties, Elias’ RC212V recorded the fastest top speed at Jerez today. De Puniet was happy with the work he did with his LCR Honda crew today. The Frenchman worked at getting the most out of his RC212V on used tyres to ensure that he can perform well in the all-important later stages of races. He was 13th during the 45-minute televised outing, but knows he would have been faster if he hadn’t made a minor error during his quickest lap. De Puniet had planned to do a race simulation during the final two hours of the day but the rain spoiled that plan, so he did a couple of runs on rain tyres instead. MotoGP rookie Yuki Takahashi continued to improve on his Scot Racing Team RC212V, the young Japanese rider cutting a further half a second off his best Saturday lap time. After concentrating on front-end settings yesterday, Takahashi and his technicians worked mostly on the rear end of the machine, looking to further improve performance through corners and on corner exits. Takahashi spent his final day of preseason testing thinking more about improving machine set-up for the first race, rather than worrying too much about recording ultra-quick lap times. De Angelis had hoped to run closer to the front this afternoon but the knock-on effects of yesterday’s tumble hampered his plans. The crash crucially used up one of the rear tyres in his tyre allocation, forcing him to run second-hand rubber this morning when he was aiming to push the limits in search of a better set-up. Like his San Carlo Honda Gresini team-mate, de Angelis wanted more heat in the rear tyre of his RC212V, today’s cooler conditions not helping matters. Kousuke Akiyoshi, riding as substitute for the injured Dani Pedrosa, made a valuable contribution to Repsol Honda’s weekend, the Japanese rider focusing on making improvements to power delivery and chassis balance. Akiyoshi was looking forward to doing his very best during the televised 45 minutes but his hopes were dashed when he slid off his RC212V at the hairpin. Pedrosa is currently working hard at recuperating from the left wrist and knee injuries he suffered when he crashed during testing at Qatar earlier this month. The Spaniard is aiming to be ready for action when the MotoGP World Championship returns to Qatar for the season-opening GP. The night-time Qatar Grand Prix takes place under floodlights at the Losail racetrack outside the capital of Doha on April 10/11/12. MotoGP then heads further east for the Japanese GP at Motegi on April 24/25/26 before returning to Jerez for the first race of the European season on May 1/2/3. Honda rider quotes and lap times Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda Team: 1m 40.168s, on lap 51 of 77 “During these two days of testing the machine has improved quite a lot, especially the stability and power delivery which were two important areas we were working on. My lap times on paper look reasonably good on their own, but if you compare them with Casey’s, the gap we need to close is still quite big. After the 45-minute shoot-out it started raining and this spoiled our programme for the afternoon, so we still have some things to try in dry conditions which might move us further forward. As far as the wet set-up, my feeling with the bike and tyres is good and I’m happy about this. Now I’m looking forward to getting to Qatar for the first race.” Toni Elias, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 1m 40.266s, on lap 42 of 43 “It was more difficult today because of the cooler temperatures but it is the same for everybody and the fact is that even though the track was cold, Stoner was hot! We’re not happy to be 1.6 seconds behind but with the difficulties we’re having in setting the bike up at the moment, it is to be expected. The important thing is that we know what we have to work on, we’ve known it since Qatar, but it is clear that the solution wasn’t going to come to us at this circuit. We have to be patient because we know the bike is good, we have a great package and a great team we just need a bit more time to work things out. We have good data from Qatar and I can’t wait to get there and go racing again!” Randy de Puniet, LCR Honda MotoGP: 1m 40.646s, on lap 52 of 60 “Before the 45-minute session we worked especially on a used rear tyre to find better grip and we fixed some points on the chassis and suspension set-up. We found good solutions, because I set a good lap time on the used tyre, but I expected something better with a soft tyre in the qualifying session, maybe three or four tenths faster, but I made a small mistake in my last lap. Anyway we must continue our job because I am sure we can close the gap with the middle group. Honestly my intention is to qualify in the top ten and my squad is doing a very good job to adjust the machine for the first race in Qatar.” Yuki Takahashi, Scot Racing Team Honda: 1m 40.814s, on lap 49 of 65 “I’m happy with the improvement we have made during the two days here. Today we worked particularly on the rear end of the machine. The rain during the afternoon gave me a chance to check how my Honda works in the rain, and I have to say that its character does not change on a wet track, which is a positive thing. Of course, I wish that we could have some more practice time, but now I am looking forward to my first race on the RC212V.” Alex de Angelis, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 1m 40.869s, on lap 39 of 40 “Unfortunately after the crash yesterday I had to use a new tyre so that meant I had to run a used tyre this morning and that is obviously not the ideal way to test new technical solutions with the bike. We’ve been off the pace here today but we’re going to keep working hard to be in the mix in Qatar. Our problem has been getting heat into the tyre but hopefully the track conditions are going to be warmer once the season starts so we’re still optimistic and very determined about what lies ahead.” Kousuke Akiyoshi, Repsol Honda Team: 1m 42.206s, on lap 34 of 40 “This was another positive day where we worked on both chassis balance to improve the handling and the engine balance for driveability. My pace on the first section of the lap was very good and actually nearly as fast as the quickest riders. We were losing some time however in the middle section of the lap. Towards the end of the timed session I had a fall at the hairpin which was a shame, but the overall results from this test, in spite of the rain today and yesterday, are quite good.” More, from a press release issued by Pramac Ducati: GREAT START FOR KALLIO, SIXTH IN JEREZ OFFICIAL TEST. CANEPA EIGHTEENTH After having studied the track and the new bike, Pramac Racing Finnish rider Mika Kallio has found the right compromise to conquer the sixth position in the official test in Jerez de la Frontera. Yesterday and this morning Mika has tried different technical solutions and today thanks to the work of his technicians has found an almost perfect bike for the 45 minutes official session. A great start for the Pramac Racing rookie. Opposite sensation in the other half of the box where Niccolo Canepa couldn’t manage to go more than the eighteenth position. Niccolo found too many complications this weekend that didn’t allow him to work in total tranquility. Next appointment in two weeks times in Qatar for the first race of the season. Paolo Campinoti – Team Principal Pramac Racing What to say it seems like we have started the season well. We have renovated our structure and things are turning in the right direction for us. We are really satisfied. After the results of this test it seems like we will be able to be between the protagonists during this season. Niccolo has on the other side found too many difficulties. He has to stay calm, we know his true value and we will do all possible to put him in the best situation to perform at his best. Mika Kallio – Pramac Racing rider – 6th in 1:40.149 Between yesterday and this morning we have studied the situation of the track and the bike. Together with my Technical Director, Fabiano Sterlacchini, we have put together all the positive things we found and we had an almost perfect bike. I still lose too much time in the last sector otherwise we could have finished in an even better position. We are doing a great work and I believe we can keep up the good work also in the first race in Qatar. Niccolo Canepa – Pramac Racing rider – 18th in 1:41.551 Day of immense emotions. I have taken my first official photo with the great MotoGP riders. Then I have done a photo with all the Italian riders, I almost wanted to ask if I could have taken a picture of them. I was beside Vale, Macho, Loris, Dovi and De Angelis. But then things didn’t go too well for me during official qualifying, as it has been yesterday. I couldn’t manage to be fast in the corners and I was losing too much time. I hope in Qatar things will go better. Surely I can guarantee I will keep my morale high and never give up. More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: PRODUCTIVE LAST DAY TESTING FOR DE PUNIET AT JEREZ Jerez de la Frontera, 29 March: LCR Honda MotoGP Team has completed today the first “official” pre season test of the year at Jerez de la Frontera by making some important improvements to the performance of its 2009 machine. Sunny sky welcomed the premier class riders this morning at the Spanish track so they continued their set up work during the 3-hour session before the BMW M award that got underway at 14.00 local time. LCR Honda MotoGP rider Randy de Puniet qualified 14th this morning with a best lap time of 1’41.637 but was not able to complete his “to do” list because of heavy rain after the lunch break. Stoner on Ducati registered a 1’38.646 lap and took the BMW machine but the session was prematurely closed due to a rainfall at three minutes to go. The majority of the 800cc riders stopped their work beforehand but the 28-year-old Frenchman preferred to do a couple of runs in the wet after having achieved the 13th position (1’40.646) in the 45-minute session. The LCR Honda MotoGP Team will move to Losail (Qatar) for the first GP of the season on the 12th of April. Randy de Puniet: 13th – 1’40.646: “Before the 45-minute session we worked especially on used tyre to find a better grip and we fixed some points on the chassis and suspension set up. We found good solutions as I set a good lap time on used tyre but I expected something better on soft tyre in the qualifying session. Maybe 3 or 4 tenths faster than this but I made a small mistake in my last lap. Anyway we must continue our job because I am sure we can close the gap with the middle group. Honestly my intention is to qualify in the top ten and my squad is doing a very good job to adjust the machine for the first race in Qatar”.