FIM MotoGP World Championship Jerez, Spain February 17, 2008 IRTA Test Free Practice Three Results (wet-but-drying conditions): 1. Casey STONER (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:49.263 2. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha), Bridgestone, 1:50.580 3. Nicky HAYDEN (Honda), Michelin, 1:50.785 4. Anthony WEST (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, 1:50.799 5. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda), Michelin, 1:51.312 6. Shinya NAKANO (Honda), Bridgestone, 1:51.594 7. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki), Bridgestone, 1:51.894 8. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda), Michelin, 1:51.979 9. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:52.058 10. Marco MELANDRI (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:52.238 11. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda), Bridgestone, 1:52.463 12. James TOSELAND (Yamaha), Michelin, 1:52.755 13. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki), Bridgestone, 1:52.779 14. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha), Michelin, 1:52.826 15. Olivier JACQUE (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, 1:53.283 16. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha), Michelin, 1:53.292 17. Vittoriano GUARESCHI (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:54.694 18. Niccolo CANEPA (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:57.453 19. Toni ELIAS (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:57.698 20. Dani PEDROSA (Honda), Michelin, no times recorded 21. John HOPKINS (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, no times recorded More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Reigning MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner opened the first competitive activity of 2008 with a comprehensive victory in the BMW M Award qualifying shootout, which took place just after 2pm at an uncharacteristically wet Circuito de Jerez. Stoner needed just five laps onboard his Ducati Desmosedici GP8 to ensure that the BMW Z4 M Roadster would be heading to Australia, clocking an early lap of 1’49.263 that was unrivalled by any of his fellow MotoGP riders. Whilst the winner of the 40-minute timed session is rarely the man lifting the World Championship trophy at the end of the season, the early dominance was a clear stamp of authority by the 22 year-old and will cause his rivals a few sleepless nights ahead of the first race in Qatar on March 9th. The current title holder’s performance put to bed any doubts as to whether either himself or tyre manufacturers Bridgestone would be competitive at the Spanish circuit after an slower day for both parties yesterday. In a mixture of qualifying and race tyres on the opening day of the MotoGP Official Test, Michelin had occupied every place in the top five, and Stoner was comparatively off the pace. His scorching lap today also renders questions as to his ability at Jerez where he injured his shoulder in the final test of 2007 – all but obsolete. The session began with Stoner undertaking the first five of his total of nine laps, and his opening outing already put him at the head of the standings. It also saw a first head-to-head battle with Valentino Rossi, with some ‘mind games’ taking place on track just five minutes into the session. After setting down his marker, Stoner then returned to the pits and watched the action unfold for over a quarter of an hour, eventually re-emerging for a further four laps worthy of the BMW prize. In contrast to the 2007 edition of the event, there was to be no late drama in Jerez from Valentino Rossi. Whilst the Italian put himself up into second place with only time for one lap remaining, a final push never materialised on the still unfamiliar Bridgestone qualifying tyres for the five-time MotoGP World Champion. Twice a winner of the preseason prize, Rossi had to settle for the unrewarded runner-up spot with a time over a second slower than that of his Australian rival. 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden also had a late but unfruitful attempt at a Stoner-challenging lap, finishing third fastest after topping the timesheets yesterday. The ‘Kentucky Kid’ was the leading Michelin rider in the 40 minute session. A wet weather specialist, Anthony West fancied his chances of a competitive time, although the drying-out track didn’t give him enough of an advantage to really challenge his countryman Stoner. The Kawasaki rider set his quickest time at the midway point in the session, but still held off the likes of Andrea Dovizioso and Shinya Nakano in the top six. West’s team-mate John Hopkins elected against an appearance in the session owing to his ongoing groin injury pain, as fellow member of the injured contingent Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa. As per a change in format for the season-long version of the BMW M Award, both remain eligible for the qualifying total prize. There were run-offs for Alex De Angelis, James Toseland and Loris Capirossi, whilst the remainder of the top ten consisted of the Italian veteran, LCR Honda’s Randy de Puniet, Alice Team newcomer Sylvain Guintoli on the second fastest Ducati machine, and factory rider Marco Melandri. Following the session there was very little activity before race direction called an early halt to proceedings due to high winds at the southern Spanish circuit. Tomorrow will see a final day of MotoGP practice at the Jerez track. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Bridgestone 1-2 as Stoner leads Rossi in Jerez official practice IRTA Test Jerez Official Practice Circuito de Jerez, Spain Sunday 17 February 2008 Reigning MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner claimed the fastest time of this afternoon’s official practice session at the Circuito de Jerez leading a Bridgestone 1-2 on a damp track. Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi, in his first official MotoGP session since switching to Bridgestone tyres, and completing his first ever laps using Bridgestone wet weather tyres, set the second quickest time, 1.3s behind Stoner’s Ducati. Several other Bridgestone-shod riders frequented the upper reaches of the classification with Kawasaki’s Anthony West in fourth, Honda Gresini’s Shinya Nakano in sixth, Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi in seventh and Alice Team’s Sylvain Guintoli in ninth. The results enabled all six teams supported by Bridgestone to end this first official session of the 2008 season in the top ten. Stoner’s result makes him the first ever Bridgestone-shod rider to win the BMW car in the pre-season practice shoot-out. The now traditional qualifying-style session was also open to participating test riders with Ducati duo Vittoriano Guareschi and Niccolo Canepa, as well as Kawasaki’s Olivier Jacque taking part this afternoon. Hiroshi Yamada Bridgestone Motorsport Manager Motorcycle Sport Unit Was it nice to be back in true competitive action this afternoon? “We may only be here in Jerez for a three-day test session but this afternoon’s official practice really allowed us to get back that race weekend feeling in anticipation of the new season. We are very happy that Casey has taken the fastest time and pleased to see two Bridgestone-shod riders in the top two positions. It was certainly not an easy session for the riders with some very difficult track conditions. It was not dry enough to allow our riders to switch to slick tyres, so we relied on the performance of our wet weather tyres in these tricky damp conditions. Casey’s time proved to be insurmountable and he really deserves his new car.” What about the performances of the other riders using Bridgestone tyres? “Of our other riders,Valentino got up to speed very quickly with our wet tyres considering today has been his first time using them, so his performance was very strong. Anthony West was equally impressive in fourth on his Kawasaki, while Shinya Nakano is making a return to our tyres with Honda Gresini this season and proved he has lost none of his ability with sixth place. All our teams should be commended for their efforts this afternoon in difficult conditions in the middle of a busy three-day test session. We must remember that this is a test and we have a lot more preparatory work to carry out as Qatar draws ever closer.” Bridgestone-shod riders’ practice classification Pos Rider Team Practice Time Gap P1 Casey Stoner Ducati 1m49.263s Fastest P2 Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1m50.580s +1.317s P4 Anthony West Kawasaki 1m50.799s +1.536s P6 Shinya Nakano Honda Gresini 1m51.594s +2.331s P7 Loris Capirossi Suzuki 1m51.894s +2.631s P9 Sylvain Guintoli Alice Team 1m52.058s +2.795s P10 Marco Melandri Ducati 1m52.238s +2.975s P11 Alex de Angelis Honda Gresini 1m52.463s +3.200s P13 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki 1m52.779s +3.516s P15 Olivier Jacque Kawasaki 1m53.283s +4.020s P17 Vittoriano Guareschi Ducati 1m54.694s +5.431s P18 Niccolo Canepa Ducati 1m57.453s +8.190s P19 Toni Elias Alice Team 1m57.698s +8.453s Did Not Take Part: John Hopkins (Kawasaki) Weather: Dry – Air 15°C, Track 12°C, Humidity 70% (taken from official MotoGP timing) More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Capirossi seventh after first competitive Rizla Suzuki outing Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer Loris Capirossi recorded the seventh quickest time during today’s timed practice session at Jerez in Spain. The 40-minute session was the first ‘official’ competition of this year’s MotoGP World Championship and Capirossi pushed all the way to win the car that was the prize to the rider with the fastest time. The Italian star used all his experience in the difficult conditions to improve on his time throughout the session. He looked likely to better his position on the final lap but unfortunately ran off the track and was unable to move up the leader-board. The session was held in dry conditions, but the track was still wet following heavy rain this morning making conditions very tricky as the surface started to dry out. Rizla Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen was second quickest during this morning’s practice session, but was just not able to repeat that performance this afternoon. He suffered with similar difficulties in the damp conditions to those he experienced in the dry yesterday and was never in real contention for the top places. Reigning World Champion Casey Stoner on his Bridgestone-shod Ducati set the fastest time this afternoon and was awarded with a brand new BMW car. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP has one more full-day of testing at the 4.4km Spanish circuit tomorrow, before it moves on to Losail in Qatar for the next Official IRTA test. Loris Capirossi: “It was not too bad this afternoon and we actually tried lots of different things from this morning in the changing conditions. We fixed the bike a bit, but we still have a lot to do especially in the wet conditions. I don’t want to say I am totally happy, but we have to keep working in the way we are going. I can see that the whole team is really close to getting the bike right and understanding what we need. We still have to improve, but with all things considered I am quite happy with where we are at the moment, because I can see things getting better!” Chris Vermeulen: “Today has been very different to yesterday with the weather conditions. This morning we had three-hours of wet time and it was quite good to ride the bike around Jerez in the wet. We tried some tyres for Bridgestone and got a set-up for the rain, but to be totally honest I am still struggling with very similar things to the ones in the dry. It was still another good test though so that is a positive thing for us. In the 40-minute timed session the track changed quite a lot. It hadn’t rained for a while but it was still very wet and greasy. It tended to be more like dry conditions and that made us struggle even more. We still have some work to do so hopefully tomorrow will be dry and we’ll be able to get it all done.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “It was good to see Loris in his first competitive outing on a Suzuki. We didn’t quite have the pace to challenge to win the car, but Loris made a big effort to get somewhere close on the last lap and unfortunately he pushed a bit too hard and went off the track. We expected full commitment from him and it was good to see that in action! “Chris was very quick in the full wet conditions this morning before the timed session and we expected to see him fighting for the top positions, but it didn’t quite work out and some of the problems he had yesterday manifested themselves again today in the damp – but drying – conditions during the timed session. “The good news is that it seems to be getting drier and if it does we will hopefully get in some good runs and try to take a big step forward in starting to solve some of the issues we’ve had during this test.” More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: ROSSI SECOND AFTER WET AND WINDY PRE-SEASON BATTLE Valentino Rossi guided his Fiat Yamaha YZR-M1 to second place in today’s Official Practice at Jerez today, despite bad weather disrupting the day’s proceedings at the Spanish circuit. After yesterday’s sunshine this morning saw heavy rain which, although it gradually abated, left the track very damp for the forty-minute ‘qualifying’ session after lunch. It was nonetheless a very important day for Rossi as it was the first chance for him to ride in the wet on Bridgestone tyres, offering him and his team the chance to gather important information about their new wet set-up. Despite having had just the morning to get used to his new tyres in the conditions, Rossi finished the qualifying session in second place behind Casey Stoner with a best lap of 1’50.580. His team-mate Jorge Lorenzo struggled a little as he, too, tried to get used to his new package in the tricky conditions, finishing the day in 16th position overall. Valentino Rossi Position: 2nd Time: 1’50.580 Laps: 17 “Today the conditions made things quite difficult so we didn’t have quite the day we hoped for! Anyway I’m quite happy with our performance in this weather; it’s the first time for me with the Bridgestones in the wet and, although we can see that we have some more work to do with the set-up of our bike, we were not so slow. Of course we know we can be faster with more time, and so it would be good to have another chance in the rain tomorrow. The main problem is that we are lacking a bit of front grip and the balance of the bike is not at 100%, so I can’t enter the corner exactly how I want, but we will improve this. The first test in the dry with Bridgestone was quite hard but now, after three tests, things are good, so of course it’s going to be the same in the wet. At the end we came second today after just one morning, so I think we can be quite content with our day’s work.” Davide Brivio Team Manager “The bad weather was welcomed by us this morning because we haven’t had a chance yet to try the Bridgestones in the rain. For our first time in the wet it was quite good, although we can see that we need to gain more experience with our new tyres in these conditions. We could have done with more time in order to be ready for the qualifying this afternoon, but we learnt a lot all the same. To come second after just one morning for us is positive. Unlike most of the rest of the paddock now we hope we have another really wet day tomorrow, so we have the chance to further refine our setting!” More, from another press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: LORENZO STRUGGLES AS WEATHER TURNS NASTY IN JEREZ Fiat Yamaha Team rookie Jorge Lorenzo had his first experience riding a MotoGP bike in the wet today, when heavy rain and wind descended on the Spanish circuit of Jerez. After three consecutive tests in good weather in Malaysia, it was something of a shock to the young Spaniard who struggled to get to grips with his M1 on the damp track. This morning brought heavy rain and the free practice session before lunch was a steep learning curve for Lorenzo, who nonetheless improved throughout as he gradually got used to his bike and tyres in the wet. The rain then gradually lessened over lunch, which meant the track conditions were very patchy for the traditional forty-minute Official Practice session, making life even harder for the riders. Lorenzo finally completed only 11 laps during the session, choosing to come back in and work with his team rather than push any harder in the tricky conditions. His time of 1’53.292 put him 16th overall but he was quick to confirm that the day had been a valuable one in terms of experience. His team-mate Valentino Rossi meanwhile had a more positive day, finishing second. Jorge Lorenzo Position: 16th Time: 1’53.292 Laps: 11 “Today hasn’t been as good as I hoped. It’s the first time I’ve ridden the Yamaha in the wet and everything was quite different. It was another thing to think about; I didn’t feel so good and I was very slow today, braking too early and accelerating too late. I made some improvement in the morning as far as just getting used to the bike and tyres in the wet, but I was lacking some grip and therefore also confidence. This afternoon, during the qualifying, I preferred to stop and try to change things, rather than to push for no reason, so this is why my time was so slow. We’ve got a lot to work on and after yesterday today has been disappointing, but as usual we’ve learned a lot and now I know what to expect next time it rains.” Daniele Romagnoli Team Manager “The session this afternoon was especially hard for us because it wasn’t completely wet or completely dry. It’s the first time that Jorge has ridden the Yamaha in the wet and it has shown that he needs some more time in order to adapt his riding style to these sorts of conditions. All experience counts and despite the difficulties it’s been important to have a day like this in order to learn. Next time I am sure he will be in much better shape.” More, from a press release issued by Monster Kawasaki: WEST MAKES HIS MARK AT A WET JEREZ Kawasaki’s Anthony West stamped his mark on proceedings during the BMW award qualifying practice held today at the Jerez circuit in Spain. The Australian posted the fourth fastest time aboard his Ninja ZX-RR in difficult conditions, which his injured teammate John Hopkins opted not to ride in. West ended the 40 minute session just 0.219 seconds behind second placed Valentino Rossi, as Casey Stoner took the honours, and the BMW car that was up for grabs, by topping the timesheet. In third place was Nicky Hayden, making West the first rider on the timesheet who hasn’t won a MotoGP World Championship. 26-year-old West also gathered valuable data in the less than ideal wet, but drying, conditions to learn more about the handling of his Ninja ZX-RR. The Kawasaki rider completed three tyre evaluations for Bridgestone and is hoping for dry weather tomorrow, so that he can continue working with his crew to refine the overall set-up of the bike before the conclusion of the three-day test in the afternoon. John Hopkins entered the circuit during the wet session this morning and, despite suffering the effects of his Phillip Island injury, posted the 10th fastest time and completed a total of 12 laps. The 24-year-old Anglo-American continued with vital work on refining the machine set-up to suit his personal preferences, but found the wet conditions harder on his injured abductor muscle because of the requirement to hang further off the machine in the turns, and the tendency for the bike to move around more in the wet conditions. Rather than run the risk of aggravating the injury further, Hopkins opted to sit out this afternoon’s timed session, although he will test again during tomorrow’s third and final day at Jerez should the weather conditions improve. Anthony West 4th – 15 Laps 1:50.799 “Although we are closer to where we need to be time-wise, I am not completely happy with today. In the wet conditions this morning we tried some different settings to improve the bike handling and turning to suit my style more. This afternoon we continued with some tyre evaluations for Bridgestone, although the condition of the track was not brilliant as it was wet in some places and completely dry in others. However, for us this has been valuable, as it has given us the worst scenario in terms of track conditions, which gave us an indication of machine handling on a wet but drying track. There are definitely some areas for improvement, and hopefully we will get some dry test time tomorrow to use the data we have collected, so we can leave here with a clear progression plan prior to the Qatar test.” John Hopkins DNS “Conditions during the timed session this afternoon were far from ideal when you’re carrying an injury, which is why I opted to sit it out. My priority has to be regaining full fitness for the first race, and I didn’t want to risk aggravating the injury just to try and win a car I don’t need. I tested what I needed to test this morning and I think we made some progress with changes to the electronics and traction control systems to suit my personal preferences. I will ride tomorrow, depending on the weather, but it is still going to be quite limited due to the pain I still have from the Phillip Island injury.” Michael Bartholemy Kawasaki Competition Manager “I am pleased with today as everything is starting to come together and we know where we are at in relation to the other teams. Conditions were not brilliant out on track today, but I think John made the right decision by not riding, as it is important he is fit for the first race. I think Anthony has shown that he is really not far off the pace and I am happy with his result. During the afternoon he tried three different tyres and the last one he used was working for him well, despite the fact the track was mainly wet but also dry in some places. I hope tomorrow that the weather improves so that John is able to ride, and also so Anthony can improve his lap times in dry conditions, which has been our main aim since starting pre-season testing.” More, from a press release issued by JiR Team Scot: Bad weather hampered today’s intense day of work at the official IRTA test session at Jerez in southern Spain. Rain in the morning led to the afternoon’s qualifying session to be conducted in difficult conditions, with the Tarmac getting drier as the 40-minutes session went on. In such conditions it wasn’t easy to find the optimum setting for the Honda RC212V, but it did allow Andrea Dovizioso to show how strong he is in such difficult conditions. For the team it was a good occasion for them to acquire that experience for the coming season in wet and changeable weather conditions. Andrea finished the day in fifth place and was the second Italian in the rankings. Today’s 40-minute qualifying event of the day at the 2.748-mile Jerez circuit historically has a prize of an important prestigious sportscar for the winner, which was won by Australian Casey Stoner. Gianluca Montiron JiR Team Scot, Team Director “All the rookies in MotoGP have found conditions difficult in this real qualifying session! Andrea and the team only had yesterday to find the final setting of the technical package given to us by HRC. The fifth-best time in this qualifying session makes us think positive things for the final day tomorrow because if the weather is better we will enjoy another important day of testing, which is crucial for the first race of the year which is now very close”. Andrea Dovizioso Rider, JiR Team Scot MotoGP HONDA RC212V Best time in BMW Qualifying Award 5th – 1′ 51″312 “After a morning of intense rain which in any case allowed me to be third on wets the qualifying session was held in different conditions, with the track damp and the level of grip changing with every lap. Close to the end of the session, when the situation was more stable, the Tarmac was close to dry and there was another good tyre to try and test, but the session was nearly over and I didn’t have the chance to use it. The fifth-best time in qualifying is not too bad, I’m satisfied, it’s only if I look at the gap at the four in front, that we can see we need to improve. We do have a technical package that allows us to do better than this and this is what we’re going to do! We will have another important day tomorrow hoping for good weather, and if we get it, we can achieve more significant improvements, get more information and do a lot of work”. Pietro Caprara Crew chief JiR Team Scot MotoGP “Despite the rain the balance of the day is overall very positive! In wet conditions we could have the third fastest time, which was half a second from the leader and this is satisfying. During qualifying the grip was changing and on-track there were areas completely dry and others were damp and obviously the strategy was very hard to work out and it’s difficult in those conditions. When we were in a good position to use a tyre that would allow us to do better, the 40 minutes of qualifying were very close to the end and it was too bad for us that we couldn’t use it! Tomorrow is very important, but as regards the weather we shall see!” More, from a press release issued by Honda: Nicky Hayden Repsol Honda RC212V take third in Jerez shoot out Repsol Honda factory rider Nicky Hayden finished third in today’s IRTA ‘Official’ pre-season MotoGP test shoot out at the 4.423 km Jerez circuit, Spain. The shoot-out is the first competitive meeting of the year for the MotoGP riders with the fastest man in session winning BMW sports car. The session was run in windy and cold, 15 degree ambient temperatures, with a track temperature of just 12. Australian Casey Stoner (Ducati) took the prize ahead of Valentino Rossi (Yamaha)with Hayden, riding the latest version of the RC212V with the engine using standard valve springs, just two-tenths of a second behind Rossi in third. The next fastest Honda rider was Italian 2008 MotoGP debutante Andrea Dovizioso aboard the JiR Scot Honda who ended the 40 minute session with fifth fastest time. Dovizioso’s technicians had worked off the dry weather base settings they had found on the opening day of the three-day test and had only to make small suspension setting changes to the RCV before the young Italian set his best times of the day. The LCR Honda team did not find the ever changing track conditions a challenge. The team started the wet session with the wet weather base set up they had established at the Phillip Island test and it worked perfectly at Jerez. Together with team rider Randy De Puniet they quickly found the tyres to match the softer set up and were quickly up to pace. Towards the end of the session De Puniet felt the wets go off and knew that he could go faster and opted to try a slick rear tyre but it did not work out in the rapidly decreasing track temperatures. The San Carlo Gresini Honda team were again in top form with Shinya Nakano working off the dry weather base set up of yesterday. Japanese star Nakano came into the pit early in the session to soften up the suspension slightly before returning to the track to set sixth fastest time in the shoot-out. Alex De Angelis on the second San Carlo liveried RC212V Honda ended the day with 11th fastest time one Second down on his team-mate. De Angelis is another MotoGP debutante in 2008 and has performed above expectation during winter testing. The Sanmarinese spent today’s wet session finding a good base setting for wet conditions not wishing to go into the new season with no experience of the RCV on a wet track surface chasing a fast time was not on his programme. Honda rider lap times and quotes. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1m 50.785s on lap 15 of 16. “It was fun, because it’s a bit of competition, and not just because there was a car on the line, we could’ve been racing for a piece of bubblegum and everybody would’ve tried just as hard! We’re all competitors and it was pretty fun but conditions were not ideal. I wish they had been a little more stable, but right at the end when the clock was about to hit zero the conditions were almost at their worst, they were about to go dry. We did our best time a little earlier in the session. We ran full rains throughout, I seen that 49 and knew that was going to be tough, Casey (Stoner) really put one down. Nonetheless the bike was working pretty good in the rain. I’m not happy about third but for me those intermediate conditions a little patchy with a dry line starting to form are about the worst. That’s something I’ve definitely been working on and thinking a lot about, so in some ways I’m happy we did okay in those conditions. Full rain’s normally not too bad for me and the dry’s not bad but that in between bit is quite tricky, so we’ve worked a lot on that. It’s been a positive day, even this morning in the rain we didn’t have to make any big changes to get the bike reasonable. We were really good in the full wet, the Michelins were working good and there was one front in particular that I liked. We just need to improve some more in those in between conditions.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: Dani did not ride today. “After riding yesterday for the first time since I injured my right hand, the hand was quite swollen and inflamed, so we didn’t want to take any further risks going out in the wet today. I will go out again when the track is dry. We have three weeks to go before the first race of the year in Qatar, so I hope the hand will continue to improve so I can work on my physical condition and on bike set-up.” Andrea Dovizioso, JiR Scot Honda: 1m 51.312s on lap 13 of 15. “After a morning of intense rain which in any case allowed me to be third on wets the qualifying session was held in different conditions, with the track damp and the level of grip changing with every lap. Close to the end of the session, when the situation was more stable, the Tarmac was close to dry and there was another good tyre to try and test, but the session was nearly over and I didn’t have the chance to use it. The fifth-best time in qualifying is not too bad, I’m satisfied, it’s only if I look at the gap at the four in front, that we can see we need to improve. We do have a technical package that allows us to do better than this and this is what we’re going to do! We will have another important day tomorrow hoping for good weather, and if we get it, we can achieve more significant improvements, get more information and do a lot of work”. Shinya Nakano, San Carlo, Honda Gresini: 1m 51.594s on lap 11 of 16. “The wet session gave us the chance to test some different sets of tyres, some soft and some medium, and get ready for the time challenge in the afternoon. When the time came to attack and try to post a fast time we had a good pace but the track started to dry. Just at the decisive moment I ran into some traffic and if it wasn’t for that I could have done better than sixth place. I’m happy though because this new bike is a big improvement.” Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda: 1m 51.979s on lap 8 of 11. “I usually have a good pace in the wet but today’s 40-minute session was strange. When I went out with a rain used tyre the feeling was pretty good. Then, after some laps I used a new one but the surface started to dry up and grip was not enough. I made some laps on qualifiers but in those conditions it was impossible to catch Stoner. This morning we fixed the bike in the wet and it was interesting for me. After the official session we had to stop our job because the wind was to strong”. Alex De Angelis, San Carlo, Honda Gresini: 1m 52.463s on lap 10 of 13. “I’m happy because it was important for me to get some laps under my belt in the wet it could have been really difficult for me turning up at the first race without any experience in the rain. Today’s test gave us the chance to gather some telemetric data that can help us set the bike up to my riding style in the wet. So all in all it’s been a positive day, I’m feeling better on the bike every day and I’m improving my feeling with the team.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Media Service: THIRD BEST TIME FOR NICKY HAYDEN AT THE “GP NO. 0″ The Repsol rider has also shown consistency today under the rain, after finishing with the best time yesterday on a dry track. A prudent Dani Pedrosa decided not to run and to wait until tomorrow. The weather forecast for today turned out to be right and the rain was present starting early in the morning. Under these conditions, with rain, wind and lower temperatures than yesterday, the MotoGP riders disputed was has become known as the “MotoGP No. 0″ of the 2008 pre-season. After the first training session from 10 in the morning to 13:00 – ,at 14:00 sharp the timed session of the weekend kicked off, 40 minutes during which all riders tried to achieve the best times, where the prize for the fastest rider was a sports car. Later, the training sessions continued from 15:15 until 18:00, though only four riders ran on the track, due to the rain, the cold and the bad conditions of the Jerez Circuit. Hayden chose not to run again and to postpone until tomorrow the tests that he had to carry out with his team. The victory in this “mini GP” went for the current World Champion, Australian Casey Stoner, who during a fast lap 18 minutes away from the finish distanced himself from his rivals. Repsol Honda Team rider Nicky Hayden, fastest during yesterday’s training session on a dry track, maintained his position among the fastest today, even managing to place himself behind Stoner. In spite of his attempts at improving his fastest lap and progressively reduce the difference with the Australian, the Repsol Honda Team rider finally had to make do with a final third position, behind Stoner and Valentino Rossi, second at the end of the session. Dani Pedrosa, who completed yesterday 37 laps on the Andalusian track after the injury he sustained a few weeks ago in Sepang, chose prudence today and decided not to ride, The rain, the cold and the wind were enough not to take unnecessary risks, so the Repsol Honda Team rider preferred not to risk a fall and postponed until tomorrow the tests he had to carry out on his Honda RC212V. After yesterday’s effort, this morning Pedrosa woke up with a slightly swollen hand, something completely normal bearing in mind that hardly a month ago he was operated on the second metacarpian bone of his right hand. Tomorrow the Repsol Honda Team will complete the third and last day of tests at the Jerez Circuit, after which it will head for Qatar. There, the 28th and 29th of this month they will run the last tests before this season’s Qatar GP, a night-time race which will be held the 9th of March. Quotes MotoGP Dani Pedrosa “After riding yesterday for the first time since I injured my right hand, the hand was quite swollen and inflamed, so we didn’t want to take any further risks going out in the wet today. I will go out again when the track is dry. We have three weeks to go before the first race of the year in Qatar, so I hope the hand will continue to improve so I can work on my physical condition and on bike set-up.” Nicky Hayden, fastest lap: 1m 50.785s (lap 15 of 16). “It was fun, because it’s a bit of competition, and not just because there was a car on the line, we could’ve been racing for a piece of bubblegum and everybody would’ve tried just as hard! We’re all competitors and it was pretty fun but conditions were not ideal. I wish they had been a little more stable, but right at the end when the clock was about to hit zero the conditions were almost at their worst, they were about to go dry. We did our best time a little earlier in the session. We ran full rains throughout, I seen that 49 and knew that was going to be tough, Casey (Stoner) really put one down. Nonetheless the bike was working pretty good in the rain. I’m not happy about third but for me those intermediate conditions a little patchy with a dry line starting to form are about the worst. That’s something I’ve definitely been working on and thinking a lot about, so in some ways I’m happy we did ok ay in those conditions. Full rain’s normally not too bad for me and the dry’s not bad but that in between bit is quite tricky, so we’ve worked a lot on that. It’s been a positive day, even this morning in the rain we didn’t have to make any big changes to get the bike reasonable. We were really good in the full wet, the Michelins were working good and there was one front in particular that I liked. We just need to improve some more in those in between conditions.” More, from a press release issued by Alice Ducati: GUINTOLI IN NINTH POSITION IN THE FIRST OFFICIAL SESSION OF THE YEAR After this morning official presentation at the Spanish circuit of Jerez de la Frontera, the Alice Team was able to step on the track with the new colors that will be used during the upcoming season. The day began under heavy rain, which have limited the riders’ work during the morning. In early afternoon the weather conditions have improved, even if the track has remained wet for the afternoon official test. Young French rider Sylvain Guintoli has made it to enter the top ten in the first official session of the year, and he feel confident after this day of work. In the other side of the Alice Team garage, things didn’t go too well for Toni Elias, who has finished in nineteenth position. Luis d’Antin – Team Principal “It was the first time for our riders in wet condition under pressure to get the result, and maybe Toni found some difficulties also for this reason. But we don’t have to worry because we believe in him and he has all the time he needs to adapt to the Ducati Desmosedici GP8 Sat. We are very happy for Sylvain (Guintoli) result. His abilities in wet conditions are well known to everyone. Tomorrow we have to work a lot to obtain as many information possible for when we will come back here for the first European Grand Prix of the 2008 season. Toni Elias – Alice Team Rider (19th best lap time in 1:57.698 – Total laps 7) “I have to be honest, today I didn’t have much confidence with the bike, and results are the proof of it. Tomorrow’s weather forecast don’t promise anything good, I need to work in dry condition to continue to adapt to my new bike. I am sorry for my technicians who wanted to do well in this first official session of the season. I will give my best to be able to give them great performances as soon as possible.” Sylvain Guintoli – Alice Team Rider (9th best lap time in 1:52.058 – Total laps 14) “I am happy to finish this first test in ninth position. It isn’t surely a sensational result, but a good first step towards the beginning of the season. It’s a pity that in my last fast lap I couldn’t improve my performance, we tried a different rear wet tyre that didn’t perform as we thought with the drying track conditions. In addition, wind has increased, limiting our performances.