Spanish Grand Prix debrief with Tohru Ubukata Round 3: Spain Post-race debrief Circuito de Jerez, Wednesday 6 May 2009 Tyre compounds available: Front: Medium, Hard. Rear: Soft, Medium Valentino Rossi’s first victory of the season means MotoGP has now enjoyed three different winners and three different championship leaders in as many races in the single tyre era. Q&A with Tohru Ubukata – Bridgestone Motorsport Manager, Motorcycle Race Tyre Development What was the biggest challenge for the tyres in Jerez? During the IRTA official pre-season test at Jerez the track temperature was around 34 degrees Celsius, so over the weekend we had an extra 15 degrees of temperature for the Bridgestone slicks to deal with. Extra heat like this is more demanding of the rubber as it makes the tyres run much hotter. The hotter tyres get, the more the rubber starts to move and this makes the tyre’s temperature rise even faster, so it can be a big challenge. However, we were able to use the same compounds in both the test and the race with no problems so this is another example of the wider operating temperature range of our tyres for this season. As well as this, the track has been resurfaced since last year and made more abrasive, so demands more of the rubber. The more abrasive the track and the more grip it offers, the more it loads the tyre and this is another element that generates more heat in the rubber. We saw though that the Bridgestone slicks had very good durability and consistency for the race distance, especially as riders were pushing hard in some close battles right to the race finish, such as Jorge Lorenzo chasing Casey Stoner and the battle between Marco Melandri, Loris Capirossi and Colin Edwards. When riders are pushing in a close race, this always demands more of the tyres. How and when were the compounds chosen for the weekend? We decided before the start of the season that we would bring the soft and medium compound rear Bridgestones and the hard and medium compound fronts to the race. We brought the exact same tyre compounds to the pre-season test here at the end of March, and this test confirmed that we had made the right choice for the race. Expecting that the temperature would be hot this weekend, we intended well in advance to bring the hard compound front tyre to this race. How did tyre compound choices between qualifying and the race differ? Most riders tried the hard front and medium rear tyres in qualifying, but the fastest laps were done using the hard front and soft rear tyre for extra traction over a shorter qualifying distance. For the race, everyone used the hard front tyre as we expected, and most riders used the medium compound rear for extra durability over the 27 laps, especially as Sunday was the hottest day of the weekend for track temperature. Nicky Hayden, Mika Kallio and Niccolo Canepa all kept the soft compound rear however to try and achieve a better match with the characteristics of their bikes and setups. Nicky and Mika seem to favour the soft rear compound as they also used it in Motegi. These three riders had no problems with the soft rear even with these track conditions so this is also a good demonstration of the durability of this year’s Bridgestones. So far this season in all three races we have mainly used the medium compound rear Bridgestone even though each track has had a different character and there has been wide temperature variation. We haven’t been able to use one tyre in so many different conditions in the past so this shows the wider operating range of the 2009 Bridgestones. More, from a press release issued by Damian Cudlin’s publicist: CUDLIN PROVES PACE AT PARADIGM Australian Damian Cudlin burst back onto the AMA scene at Barber Motorsports Park on the weekend, at the fourth round of the AMA Daytona Sportbike Series. Having spent the Road Atlanta weekend on the sidelines, Cudlin actively searched for other opportunities inside the AMA paddock, keen to show what he could do in the states. When Paradigm Racing offered Cudlin the chance to do just that, the young Aussie grabbed the opportunity with both hands. At a circuit he’d never seen before, on a bike he’d never ridden, Cudlin quickly got to grips with the Barber layout and instantly posted competitive lap times aboard the Paradigm R6. After Friday’s opening practice session, Cudlin sat an impressive 6th on the time sheets before going on to secure a Superpole berth in final qualifying. In another mature performance in his first Superpole experience, Cudlin claimed the 9th spot on the grid. “Qualifying went well for us considering how much was new to me this weekend” Cudlin explained after Superpole. “Just making Superpole is an achievement in this kind of company and I’m really pleased with the performance of the Paradigm R6. I’ve gelled with the team so quickly that I feel at home already, and I’m really glad that I’ve been given this opportunity.” Missing valuable track time on Saturday morning due to rain, Cudlin fronted on the grid prepared to make the most of his impressive grid position in the opening race. In another rolling start the Sportbike class is now known for, Cudlin lost initial ground in the opening lap but soon settled into an entertaining battle with Buell’s Michael Barnes and Erion Honda’s Chris Peris. Suffering from lapped riders in the final stages, Cudlin was forced to follow the pair across the line in a solid 12th position. “I’m a little disappointed with the final result but I’m encouraged with the potential we showed in parts of the race today.” Cudlin pondered. “With some small improvements overnight, I think we can be even stronger tomorrow.” Sunday’s weather proved to keep everyone guessing, even the local weather authorities when a Tornado Warning halted proceedings temporarily. However when the skies cleared it was back to business for the Paradigm Racing Team and race 2 was soon underway. With a stronger start this time around, Cudlin rose to 7th in the opening stages before engaging in a frantic battle in the drying conditions. With the wet tyres spinning in protest on the drying track, Cudlin rode clever in the conditions and took the Paradigm R6 to the chequered flag in 8th position. “This is exactly the kind of result I needed to get some runs on the board and get some momentum going again. This is a real platform to build on and I think things will only get better from here.” Cudlin enthused. “I’ve got to thank the people who’ve been so helpful to me in these past months in America, especially Jason Pridmore, and I also must thank Perry, Jim and the Paradigm Team for giving me this chance to race. I hope this could be the beginning of something great for the future.” Cudlin will take to the track again for the Paradigm Team at Infineon Raceway on May 15/16/17th. More, from a press release issued by Chris Fillmore Racing: Tuesday, May 5, 2009 What a week for Chris Fillmore and his no. 55 Chris Fillmore Racing Daytona Sportbike team. Like any racer and team, Chris Fillmore Racing was looking forward to a positive week in Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park. The plans were to spend the early part of the week in a lapping session with a sportbike open practice day like many of the AMA racers. This would be followed by two days of prepping the bike and then a view to a good weekend of racing aboard Chris’ 2009 Graves Motorsports built Yamaha YZF R6. However, plans change. When this happens, a rider and a team show their character and passion to make racing a career. The weekend started with a plan to leave early Saturday April 25. However, Chris and his friend Brian Opie experienced a massive fracture on the neck of the trailer that separated the RV from the trailer at 60 mph while driving on I75. At this point, the saving grace was that the trailer sailed harmlessly into the median of the highway. This meant that only time was lost and a replacement trailer was sorted out for CFR. For Chris and his mechanic Jeff Cesmat, the track and bike worked well in practice and it seemed like a top ten in Daytona Sportbike qualifying was possible. However, once into qualifying Chris struggled somewhat with overall balance. In addition, the cancellation of the second qualifying session meant that Chris would not get a chance to improve his start position. While a seventeenth in qualifying from the 46 bike field was not terrible, it meant that Chris would have to work hard on track to attain the goals he has set for each race. Saturday’s Race 1 saw Chris make a good start from row nine and find a good rhythm as he began the 21-lap race. Chris and his R6 found a couple of good places to pass on track and began to move methodically through the race. As the race continued, Chris battled throughout with Damian Cudlin and Roger Hayden. Near the end of the race Chris made a late braking attempt on Michael Barnes for 11th. After missing his breaking point, he was forced to miss the race line and fell back to his final 13th place finishing position. After a good final result on Saturday, Chris felt confident moving into Sunday’s Race 2 and his goal was to improve on his 13th place finish from Saturday. An additional factor that was not apart of Race 1 that was apart of Race 2 was that it was a rain event. Therefore, the next question became what tire was the best option for the event. Chris chose a full wet front and rear. Again, during this 21-lap event Cudlin and Hayden were close to Fillmore and his no. 55 R6 throughout the race. For Fillmore the tire choice allowed a very early aggressive charge through the field. However, as the track dried, the tire began to lose grip. This forced Chris to ride a very conservative final three laps to insure a finish. The payoff was that he was able to move up two more positions to finish just outside of the top ten in 11th. After the race Chris said, “what a week”¦I am stoked with my finishes when I think about what we overcame to be here today. I have to thank my team and my dad for coming together to get everything sorted so that we could make it to the track. I think this is a cool place to race and the flow of it is something I like. Ideally we could have qualified higher, however we found a good setup for the race and I had fun making passes on a number of good riders.”