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RR: MotoGP - Dag 1 på Losail.
Fra : MKS - 74


Dato : 13-02-07 22:36

The entire 2007 MotoGP grid and the full quota of 800cc bikes
were gathered together for the first time today, as all 21 riders
participated in the first day of the MotoGP Official Test in Qatar.
The three days of preparation will be crucial for the teams, as
they prepare for their next visit to Losail for the season’s
curtain-raiser on March 10th.
Carrying on from where he left off at last week’s test at Sepang,
Colin Edwards was the fastest rider on day one in Qatar. The
factory Yamaha rider, who predicted the possibility of a one-two
with team-mate Valentino Rossi this season after topping the
timesheets in Malaysia, put in a lap of 1’56.774 during the
afternoon run-out.
Five times MotoGP World Champion Rossi was close behind the
‘Texan Tornado’, trailing his Yamaha colleague by just over a
tenth of a second. More and more comfortable on the 800cc M1,
the Italian has had a storming preseason so far, and continued
to work hard on the bike at the track where he won his first
race of the 2006 season.
In his best performance so far in preseason, Casey Stoner was
the fastest Ducati at Losail today. The Australian joined
Edwards and Rossi as one of only three riders to break the 1’57
barrier as he revisited the scene of his first ever premier class
pole.
Heading an American trio that completed the top six, Kenny
Roberts Jr was another rider to pick up the pace on the opening
day in Qatar. After initial tests less than a month ago, the
KR212V appears to have undergone a rapid development
process as the team look to build on a resurgent final 990cc
season.
Reigning World Champion Nicky Hayden was on the pace
despite placing outside the fastest four, just under half a second
off Edwards’ fastest lap at a session where the top ten were all
within a breath of each other. He continued work on the new
Michelin 16” front tyre which is to become the French
manufacturer’s standard in 2007.
Suzuki’s John Hopkins rounded off the top six, ahead of premier
class veterans Loris Capirossi, Carlos Checa and Alex Barros,
who suffered a light crash in the afternoon without
consequences. A rider thankfully staying accident-free was the
returning Jeremy McWilliams, making a brave comeback after
the numerous injuries he suffered at his previous test at Jerez.
The Ilmor GP rider had to use crutches to move around the
paddock but, once on the bike, was able to continue
development of the newest team on the MotoGP grid’s 800cc
prototype.
Temperatures at the track were a comfortable 23ºC, and rain
was never a threat to the proceedings. The MotoGP Official Test
continues in Qatar tomorrow from 9am local time.

MotoGP Official Test: Qatar
Unofficial Times
1. Colin Edwards, Yamaha Factory - 1'56.774
2. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha Factory - 1'56.891
3. Casey Stoner, Ducati Marlboro – 1´56.960
4. Kenny Roberts Jr, Team Roberts - 1'´57.064
5. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda - 1'57.070
6. John Hopkins, Rizla Suzuki - 1'57.350
7. Loris Capirossi, Ducati Marlboro - 1'57.360
8. Carlos Checa, Honda LCR - 1'57.370
9. Alex Barros, Pramac d'Antin - 1'57.690
10.Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda – 1´57.700
11. Randy de Puniet, Kawasaki Racing - 1'57.730
12. Marco Melandri, Honda Gresini – 1´57.760
13. Alex Hofmann, Pramac d'Antin - 1'57.800
14. Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda - 1'57.850
15. Chris Vermeulen, Rizla Suzuki - 1'57.900
16. Makoto Tamada, Dunlop Yamaha Tech3 - 1'58.408
17. Olivier Jacque, Kawasaki Racing - 1'58.740
18. Toni Elias, Honda Gresini – 1´59.400
19. Sylvain Guintoli, Dunlop Yamaha Tech3 - 1'59.700
20. Shinichi Ito, Ducati TTT – 1´59.966
21. Andrew Pitt, Ilmor GP – 2´01.667
22. Jeremy McWilliams, Ilmor GP - 2'10.341


--
-Michael
Div. Aprilia RS250 og Honda CBR600+VF500-dele m.m. til salg på:
http://cbr600.dyndns.dk/

 
 
MKS - 74 (14-02-2007)
Kommentar
Fra : MKS - 74


Dato : 14-02-07 18:44

On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 22:36:10 +0100, MKS - 74 <mks74temp@gmail.com>
wrote:

Dag 2:

From a press release issued by Dorna Communications:

Edwards and Rossi ahead once again at Official Test in Qatar

MotoGP Official Test Day 2/3 - Losail International Circuit, Qatar -
Wednesday 14th February

The second day of the MotoGP Official Test in Qatar saw a continuation
from yesterday, both regarding form and weather. Temperatures were
still comfortable for the riders, the sun was still shining and the
factory Yamaha 800cc bikes remained on top of the timesheets courtesy
of Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi.

Edwards, yesterday’s pacesetter on the Yamaha M1, was nearly half a
second quicker than his best lap from day one, and also faster than
team-mate Valentino Rossi’s best race lap from the 2006 Grand Prix at
Losail. The ‘Texan Tornado’ was using what he described as his ‘second
choice’ front tyres, with the 16” Michelin sets that brought him such
success in Sepang unavailable for the Qatar visit.

Fellow factory Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi once again followed hot on
the heels of his American team-mate, just off Edwards’ storming lap of
1’56.296. The five time World Champion is satisfied with the team’s
progress at this point in the preseason, commenting yesterday that
they are in a much better position than this time last year.

The fastest Honda in Qatar today, 2006 Rookie Of The Year Dani Pedrosa
was another rider to spearhead the development of Michelin’s new front
rubber, and clocked his quickest time towards the end of the afternoon
session. The second RC212V in the top six was that of fellow Spaniard
Carlos Checa, who put in the most laps of any rider as part of a race
simulation.

Ducati’s factory rider Casey Stoner, who took pole for last year’s
race, was closely followed by a resurgent John Hopkins, who is looking
to regain some of Suzuki’s pre-Phillip Island form when they were the
early 800cc frontrunners.

Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet rounded off a top eight all within a
second of fastest rider Edwards. De Puniet’s progress was observed
from trackside by Kawasaki team-mate Olivier Jacque, who sat out
today’s session as a precautionary measure following a light crash
yesterday.

Kenny Roberts Jr and Marco Melandri were just ahead of World Champion
Nicky Hayden, who suffered a small crash on the opening run-out at
Losail. He was back on the bike immediately, eager to put in as many
laps as possible on the new 800cc machine.

Joining Jacque on the sidelines today was Ilmor GP rider Jeremy
McWilliams, who elected to rest his still tender leg after an intense
return to action yesterday. The two should both be back in action
tomorrow, to once again line up the entire 2007 MotoGP grid for the
final day of the Official Test.

MotoGP Official Test: Qatar
Day Two Official Times

1. Colin Edwards – Yamaha Factory – 1’56.296
2. Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Factory – 1’56.537
3. Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda – 1’56.712
4. Carlos Checa – LCR Honda – 1’56. 874
5. Casey Stoner – Ducati Marlboro - 1’57.040
6. John Hopkins – Rizla Suzuki – 1’57.065
7. Shinya Nakano – Konica Minolta Honda – 1’57.274
8. Randy de Puniet – Kawasaki Racing – 1’57.288
9. Kenny Roberts Jr – Team Roberts – 1’57.504
10. Marco Melandri – Gresini Honda – 1’57.591
11. Nicky Hayden – Repsol Honda – 1’57.629
12. Loris Capirossi – Ducati Marlboro - 1’57.698
13. Chris Vermeulen – Rizla Suzuki - 1’57.770
14. Alex Hofmann – Pramac d’Antin Ducati - 1’57.999
15. Alex Barros – Pramac d’Antin Ducati - 1’58.513
16. Makoto Tamada – Yamaha Tech 3 - 1’58.610
17. Toni Elias – Gresini Honda – 1’58.990
18. Sylvain Guintoli – Yamaha Tech 3 – 1’59.138
19. Shinichi Ito – Ducati TTT – 1’59.617
20. Andrew Pitt – Ilmor GP – 2’02.453




More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:

A HARD TEST DAY FOR KAWASAKI IN QATAR

The Kawasaki Racing Team were back in action today for the second day
of testing at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, but with only
one of their two riders on track.

Olivier Jacque was forced to sit out today's test due to still
suffering the effects of his turn two crash yesterday. The 33-year-old
Frenchman was passed fit to ride, but opted to take a recovery day
today, before returning to the track in better physical condition
tomorrow.

With his teammate sidelined, Randy de Puniet continued to refine the
set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR, as he evaluated race tyre options from
Bridgestone. In the process the Kawasaki rider, who celebrated his
26th birthday today, managed to cut half a second from his best time
of yesterday, posting a fastest lap of 1'57.288s.

De Puniet completed 54 laps of the Qatar circuit today, with 22 of
them completed during a race distance simulation to test rear tyre
endurance.

The 26-year-old Frenchman is happy with his front race tyre choice,
should conditions be the same when he returns for the first race in
less than a months time, but will continue testing rear race tyres
during the final day at the circuit tomorrow.

The only problem on another successful day of testing for Kawasaki
came when de Puniet crashed at turn eight after being caught out by
gusting winds. The Kawasaki pilot was uninjured in the crash, and
returned to the track aboard his spare Ninja ZX-RR when testing
resumed after the compulsory lunch break.


Randy de Puniet: 54 Laps - Best Lap 1'57.288
"Today we got on with the tyre testing we had planned, working our way
through different options on both the front and rear of the bike.
Bridgestone have done a great job, and we think we've identified a
suitable front tyre for the race should conditions be the same here
next month. I did a race distance run this afternoon to evaluate tyre
endurance, and tomorrow we will try even more rear tyre options from
Bridgestone. If we can end this test with a race tyre for front and
rear then I'll be happy. The bike felt better today, and I'd already
improved my lap time before lunch. But then I crashed in turn eight;
I'm not completely sure why, but it felt like the wind pushed me wide,
and I lost the front trying to regain the right line. I was unhurt,
but the bike was a wreck! I'm happy with the improvement in
consistency today, but there is still room for improvement tomorrow."


Olivier Jacque: #19
"Today I feel much better than I did immediately after the crash
yesterday, but I still feel pretty sore. I wanted to ride, but after
the medical check up this morning we made the decision to sit out
today's test, instead of risking further injury and a longer delay.
I'm sorry for the team, because I know how much work we need to do
before the start of the season, but I hope we can catch up on our test
schedule tomorrow."


Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager
"Randy's crash was unfortunate, but the important thing was that he
was uninjured and it didn't delay our planned test programme for
today. Our overall assessment of today is positive. Our target was to
evaluate a range of different tyre options and also to improve the
set-up of the bike. Randy did a split run of 22 laps and found some
consistency, although we haven't yet identified a suitable rear tyre
for the opening race of the season. For this reason we will focus
tomorrow on evaluating more rear tyres, following a special programme
provided by Bridgestone. I'm confident we'll end the test with a good
idea of the tyres we will need for the race here. It's a pity Olivier
couldn't ride today, but the season hasn't started yet so it would
have been pointless to take any risks. He will almost certainly be
back tomorrow, so the delay to our test schedule is not so great."




More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati:

DESERT RAIN AND SLIPPERY TRACK HAMPER SECOND DAY OF TESTING IN QATAR

Overnight rain at the desert circuit of Losail in Qatar hampered
today's second day of testing for the MotoGP teams. Track conditions
changed drastically and despite it being dry, the surface was totally
without grip and this conditioned the work of the Ducati Marlboro Team
for most of the day.

Both riders concentrated on obtaining the best front-end set-up, and
it was only towards the end of the day that they managed to find the
right direction, as a result approaching the good pace set yesterday.
Today it was the turn of Casey Stoner, again in amongst the top 5, to
crash, but without consequences for himself or the bike. Both Stoner
and Loris Capirossi hope for better weather tomorrow to continue
testing and to put together a long-run.


Casey Stoner (45 laps, best time 1m57.040s)
"We had a hard time today. Last night's rain changed the track
conditions and in the morning there was no grip. Then the wind made
things a bit more complicated. Late in the afternoon the track had
some rubber on it, the wind had dropped and we managed to do some good
laps again. Everyone says I crash too much so... just to make them
happy I had my first crash on a Ducati a few minutes from the end! It
was just a small one however, I lost the rear under acceleration and
ended up on the grass on the inside of the corner! I wasn't hurt and
didn't damage the bike so I suppose it was OK!"


Loris Capirossi (52 laps, best time 1m57.698s)
"Today was really tough because the track conditions after yesterday's
rain were a big problem. We didn't have any feeling with the front and
did everything possible to try and improve the situation but we lost
our way a bit. In the end we managed to improve without even getting
the right feeling with the bike. I hope it won't rain tonight because
tomorrow we want to carry on from where we left off today and do a
long-run ".

Losail lap record : Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 1m57.305s
Losail pole record: Casey Stoner (Honda) 2006, 1m55.683s

Temperature: air 22° / track 25° - 40°C

Unofficial times, Wednesday 14 February:

Colin Edwards (Yamaha), 1m56.296s
Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), 1m56.537s
Dani Pedrosa (Honda), 1m56.712s
Carlos Checa (Honda), 1m56.874s
Casey Stoner (Ducati), 1m57.040s
John Hopkins (Suzuki), 1m57.065s
Shinya Nakano (Honda), 1m57.274s
Randy De Puniet (Kawasaki), 1m57.288s
Kenny Roberts jr. (KR-Honda), 1m57.504s
Marco Melandri (Honda), 1m57.591s
Nicky Hayden (Hondal), 1m57.629s
Loris Capirossi (Ducati), 1m57.698s
Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki), 1m57.770s
Alex Hofmann (Ducati), 1m57.999s
Alex Barros (Ducati), 1m58.513s
Makoto Tamada (Yamaha), 1m58.610s
Toni Elias (Honda), 1m58.990s
Sylvain Guintoli (Yamaha), 1m59.617s
Shinichi Ito (Ducati), 1m59.617s
Andrew Pitt (Ilmor), 2m02.453s

--
-Michael
Div. Aprilia RS250 og Honda CBR600+VF500-dele m.m. til salg på:
http://cbr600.dyndns.dk/

MKS - 74 (15-02-2007)
Kommentar
Fra : MKS - 74


Dato : 15-02-07 18:24

On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 22:36:10 +0100, MKS - 74 <mks74temp@gmail.com>
wrote:

Dag 3:

Pedrosa closes Official Test on top in Qatar

MotoGP Official Test Day 3/3 - Losail International Circuit, Qatar -
Thursday 15th February

The first Official Test of 2007 came to a close today in Qatar, with
the MotoGP riders bringing their ‘A-game” on the last of three
sessions. Although rain did not directly affect the riders during
their time on track, light rainfall overnight after day one left the
track in difficult conditions, but still enabled them to put on
qualifiers and push to leave the Losail International Circuit at the
top of the timesheets.

After a late charge of hot laps, Dani Pedrosa was the fastest rider
today, with a scorching time of 1’55.471 building on a promising
morning run. The Spaniard was quicker than Casey Stoner’s 990cc pole
position from 2006, and put Honda on top for the first time after two
days of Yamaha dominance.

The second quickest at Qatar, today was nonetheless a bad day for
Suzuki’s John Hopkins. The first rider to go out on qualifiers, in
three-lap bursts, the Anglo-American clocked a time just over three
tenths of a second slower than that of Pedrosa. However, a nasty crash
before the end of the morning left Hopkins out of the afternoon
session, probably set to miss next week's MotoGP Official Test in
Jerez and with a possible fracture in his hand. Despite this setback,
he is still fully expected to line up alongside the rest of the
premier class grid for the first race of the season on March 10th.

Valentino Rossi, winner of last year’s Qatar Grand Prix, was the only
other rider to break the 1’56 barrier. It is the first time at this
test that he has finished above team-mate Colin Edwards, with his
fellow factory Yamaha man still a speedy fifth fastest as both
undertook race simulations.

Separating the duo was Pramac d’Antin’s Alex Hofmann. The German was
the fastest of all the Ducati riders for the first time on an 800cc
bike, which is an extremely positive step for the team coming after
team-mate Alex Barros’ impressive outing at Phillip Island.

Rounding off the top six was Kawasaki rider Randy de Puniet, rejoined
today by colleague Olivier Jacque after the older of the two Frenchmen
sat out yesterday’s proceedings. A Ducati trio followed within two
tenths of De Puniet, consisting of Loris Capirossi, Casey Stoner and
Alex Barros.

After a somewhat discreet test, Marco Melandri picked up the pace on
day three, continuing his adaptation to Bridgestone tyres and the
800cc RC212V as he completed the top ten.

World Champion Nicky Hayden was nearly two seconds off team-mate and
fastest rider Pedrosa, still searching for pace after coming back from
shoulder surgery. The ‘Kentucky Kid’ spent last week in California
with doctors analysing his progression, and yesterday suffered two
crashes onboard his 2007 bike.

The MotoGP teams head on to Jerez, in preparation for next week’s
second Official Test. It will be the final chance to fine-tune their
800cc prototypes before they return to the Losail International
Circuit next month to kick off what is sure to be an exciting season.


MotoGP Official Test: Qatar
Day 3 Official Times

1. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda - 1'55.471
2. John Hopkins, Rizla Suzuki - 1'55.825
3. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha Factory - 1'55.954
4. Alex Hofmann, Pramac d'Antin - 1'56.315
5. Colin Edwards, Yamaha Factory - 1'56.371
6. Randy de Puniet, Kawasaki Racing - 1'56.753
7. Loris Capirossi, Ducati Marlboro - 1'56.807
8. Casey Stoner, Ducati Marlboro - 1'56.834
9. Alex Barros, Pramac d'Antin - 1'56.950
10. Marco Melandri, Honda Gresini - 1'56.980
11. Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda - 1'56.980
12. Makoto Tamada, Dunlop Yamaha Tech3 - 1'57.232
13. Toni Elias, Honda Gresini - 1'57.246
14. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda - 1'57.269
15. Chris Vermeulen, Rizla Suzuki - 1'57.365
16. Kenny Roberts, Team Roberts - 1'57.408
17. Carlos Checa, Honda LCR - 1'57.497
18. Sylvain Guintoli, Dunlop Yamaha Tech3 - 1'58.379
19. Shinichi Ito, Ducati TTT - 1'58.974
20. Andrew Pitt, Ilmor GP - 2'00.455
21. Olivier Jacque, Kawasaki Racing - 2'02.081
22. Jeremy McWilliams, Ilmor GP - 2'02.612



--
-Michael
Div. Aprilia RS250 og Honda CBR600+VF500-dele m.m. til salg på:
http://cbr600.dyndns.dk/

MKS - 74 (15-02-2007)
Kommentar
Fra : MKS - 74


Dato : 15-02-07 20:57

On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 18:23:34 +0100, MKS - 74 <mks74temp@gmail.com>
wrote:

>On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 22:36:10 +0100, MKS - 74 <mks74temp@gmail.com>
>wrote:
>
>Dag 3:

Teamkommentarer:

The following is from Honda...

The final day of the last pre-season MotoGP test at the Losail
circuit, Qatar was a crucial day for many of the teams present. With
just 21 days to go before the opening race of the 18-round world
championship series, hosted by the same Losail circuit, Honda teams,
technicians and riders worked hard to complete the development
programme set out by HRC.

The majority of teams head back to Europe to prepare for the final
pre-season, at Jerez, Spain on February 23-25 with sufficient
technical data to establish good base lines for overall machine set
up.

Dani Pedrosa was particularly satisfied with his three-days in Qatar.
The diminutive Spaniard made few set up changes to his four-cylinder
800cc RC212V for today spending most of his time testing Michelin
tyres. Pedrosa ran fast consistent times on race tyres before
conducting a 22-lap race simulation during which he ran one lap at 1m
56.835s, 0.5 seconds inside the existing lap record set on a 990cc
machine. The precocious 21-year old then fitted a set of qualifying
tyres to his RCV and set fastest time for the three-day test with a
scintillating time of 1m 55.471s!

For MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden it was a bounce-back day. The
Repsol Honda factory rider suffered two crashes yesterday and needed
to run laps and get comfortable on his RCV instead of chasing lap
times. He spent his day working towards getting a better feeling from
the front end with encouraging results to carry into the final
pre-season test at Jerez, Spain on February 23-25. He left Qatar in
positive mood confident HRC will provide the solutions necessary to
improve the Champions prospects of opening his title defence with a
victory.

Gresini Honda rider Marco Melandri ended the three days of testing
with his RCV in very buoyant mood. The former 250cc world champion has
worked methodically all winter and he has nothing but praise for his
technical crew who have established a solid base line with chassis and
suspension for the Honda. That has allowed Melandri the freedom to
ride confidently and at a consistent fast pace on the Bridgestone
tyres he will race on for the first time in his career.

Melandri’s team-mate, Toni Elias continues to struggle as he adapts to
the Bridgestone tyres Gresini Honda will race with in 2007. Despite
not finding the tyres to suit his style the young Spaniard improved
drastically today slashing 1.7 seconds off his best time of yesterday.
Elias is not despondent with the situation he looks to the hard
working combination of Bridgestone and the Gresini technicians to
resolve his problems in time for the Jerez test next week.

Japanese star Shinya Nakano has adapted well to the RC212V and grows
in confidence each time he rides the bike. He is beginning to
understand the characteristics of the Honda and has resolved the front
end problems he experienced at previous test.

LCR Honda rider Carlos Checa is satisfied with the work they have done
and the results achieved. The team have found a good direction to work
in and at Jerez will fine tune the RCV ready to race in three-weeks.

Team Roberts took a step forward on the final day at Qatar. Team rider
Kenny Roberts Jnr had been hampered by front end problems that caused
major tyre wear. Working on weight transfer and suspension
modifications the team have almost eradicated the problem and go into
the Jerez test confident they will complete their pre-season testing
schedule,

Honda rider quotes and lap times.

Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1m 57.269s – 97 laps.

"After yesterday I just needed to come in and do some laps to try to
get the feeling back, so today I got comfortable and didn't get too
carried away chasing lap times. I've been trying to get some more
feeling from the front - that's what we're working towards. I'd have
liked to have gone a bit faster today but we're still positive and
we'll go back to work in Jerez and make some improvements. Things
started out so good on the first morning here - since then it's been a
tough couple of days. Sometimes this is a hard a game and you've got
to adjust to it - I go away from here healthy and hopefully we'll go
to the next test and get some things sorted out with me and the bike.
I want to thank my team because yesterday was pretty hard on those
guys and they were really cool about it."

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda – 1m 55.471s – 87 laps

“On the final day we didn’t test too much on the bike. We took the
best settings from yesterday and the day before and put in a good
number of laps to get a better feeling for how the tyres will behave
during the race. I also did a race simulation and put on qualifying
tyres at the end of the day. Definitely this was as a test for myself
more than for the bike and that’s good. It was really important to get
a good feeling here because the first race of the season will be held
here and now I hope that when we come back the conditions are similar
and we can take advantage of this test. But it wasn’t only us that had
a good test: also Yamaha and Suzuki are fast, Ducati as well. We will
continue to see how the tyres work and that’s why we cannot relax. We
wanted to see the performance of the bike at the end of the race and
we’ve got some information about this which is important. Now we have
to keep improving”.

Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 1m.56.980s – 62 laps.

"The team is doing a great job. I like the bike, I have a good feeling
when I'm riding. I feel very comfortable with chassis and suspensions.
Now we have to work on the engine to make a further step forward. We
continued tyres testing with Bridgestone and we found some interesting
solutions that can be good in preparation for the race. In the
afternoon I tried also a qualifying tyre to gather some data and
prepare for the season. I couldn't use the qualifying tyre at his
best, while my race pace was quite good. I trust a lot our partners so
I'm confident".

Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 1m.57.246s - 71 laps.

"We are struggling a bit because at this moment we cannot find a good
compromise in the package Honda - Bridgestone, we still haven't found
the tyre that it's good for my riding style and my characteristics.
I'm confident because we are working hard with the Bridgestone
technicians. We will get probably some new stuff to test in Jerez for
the next IRTA test session, this would be very important for us ".

Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 1m 56.980s – 73 laps.

“During these three days on the Losail track, I did the best I could
and rode hard. I’m happy about the level of feeling I’m now getting
from the front tyre, as this was our target during this test and we’ve
achieved that. Every test I make with the new bike, I’m able to make a
further step forward and I hope to move ahead again next week during
the IRTA test. This is vital if I’m to be in the best shape for the
first race of the season here in Qatar in 2007.”

Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 1m 57.497s. – 83 laps.

“I know that today’s result is not so positive compared to Pedrosa’s
best lap time but I feel pretty satisfied about these days’ work.
Honestly we still have to improve on qualifying tyres but the pace we
got on this machine makes me very confident for the beginning of the
season. Since the first test in Sepang last November we have been
working very hard to find the right direction to go and I can easily
say the things are going in the right way. Today I rode also a race
simulation and the feeling with the bike is getting better day after
day. Now we move to Jerez for the last test session before the
season’s kick off and we will use those days to fix up the last
things”.

Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR212V: 1m 57.408s

“There was quite a lot of wind and we struggled at times with the work
we were trying to do on the bike. We had been tearing up a lot of
front tyre in the corners so we worked on weight transfer and the
suspension and it was a lot better today. We tested some tyres for
Michelin and we ended the day running a race simulation on the race
tyres we got the most out of on Tuesdays good laps. The time wasn’t
too bad lap times could have been a couple of tenths faster but the
sun was going down and it was difficult to se where the edge of the
track was. One thing for sure, we are closer to the front at this
stage last year. We’ll be OK in Jerez.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:

DE PUNIET SIXTH FASTEST ON CLOSING DAY AT LOSAIL

The curtain finally came down on the first official test of the 2007
season after three non-stop days at the Losail International Circuit
in Qatar, with Randy de Puniet closing out the test with the sixth
fastest time of the day aboard his Ninja ZX-RR.

Once again the 26-year-old Frenchman was left to fly the flag alone
for Kawasaki, as the after effects of his day one crash again forced
Olivier Jacque to sit out most of his planned test session today.

The former World Champion completed 12 laps of the 5.380 km Losail
circuit this morning, enough to convince him that he hadn't recovered
sufficiently and that to continue testing would have only risked
further injury for little return in terms of usable feedback.

With his teammate once again sidelined, de Puniet completed a marathon
96 laps today. The Kawasaki pilot worked his way through an
accelerated tyre testing schedule in order to identify a suitable rear
race tyre for when the Kawasaki Racing Team return to Qatar, for the
opening event of the season in just four weeks time.

Although not completely satisfied with the race tyre options tested
today, de Puniet still managed to post a lap time this morning on a
qualifying tyre that was more than a second better than his best lap
aboard the 990cc machine on a qualifier last year. But, after
completing his flying lap, the Kawasaki pilot was convinced he could
find even more speed when he returns here for the race.

The Kawasaki Racing Team now heads back home for a brief four-day rest
before travelling again to Jerez, Spain, for the last test of the 2007
pre-season, starting on Friday 23rd February.

Randy de Puniet: 96 Laps - Best Lap 1'56.753
"It's been a long and exhausting day; I have done almost 100 laps! In
the afternoon we did a complete race simulation first, followed by a
half-race distance, and the lap times were not so bad. We still need
to improve our performance from the middle of the race until the end.
We found a very good rear tyre but it seems that the front choice was
not the best one for a whole race, as it dropped after ten laps. I
kept my rhythm steady but for sure without the movement I could have
ridden three or four tenths faster. I was tired then but I wanted to
try another qualifier. Unlike this morning, I couldn't get the most
out of it though. Apart from that, it was good to see the potential of
the bike over race distance. There is still some room for improvement
in both tyres and bike performance, but we are heading in the right
direction."

Olivier Jacque: 12 Laps - Best Lap 2'02.081
"This morning I thought that I was fit enough to ride, but when I got
on the bike I realised that I was not. After a couple of laps I
started to feel a little bit dizzy. My sight wasn't right and I
couldn't ride the bike as always. It was too dangerous to continue and
we decided to stop instead of doing a bad job and worsening the
situation. I'm really disappointed because I really like this track. I
did many tests here in the past and was expecting a lot from these
three days. Anyway, now this is past and I only have Jerez in my mind.
I will try and make up the time there."

Ichiro Yoda: Kawasaki Racing Director
"My assessment of this three-day test is positive. We found a good
base set up but still we have to make some modifications, mainly in
chassis balance, but we are happy with our performance. It is really
important that we haven't suffered any relevant problems, either
electronic or mechanical. Finding a good package was important too and
Bridgestone has done a very good job providing different tyres, which
allowed us to improve day by day. We have a clear idea about which is
going to be our rear tyre choice for the race but still some doubts
with the qualifying tyre. Our rider's lap time on a qualifying tyre
today was below our expectations. Anyway, it is nothing to worry about
because we still have more to try at Jerez. Unfortunately, Olivier
could only test for one day. It has been a shame for him, because he
needs to ride, and for us as well as he is a great testing rider and
would have given us a lot of useful information. We hope he will be
completely fit for Jerez."

----------------------------------------------------------------------



More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing Honda:

CONSTRUCTIVE TEST FOR GRESINI HONDA RIDERS

The curtain came down on the three- day MotoGP Official Test at Losail
in Qatar with the the Gresini Honda riders, , feeling that the Qatar
test had been very useful in preparation of the first Grand Prix race
that will take place on this track in a few weeks.

Marco Melandri and Toni Elias completed the third test of the 2007
season, having accumulated a large volume of important data for the
forthcoming season.
Marco Melandri made an important step forward in the development of
the Honda-Bridgestone package.
While Elias was struggling a bit to find the right tyres for his
characteristics and he looks forward to next test session in Jerez,
the last of the winter season, in order to make further
improvements.The third day of testing was characterized by comfortable
weather conditions. Melandri completed 62 laps, 1'56"980 his best
time. 71 laps for his team mate Toni Elias, 1'57.246 his best time.

Now the Motogp riders will have one week to dedicate to their usual
schedule of training and some days of relax, before resuming back on
track for three days starting from Friday the 23rd of February for the
Official Motogp Irta test session at Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, with
Tv coverage.

MARCO MELANDRI (62 laps, 1.56"980): "The team is doing a great job. I
like the
bike, I have a good feeling when I'm riding. I feel very comfortable
with chassis and suspensions. Now we have to work on the engine to
make a further step forward. We continued tyres testing with
Bridgestone and we found some interesting solutions that can be good
in preparation for the race. In the afternoon I tried also a
qualifying tyre to gather some data and prepare for the season. I
couldn't use the qualifying tyre at his best, while my race pace was
quite good. I trust a lot our partners so I'm confident".

TONI ELIAS (71 laps, 1.57.246):): "We are struggling a bit because in
this moment we cannot find a good compromise in the package Honda -
Bridgestone, we still haven't found the tyre that it's good for my
riding style and my characteristics. I'm confident because we are
working hard with the Bridgestone technicians. We will get probably
some new stuff to test in Jerez for the next Irta test session, this
would be very important for us ".

MotoGP Official Test: Qatar
1. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda - 1'55.471
2. John Hopkins, Rizla Suzuki - 1'55.825
3. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha Factory - 1'55.954
4. Alex Hofmann, Pramac d'Antin - 1'56.315
5. Colin Edwards, Yamaha Factory - 1'56.371
6. Randy de Puniet, Kawasaki Racing - 1'56.753
7. Loris Capirossi, Ducati Marlboro - 1'56.807
8. Casey Stoner, Ducati Marlboro - 1'56.834
9. Alex Barros, Pramac d'Antin - 1'56.950
10. Marco Melandri, Honda Gresini - 1'56.980
11. Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda - 1'56.980
12. Makoto Tamada, Dunlop Yamaha Tech3 - 1'57.232
13. Toni Elias, Honda Gresini - 1'57.246
14. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda - 1'57.269
15. Chris Vermeulen, Rizla Suzuki - 1'57.365
16. Kenny Roberts, Team Roberts - 1'57.408
17. Carlos Checa, Honda LCR - 1'57.497
18. Sylvain Guintoli, Dunlop Yamaha Tech3 - 1'58.379
19. Shinichi Ito, Ducati TTT - 1'58.974
20. Andrew Pitt, Ilmor GP - 2'00.455
21. Olivier Jacque, Kawasaki Racing - 2'02.081
22. Jeremy McWilliams, Ilmor GP - 2'02.612

----------------------------------------------------------------------



More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati:

POSITIVE END TO QATAR TESTING FOR DUCATI WITH RACE SIMULATION


The final day of testing in Qatar for the Ducati Marlboro Team
concluded positively with both riders satisfied with their race
simulation today. As in Sepang and Phillip Island, Loris Capirossi and
Casey Stoner found a good compromise for the bike and tyre set-up in
race configuration which enabled them to lap at an excellent pace.
Despite today's progress, the team still has to find the best solution
for the qualifying set-up.

Stoner is becoming more and more familiar with his Desmosedici GP7
machine even though today the Australian did not complete many laps
because he first had a gearbox problem and then, like several other
members of the team, felt sick and opted to wrap up testing early.

The team now returns to Italy and will almost immediately head off
again next week for the official IRTA MotoGP tests at Jerez in Spain
from 23-25 February. On the Sunday, as per tradition, the one-hour
timed practice session will be broadcast live on television at 14.05
CET.


Loris Capirossi (62 laps, best time: 1m56.807s):
"I am quite pleased with the way things went today in race
configuration. I did a complete 22-lap race simulation at a good pace.
The tyres remained pretty constant throughout and we look to be in
pretty good shape in comparison with the others: the bike has improved
and so have the tyres. There's still a lot of work to do with
qualifying tyres however. For the moment we are unable to get the best
out of them. We have to work a lot with Bridgestone to avoid starting
too far down the grid and risk jeopardizing the race. If we analyse
everything today, we are quite happy with the situation. We still have
to improve the set-up of the bike when there is not much grip, like
yesterday, but we are OK if track conditions are good. We went well at
Sepang, Phillip Island and here. Next week Jerez will be an important
session to bring these winter tests to a conclusion"


Casey Stoner (36 laps, best time: 1m56.834s):
"It was another positive day. I was unable to finish the race
simulation I was doing because they put the red flags out after 14
laps after someone crashed, but I was going well until then. We tried
several different tyres which were satisfactory, so was happy with
that. Today I didn't do many laps because I didn't feel well, like
several other guys in the team, and I decided to call it a day before
the end of the session and not test the qualifying tyres. In the last
three days, and since the start of the 2007 tests in Sepang, we have
gradually improved and the feeling with the Ducati is getting better
all the time. It will be interesting to go back to Jerez next week.
For the first time we will test at a circuit where we have already
been and this will help to check on the progress we have made so far "

Losail lap record : Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 1m57.305s
Losail pole record: Casey Stoner (Honda) 2006, 1m55.683s

Temperature: air 22° / track -

Unofficial times, Thursday 15 February:

Dani Pedrosa (Honda), 1m55.471s
John Hopkins (Suzuki), 1m55.825s
Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), 1m55.954s
Alex Hoffmann (Ducati), 1m56.315s
Colin Edwards (Yamaha), 1m56.371s
Randy De Puniet (Kawasaki), 1m56.753s
Loris Capirossi (Ducati), 1m56.807s
Casey Stoner (Ducati), 1m56.834s
Alex Barros (Ducati), 1m56.950s
Marco Melandri (Honda), 1m56.980s
Shinya Nakano (Honda), 1m56.980s
Makoto Tamada (Yamaha), 1m57.232s
Toni Elias (Honda), 1m57.246s
Nicky Hayden (Honda), 1m57.269s
Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki), 1m57.365s
Kenny Roberts (KR-Honda), 1m57.408s
Carlos Checa (Honda), 1m57.497s

----------------------------------------------------------------------


More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Factory Racing Team:

Yamaha Head Back to Europe after Successful Qatar Test

The final day of MotoGP testing in Qatar today saw the times tumble
yet again, as several riders opted to try qualifying tyres and three
of them, Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi included, dipped under the 1’55
mark. As usual on the final day of a test, both Rossi and team-mate
Colin Edwards tried their 800cc Yamaha’s on a long-run, enabling them
to gather crucial information about tyre performance and fuel
consumption ahead of the first race here in three week’s time.
Edwards’ was in fact forced to do two extended sessions after his
initial long-run, started towards the end of the morning, was
red-flagged when Suzuki rider John Hopkins crashed, breaking a bone in
his foot.

After topping the time sheets for the last two days, the Yamaha pair
slipped down the order a little today, Rossi coming in third behind
Dani Pedrosa (Honda, 1’55.471) and Hopkins (1’55.825) with a time of
1’55.954, set in the morning session using a Michelin qualifying tyre.
After running into a few small problems with the qualifying tyre,
Edwards was unable to better his time from yesterday and finished the
day fifth with a best lap of 1’56.371.

The Yamaha Factory Racing Team will now head to European shores for
the first time since December for the Official MotoGP Test on 23rd,
24th and 25th February, at Jerez de la Frontera in southern Spain.
This will be the final pre-season test before the Grand Prix paddock
reconvenes in Qatar for the first race of the season on 10th March.


Colin Edwards
Position: 3rd Time: 1'55.954 Laps: 62

“It’s been a good test overall, despite running into a few problems.
Like I said yesterday, it’s better to find the problems now so we have
the chance to fix them! As I expected, the other riders have improved
a lot over these three days and Colin and I weren’t able to stay at
the top today. Still, we’re quite fast and our bike is quite good, so
we’re happy. The long run was okay, the situation with the rear tyre
wasn’t perfect but we knew it wasn’t going to be and nothing happened
that we didn’t expect. Anyway, we’re not worried about it and we know
how to go from here. I was still able to do 1’56.5, so I think if the
race was tomorrow then we would be in a position to fight for the
victory, as would Colin. We still have one more test in Jerez so we’ve
got the chance to do some more good work and try to make our bike
perfect for the first race. We’re still working on the suspension and
stability, we’ve talked a lot with our engineers and we’ve got some
good ideas to try next week. We’ve been sharing a lot of information
in our garage between Colin and I; he’s tried my settings and I’ve
tried his which has been very helpful. Now I’m looking forward to
seeing how the bike will go in Jerez next week.”


Valentino Rossi
Position: 5th Time: 1'56.371 Laps: 61

“We were a little bit unlucky today; we wanted to finish up early so
we started our long-run in the morning and it was all going well when
the red flags came out after about 14 laps. I was doing pretty good
times in that and was happy with how things were going, so it was pity
I had to stop. Anyway, our engineers needed me to have another go this
afternoon as we really needed to get some information about the fuel
consumption. Unfortunately we couldn’t have the same tyre again and we
had to use something a bit older, so the second long run wasn’t so
great, but we got all the information we needed. We tried a qualifier
this morning and actually we had a tiny bit of movement with that
which was a surprise after how fantastic it was in Sepang. I couldn’t
quite better my time from yesterday, when I was on race tyres.
Valentino had a go later and I think he fixed the issue, so we’re not
panicking about that. It’s been a really good test and I think we’ve
got a lot of options with this bike. Now it’s on to something
different again in Jerez so we’ll see how things go there, hopefully
we can continue the good work.”


Davide Brivio
Team Director

“It’s been a very interesting and important test for us and both
riders have shown that they’re in a position to fight at the top.
We’ve got a few areas which we need to work on, but overall we’re
happy. It’s nice to see both riders being consistently fast and having
fun riding the bike and it’s great to see such good teamwork, with
both crews working closely together and sharing all their information.
This really helps us in the task of developing the bike. Now we go to
Jerez for the final test and it’s going to be another very important
three days for us all; our rivals are strong and we need to be in the
best possible shape when we come back here for the first race.”


Unofficial Lap Times

1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 1'55.471

2. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 1'55.825

3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 1'55.954

4. Alex Hofmann (GER) Ducati 1'56.315

5. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 1'56.371

6. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 1'56.753

7. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 1'56.807

8. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati 1'56.834

9. Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati 1'56.950

10. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 1'56.980

11. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda 1'56.980

12. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha 1'57.232

13. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 1'57.246

14. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 1'57.269

15. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 1'57.365

16. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team KR 1'57.408

17. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda 1'57.497

18. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Yamaha 1'58.379

19. Shinichi Ito (JPN) Bridgestone Test 1'58.974

20. Andrew Pitt (AUS) Ilmor 2'00.455

21. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki 2'02.081

22. Jeremy McWilliams (IRE) Ilmor 2'02.612


Qatar Lap Record (990cc): Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006 - 1’57.305

Qatar Best Lap (990cc): Casey Stoner (Honda) 2006 - 1’55.683


----------------------------------------------------------------------


More, from a press release issued by Ilmor GP:

Ilmor GP end the Middle East test on a positive note after making some
further changes to the bikes set-up today. Jeremy McWilliams was back
out on track following an enforced rest day yesterday after sustaining
an injury to a muscle in his left leg on Tuesday. Both McWilliams and
Pitt started the day strongly as the team continue to adjust the bikes
to best match their individual riding styles. McWilliams had a
reasonable amount of running time, although still suffering a little
from the injuries he acquired during the crash in Jerez, the team were
pleased with both his and Pitt’s performances over the test. Despite a
strong start this morning Pitt suffered an engine issue that took
longer than initially anticipated to fix during the midday break
meaning he remained off-track for the rest of the afternoon.

The test has provided another good learning curve for the team and
after making good progress on the engine side of things, focus has
shifted slightly on to making adjustments to the chassis which has had
a positive impact on the bikes performance. The team have a lot of
work to do during the short break between the tests in Qatar and Jerez
but the mood in the Ilmor GP camp remains focussed and optimistic.

Jeremy McWilliams, Ilmor GP Rider:
“I don’t think we can underestimate how much work we still have ahead
of us. I’m definitely not where I want to be speed wise yet but we
will have some new engine parts to play with in Jerez so hopefully
that will make a difference. On a positive note, I tried out a new 16
inch front tyre from Michelin today and it was great, it really helped
on the corners.”

Andrew Pitt, Ilmor GP Rider:
“We tried out some different settings this morning at the rear of the
bike with the shock and pivot and I definitely felt the benefits of
the changes we made to the chassis. It was frustrating not being back
out this afternoon but as I said on Tuesday we are definitely making
progress, we’re starting to catch up with the rest and I’m looking
forward to seeing what we can do in Jerez next week.”

Steve Miller, Ilmor GP Managing Director:
“We’ve learnt a lot over the past three days actually over both recent
tests. We needed to understand the exact requirements of the engine
before we could really play around with the chassis – the engine has
such an enormous impact on the bikes rideability, the riders can’t
position the bike on the track effectively if the engine isn’t doing
exactly what they want it to do. Now we’ve spent a lot of time working
with the engine and we can start to make some changes to the chassis
set-up. I think Andrew really felt a difference today and his
performance reflected that. I’m also really impressed with Jeremy’s
performance, it makes such a big difference having both of the rider’s
feedback to work with. We are slowly beginning to catch up on the rest
of the pack and I think we’ll find ourselves in a better starting
point for the test in Jerez.”

--
-Michael
Div. Aprilia RS250 og Honda CBR600+VF500-dele m.m. til salg på:
http://cbr600.dyndns.dk/

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