From a press release issued by Honda Racing:

MotoGP test – Valencia, Spain, December 11, 2003.

Temperature: 15 degrees
Weather: Sunny

Weather Improves, Times Drop

Brilliant sunshine greeted riders on Thursday morning for the second day of the three-day end of season test at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, Spain, and with it came a vast improvement in lap times. All of the Honda riders went faster, with some running better than their race pace from the season-ending grand prix just over a month ago. Most put it to the next generation engine parts that were being tested as a prelude to the new Honda RC-211V that will debut in the new year.

Top honors went to Camel Pramac Pons’ Max Biaggi who lapped consistently in the low 1:33 range with a best of 1:32.8. With good weather from the start of the day, Biaggi was able to work on the various engine combinations for a full 88 laps, coming away with nothing but praise for the pace of development. “Normally to test something different you have to wait to February,” the Roman said.

Telefonica MoviStar Honda’s Sete Gibernau and Pramac Honda’s Makoto Tamada both lapped at 1:33.4, with Gibernau constantly on the number while trying the new Michelin 16.5 in front tyre. This was purely a development tactic and Gibernau was swimming in uncharted territories, knowing full well that lap times might not show the progress of the new engine. “It’s difficult to get the right feeling from it,” he said.

Tamada continued to work with the new engine parts while refining his chassis settings. The Japanese rider, who just finished his debut season in MotoGP, took delivery of a new chassis at a test just after the season ended and is using the Valencia test to continue his learning curve. So far, so good, he said. “We had a test right after the race and my lap time was much better than the race,” he said.

Telefonica MoviStar Honda’s Colin Edwards, a longtime proponent of the 16.5 inch front-he rode it to the 2002 World Superbike Championship on the Castrol Honda-struggled with it on the Honda RC-211V. Regardless of how many laps were on the tyre, he couldn’t crack the 1:34 barrier. “To me it’s telling me there’s a wall there where it’s comfortable and after that I have to find the limits,” the lanky Texan said.

The test concludes on Friday, after which there’s a one-month moratorium on testing which will end with the Honda teams testing in Malaysia in mid-January.

Max Biaggi, 1:32.8, 88 laps
>From yesterday, we had some items for engine parts that are making the bike work better. I think it’s a step forward from what I got in 2003. I’m sure this is a step forward. It’s a little bit of horsepower. Overall it’s better. Now I understand how you can win a championship. Now I’m smiling on the face all the time. I’m not thinking what are we doing here and there. Honestly I can say it’s working better and it lets me ride the bike better. It is easier to make the lap times. I went faster today compared to the race we had here, and today it’s colder and I did not use a qualifying tire. I start early and I lapped consistently in the 1:33’s.

Sete Gibernau, 1:33.4, 80 laps
We tested a lot of things, many, many things, from engine stuff to tyres. A whole bunch. Basically I’m finished. It was a good day to test. Very positive. Many things from the engine that we have to now sit down and put everything into place to what we like, what we don’t, what direction we need and what not. I tested a whole bunch of 16.5’s in the front. I still can’t ride it perfect. For the first time on the Honda we’ve got some points that we can take profit of, but overall with the Honda, the 17 is better right now. I was doing some endurance. I got almost 30 laps from the front tire and I was still doing low to mid 33’s, which was good, but without feeling. And we put a new one and you think if you’re doing that laps if you’re pushing, if you just ride you’re going to do 32’s, but no, because the feeling’s not there. So we need to understand what’s going on and I try to work on that side.

Makoto Tamada, 1:33.4, 53 laps
This engine is newer so we have to study a lot and understand what kind of engine this is. We have to find the good settings. It’s different internally and also engine management. Today I was able to do a lot of laps, so I was able to learn a lot. I was able to try a lot of different settings. I know it has more horsepower, but it doesn’t feel it. I can see it in the telemetry and my lap times. Combined with the new chassis I got after Valencia, it’s a big improvement.

Colin Edwards, 1:34.0, 71 laps
I just like the footprint that the 16.5 inch front puts down. That’s all I’ve been using all day, since yesterday. I’m used to it. I’ve acquired the feel already where Sete (Gibernau) has to go through the process of acquiring the feel. I still like it. We just got to work. I told the Michelin guys, to me the ultimate was one particular tyre I had on the Castrol Honda superbike in 2002, that was the best combo ever. We’ve gone away from that because we couldn’t use that particular tyre. We’ve given up something, so we just need to develop and find that again. That’s basically all I have to do. And I can do it. There toward the end I was on an old tire. It doesn’t matter if I’ve got a 12 lap tire or a new tire, I go 34.0. It didn’t matter how many laps, front, rear, which tire, whatever, 34.0.