From a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2004
PRESEASON TESTING – SEPANG, MALAYSIA
22ND JANUARY 2004

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL DAY FOR FUCHS KAWASAKI

Fuchs Kawasaki Racing Team riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, continued their preparation for the 2004 MotoGP World Championship during the third and penultimate day of testing at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit.

After evaluating new engine components during the morning session, Shinya Nakano moved onto tyre testing in the afternoon, working his way through a selection of Bridgestone front slicks and identifying a particular compound and construction that worked well in the hot and windy conditions. The 26-year-old Japanese rider completed 51 laps of the 5.5km Sepang circuit aboard his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR today, finishing with a fastest lap of 2:04.84.

Also concentrating on testing Bridgestone’s range of front slicks was Nakano’s Fuchs Kawasaki teammate, Alex Hofmann. Identifying a good tyre early on in the session, the 23-year-old German rider then continued refining the set up of his Ninja ZX-RR, eventually posting his fastest time of the day with a lap of 2:05.28.

Tyre testing will again be the order of the day during tomorrow’s fourth and final day of testing. Having concentrated on evaluating front tyres today, tomorrow the Fuchs Kawasaki pair will start evaluating Bridgestone’s range of rear slicks.

Shinya Nakano: best time – 2:04.84 (51 laps)
“We didn’t manage to match yesterday’s lap time, although we came close, but overall I’m happy with the progress we’ve made today. We tested a different crank in the bike this morning and it had a positive effect on stability under braking, although it did make the bike a little harder to control on the throttle and a little less stable when changing direction. We also tested a lot of front tyres and I found one that felt good on this circuit. Tomorrow we move on to testing rear tyres, as well as continuing work on set up.”

Alex Hofmann: best time – 2:05.28 (56 laps)
“Today was tyre testing day, and we managed to work our way through a lot of tyres, especially fronts. We found one combination that seemed to work really well around here, and that helped us to progress even further with suspension settings and set up. Lap times were slightly slower today as a result of the wind, which was really strong for most of the day, before easing off a little in the late afternoon. I’m happy with the progress we made today. Tomorrow we will evaluate a slightly different chassis and then continue with refining the set up of the bike.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“Today we didn’t see the big reduction in lap times of the previous two days, but this is always the way with racing; improvements come quickly at first, but then the next few seconds you have to fight very hard for. Hard work it may be, but I’m confident that, with the support of their respective crews, Shinya and Alex will continue to make progress during tomorrow’s final day of testing here at Sepang. Overall, I have to say I’m happy with the way this test has progressed, and I think we’ve surprised a few people with just how quickly we’ve made advances with the latest version of the Ninja ZX-RR.”