From a press release issued by Honda Racing:

HRC Winter Test Sepang, January 21, 2003.
Day 2 of 3 day test.

Lap Times Tumble on Second Day of HRC Sepang Test

Day two of the HRC winter test at the Sepang circuit, in Malaysia, saw all Honda RC211V riders lower their lap times from yesterday’s opening session. Reigning MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi set a scorching pace on his Repsol Honda while testing tyres for team supplier Michelin. In the searing temperatures and high humidity of Sepang Rossi set a lap time 1.6 seconds faster than his best lap time during the grand prix held at Sepang October of last year.

Valentino Rossi: “Basically very happy with the results of today. The bike now seems stable and we have no chatter. It is now possible to go very fast and to keep regular fast laps. The engine feels strong and I have good traction without having to slow to stop spinning. We will keep all the settings the same for tomorrow. We have worked hard on the front today with nine different compound Michelins. Tomorrow we will work more on the rear.”

Rossi’s Repsol Honda teammate, American Superbike Champion Nicky Hayden, was feeling more at home on day two of the test. The American put in an amazing 84 laps of the circuit, lowering his lap time by over a second from yesterday as he familiarised himself with both the changes to he RCV and the Sepang circuit.

Nicky Hayden: “I’m feeling a lot more comfortable on the bike which is good but the track has taken me a lot longer to learn than I’m used to; certainly longer than the other GP tracks I’ve ridden on. It’s such a long lap time and so much wider. Although we got a faster lap time it’s been a little frustrating today and at times we seem to be going round in circles – I guess hardly surprising – it’s still early days. Tomorrow we’ll do more work with suspension setting and with tyres. Step by step!”


Fausto Gresini’s Telefonica MoviStar Honda team riders, Daijiro Kato and Sete Gibernau, put in 114 laps of the 5.548km circuit. Both men improving on their times of yesterday. Kato continued his work on the RCVs suspension throughout the day, while teammate Gibernau was learning about his new mount and the team of technicians who will work for his this season.


Daijiro Kato: “I am feeling better after being a little ill over the past two days. We worked some more on the suspension today, because while we don’t have a new bike yet, we have some parts, which have been improved, and it is up to me to put them through their paces. At the moment we are focusing on both sets of suspension, and I feel we have certainly made improvements. The weather was very hot today, and this meant that we worked in short sets of laps so we could rest more and not get tired so easily.”


Sete Gibernau: “I am happy with how things are going so far, and I’m certainly happy with my time, it’s the best I have ever done around this circuit. Obviously things are very new for all the team, because this is the first time we are getting together, so we are trying to work towards forming good habits, so that we do the right things week in week out. Once we have a set way of doing things, then we can move on to a better level. The bike is very well balanced, you know what it is going to do, and that means you can concentrate more on what you as a rider are doing, and how your body works and reacts to it.”

Tohru Ukawa, the most experienced RC211V rider of all present at the test, worked hard all day aboard his Honda Pons RCV. Ukawa tested Michelin tyres, and spent time fine tuning the fuel injection system of the five-cylinder four-stroke.

Tohru Ukawa: “Today we did the tyre testing we were unable to work on when the rain came yesterday, and after having worked solidly all day we have made good progress with them. We are also making improvements to the fuel injection, but this is just one of the new areas we are aiming at making even better. I still need to do a lot more laps on the bike because we have been working so much on the suspension before this, and while it may be still too early to say much about the season. I am confident that although there may be even more competition this season, I can still win races.”

Pramac Honda team rider Max Biaggi looked much more comfortable today than in previous outings on the RCV. The Italian has found a base set up to suit his style and he will now begin the serous work in preparation for the season.

Max Biaggi: “Today we took a great step forward. We have found a good machine balance, and the riding position is good. We only have new parts for one machine so we concentrated on that bike but we still managed to get in 47 laps. Finding the base set up and riding position has taken up two days, we didn’t event start with the Michelin test yet. Tomorrow we will see what we can do with the tyres Michelin have ready for us to test. The team are working really well and we are beginning to understand the motorcycle and each other. I have not been looking for a lap time, we have been looking for the set up to suit me and adjust the riding position.”

The Bridgestone tyre-testing programme continues to gather pace and Pramac Honda rider Makoto Tamada and HRC Honda test rider Shinichi Itoh worked hard all day. Tamada was learning the circuit while tyre testing at the same time; he lapped the Sepang circuit 2.1 seconds faster today than on the opening day of the test.

Makoto Tamada: “Very hot, and a huge amount of work. As the weather was good, we went round almost non-stop all day. After a bit, you get to feel the fatigue, but this initial stage of work is very important, and I haven’t yet found the perfect settings to build up a really fast speed. Itoh and I exchange data and information, and this helps us make progress.”

Near veteran Itoh was also faster than yesterday but the multi-talented racer and tester was more concerned about evaluating tyre performance with an eye on the future rather than a fast lap time at Sepang.

Shinichi Itoh: “I tried out many different tyre solutions, because what we want to do is to come back here in Sepang for another session of tests in mid-February. The work we’re doing now will help us make an initial selection and make even finer choices the next time we take to the track. The solutions we tried today led to better lap times, so I very pleased with the way things are going. It’s a painstaking job but it’ll soon bear fruit.”



Testing times Sepang January 21, 2003.

Valentino Rossi, ITA Repsol Honda, 2:03.5, 65 laps

Nicky Hayden, USA Repsol Honda, 2:06.6, 84 laps

Daijiro Kato, JPN Telefonica MoviStar Honda 2:04.3 56 laps

Sete Gibernau, SPA Telefonica MoviStar Honda 2:04.9, 58 laps

Tohru Ukawa, JPN Honda Pons, 2:04.9

Max Biaggi, ITA Pramac Honda Team, 2:04.5, 47 laps

Makoto Tamada, JPN Pramac Honda Team, 2:07.1, 61 laps

Shinichi Itoh, JPN HRC Honda, 2:05.6, 76 laps 76 laps