From a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team Press Office:

TESTING TIMES AT SEPANG FOR FUCHS KAWASAKI

The third and final day of testing at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit ended in disappointment for Fuchs Kawasaki’s Shinya Nakano. A minor mechanical problem on the latest version of the Ninja ZX-RR engine brought the 26-year-old Japanese rider’s test to a premature end and stopped him from improving on his best lap time from yesterday.

Nakano’s enforced retirement after just 15 laps left his Fuchs Kawasaki teammate, Alex Hofmann to complete the planned test programme alone. The 23-year-old German rider rode a marathon 55 laps at race pace – equivalent to almost three MotoGP races – as he worked to evaluate a number of suspension, tyre and engine options.

With track temperatures approaching 56°C on parts of the circuit, making conditions decidedly uncomfortable for those forced to venture from pit lane, Hofmann ended the final day of testing with a 15 lap endurance run to test fuel consumption around the demanding 5.5km Sepang circuit.

Despite Nakano’s early exit today, Fuchs Kawasaki team boss Harald Eckl felt that the test had been extremely positive; in that it had allowed Kawasaki engineers to quickly pinpoint key areas for improvement as part of the ongoing ZX-RR development programme. Already plans are in place for a further engine upgrade and revised chassis parts to be delivered in time for the Fuchs Kawasaki Racing Team’s next preseason test, scheduled to take place in ten days time at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia.

Alex Hofmann: 2:04.817 – 55 laps
“Today was really tiring, but I’m pretty happy with how things have gone. My time may have been a bit slower than yesterday, but we achieved a better understanding of how we need to move forward with the bike and my pace during the endurance run was good; I managed consistent times on a hard compound tyre that had already done 15 laps before we started. It took me a little time to find my rhythm today, because we were stopping so often to change things, but I guess that’s what we come testing for. I did some runs on some soft compound tyres with different profiles to check endurance for Bridgestone and there is a lot to be positive about on the tyre front. Now I’m off to enjoy a few days holiday in Australia before our next test at Phillip Island.”

Shinya Nakano: 2:04.625 – 15 laps
“I was disappointed with being forced to finish early today, as I really wanted to leave here having improved on my best time with the new engine and fresh tyres. I only had the chance to complete a few laps with the new engine, but it was enough to confirm where the improvements have been made. The latest engine made the bike more stable under braking and on corner entry as well as making it easier to chance direction; it doesn’t seem to ‘push forward’ so much on the brakes anymore. We also made a small change to the front of the bike and that was another step forward. The test may have been cut short, but we now know in which direction we need to move when we get to Phillip Island.”

Harald Eckl – Team Manager
“I’m not unhappy, despite the problems we found today. The minor engine problem which stopped Shinya early can be fixed and finding these things now will help us build for the rest of the year. We leave this test with a clear picture of what the riders need from the engine in terms of power characteristics and we will have another small upgrade ready for the Phillip Island test, which will also give us another reference point for our chassis performance. Tyres are critical in MotoGP now and, although we had a limited supply of some specifications in Sepang, we had consistent results. Both the team, and our tyre partner Bridgestone, head to Phillip Island with a very positive outlook.”