Updated: Biaggi Fastest On Second Day Of MotoGP Testing In Sepang

Updated: Biaggi Fastest On Second Day Of MotoGP Testing In Sepang

© 2005, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

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From a press release issued by Gauloises Yamaha:

GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM TEST
Sepang, Malaysia
Saturday, February 12, 2005

Ambient temperature: 32 degrees C
Track temperature: 52 degrees C
Humidity: 62%

EDWARDS CONTINUES PROGRESS BUT ROSSI FORCED TO SIT-OUT SECOND DAY IN SEPANG

Gauloises Yamaha rider Colin Edwards continued to make headway with the development of his YZR-M1 machine today throughout a very humid second day of a three-day test at the Sepang circuit, just outside Kuala Lumpar. However his team-mate Valentino Rossi, who turns twenty-six next week, was unwell and unable to ride. Rossi felt progressively worse throughout the first day of testing but the Italian had hoped to be recovered enough to ride today. Unfortunately this was not the case and he was forced to spend the day resting in the hotel in the hope that he will be well enough to resume his testing program tomorrow. Rossi was not the only rider to be suffering today; Fortuna Yamaha rider Ruben Xaus was watching from the pit wall, sidelined by minor injuries picked up at the last test, and Loris Capirossi (Ducati) was also sick and headed back to his hotel after just ten laps left him feeling too ill to continue.

Testing alongside MotoGP teams from Honda, Ducati, Suzuki and Kawasaki, as well as the Fortuna Yamaha Team, Edwards completed 50 laps of the 5.548 km circuit on his 2005-spec machine. Once again the main task of the day was Michelin tyre testing, although some time was also spent working on engine mapping. The Texan rider eventually finished the day a little early after a best lap of 2:02.378, which put him eighth in the unofficial standings. Honda rider Max Biaggi recovered from two crashes yesterday to post the fastest time of the day in 2:01.501, while the next three positions were filled by his fellow Honda riders Sete Gibernau (2:01.686), Nicky Hayden (2:01.717) and Alex Barros (2:01.786).

Colin Edwards (2:02.378, 50 laps)
“It was tyres again today! We did little bits here and there with the engine, but tyres were the main focus. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll get a bit more time to try some other things and we’re also going to do a long run, which will be tough in these conditions! I’m ready to leave Malaysia now; this is our third test in a row here and I’m ready for a change of scenery! We’ve got one more day here and of course I’ll keep pushing as hard as I can throughout it. I feel really good about everything but I’m looking forward to getting out of here and moving on to Phillip Island next week.”

Daniele Romagnoli, Colin Edwards’ Crew Chief
“Today was hard work for everyone because it was so hot. We did some more tyre testing and found some positive things to help us move forward. We also worked a little on the engine mapping. Our performance is at the same level as at the last test and now we are looking for better handling and agility in order to move forward again, so we will keep focusing on this tomorrow for the final day.”

Davide Brivio, Gauloises Yamaha Team Director
“Yesterday Valentino felt weak at the end of the afternoon and this morning he felt worse. We called a doctor to visit him and he found that Valentino has a throat virus. We decided together that it was better to keep resting and lose only one day, instead of pushing and trying to continue with uncertain results. We will see how he feels tomorrow and decide whether we will be able to test or not.”

Unofficial Lap Times:

1. Max Biaggi (Honda) 2:01.501
2. Sete Gibernau (Honda) 2:01.686
3. Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2:01.717
4. Alex Barros (Honda) 2:01.786

8. COLIN EDWARDS (YAMAHA) 2:02.378


More, from a press release issued by Telefonica MoviStar Honda:

THE WORK GOES ON FOR THE TELEFONICA TEAM AT SEPANG

Sepang, Test MotoGP pre-season test, DAY 2

Another hot day (34 degrees C the air temperatures and 45° C the temperature of the tarmac) at Sepang for the second day of testing where all main protagonists of the 2005 championship are gathered.

Sete Gibernau and Marco Melandri have carried on the program of work starter yesterday. The Spaniard worked on chassis, tyres and electronics whereas the young Italian rider focused more on electronics and bike settings in order to better understand the RC211V. Sete Gibernau, the fastest rider of the morning, lapped with a constant pace and finished with the second better time of the day. Satisfaction also for Marco Melandri who lapped with a regular pace, improving his time of yesterday.


SETE GIBERNAU – 2:01.686:
“we did a good job today. We worked hard in understanding what we have and we had some more things to test. We focused on chassis, tyre testing and electronics, working in different directions in order to study the behaviour of every single thing. I think I have selected the best of what I have and tonight my mechanics will work to prepare the best combination. The base we have is good, the bike has a better balance. There is still some work to do especially to make the bike more stable in braking. All in all I’m very satisfied of the work we are doing and the relationship with Honda and Michelin.”


MARCO MELANDRI – 2:02.429:
“I’m happy of the work done, I have improved my lap time and I’m gaining in consistency. I’m concentrated in having a constant rhythm because I want to work for the race. Today we worked on electronics, trying different solutions. During hot hours, I lapped concentrating in understanding the bike. Tomorrow I’d like to try a long run.”



More, from a press releas issued by Camel Honda:

Malaysian 2005 pre-season testing session 2 – MotoGP

Sepang – Saturday February 12th 2005

Second test day in Malaysia, Camel Honda amongst the fastest in MotoGP

Around three o’clock in the afternoon on the second day of MotoGP tests at Sepang in Malaysia, a few drops of rain looked as though they would end the day’s work. Luckily the weather held out until just after the chequered flag brought the session to an end and riders were able to run until gone six o’clock. It was another positive day for the Camel Honda team, with Alex Barros riding strongly all day once more, going under two minutes and two seconds early on, and then remaining comfortably amongst the front runners as he kept up a fast pace whilst continuing with set-up and tyre tests. Troy Bayliss also made improvements, having worked devotedly alongside chief mechanic Santi Mulero and telemetrist Ramon Aurin he is beginning to get a better feeling for his RC211V.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda
“I’m happy with how things are going. We are exploring every possibility that this new bike offers and the times are improving every day. Alex looks confident, motivated and in perfect harmony with the engineers. He is constantly running at a fast pace and that’s important. Troy is working his socks off too and bit by bit he is getting used to this new bike, which is so different to the one he rode last year, especially as regards the engine-braking and the clutch. There are a few weeks left before the beginning of the season, and lots of test days left, at several tracks, and he will gradually get into a groove with his RC211V.”

Alex Barros – Camel Honda – 2:01.78 (84 laps)
“I’m completely happy with the work we are doing. Today we focused on tyres and I certainly think we’ve made steps forward. I didn’t stop for lunch until we did everything we had to on both the fronts and the rears because we were finishing off the work we started three weeks ago in these first two days: we’ve basically achieved the objectives we set ourselves in the first session here in Sepang. Perhaps there’s a few little things that could improve the front tyre, but I don’t think that will be possible for Australia, it’s too close; probably in the Qatar tests. In the afternoon we tried to change a few things in the bike settings but we haven’t really seen any particular changes we can make at the moment with the bike already going so well.”


Troy Bayliss – Camel Honda – 2:03.75 (77 laps)
“These tests are proving challenging because we still haven’t got the results we wanted. We’re exploring all possible solutions and we hardly took a break today. We’re working hard on the clutch, but I still don’t feel comfortable. We tried several different tyres, but until we get the set-up better the tyres won’t change the situation too much. We are analysing the telemetry with the team and the Honda technicians, and we hope to make a good step forward tomorrow.”



More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

MotoGP test Sepang, Malaysia. Second day of three-day test February 12, 2005.

Max Biaggi tops time sheet on day two of three-day Sepang MotoGP test.

Italian Max Biaggi was the fastest man on track during the second day of the three-day MotoGP test at Sepang, Malaysia today. Repsol Honda team rider Biaggi and teammate Nicky Hayden, who set the third fastest time of the day, had quickly established a solid base set up for their 990cc V5 Honda RC211V yesterday and spent today running tests on a variety of chassis parts.

Hayden was in particularly buoyant mood at the end of his second day on the new RCV. The young American feels the 2005 machine is more stable than its predecessor and he consistently lapped the 5.548km circuit one second faster than his best race lap at the circuit last October.

Biaggi worked hard all on all aspects of the machine placing special emphasis on variety of chassis parts HRC wished to test. Despite the slippery track conditions Biaggi’s effort was rewarded with fastest lap of the day.

Sete Gibernau, fastest Honda rider on the opening day of the test, ended day two with second fastest time overall, sandwiched between the Repsol Honda riders. The Spanish Telefonica MoviStar Honda rider spent the day analysing the potential of a variety of chassis parts running with different Michelin tyres.

Teammate Marco Melandri is on the verge of his first season with the V5 990cc RC211V and Has wisely adopted a step by step policy with the 240PS plus Telefonica liveried Honda. The former 250c World Champion ran with a constant high rhythm as he tried out various electronic control variations in his bid to find a fast consistent pace.

The Camel Honda team riders, Alex Barros and Troy Bayliss, were the busiest men on track in the stifling heat. Brazilian Barros putting in 84 laps with Bayliss not far behind with 77. Barros ended the second day of testing in the best position of the two men. He has almost completed his test schedule and will dedicate the final day to minor changes in preparation for the next test, at Phillip Island, Australia, next week.

Bayliss has yet to find the optimal base settings for his RC211V and until he does he cannot make progress on tyre testing. The Australian will sit down with his team technicians and the HRC race engineers to study all data gathered over the opening two days of the test in the hope that between them they will find the way forward.

Makoto Tamada returned to a semblance of fitness for the second day of the test. The Konica Minolta Honda rider shrugged off the worst effects of his bout of flu to begin serious tyre testing on his RC211V. The Japanese star took a break when the temperatures were at their highest in a bid to reserve his strength. A wise decision as Tamada ended the day in optimistic mood with a lap time of 2:01.83, half a second faster than yesterday. Tamada now feels more and more comfortable on the new machine with each test session.

Honda rider lap times and quotes:

Max Biaggi – Repsol Honda: 2:01.50 – 62 laps.
“The fast lap time didn’t really matter yesterday and it doesn’t matter too much today but it’s still good to record the fastest lap of the day– for everyone in the team, from the last technician to the first engineer. But we are still at the beginning of a long path and we still have a lot of new parts to try so the hard work will continue tomorrow. I didn’t even try new tyres today – the track is very slippy because of the high temperature and humidity but tomorrow we will try the new tyres from Michelin.”

Nicky Hayden – Repsol Honda: 2:01.71 – 69 laps.
“I’ve had a much better day today. I gave yesterday’s test a lot of thought last night and came out fresh this morning and put a quick lap in straight away. We’ve made a lot of improvements to the machine set-up today and the new chassis parts certainly are giving the machine more stability and it feels much better on entry into the corners. I put in a run on a race tyre today and was consistently one second faster than my best lap in the race last year. The endurance run was good because I really struggle in the heat at the hot races in Barcelona and Mugello and of course here. I’m confident of getting a faster lap tomorrow, we’ve really started to get the bike working well here.”

Makoto Tanaka – Repsol Honda Team Manager
“We made a lot of progress today and Max Biaggi made a good lap time at the end of the day. Nicky Hayden was again very impressive as he continues to improve. The riders tested new chassis parts today and the result was good. We’ve found some good settings and a good direction which we will now aim to improve upon in the next tests in Australia, Qatar and Spain.”

Sete Gibernau – Telefonica MoviStar Honda: 2:01.686
“We did a good job today. We worked hard in understanding what we have and we had some more things to test. We focused on chassis, tyre testing and electronics, working in different directions in order to study the behaviour of every single thing. I think I have selected the best of what I have and tonight my mechanics will work to prepare the best combination. The base we have is good, the bike has a better balance. There is still some work to do especially to make the bike more stable in braking. All in all I’m very satisfied of the work we are doing and the relationship with Honda and Michelin.”

Marco Melandri – Telefonica MoviStar Honda: 2:02.429
“I’m happy of the work done, I have improved my lap time and I’m gaining in consistency. I’m concentrated in having a constant rhythm because I want to work for the race. Today we worked on electronics, trying different solutions. During hot hours, I lapped concentrating in understanding the bike. Tomorrow I’d like to try a long run.”

Alex Barros – Camel Honda: 2:01.78 – 84 laps.
“I’m completely happy with the work we are doing. Today we focused on tyres and I certainly think we’ve made steps forward. I didn’t stop for lunch until we did everything we had to on both the fronts and the rears because we were finishing off the work we started three weeks ago. In these first two days: we’ve basically achieved the objectives we set ourselves in the first session here in Sepang. Perhaps there’s a few little things that could improve the front tyre, but I don’t think that will be possible for Australia, it’s too close; probably in the Qatar tests. In the afternoon we tried to change a few things in the bike settings but we haven’t really seen any particular changes we can make at the moment with the bike already going so well.”

Troy Bayliss – Camel Honda: 2:03.75 – 77 laps.
“These tests are proving challenging because we still haven’t got the results we wanted. We’re exploring all possible solutions and we hardly took a break today. We’re working hard on the clutch, but I still don’t feel comfortable. We tried several different tyres, but until we get the set-up better the tyres won’t change the situation too much. We are analysing the telemetry with the team and the Honda technicians, and we hope to make a good step forward tomorrow.”

Makoto Tamada – Konica Minolta Honda Team: 2:01.83 – 74 laps.
“I felt a bit better compared to yesterday, but I’m still not at my best physical conditions. Even if the flu doesn’t want to go away, I can consider my self very satisfied on how things went in the first two days of test with the new Honda RC211V. The bike reacts well and I feel comfortable with it, in fact, lap times are showing that between me and the new bike there is already a good feeling. These two days of test in Sepang have been really useful for me and I consider it a good start, for a season, in which I want to be a protagonist.”

Giulio Bernardelle – Konica Minolta Honda Team Technical Director
“Today we have worked a lot on the adjustment of the frame and we found a better setting compare to yesterday. This will permit us tomorrow, last day of test here in Sepang, to make a race simulation to evaluate the reaction of the bike on long distance. Today we have also continued to work on the setting of the electronic system of the bike and we have tried different types of front and rear tyre that Michelin brought us. For tomorrow we are planning to make the last modifications, and this will allow us to end the Malaysian test having well-developed the 2005 material.”



More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

Team SUZUKI MotoGP moves forward in latest Sepang test

Team SUZUKI MotoGP has completed its second test of 2005 at Sepang in Malaysia, with spirits high for the next outing in Australia.

The team put the Suzuki GSV-R race bike through many gruelling tests at the hot and humid Malaysian circuit. All aspects of the bike were scrutinised to give the technicians and riders more valuable data about the GSV-R’s performance and handling capabilities. New engine mapping and control systems were tested along with the latest front and rear tyre compounds from Bridgestone.

Kenny Roberts Jr and John Hopkins were both positive about the progress made since visiting the circuit last month. Roberts Jr lapped the 5.5km track in a time of 2:02.07 on race tyres, which is over a second inside the current lap record, held by World Champion Valentino Rossi.

Roberts Jr said: “The guys are working really hard to get the GSV-R at the top of its game. The bike has a lot of potential and it’s certainly capable of a good lap time, the target now is to make it capable of those lap times over a race distance. The good news is that Suzuki knows exactly what it has to do to achieve just that.”

Hopkins clocked a time of 2:02.19 — over 2.5 seconds quicker than his race lap time at Sepang last year. Equally as pleased with his performance as Roberts Jr, he said: “The GSV-R is coming along great and so am I. Every time I ride I feel fitter and the bike has so much more potential. We’ve done a lot of laps over the last few days and now have a very clear direction which way we need to go to make the GSV-R even better.”

Team SUZUKI MotoGP manager Paul Denning said: “These Sepang tests have given very satisfying results and are helping the team to establish a firm and positive baseline to take forward into the new season. I am especially pleased with the way the crew are coming together and the feedback from the riders and the technicians.

“The support from Bridgestone this week has been fantastic. The high humidity and heat meant that the tyres were subjected to a very torrid test, which Bridgestone responded to excellently.

“We are all looking forward to the next step in the development of the GSV-R and our aim is to get it as competitive as possible for the first round at Jerez in April. We need to refine the overall package and concentrate especially on the driveability and acceleration of the bike. Suzuki knows what it needs to do to take the next step, the riders are both very capable and there is a real sense of excitement within Team SUZUKI MotoGP.”

Team SUZUKI MotoGP travels to Phillip Island in Australia for the third leg of its test schedule on February 17th – 19th, before heading to Europe for the Official MotoGP tests in March. The new MotoGP season begins at Jerez in Spain on April 10th.



More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

SECOND DAY OF TESTING IN THE HEAT OF SEPANG

Testing continues for Carlos Checa and the Ducati-Bridgestone Tyre Test Team. Loris Capirossi out of action with flu after 10 laps.

Sepang (Malaysia), 12 February 2005 – Carlos Checa was hard at work today at Sepang as he concentrated on set-up work for the rear of his Ducati Desmosedici: after completing back-to-back testing with both the GP5 machines at his disposal, Carlos focussed on getting the best out of the new rear tyre compounds. These tyres proved to offer considerable duration, and enabled the Spanish rider to lap constantly in the low 2:02 bracket. Checa ended the day after a total of 52 laps, the best being 2:01.891.

“We did a good job today” commented Carlos. “We concentrated on tyre duration and found several interesting solutions. Hopefully we can continue to work in the same way tomorrow”.

The Tyre Test Team concluded its third day of testing at the Malaysian circuit with an excellent time of 2:02.551 recorded by tester Shinichi Itoh, who completed 56 laps of the track. The Japanese rider tested several new generation tyres, which will be given to the Ducati Marlboro Team riders tomorrow.

The heat and humidity of Malaysia (32° C air/55° C track) did not do any favours to Loris Capirossi, who was kept out of the action by a high fever and flu, but who is determined to get back on the track tomorrow to offer his contribution to the development of the Desmosedici GP5. Loris, who returned to the pits after just 10 laps, was however able to set an encouraging time of 2:02.291.

“It just wasn’t my day today” declared Capirossi. “Considering my condition, I actually lapped quite well, but I had quite a high temperature and it prevented me from being able to test. It was better to rest today and try to recover for tomorrow”.

Loris Capirossi, Carlos Checa and Shinichi Itoh will be on the track tomorrow Sunday 13 February for a third day of testing at Sepang.

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