From a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2004
IRTA TEST – CIRCUITO DE JEREZ
31ST MARCH 2004 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SUPER SHINYA SHOWS HIS PACE AT JEREZ

Fuchs Kawasaki’s Shinya Nakano started today’s final pre-season test at the Circuito de Jerez as he left off at Catalunya, setting the seventh fastest time of the day aboard his Ninja ZX-RR and closing to within 0.7s of reigning World Champion, and the man at the top of today’s timesheet, Valentino Rossi.

Overnight rain meant that Nakano and Alex Hofmann were greeted by a damp track as they arrived at the Jerez circuit this morning, but keen to make the most of the break in the weather, and despite the less than perfect conditions, both riders exited pit lane to start testing as soon as dry patches started to appear on the circuit.

Nakano started the day by evaluating changes to both engine and chassis geometry in a bid to improve acceleration and rear traction when on the gas out of the turns. The 26-year-old Japanese rider also tested new rear tyres from Bridgestone, identifying two that worked particularly well around the flowing Jerez circuit.

Hofmann initially focussed on comparing the characteristics of two different specifications of the 990cc inline four-cylinder Ninja ZX-RR engine, before also testing the latest tyres from Bridgestone. In just 49 laps of the Jerez circuit, and in less than ideal conditions, the 23-year-old German rider had already improved upon his best race time from 2003 by a considerable margin.

Both riders set their fastest lap times late in the afternoon, with a time of 1:43.386 securing Nakano seventh place on the timesheet and MotoGP rookie Hofmann finishing an impressive 12th fastest with a lap time of 1:44.009.

While the weather forecast for tomorrow promises more rain, both Nakano and Hofmann are hopeful of one more day’s testing before their Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR machines are crated up ready for shipment to South Africa, and the opening race of the season on April 18th.

Alex Hofmann: 12th (1:44.009 – 49 laps)
“We’ve been a little bit lucky with the weather today, as it looked like we were going to have a repeat of the Barcelona test when we arrived to find a very wet circuit this morning. We eventually took to the track around lunchtime, which meant we were kept busy trying to complete the test schedule we had planned for today. Conditions weren’t exactly perfect for the first couple of sessions this afternoon, but as the track dried out we were able to start increasing the pace and refining the set up of the bike to suit the circuit. Overall I’m pretty satisfied with what we’ve achieved today; the bike works well around here and, after just 49 laps, we’ve already managed to improve on my best race time from last year by over 1.5 seconds. Hopefully the weather will be kind to us tomorrow, as this will be the last chance we get to test before we head off to Welkom for the first race of the season.”

Shinya Nakano: 7th (1:43.386 – 40 laps)
“We don’t know what the weather is going to do tomorrow, so I tried to get as much track time in as I could today. Our main concern at this time is that the bike wants to wheelie and spin up the rear tyre when you get on the gas out of the turns, and solving this problem is our number one priority at the moment. Today we tried some changes to the chassis geometry and the engine but, while there was a slight improvement overall, we still need to do some more work in this area. During the Barcelona test I struggled to find a tyre I was happy with, but Bridgestone have brought two new tyres to Jerez and I think my lap times today are a good indication of how well they work around this circuit. I am happy with the progress we’ve made in the short time we’ve had this afternoon and, if the weather holds for tomorrow, I am confident that we’ll see further improvements to both the bike and the lap times.”


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Rain conditions hamper MotoGP testing for

Ducati Marlboro Team at Jerez

Jerez (Spain), 31 March 2004 – Bad weather continues to hamper development work for the Ducati Marlboro Team and the new Desmosedici GP4. The rain, which fell throughout the morning, made the Jerez track impracticable during the morning and it was only at around 1 o’clock that Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi finally went out onto the circuit. Testing was then brought to a halt for good half an hour early when rain started to fall again.

The weather conditions put paid to any attempt to further develop the new Desmosedici GP4 and Loris’s 27 laps and Troy’s 45 were simply not sufficient for the Ducati Marlboro Team to identify the ideal set-up.

After demonstrating the potential of the 2004 bike at the Catalunya circuit (where on Sunday Loris set a record top speed of 347.4 km/h), the team hope to finalise the bike’s development in view of the first GP of the year, scheduled for April 18 at Welkom, South Africa.

Unfortunately day 1 of testing failed to produce the expected results and the changeable weather meant that it was not possible to give the new solutions a thorough work-out. Loris, who concentrated on setting up the bike rather than on the stop-watch, set a quickest time of 1:44.54, while Troy lapped in 1:44.59. The Ducati Marlboro Team will continue testing on tomorrow’s second and final day, the last opportunity before the bikes are air-freighted off to South Africa.


More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team:

ROSSI AND CHECA MAKE GOOD PROGRESS BETWEEN RAIN SHOWERS IN JEREZ

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi completed another worthwhile pre-season test session today, topping the leader board again despite doing just 39 laps on his YZR-M1 machine due to sporadic rain showers throughout the day. His team-mate Carlos Checa also had a valuable day of testing, finishing fourth fastest during this first day of the second official IRTA Tests of 2004.

A rainy morning saw only a few MotoGP bikes venture out for practice, the Yamaha riders eventually getting underway in the early afternoon after the track had dried out. Reigning World Champion Rossi quickly went to the top of the leader board and managed to stay there, bettering his own best time several times over before another rain shower half an hour before the end of the session brought him in with a final fastest time of 1:42.656. Just over one tenth of a second behind him was Suzuki rider Kenny Roberts (1:42.761), and Colin Edwards on his Honda (1:42.771). Checa, who completed 50 laps, also clocked up some fast times, finishing the day fourth fastest with a time of 1:42.927.

VALENTINO ROSSI (1:42.656)

“It was another good surprise to be fastest today, I am very happy. We arrived here and everything immediately went quite well with a set-up similar to Barcelona. The bike is easy to steer, very agile, and it’s handling the braking well. We are still having some problems because after 8 or 9 laps the bike is a bit more difficult to control, but we will keep working to change that. Unfortunately today we weren’t able to do a lot of testing; I hope the weather is better tomorrow and I can improve even more. This run of tests has been really important because when you have tested at Sepang, Phillip Island, Barcelona and Jerez, you have tried the bike on all types of different corners and, overall, the bike seems in a good way.”

CARLOS CHECA (1:42.927)

“We did a good job today and stuck with the same set-up we used in Barcelona. There’s obviously a clear improvement and I think it’s coming from an increase in my turning speed, but we are still looking to do better. The new engine spec is obviously making some difference too but apart from that we have made as few changes as possible to the bike. The target now for the rest of the test is to do several laps at a good pace; I already did seven or eight fast laps in a row this afternoon, but then the rain came and stopped me.”

JEREMY BURGESS, VALENTINO ROSSI CREW CHIEF

“We’ve changed the suspension a bit for Jerez, but overall the bike’s not that different from Barcelona. There’s much more feel from the tyres here because the temperature is higher than Barcelona. Each time we test we get a better picture and we are pleased with the way the bike is adapting to each circuit. It is not the case that the Yamaha has to have big changes each time you move. It’s good to come to our fourth circuit and be fastest on the first day, although we are continuing to fix the problems we have, as always.”

Wednesday Times:
1. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) GAULOISES FORTUNA YAMAHA 1:42.656
2. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP 1:42.761
3. Colin Edwards (USA) Telefonica Movistar Honda Mot 1:42.771
4. CARLOS CHECA (SPA) GAULOISES FORTUNA YAMAHA 1:42.927
5. Alex Barros (BRA) Repsol Honda 1:42.974
6. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP 1:43.314
7. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team 1:43.386
8. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Telefonica Movistar Honda Mot 1:43.408
9. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda 1:43.457
10. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Camel Honda 1:43.541


More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda/Gresini Racing:

TEST IRTA – JEREZ, DAY ONE

The circus of the MotoGP moved to Jerez for the last two day-session of Official Test before the South African GP, the first race of the season, scheduled on the 18th of April at Welkom.

Because of the rain of the early morning and cool conditions, the team Telefonica MoviStar Honda MotoGP riders went on track only around 15.00 when the sun started to dry the track.

Today’s testing session was focused on testing the new bike in preparation of the first GP. Rain and cold conditions in fact haven’t allowed so far the development of the new bike, both in terms of best setting and endurance test.

Colin Edwards 3rd – 1:42.771 – 40 laps: “today we did a good job, we tested some tyres for Michelin and continued to work on the new bike, especially the swing arm. Unfortunately cold conditions and rain spoiled our last test sessions, I wish we had more time for testing.”

Sete Gibernau 8th – 1:43.408 – 30 laps: “I don’t feel very well, I had fever and stayed in bed both Monday and Tuesday. Despite this, today I wanted to lap a little bit in preparation of the work scheduled for tomorrow. Today we have find some good solutions, I’m confident for tomorrow.”

The test goes on tomorrow, Thursday 1st of April.

These are the time reference of last season:
GP JEREZ 2003 –MotoGP
pole position: Capirossi (Ducati) 1:41.983
race record: Rossi (Honda) 1:42.788


More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda Racing Information:

First day of IRTA tests at Jerez de la Frontera in run up to the World Championship

Unsettled weather again in Jerez after trying days in Catalunya The bad weather that struck the Mediterranean coast also influenced this area in the south of Spain. Rain in the night, and a wet track in the morning: the engines stayed quiet. Only in the early afternoon did the Jerez circuit offer the right conditions for a series of laps able to provide useful data for getting the settings right on the bikes. The yellow-blue liveried riders of the Camel Honda team put in 40 laps, perfecting the settings on their RC211V bikes. Another important opportunity, after the bad weather in Catalunya, to get the basic set-up worked out before the World Championship gets under way in Welkom on 18 April.

Santi Mulero – Camel Honda (Head Technician, Max Biaggi)
“We worked hard, using the bike with the new frame all the time, to gather further data so we can get the settings just right. It’s clear we need to improve our recent performance in Montmelò, but here in Jerez the weather hasn’t helped us either. The track was damp this morning, then a bit of sun came out and, half an hour from the end, it started raining again. There are still a number of things to try out to improve engine management and the chassis settings, and we’re just hoping we’ll be able to work in more stable weather conditions tomorrow.”

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin tyres) – 11th – 1:43.980 – 40 laps
“The morning didn’t start out in the best possible way, what with the rain and the dirty wet track. Then at around 1 o’clock the sun came out and the tarmac dried out, so we were able to work. These two days of tests – the last before the green lights go on for the World Championship season – are extremely important. We’ve got to finish working on the settings of the new materials, and we’re working with the new frame and the new swingarm: important, complex components that need to be set up right. Materials that need time to get sorted out. So tomorrow is going to be really important for getting the final touches put on for South Africa, because we’re already running a bit late.”

Giulio Bernardelle – Camel Honda – (Head Technician, Makoto Tamada)
“Many items on the work programme will have to be put off till tomorrow, again hoping the weather is clement. Today was yet another very patchy day of tests and Makoto was not able to appreciate all the characteristics of the new frame, as we still haven’t been able to get the right set-up. As far as the tyres are concerned, we continued the development work on the new materials we tried out in Catalunya.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone tyres) – 10th – 1:43.541 – 40 laps
“Again the weather didn’t help us, like in Catalunya, and the track was in ideal conditions to open up the throttle only for part of the day. I still haven’t gathered sufficient elements to have an exact idea about the characteristics of this new frame, but I’m trusting that I’ll be able to do so tomorrow. I also continued the tests on the new rear Bridgestone tyres we used in Montmelò and my impression was good. Now let’s hope things work out well tomorrow. We’ll be trying to get everything done in time for Welkom.”



More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

Honda continue hard work on new chassis despite bad weather

At Jerez in the south of Spain, the six rider strong Honda contingent are taking part in the final session of what has been a long winter testing programme. Before a wheel could be turned in anger however this morning, the riders came up against their old adversary, the weather. Overnight rain had left the asphalt sodden, and with heavy clouds looming in the skies it looked as though completing nothing more than a couple of coasting laps on wet tyres was going to be impossible. However, the sun broke through just after midday and the circuit eventually began to dry out, with work able to commence around three o’clock.

When they did finally get out on track, the riders knew they had to make the most of the little time they had been given, and set about working on the bike settings, especially the new chassis and swinging arm, introduced at Catalunya at the weekend. Colin Edwards ended up the fastest of the Honda men, just a hundredth outside the time of countryman Kenny Roberts on the Suzuki, and third fastest rider on the day, with Valentino Rossi quickest on the Yamaha. With the rain returning to haunt the riders once more at 5:30pm however, they hardly had time to get into a groove, with a maximum of three and a half hours out on track.

Alex Barros was fifth fastest, and the quickest of the Repsol Honda duo, with the other four Honda riders making it into the top eleven; Sete Gibernau in eighth place, and Nicky Hayden, Makoto Tamada and Max Biaggi just behind him. All except Biaggi were within a second of the best time of the day, a new circuit record.

Colin Edwards: 1:42.771 – 40 laps

“I think we’ve pretty much got the chassis figured out, it didn’t take too long. The biggest thing is finding the balance between it all, but it seems to be working okay. We’re going good, and dare I say it I’m maybe not 100% with the motor now. I’m crawling trying to keep the front end down. The old one was so friendly in that area, so I think we’ll have to mess around with the electronics a bit to get it sorted, but all in all it was okay. We’ve changed stuff now compared to what Honda brought us at the beginning in Barcelona, and now it feels good.”

Alex Barros: 1:42.974 – 43 laps

“We started with the aim of getting a good base set-up as I have never ridden the RC211V here. We tested two or three different compound Michelins here and worked hard on different suspension settings. When we were ready to push for some fast laps the rain came and it was impossible to make a good lap.”

Sete Gibernau: 1:43.408 – 30 laps

“It’s not so bad, but I have a bit of a fever which meant I wasn’t sure whether I was going to go out today. It’s important to get some more information on the bike though here, so we decided to give it a go. Hopefully the fever will have gone by tomorrow because I feel confident. The new chassis, swing-arm, links and all that are feeling better, I’m getting more feedback than in Barcelona. There I wasn’t too confident, but it’s definitely coming now.”

Nicky Hayden: 1:43.457 – 43 laps

“The day was really weather affected which after the interruptions of Catalunya was a real shame. The day started off real wet and the track took a long time to dry out. The team worked hard and we got the bike going pretty good. We were confident we were going in the right direction with regards the set-up then it started raining again mid afternoon and that was it really. Lets hope for a good day tomorrow. One more day of testing before the season starts!”

Makoto Tamada 1:43.541 – 40 laps

“I tried some tyres today which I was unable to test at Catalunya. Honestly though, I wanted to test the new machine more than the tyres. The weather was bad though, and I wasn’t able to do either properly! I went out in the wet this morning to show that I am motivated and to get some laps in under rain conditions, but apart from that we hope it’s dry tomorrow so I can test some more things.”

Max Biaggi: 1:43.980 – 40 laps

“I didn’t find any solutions today, since Barcelona I just haven’t been able to go any faster. The problem is that the new chassis is difficult to find improvements in. We have a kind of rear chatter when you transfer to the front going into the turn. Then also we have more chatter coming out of the turn. This makes riding impossible because if you can’t go well both going in and coming out of the bend then you can’t go fast. We have to work this out and get the cornering right. I have to say I’m a little upset today and just need a little help to sort these problems.”


More, from a press release issued by d’Antin Ducati:

RAIN RETURNS TO PLAY IN JEREZ

The d´Antin MotoGP riders today began the scheduled IRTA test session in Jerez, with the circuit affected by rain. Neil Hodgson and Rubén Xaus were keen to get some good laps in on their Ducati Desmosedici bikes, neither having ridden there for nearly a decade, but came up against the poor climactic conditions which changed the timetable. In the afternoon Hodgson and Xaus made the most of a dried-out track in the afternoon, essentially focusing on getting a good base set-up for the Spanish Grand Prix which takes place here in a month’s time.

Neil Hodgson had not been at the Andalusian track since 1995 and without doubt the British rider was one of the first into his leathers today as he complete a total of 45 laps: “The morning rain didn’t allow us to make too many laps, but I felt pretty good on the bike. I enjoyed myself quite a bit, although we didn’t test anything in particular – having worked from the Catalunya set-up to try and find something more suitable here. We’re hoping that the weather can be a little more forgiving today, and that it lets us get a bit more work done!”

Rubén Xaus meanwhile had also not been at Jerez since 1995, when he rode in a round of the Spanish Supersport championship. Today he completed a total of 50 laps: “The weather really isn’t helping us, and I found it hard to find the right ‘feeling’ today. This is a very technical track and you have to ride very neatly, so there’s still quite a bit more work to be done. We need the weather on our side though, and if it’s dry tomorrow, we’ll continue to make progress. It’s almost like it was in Barcelona here, and for sure the weather will be completely different when we come here for the Grand Prix in a month’s time, although at least all of us are having to put up with the same bad conditions.”


Times:
1st V.ROSSI 1:42.656
2nd K.ROBERTS 1:42.761
3rd C.EDWARDS 1:42.771
4th C.CHECA 1:42.927
5th A.BARROS 1:42.974

13th NEIL HODGSON 1:44.140
18th R.XAUS 1:44.662


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

ROBERTS AND HOPKINS STORM JEREZ TESTS!

Team Suzuki riders Kenny Roberts and John Hopkins posted their best results so far in the run up to their MotoGP World Championship campaign at today’s second-round tests in Jerez, Spain.

Roberts claimed second best time of the test, a fraction over 100ths-of-a-second off the benchmark 1:42.656 time posted by reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi, whilst Hopkins, who is still recovering from a pre-season ankle injury, claimed an impressive sixth place overall.

Overnight showers impeded the riders from lapping on a dry track this morning, even though the rain itself had stopped falling. Few chose to brave the in-between conditions, and all were forced to wait until around three in the afternoon before making their first dry laps of the 4.423 kilometre circuit.