From a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

TESTING CONTINUES FOR FUCHS KAWASAKI TEAM

The rain that so badly affected the Spanish Grand Prix yesterday had given way to clear skies as the Fuchs Kawasaki Racing Team arrived at the Jerez circuit this morning, for the first day of a planned two-day test.

With a promotional event taking place this morning it wasn’t until the afternoon that Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann were able to take to the track for their first test run. With the track still damp in places after the torrential rain over the weekend, Nakano started out evaluating revised clutch components in his Ninja ZX-RR, before switching to tyre testing as the track dried out fully towards the end of the day.

Hofmann’s focus today was on evaluating revised engine components, designed to increase torque from the 990cc, inline four Ninja ZX-RR motor. The track conditions forced the 23-year-old German to curtail the test prematurely, but not before collecting valuable performance data on the revised parts.

Shinya Nakano:
“I had some trouble getting the bike off the line in South Africa, so today we tested some new clutch components in a bid to improve both reliability and feel, and I’m happy to say that these changes have made a significant difference. We also tested four new rear tyres from Bridgestone and collected a lot of data for their development programme. Tomorrow, if the weather stays kind to us, we will concentrate on evaluating the recent revisions made to the chassis.”

Alex Hofmann:
“We had been hoping to test some revised engine components thoroughly, but the track was still damp in places, which meant that only a short test was possible. I also managed to do an endurance run on a new tyre that we had planned to test over the weekend, but couldn’t because of the weather. We weren’t sure whether this particular tyre would have lasted race distance here, but after 26 laps today we now know we can add it to our list of potential race tyres. Bridgestone have been working overtime on development since the opening race of the season at Welkom, so tomorrow’s second day of testing will concentrate on evaluating their latest selection of tyres.”

Naoya Kaneko: Technical Co-ordinator
“Although Alex was only on track for a few hours today we still managed to collect a lot of detailed data on the performance of the new engine components. The initial results have been very positive, and the data will now be sent back to Kawasaki in Japan to be incorporated into the factory’s ongoing engine development programme. Shinya tested some revised clutch components today and the results were also very positive, but it is important that we test the reliability of these components further before using them in a race. Shinya also tested four new rear tyres this afternoon, in order to provide Bridgestone with the information they require for their own tyre development process. Tomorrow we will concentrate on bringing together all the new components we’ve tested up to now, to assess how much of an improvement they offer and in which direction we need to focus further development efforts. The right direction is more apparent each time we run the bike, and this bodes well for the future.”


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

GOOD WEATHER FINALLY HELPS DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM TESTING

Day 1 of testing

Jerez (Spain), 3 May 2004 – After a difficult race weekend, which was characterised by poor weather conditions, the Ducati Marlboro Team was finally able to get down to some serious testing work this afternoon on the first day of a two-day session at the Spanish circuit. Mild temperatures helped to create an ideal climate for the development of the Desmosedici GP4, which is slightly behind schedule due to the poor weather encountered during the last tests.

After the first positive signs that emerged during Saturday qualifying and yesterday’s warm-up, the engineers and riders of the Italian squad worked hard this afternoon, carrying out tests with a series of tyres, suspension and engine components and accumulating a substantial amount of data on which to work tomorrow.

Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi, who took to the track at 2 o’clock this afternoon, lapped virtually non-stop until 6 o’clock, putting in a total of 48 and 30 laps respectively. Both riders concentrated on testing the components and did not aim for quick times around the Jerez circuit.
Troy worked mainly on rear suspension set-up and engine management while Loris focussed on the Michelin 16.5″ front tyre, which he had not used since pre-season testing.

“We are quite satisfied with this afternoon’s testing and in particular with the improvement made by Troy, who on race tyres and without pushing really hard recorded quicker times than over the weekend,” commented Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. “We preferred to let Loris focus on getting used to the 16.5″ front tyre. This evening we will analyse all the information accumulated and let’s hope that tomorrow’s weather will be as good as it has been today because we’ve got a lot of work to get through.”


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

JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA – test session nr 1

After a spectacular race on wet that saw Sete Gibernau to score the first position of the podium, the Team Telefonica Movistar Honda MotoGP went back to work on the andalusian racetrack today for a two-day test session.

On a dry track Colin Edwards shared the track with other MotoGP teams (HRC, Camel Honda Pons, Yamaha and Ducati). Sete Gibernau preferred to rest and he will test tomorrow and Wednesday.

#45 COLIN EDWARDS – 38 laps 1:42.4 his best time

“I’m happy with today’s work. We made some progress with the bike setting. We went out for almost forty laps this afternoon trying to find a good feeling.”

FABRIZIO CECCHINI, Edwards’ Chief Mechanic
We are working on the suspensions in order to reduce the chattering. We are still trying to find a good feeling with the bike.

The Team Telefonica MoviStar Honda MotoGp will continue to test tomorrow at Jerez de la Frontiera with Colin Edwards and Sete Gibernau.