SEPANG DAY 2: Melandri and Elias keep on working Action goes on at Sepang, Malaysia, for the first test session of the 2007 season, in preparation of World Championship. Today the Honda Gresini riders focused on the best possible base line to work from and started an intense tyre programme together with the Bridgestone technicians. MARCO MELANDRI (76 laps, 2.03.253): “It was a demanding day. The temperatures were very high and we worked no stop to finish today’s programme. We struggled a bit in the morning but in the end we find a solution that I like. We tested different set up solutions and studied the geometry of the bike before starting to test tyres. I’m quite satisfied , the clutch has improved and I have a better feeling now. Tomorrow we will focus on tyre testing. I’m confident,.I see the Honda Engineers and the Bridgestone technicians very motivated”. TONI ELIAS (75 laps, 2.04.124): “Today we focused on tyre testing without making too many changes on chassis and suspensions. We tested many variations, rear tyres and front tyres, in order to find the right solution for the Honda- Bridgestone package. It has been a tough day but I’m happy and confident. At this moment of the year is important to work step by step, because we need to understand how the new bike works with these new tyres. Tomorrow we will continue the tyre testing while in Australia we will go back working on the setting of the bike”. UNOFFICIAL TIMES 1. Hopkins (Usa-Suzuki) 2’01″806 2. Edwards (Usa-Yamaha) 2’01″930; 3. Vermeulen (Aus-Suzuki) 2’02″275; 4. Barros (Bra-Ducati) 2’02″538; 5. Rossi (Ita-Yamaha) 2’02″613; 6. Capirossi (Ita-Ducati) 2’02″793; 7. De Puniet (Fra-Kawasaki) 2’02″806; 8. Hayden (Usa-Honda) 2’02″948; 9. Pedrosa (Spa-id.) 2’03”098; 10. Stoner (Aus-Ducati) 2’03″190; 11. Melandri (Ita-Honda) 2’03″253; 12 Nakano (Gia-id.) 2’03″633; 13. Checa (Spa-id.) 2’03″681; 14. Ito (Gia-Ducati) 2’03″700; 15. Roberts (Usa-Kr/Honda) 2’03″800; 16. Hoffman (Ger-Ducati) 2’03″895; 17. Elias (Spa-Honda) 2’04″124; 18. Jacque (Fra-Kawasaki) 2’04″171; 19. Tamada (Gia-Yamaha) 2’04″350; 20. Guintoli (Fra-id.) 2’04″892; 21. Yoshikawa (Gia-id.) 2’05″646; 21. Fujiwara (Gia-id.) 2’06″737. More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Hopkins heads Edwards on second day in Sepang MotoGP Testing Day 2/3 – Sepang, Tuesday 23rd January At the second of three days at the Malaysian circuit of Sepang, where nearly the entire MotoGP grid for 2007 are testing after a six week ban, teams were able to put in a full uninterrupted session as they look to develop their 800cc machines for the coming season. As yesterday, Suzuki and Yamaha continue to lead the way at this first test of the year. John Hopkins has been the stand-out rider of the first two days, topping the unofficial timesheets for the second day in a row with an impressive lap of 2’01.806. The 23 year-old American was joined by countryman Colin Edwards as they became the only two riders to go round in under 2’02. Edwards, the ‘Texan Tornado’, cut just under 1.5 seconds from his fastest lap yesterday, and the duo frequently dipped under race lap record pace set on last year’s 990cc machines. Behind the Americans, Chris Vermeulen was also on form with the Suzuki GSV-R800. Using a new chassis today, the Australian is found at ease with the 800cc bike as he maintains his confident preseason form. Despite taking a tumble earlier in the day, the returning MotoGP veteran Alex Barros was the fastest Ducati rider in the second session of the week, ahead of Pramac d’Antin team-mate Alex Hofmann and the official factory team duo. This could be further evidence of an elevation in competitiveness for the satellite team, who in the Brazilian have a proven podium finisher in their midst for 2007. Barros’ inclusion in the top four also put him faster than five-time World Champion Valentino Rossi, who had noted yesterday the fatigue induced by a break in action over the winter. Fellow Italian Capirossi was just behind the Yamaha star on the Ducati Desmosedici GP7, ahead of Kawasaki’s Randy de Puniet. The seven fastest riders were all within a second of Hopkins’ leading time, illustrating the closeness of the new 800cc bikes. Down in eighth, World Champion Nicky Hayden was the quickest Honda rider on day two. Getting used to the bike again after returning from shoulder surgery, the ‘Kentucky Kid’ went round in 2’02.948, followed by team-mate Dani Pedrosa, Ducati’s Casey Stoner and fellow RC212V developers Marco Melandri, Shinya Nakano and Carlos Checa. The weather stayed kind to the riders, who were spared wet conditions, although a continuation of the extreme humidity experienced over the past two days is forecast for tomorrow’s final day. Sepang MotoGP Test: Day 2 Unofficial Times 1. John Hopkins- Rizla Suzuki 2’01.806 2. Colin Edwards – Yamaha Racing 2’01.930 3. Chris Vermeulen- Rizla Suzuki 2’02.275 4. Alex Barros – Pramac d’Antin 2’02.538 5. Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Racing 2’02.619 6. Loris Capirossi – Ducati MotoGP 2’02.793 7. Randy De Puniet – Kawasaki Racing 2’02.806 8. Nicky Hayden – Repsol Honda 2’02.948 9. Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda 2’03.098 10. Casey Stoner – Ducati MotoGP 2’03.190 11. Marco Melandri – Honda Gresini 2’03.253 12. Shinya Nakano – Konica Minolta Honda 2’03.633 13. Carlos Checa – Honda LCR 2’03.681 14. Shinichi Ito – Bridgestone Test 2’03.700 15. Kenny Roberts Jr. – Team Roberts 2’03.800 16. Alex Hofmann – Pramac d’Antin 2’03.895 17. Toni Elias – Honda Gresini 2’04.124 18. Olivier Jacque – Kawasaki Racing 2’04.171 19. Makoto Tamada – Yamaha Tech3 2’04.350 20. Sylvain Guintoli – Yamaha Tech3 2’04.892 More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Factory Racing Team: Second Session Gives Yamaha More Confidence in Sepang A second day of testing in Malaysia today saw the Yamaha Factory Racing Team continue to come on in leaps and bounds with the development of their new prototype 800cc motorcycle. With rain threatening for tomorrow’s third and final day of testing, both Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards elected to take advantage of clear skies and complete their long-run today, the first for either rider on the new bike. Initial feedback was good and Rossi especially was very pleased with the performance of his Yamaha under race conditions. Edwards, who was trying a different set-up and tyre package to his team-mate in order to gather as much information as possible for Yamaha’s engineers and Michelin, was less comfortable during his long-run, but importantly was able to identify some of the key areas in which the team still need to focus their attention over the coming tests. Both riders improved on their times from yesterday, with Edwards dipping under the old 990cc lap record pace with a fastest lap of 2’01.930, set during the morning on race tyres. He was just behind Suzuki’s John Hopkins, who topped the unofficial time sheets for the second day running in a time of 2’01.806. Rossi posted the fifth fastest time of the day after completing 57 laps, with a time of 2’02.619. The Yamaha Factory Racing Team will complete their final day of this first test tomorrow. Colin Edwards Position: 2nd Time: 2’01.930 Laps: 60 “I’m not sure if it’s to do with the fact that I’m getting old, or just that I’ve been off the bike for six weeks, but this week it seems that I’m much stronger in the morning than in the afternoon! The morning felt really good today, Michelin had me working in one direction and Valentino in another and I was quite excited about how everything was feeling and about the times I was able to do. I did my best time on a race tyre and it was coming pretty easily. Michelin have worked seriously hard over the winter and the new front tyres they’re bringing us are just getting better and better, so congratulations to them. This afternoon was much harder and it was pretty hot out there too. The package I used for the long-run wasn’t so good, it definitely wasn’t the right direction for the rear tyre and it was hard work for me. Anyway Valentino’s package worked well and that’s why we’re here after all to work out what does work and what doesn’t! It’s given us some clear answers and now we can use tomorrow to double check what we’ve learned this week and finish on a good note.” Valentino Rossi Position: 5th Time: 2’02.619 Laps: 57 “Today I made my first long-run with the new bike, because I was worried about the weather for tomorrow. It was important to be able to see the level of the bike over a long distance, so we didn’t want to risk waiting for the last day. I am very happy about how it went; the performance of the bike and tyres was very good. We still need to improve the braking a bit, but I am sure it will get better as we continue to work on the set-up. The temperature at noon was very high and the sun felt like a sword beating down on my helmet, but it was still great fun and I really enjoyed myself! Of course with the 990cc bike the top speed was a bit faster, but overall with the new bike the pace on a long-run isn’t so different, because it puts less stress on the tyres so their performance remains higher for longer. The physical effort is similar for both bikes, and I feel very motivated after the long-run today. We tested the 16″ front tyre today; we still need to work more on this, but the initial feeling is very good and the handling is a bit better with it. The bike is more stable in the corner and therefore I have more confidence. I think in the end it could be a good solution, but we need more time to be sure. Tomorrow we have other tyres to test and we will just continue to work on the general set-up of the bike.” Davide Brivio Team Director “It has been another good day for us here in Malaysia. Every day we understand more and more about our new bike and we gain more experience about the right way to work and ride with this new 800cc Yamaha. Today both riders made a long-run, which is always an important indication of how we are progressing. Valentino’s was very positive and we gathered a lot of important information from it. Colin had more difficulty and showed some of the problem areas we need to work on, but he also gained positives from today and his best time this morning was very fast. Of course we’ve got a lot of work to do, but that is the reason for testing! Tomorrow we will continue like this, working on the set-up of our bike and also testing some new tyres for Michelin.” Unofficial Lap Times 1. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 2’01.806 2. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 2’01.930 3. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 2’02.275 4. Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati 2’02.538 5. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 2’02.619 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 2’02.793 7. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 2’02.806 8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 2’02.948 9. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 2’03.098 10. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati 2’03.190 11. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 2’03.253 12. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda 2’03.633 13. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda 2’03.681 14. Shinichi Ito (JPN) Bridgestone Test 2’03.700 15. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team KR 2’03.800 16. Alex Hoffman (GER) Ducati 2’03.895 17. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 2’04.124 18. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki 2’04.171 19. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha 2’04.350 20. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Yamaha 2’04.892 Sepang Lap Record (990cc) Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006 – 2’02.127 Sepang Best Lap (990cc) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006 – 2’00.605 More, from a press release issued by Konica Minolta Honda: KONICA MINOLTA Honda continues hard work at Sepang Today at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, the KONICA MINOLTA Honda team made more progress with their new rider Shinya Nakano in the first major test of the 2007 MotoGP season. Today’s work centred around testing new Michelin tyres and working on suspension as Nakano aims to get a good base setting as he adapts to his new Honda RC212V, Michelin tyres and his new team. Shinya completed 70 laps in good weather conditions and finished the day 12th overall in unofficial timing. Gianluca Montiron Team Manager KONICA MINOLTA Honda “I’m happy, as today we’ve improved. We modified the suspension a little bit and then we mostly worked on testing Michelin tyres. I think it’s clear that riders who have had the opportunity of testing the new prototypes here in November have an advantage and this can be clearly seen in the results. We are not too worried by this, as we know that the advantages of having tested here before are giving a benefit in improved lap-times to these riders. We are confident that tomorrow the difference in time will be lower than today. With a new rider for the team to work with and for Shinya to have to learn to work with his new team, new bike and new tyres, we knew we’d need much more time, which is why we planned a lot of pre-season testing. We are confident this will give Shinya the best opportunity to be competitive by the first race of the season in March.” Shinya Nakano Rider, KONICA MINOLTA Honda “Most time of the time today was dedicated to testing some new Michelin front tyres. Unfortunately it was difficult to get confidence in the front-end of the bike and I struggled a lot with chatter from the front of the bike. Because of this I was not able to keep up the corner speed you need with these new 800cc machines. Apart from this, as a team I can see that we are working in the right direction to solve this problem. Compared to my first test on the new bike in Jerez I have a much better feeling with the 212V and I’m starting to get used to the Honda, even if I have many new things to learn on this bike! Many other riders have recorded good times today, but I’m not worried, I’m concentrating on finding a good base setting for the new 212V and from there we will work on getting a good lap time. I know some riders are struggling with the fact that the new 800cc machines are much smaller than the 990cc bikes, but my feeling is that I’m very happy with the smaller, more compact size of the RC212V as it suits me very well.” Yutaka Hirano Head Technician, KONICA MINOLTA Honda “Today we have completely dedicated our time to tyre testing, with this work mainly concentrating on the front-end of the new RC212V. This has set us some chattering problems, but we have made some improvements on front suspension settings and we’re confident that we’ll find the overall solution. Tomorrow we plan to work on the electronics system on the bike as the new software gives us many possibilities for adjustments, but must be correctly set-up and fine-tuned for the rider and this takes time. We will start our work on this first thing tomorrow. By working on this we are sure that our overall lap time will be better. I’m happy with the team who are working very hard to give Nakano the best machine set-up possible.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: Honda riders up their pace on day two of Sepang MotoGP test The Honda teams present at the MotoGP test at Sepang, Malaysia got down to serious business on the second day of the three-day test session. In extremely high ambient and track top temperatures all six RC212V riders and Kenny Roberts Jnr (KR212V) improving their lap times by at least half a second Repsol riders Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa both improved on their performances of yesterday at Sepang today as the first of the year’s three-day MotoGP test sessions continued at the 5.548 km Malaysian track. The Repsol Honda factory riders worked through an extensive programme of tests aimed at further developing the prototype RC212V that will campaign the 2007 season. Hayden, the reigning MotoGP World Champion, began his day working on the front end of his RCV trying various front forks and settings in combination with a variety of Michelin front tyres. The team also worked on engine power delivery to improve top speed. Hayden’s Repsol Honda team-mate, Dani Pedrosa concentrated his efforts on overall chassis and suspension performance of his RCV. Pedrosa emerged unscathed from a slow speed crash at turn nine to set a best lap time half a second faster than his best of yesterday. Gresini Honda riders Marco Melandri and Toni Elias both put in 70 plus laps at the 5.548km circuit today. Italian Melandri working hard on machine balance, geometry and the clutch before moving on to test a range of tyres for team supplier Bridgestone. The former 250c world champion ended the day with a best lap time a full second faster than his best on the opening day of the test. Elias worked almost exclusively on tyre testing for Bridgestone. Working methodically the team tried several combinations of different profiles, constructions and compounds. The Spaniard improved on his best lap time of yesterday by six-tenths of a second. Shinya Nakano ran into front-end problems on his Konica Minolta liveried RC212V but despite the front ‘Hopping’ under heavy braking the Japanese rider lowered his lap times by half a second. Near veteran Spaniard Carlos Checa continued his efforts to adjust to the 800cc four-cylinder RC212V and put in a mammoth 86 lap stint that saw him improve his feel for the machine and his lap times of yesterday. Team Roberts changed to a second all new chassis overnight. The RC212V powered machine, which has the same geometry as the first chassis tested yesterday. The version tested today has a different method of construction to that of the chassis used on day one. Team rider Kenny Roberts Jnr felt some improvements on turning into corners and mid-corner speed and he was immediately able to lower his time to 2m 03.88s in the morning. With the hotter afternoon temperatures he wasn’t able to further improve his time. The team tested the same swinging-arms from yesterday, worked on some tyre testing and experimented with the engine braking control. Tomorrow they’ll work on engine power management. Honda rider quotes and lap times. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 2m 02.948s 82 laps “We actually learned quite a lot about how the new bike works today and we improved by almost half a second so it’s nice to see some progress. We weren’t testing new parts from HRC, just working with suspension, wheelbase, springs general settings stuff to try and get the bike a little bit quicker. We definitely improved the bike and learned some more about how it works and reacts to different settings and conditions. We’re still some way off where we need to be though so we’ve got to keep our heads down and keep working really hard.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2m 03.098 70 laps “Today we worked hard on many different ways to improve the bike. With testing there are always some things that work and some that don’t work so it was a useful day even though we didn’t set a very fast lap time. Unfortunately I made a small mistake on the brakes into the slow left-hander at turn nine – I was a little off-line and lost the front, but it wasn’t a big crash, just a human mistake. Tomorrow we will try to go a little quicker and we’ll also be working with Michelin on some tyre testing.” Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 2m 03.681s 86 laps. “Basically all the Honda riders have the same difficulties but we are working hard to fit the bike and I am pretty confident for the future. The last two years I raced on different bikes with different tyres and need more time to adapt to the new bike. I put more miles on the bike today testing different tyres with Michelin but we still miss something to be faster especially in the exacting part of the track.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, Team Roberts: 2m 03.800s. “We basically got on our new machine this morning and on the first run I got down into the high 2m 03s lap times. The bike felt a little bit more positive on turn-in and was better on mid-corner grip. We went through some settings and tried some different swing-arms – kinda a replica of what we did yesterday. Then we did some tyre testing at the end of the day but the team had a late night last night – until about two in the morning – so we stopped with a few hours to go to regroup and see what we had left, and to make a battle plan for tomorrow so that we can run all day.” Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 2m03sec.633s 70 laps. “Today I am a little bit disappointed because I was struggling with the set-up of the machine. In the beginning it went quite well so I thought I could mark good lap times. Then the front end started hopping during braking which made me a little nervous. I tried Michelin new 16 inch tyre but as the basic set-up wasn’t well fixed yet, I couldn’t feel the advantage of the tyre. But it is only the second day here and I still have improved my lap times from tomorrow, so I don’t have to worry so much. Tomorrow, I will change front suspension set-up drastically and see how it goes.” Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 2m 03.253s 76 laps. “It was a demanding day. The temperatures were very high and we worked non-stop to finish today’s programme. We struggled a bit in the morning but in the end we found a solution that I like. We tested different set up solutions and studied the geometry of the bike before starting to test tyres. I’m quite satisfied, the clutch has improved and I have a better feeling now. Tomorrow we will focus on tyre testing. I’m confident that there is enough time to be ready for the championship. I see the Honda Engineers and the Bridgestone technicians very motivated”. Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 2m 04.124s 75 laps. “Today we focused on tyre testing without making too many changes on chassis and suspensions. We tested many variations, rear tyres and front tyres, in order to find the right solution for the Honda- Bridgestone package. It has been a tough day but I’m happy and confident. At this moment of the year is important to work step by step, because we need to understand how the new bike works with these new tyres. Tomorrow we will continue the tyre testing while in Australia we will go back working on the setting of the bike”. Sepang MotoGP Test: Day 2. Unofficial Times 1. John Hopkins- Rizla Suzuki 2m 01.806s. 2. Colin Edwards – Yamaha Racing 2m 01.930s. 3. Chris Vermeulen- Rizla Suzuki 2m 02.275s. 4. Alex Barros – Pramac d’Antin 2m 02.538s. 5. Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Racing 2m 02.619s. 6. Loris Capirossi – Ducati MotoGP 2m 02.793s. 7. Randy De Puniet – Kawasaki Racing 2m 02.806s. 8. Nicky Hayden – Repsol Honda 2m 02.948s. 9. Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda 2m 03.098s. 10. Casey Stoner – Ducati MotoGP 2m 03.190s. 11. Marco Melandri – Honda Gresini 2m 03.253s. 12. Shinya Nakano – Konica Minolta Honda 2m 03.633s. 13. Carlos Checa – Honda LCR 2m 03.681s. 14. Shinichi Ito – Bridgestone Test 2m 03.700s. 15. Kenny Roberts Jr. – Team Roberts 2m 03.800s. 16. Alex Hofmann – Pramac d’Antin 2m 03.895s. 17. Toni Elias – Honda Gresini 2m 04.124s. 18. Olivier Jacque – Kawasaki Racing 2m 04.171s. 19. Makoto Tamada – Yamaha Tech3 2m 04.350s. 20. Sylvain Guintoli – Yamaha Tech3 2m 04.892s. More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: CAPIROSSI AND STONER MAKE PROGRESS ON DAY 2 OF TESTING IN MALAYSIA Testing in Malaysia is continuing at a rapid pace for the riders of the Ducati Marlboro Team who today were able to take advantage of more sunny weather and continue development work on the new 800cc machine. Both Capirossi and Stoner improved their times set Monday and while the Italian constantly improved the settings on his Desmosedici to join the group of sub 2m03s riders, his Australian team-mate was sidelined half-way through the afternoon with forearm cramp after setting a couple of early quick laps. The first test session of the new year will conclude tomorrow Wednesday. Loris Capirossi (58 laps – 2m02.793s) “We made a lot of progress today with engine management and generally improved the feeling with the new bike, but in particular we worked closely with Bridgestone on some new rear tyres. At the moment I have the best feeling with the �smaller’ profile tyre that makes the bike handle better and gives improvement under braking. It’s too early however to say whether or not this is the direction we have to take with the new 800cc because last year, on this track, we also preferred this type of profile and not the larger one that we used on all the other circuits. Tomorrow we’ve still got some more tyres to test and I am sure that we can improve”. Casey Stoner (42 laps – 2m03.190s) “We began the day really well: my first lap was 2m03.303s and my second, which ended up being my best time of the day, was 2m03.190s, a big improvement on yesterday. We’re moving in the right direction and just need to do a lot of laps. Unfortunately however late in the morning I began to get cramp in my arms which prevented me from riding and me and the team decided to stop so as not to worsen the situation and to be on form for tomorrow. A big thanks to the Clinica Mobile (Dr. Monica Lazzarotti and physiotherapist Francesco Chionne), who luckily are present at the test and who are helping me to resolve this problem which I have never had before. Hopefully they’ll help me to continue tomorrow so I can carry on testing and developing the bike and tyres”. Sepang lap record : Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006, 2’02.127 Sepang pole record : Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 2’00.605 Temperature: air 34� / track 53� C Tuesday Jan 23 – Unofficial times: Hopkins 2m01.806s Edwards 2m01.930s Vermeulen 2m02’275s Barros 2m02.538s Rossi 2m02.619s Capirossi 2m02.793s De Puniet 2m02.806s Hayden 2m02.948s Pedrosa 2m03.098s Stoner 2m03.190s Melandri 2m03.253s Nakano 2m03.633s Checa 2m03.681s Ito 2m03.700s Roberts 2m03.800s Hoffman 2m03.895s Elias 2m04.124s Jacques 2m04.171s Tamada 2m04.350s Guintoli 2m04.892s More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer John Hopkins today topped the timesheets for the second successive day at Sepang in Malaysia, recording a fastest time inside the current lap record. Hopkins’ time of 2’01.80 on the new GSV-R800 was over three tenths of a second quicker than the lap record held by Loris Capirossi on a 990cc Ducati. The Anglo-American continued his great form on day two of the three day test as he completed 60-laps of the 5.5km Sepang International circuit. Team-mate Chris Vermeulen was again right on Hopkins’ tail with a time of 2’02.27 to give him third place overall from his 67-laps. Both riders recorded their quickest times as they conducted thorough Bridgestone rear tyre tests. They completed many seven and 10 lap runs as they tested new compound and construction race tyres. Hopkins and Vermeulen also assessed many new chassis settings and analysed further developments to the GSV-R. The three-day test concludes tomorrow with Rizla Suzuki MotoGP planning to simulate race conditions by holding a race distance test during the afternoon.

Two-time AMA Supersport Champion Tommy Hayden will join his team, Yoshimura Suzuki, next week at a multi-AMA-team test at California Speedway, in Fontana, California. It will be Hayden’s first test since suffering a fractured right wrist and right lower leg, as well as a serious concussion, in a high-speed highside crash while testing with his new team at Sepang, in Malaysia, November 16. Due to the injuries, Hayden was forced to sit out the annual Dunlop tire test at Daytona International Speedway in early-December. In fact, while his teammates Ben Spies and Mat Mladin tested, Hayden underwent surgery at the hands of famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. Arthur Ting. Ting screwed Hayden’s fractured scaphoid bone (which is notoriously slow to heal) back together and removed surgical hardware used on a previous injury but left Hayden’s fractured but not displaced lower leg to heal naturally. “It’s pretty good. It’s coming around,” Hayden said of his injuries January 22. “The last little bit is always the longest, getting every little thing back perfect, but I’m definitely good enough to ride, good enough to test.” Hayden, who has started riding supermoto again, said his leg was taking longer to heal than his hand.

FROM THE SNOWS OF CAMPIGLIO TO THE TORRID HEAT OF SEPANG, THE DESMOSEDICI GP7 IS BACK ON TRACK After the end of the obligatory winter testing ban and the traditional presentation of the Ducati Marlboro Team on the snows of Madonna di Campiglio, Loris Capirossi and his new team-mate Casey Stoner took to the track today for the first time in 2007, the first year of the new 800cc MotoGP technical regulations, at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. The three-day test, which sees the participation of all the top MotoGP teams, is one of the most interesting appointments of the start of the season because it is the first time riders and teams have taken to the track in almost two months and because it allows them to test in similar conditions, albeit with much higher temperatures and humidity, to what they will encounter in the races. The repeated showers over the last few days and the expected rain for today led the Ducati Marlboro Team riders to test non-stop from ten in the morning to around 4.30 pm in the afternoon. In the end the rain failed to materialize but Capirossi and Stoner concluded their first day of testing more than one hour before the scheduled track closure as they had already completed the required preparatory work in setting up the Desmosedici for the next two testing days. Loris Capirossi (41 laps – 2m03.537s): “It was not bad for the first day of testing after a break of over six weeks” commented Loris Capirossi after his first contact with the track. “We’ve still got a few problems in the general set-up of the bike but it’s normal at this stage of the year. We are here for this reason and for sure we’ve got a lot of margin for improvement. Today we tested a few things that worked and we put aside some other solutions as we have organised the work for the next couple of days. We have opted to test a few more things tomorrow and I think we can improve a lot. I’m also very confident about the performance of the tyres because even though we haven’t yet begun to test with the new ones, the ones we have used today already perform really well”. Casey Stoner (55 laps – 2m03.940s): “I am very pleased with the way things have gone today” declared Casey Stoner, who tested the Italian machine for the third time. “We have made a lot of progress since the Jerez test even though we still have to improve some of the characteristics of the engine. I am really pleased with the tyres: the front is already perfect, the rear is good and for sure we can improve. However my best time was set with a rear that had already done an entire race distance and that’s a good sign! The team is working really well and I already feel part of the family!”. Sepang lap record: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006, 2’02.127 Sepang pole record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 2’00.605 Temperatures: air 36° / track 50° C DAY 1 – unofficial times: Hopkins (Suzuki), 2’02.277 Vermeulen (Suzuki), 2’03.049 Rossi (Yamaha), 2’03.184 Edwards (Yamaha), 2’03.337 Hayden (Honda), 2’03.413 Capirossi (Ducati), 2’03.537 De Puniet (Kawasaki), 2’03.542 Pedrosa (Honda), 2’03.620 Tamada (Yamaha), 2’03.785 Stoner (Ducati), 2’03.944 Hoffman (Ducati), 2’04.003 Barros (Ducati), 2’04.011 Roberts (KRV), 2’04.088 Checa (Honda), 2’04.101 Nakano (Kawasaki), 2’04.138 Melandri (Honda), 2’04.270 Ito (Ducati), 2’04.641 Elias (Honda), 2’04.710 More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing Honda: GOOD START FOR MARCO AND TONI AT SEPANG After the customary testing ban of just over one and a half months, the Motogp bikes return to the track for the resumption of the 800cc development in preparation of the 2007 Championship that will start in Qatar on March the 10th. All Motogp teams, except for the Illmor team, gathered in Sepang, Malaysia for the first test session of the 2007 season. Thanks to the good weather conditions (sunny sky and hot temperatures) the riders of the Honda Gresini Team good use all the training day to adapt to the new bike and to Bridgestone tyres. MARCO MELANDRI (66 laps, 2.04.02): “Today we worked on suspensions and chassis in order to prepare a base set up so that tomorrow we can focus on tyre testing together with Bridgestone technicians. I think that it’s important to focus on tyres here while I will work more on the set up of the bike starting from next test session in Phillip Island, Australia. After the two surgeries I underwent in November and December and the physiotherapy to the muscles of my leg, I feel better now, I’m almost 70% fit. On this track I was suffering a lot, while today it was much better”. TONI ELIAS (70 laps, 2.04.7): “I’m quite satisfied of this first day of testing. After two months of break, it was important to go back to the track. Today I completed 70 laps, which is a lot. We only made some small modification in order to find a base set up. Tomorrow we will continue working on the suspension and chassis and start testing tyres for Bridgestone. I’m confident” . More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Sepang welcomes first MotoGP action of 2007 MotoGP Testing – Sepang, Monday 22nd January After the customary testing ban of just over one and a half months, MotoGP returned to the track today for the resumption of 800cc development. It was at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia where fans had their first chance to see who leads the way on the new generation of MotoGP bike, with the majority of premier class teams testing from today until Wednesday. The 800cc bikes seem to have thrown the already unpredictable world of MotoGP favourites wide open, with no team holding a clear advantage in the initial tests. Of those that have been going strong, perhaps the most impressive frontrunner has been Suzuki. John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen rode the GSV-R800 for the first time the day after the race at Valencia, and have taken to the bike like ducks to water by placing the bike at the top of the unofficial timesheets. The duo seemed to have lost none of their edge over the winter break, as they led the way on day one in Sepang. Hopkins was the fastest rider of the day, and the only one to break the 2’03 barrier at the hot and humid Malaysian circuit. His time of 2’02.277 put him ahead of team-mate Vermeulen by just over seven tenths of a second, as the British-based team continue to look sharp on the 800cc machines. The factory Yamaha team followed close behind, with Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards side by side on the timesheets. Ever the entertainer, Rossi put fashion over comfort as he emerged for the start of the day in a fetching pair of furry boots amidst the intense heat. The Yamaha riders were just faster than World Champion Nicky Hayden, who made his first appearance since undergoing shoulder surgery before the winter break. Ducati are renowned for blitzing the competition in early tests, although today the gameplan seemed to be more calculated for the Italian factory. Loris Capirossi was sixth fastest, whilst newest team addition Casey Stoner rounded off the top ten. The Desmosedici GP7 is also being put through its paces this week in Jerez, as stand-in test rider Jose Luis Cardoso continues development work with the bike. Last week Ducati became the first team to present their new livery, with a chrome finish shown off to the media at their annual event in Madonna di Campiglio. Kawasaki were undertaking their first test since taking business in-house at the end of 2006, and Randy de Puniet was hot on the heels of Capirossi on the Ninja ZX-RR. Preparing for his second season in the premier class, the Frenchman went round faster than former 250cc rival Dani Pedrosa, Rookie of the Year and leader at the final test of 2006 at Jerez. Makoto Tamada, joined for the first time on track by new team-mate Sylvain Guintoli, was ninth quickest at a track where he went well at the tail end of last year. The KR212V, Team KR’s newest prototype, makes its debut at the Asian track this week, the last bike to have an 800cc test. All teams were quick to emphasise that these initial days of testing mainly serve the purpose of putting more miles on their prototypes and, in some cases, new tyres. Only the Ilmor Team will sit out the Asian visit completely, choosing instead to put the finishing touches to the V4 in Europe and wait for injured rider Jeremy McWilliams to make a complete recovery after his accident in the final test of 2006. The newest team on the MotoGP grid will also miss the next test on the calendar, at Phillip Island in Australia. With the premier class in action straight after the lifting of the testing ban, MotoGP’s supporting cylinder classes also resume their preparation for the coming season this week. A number of teams from both 250 and 125cc will ride at the Jerez Circuit in Spain from Monday to Wednesday, with the debut appearances of Honda LCR’s Eugene Laverty and Thailand’s first ever World Championship rider Ratthapark Wilairot to watch out for. Action and interviews, along with the latest news from Sepang, can be found at motogp.com. Sepang Test Day One Unofficial Times 1. John Hopkins – Rizla Suzuki 2’02.277 2. Chris Vermeulen – Rizla Suzuki 2’03.049 3. Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Racing 2’03.184 4. Colin Edwards – Yamaha Racing 2’03.337 5. Nicky Hayden – Repsol Honda 2’03.413 6. Loris Capirossi – Ducati Marlboro 2’03.538 7. Randy De Puniet – Kawasaki Racing 2’03.542 8. Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda 2’03.620 9. Makoto Tamada – Yamaha Tech3 2’03.785 10. Casey Stoner – Ducati Marlboro 2’03.944 11. Alex Hofmann – Pramac d’Antin 2’04.003 12. Alex Barros – Pramac d’Antin 2’04.011 13. Kenny Roberts Jr. – Team Roberts 2’04.088 14. Carlos Checa – Honda LCR 2’04.101 15. Shinya Nakano – Konica Minolta Honda 2’04.138 16. Marco Melandri – Gresini Honda 2’04.270 17. Shinichi Ito – Bridgestone MotoGP 2’04.641 18. Toni Elías – Gresini Honda 2’04.710 19. Olivier Jacque – Kawasaki Racing 2’04.718 20. Sylvain Guintoli – Yamaha Tech3 2’07.403 More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: KAWASAKI AIM TO BUILD ON SUCCESSFUL FIRST DAY AT SEPANG Randy de Puniet and Olivier Jacque completed more than 700 trouble free kilometres during the opening day of testing at Sepang, with the younger Frenchman underlining the potential of Kawasaki’s new 800cc Ninja ZX-RR by finishing the day seventh fastest overall. De Puniet and Jacque rode Kawasaki’s new MotoGP racer briefly during shakedown tests at Sepang back in November, but neither could believe just how much progress Kawasaki’s development engineers have made with the Ninja ZX-RR in such a short space of time. Minor mechanical problems cut short that first test, but there were no such reliability issues today, as the two Kawasaki pilots completed a total of 132 laps of the 5.543km Sepang circuit without incident. Having quickly found a base set-up they were satisfied with on the new bike, both de Puniet and Jacque declared themselves happy with the progress made today. Both riders were able to show on track that, despite such a short development time, the power of Kawasaki’s 800cc inline four-cylinder engine was already a match for that of their factory rivals. Equally important was the consistency of the engine’s power delivery, with no reduction in performance even at the end of today’s test. But, while Kawasaki’s two pilots were happy to make such a positive start to the new season, both know that they face a heavy test and development schedule in the lead up to the first race in Qatar. Tomorrow both Kawasaki riders will concentrate their efforts on finding a good balance with the Ninja ZX-RR chassis, before switching their attention to tyre testing in support of Bridgestone’s development programme. The characteristics of the 800cc engine place very different demands on the rear tyre compared to the older 990cc motor, and this is an area in which Kawasaki can help accelerate Bridgestone’s tyre development with the supply of test data and rider feedback. Randy de Puniet: #14 – 72 Laps – Best Lap 2’03.542 “It is hard to believe that this is the same bike that we tested back in November. Two months ago we could see that the bike had some potential, but my feeling then was that realising this potential was going to take some time. But, this morning, I couldn’t believe the transformation Kawasaki’s engineers have made in such a short time. Already the bike feels competitive, but I think there is more performance to be found once we get down to refining the set-up further. I completed more than 70 laps without any problems today, and my lap time was pretty good, but we will be looking to improve further over the next two days. Today was a good start to our test programme, but there is still some work to be done over the next few weeks if we are to be ready for the first race of the season.” Olivier Jacque: #19 – 60 Laps – Best Lap 2’04.718 “I’m happy with what we’ve achieved today. From the first lap this morning it was obvious that Kawasaki’s engineers have made some big improvements to the bike since our first test here last year. Our priority today was to identify a good base set-up on the bike, and I think we’ve achieved that, so tomorrow we can move on to the next thing on our test schedule. It’s been easy to find a good way of working with Fiorenzo Fanali and my new crew, and I think the working relationship will get even easier as we progress through a heavy test programme ahead of the first race. Overall, today was a good way to start the new season.” Michael Bartholemy: Kawasaki Competition Manager “This is the start to the season that we needed. Sure, it would have been nice to finish the first day at the top of the timesheet, but today’s performance was certainly enough to silence those doubters who thought we wouldn’t even make it to the first test. The fact that we’re here and ready to start the season is down to a lot of hard work on the part of everyone involved with the Kawasaki Racing Team, and the fact that we had a trouble free day and finished with a respectable lap time is down to an equal measure of hard work on the part of everyone in Kawasaki’s race department back in Japan. Now we need to build on this successful start and refine our new Ninja ZX-RR ahead of the first race of the season in Qatar. It’s a tall order, but I think we’ve shown today that the potential is there; both with the bike and with everyone working on Kawasaki’s MotoGP project.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: MotoGP test Sepang, Malaysia. Opening day of three-day test. January 22, 2006. World Champion Hayden fastest Honda rider at opening MotoGP test of 2007 Te first MotoGP test of the year got underway at Sepang, Malaysia today. All riders signed to contest the series are in attendance, with the sole exception of the Ilmor MotoGP squad. The Honda riders equipped with the RC212V four-cylinder 800cc machines they will campaign in the 18-round MotoGP World Championship began their preparations for the 2007 season at Malaysian circuit today. The six riders, from four different teams, together with Kenny Roberts Jnr riding the Honda powered KR212V, took to the 5.548km track chasing a base set up to work from during the three-day test. World Champion Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda was the fastest RC212V rider on day one of three. The American was riding for the first time since the last Sepang test in mid-November. Today Hayden did some engine comparison work and a limited tyre testing but the Champions main focus was easing himself back into testing after the shoulder operation he underwent in early December. Nicky finished the day a little frustrated not to improve on his good early pace in the morning, but remained upbeat about the work ahead. Hayden’s team mate, Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, a former triple world champion in the smaller classes with two 250cc and one 125cc crown to his credit, spent the opening day of the test reacquainting himself with the RC212V he last rode at Jerez on November 30 last year. Dani hasn’t ridden the 800cc machine at Sepang before having missed the November test at the circuit due to correctional surgery to his arms. He made minor chassis adjustments and tried a few Michelins, but the main testing menu for Pedrosa will begin tomorrow. The Gresini Honda riders had a quiet day at Sepang both riders choosing to establish the best possible base line to work from. The Gresini Honda team will race with Bridgestone tyres in 2007 and the riders and riders have had to adjust to both the characteristics of the new 800cc machine and the feel of the Bridgestone’s. Marco Melandri worked hard on chassis and front suspension settings in addition to fine tuning the feed back he was getting from the clutch while Toni Elias worked to perfect the settings that he and his technicians ended the November 2006 RC212V test at the same venue. Team Roberts gave their all-new KR212V its first outing. The new machine, a RC212V engine housed in a Team Roberts chassis that the team built from scratch in just 90 days. Team personnel feel that the new machine is closer to ‘Ready to race’ than at the same point in 2006 with the KR211V. Team rider Kenny Roberts Junior put the machine through its paces and despite the late start to 2007 testing the former 500cc world champion set a very respectable shake down lap time of 2:04.088 as he, “Got back into the swing of riding.”. LCR Honda rider Carlos Checa took his RC212V to the track for the first test of the year and spent his day trying to get more comfortable on the four-cylinder 800cc machine. Despite a late morning crash at turn one the unscathed Checa went on to work on tyres in a bid to gain confidence in the front end of his Honda. Among the Honda riders Japanese star Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda) has the most to learn in a short time. Nakano is making his Honda debut in 2007, riding on Michelin rubber for the first time, and for a completely new team. On the opening day of the test Nakano concentrated on the front end of his RC212V chasing a base set up before moving on to tyre testing tomorrow. Honda rider quotes and lap times. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 2m 03.413s – 73 laps “I’m happy to be on a bike again and excited to be back with my boys and the team – I really enjoyed riding out there today. This morning felt pretty good but this afternoon we didn’t quite go forwards as much as I’d have liked to. We’ve got some work to do to be ready for the season. I went at about the same pace as I did here in November – I did that lap quite early in the day, and then didn’t go faster which was slightly frustrating. The shoulder feels ok – the pain has gone away, though it still feels a little weak. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t go crazy with the number of laps because the doctor told me to take it pretty easy. Sometimes shoulders can take a while to heal but it wasn’t hurting me on the lap times – I was just getting tired a little quicker than usual. It actually felt better today than I thought it would so we’re looking good for the rest of the test.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2m 03.620s – 77 laps. “I felt that it had been a long time not riding so I took it slowly today, especially in the morning. We were just going back to basics and getting used to the work and the feelings from the bike. We also did some tyre testing for Michelin. As I was not at the test here in November I was getting a feeling for the new RC212V at this circuit too. The feeling of the track has changed a little with this bike, and you notice the braking points have moved. The bike also feels quite different to the last test in Jerez because the gears ratios are quite long here so the force under acceleration is slightly changed. You really feel that the 800 has less power than the 990 at this track, and also the bike feels better in some ways too. It was good to get back in the saddle today and I’m looking forward to making some good progress over the rest of the test.” Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 2m 04.10s – 54 laps. “This is my second test on the RC212V after the Sepang test in November and I still am trying to understand and adapt to the machine. Trying to get used to its engine braking, clutch and so on. The character of a Honda machine is different from that of Ducati and Yamaha so I am trying to understand a lot of things. When I first tested the RC212V, it felt very tight for me and I was riding like a camel, I mean too tight to ride. During the braking all my weight went to the front and I was awkward but now I got used to its riding position and feel more comfortable. Today I was using standard tyres and I need to have more grip on the front. This is the area where I need more confidence. Anyway I am so happy to be back on Honda and Michelin. Lucio, Ramon and other staff are working so hard and I am very motivated.” Lucio Cecchinello, LCR team owner manager. “We still have a lot of things to do but today was very positive. The RC212V has a lot of potential and we are trying to pull out its full possibility. Although Carlos and the team must understand about the machine more, I am very optimistic about the progress. Tomorrow, we hope to mark better lap times. To improve cornering speed is the factor to get better lap times.” Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 2m 04.138s – 58laps “This morning I was doing a kind of run-in and I started to test seriously from the afternoon changing front suspension setting and so on. I have found the basic set up so we will start tyre testing tomorrow. Tomorrow it looks like we are getting new tyres. The engine feeling of the RC212V is very good and I can get superb rear traction. The balance between suspension and the engine is good and the exit out of a corner is very comfortable. I still have to improve the corner entry set-up. Today was very hot but I have trained at an island in Malaysia before coming here in order to get used to the heat. Today’s lap time was 2minues 4 seconds, so I want to mark low 2 minutes 3 second tomorrow.” GianLuca Montiron, Konica Minolta Honda team manager. “This is our second outing on the RC212V and we have found the basic set-up today. Machine character and tyre are different to Shinya so we must move forward step by step. Still today’s testing was very positive and I am looking forward to tomorrow.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, Team Roberts: 2m 04.088s. “I think that technically we got a lot done for our first day. We tried a total of three swing-arms and two linkages today so we got some of the bigger items out of the way. We still need to try a new fabricated chassis tomorrow, or at least by the end of the remaining two days. Basically, the times this morning were ok and I was getting down to quite a few low 2m 04s laps. I’m just stuck right there at the moment. We’ve just got to get the bike going round the corners a little bit faster. With these bikes it’s all corner speed – you never really square anything off like on the V5 used to do and if you’re spinning it you’ve got to figure out how to not spin it. With a handful more power you could get away with more mistakes than you can at the moment – consistency wise. It’s been a pretty standard first day. I probably would have liked to have gotten into the 2m 03s laps, so we’ve got to see if we can get the bike going round the corners a little bit better tomorrow, which we will. The first day here is always just getting back into the swing of things. We’ve got a lot on our plate trying to build a bike and come out ready to go on the first day.” Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 2m 04.02s 66 laps. “We did quite a good job today I think. It’s been nice come back and ride my bike after almost two months away. The first day has been a little difficult, especially because it’s hot. The bike feels pretty good but still we have a few problems. Mainly I don’t completely like how the clutch is working so we have been looking at that today, and still we have some more to do. Also the front fork feeling is not wonderful at the moment but I think that feeling might be originating from the clutch which is not allowing me to get a good balance under braking, so the bike is moving a lot. I think it will be better from the next test. We did not test too many Bridgestone tyres today but still if everything is ok on the chassis side we will test a lot more tyres tomorrow.” Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 2m 04.710s 70 laps. “After two months off this was the first day of testing so I was just getting familiar with riding the bike again. We don’t know this new bike that well yet so we will try over this test to get a better understanding of how the bike works – what are the good points and the not-so-good points. And they’ll we’ll work on the not-so-good points. Also we are working with Bridgestone to find the best tyres for the bike. Today I used the same tyres as the ones I used in the November tests. Tomorrow I will start the full tyre testing programme with many more variations. Today was useful to get a feel riding again and work on base settings but we will continue with the real testing schedule for the next two days.” Sepang Test Day One. Unofficial Times 1. John Hopkins – Rizla Suzuki 2m 02.277s. 2. Chris Vermeulen – Rizla Suzuki 2m 03.049s. 3. Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Racing 2m 03.184s. 4. Colin Edwards – Yamaha Racing 2m 03.337s. 5. Nicky Hayden – Repsol Honda 2m 03.413s. 6. Loris Capirossi – Ducati Marlboro 2m 03.538s. 7. Randy De Puniet – Kawasaki Racing 2m 03.542s. 8. Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda 2m 03.620s. 9. Makoto Tamada – Yamaha Tech3 2m 03.785s. 10. Casey Stoner – Ducati Marlboro 2m 03.944s. 11. Alex Hofmann – Pramac d’Antin 2m 04.003s. 12. Alex Barros – Pramac d’Antin 2m 04.011s. 13. Kenny Roberts Jr. – Team Roberts 2m 04.088s. 14. Carlos Checa – Honda LCR 2m 04.101s. 15. Shinya Nakano – Konica Minolta Honda 2m 04.138s. 16. Marco Melandri – Gresini Honda 2m 04.270s. 17. Shinichi Ito – Bridgestone MotoGP 2m 04.641 18. Toni Elías – Gresini Honda 2m 04.710s. 19. Olivier Jacque – Kawasaki Racing 2m 04.718s. 20. Sylvain Guintoli – Yamaha Tech3 2m 07.403s. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Factory Racing: New Season Gets Underway for Yamaha Factory Racing Team in Sepang Yamaha Factory Racing Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards got the new year off to a promising start at the first MotoGP test of the season in Sepang, Malaysia today, setting the third and fourth fastest times respectively. With all teams now running new 800cc prototype machines, in accordance with the new MotoGP engine capacity limits, the 20-strong field of riders enjoyed good weather throughout the day and Yamaha’s two factory riders made the most of a full day of testing. Both riders had completed two tests on the new bike before Christmas and followed on from where they left off today, concentrating on double-checking the information they gathered during those tests and developing the set-up of the new bike, whilst also finding time to test some new Michelin tyres. The fastest lap of the day, a time of 2’02.277, was set by Suzuki rider John Hopkins, with his team-mate Chris Vermeulen second with a best lap of 2’03.049. Rossi and Edwards were close behind, the Italian setting a best time of 2’03.184 from 67 laps and his American team-mate fourth with a lap of 2’03.337 after 61 laps. Valentino Rossi Position: 3rd Time: 2’03.184 Laps: 67 “I am feeling very confident at the start of this test and the new season. I’ve made the most of my holidays, had a good rest and I think I am starting in the best shape possible. Everyone is very motivated and excited now! The bike I am riding here is basically the same as the one I rode in Jerez at the last test and everything feels very good with it still. You have to ride these bikes slightly differently to the old 990cc bikes, you need to be slightly softer, but we understand more about them every day. Some things still need to be improved but the chassis is good and we don’t have any of the problems we had at the start of last season. We need to be fast from the start this year and at the moment it seems that’s the case. The power delivery of the bike is good, better than I hoped for at this early stage of the season, and I am feeling quite confident overall about the situation we’re in. Today we mainly worked on setting and tyres and we’ve definitely made a good start to the new year, now we will try to continue like this for the next two days.” Colin Edwards Position: 4th Time: 2’03.337 Laps: 61 “It’s been good to have a bit of a break and some time at home with the family, but I’m excited about the new season and it’s good to be back on the bike! The rain held off so we got started on time this morning. The bike feels pretty similar to what we were riding before Christmas, of course there are some subtle tweaks here and there and some new stuff, but nothing too drastic and it still feels really good. This morning we worked on tyres with Michelin before testing a couple of new things with the bike this afternoon, but mostly we were just backing up everything we worked out at the last two tests, double and triple-checking every setting to ensure that we’re working in the right direction. It’s obvious that everyone’s already at a high level and the times are fast, so it’s going to be hard work for us all from now on!” Davide Brivio Team Director “It’s good to get back to work after the winter break and it has been a positive first day for us here in Sepang. The bikes were assembled at Yamaha in Japan last week and they have started the year in their black ‘winter-test livery’, with yellow stickers for Valentino and red for Colin. Today we’ve worked on basic set-up and we haven’t had any problems so far. All the information we gathered at the tests before Christmas has been taken into account and once we felt confident with this latest version of the 2007 bike, we were also able to spend some time testing new tyres for Michelin. We’ve definitely started our job well today and worked in a productive manner. Despite a poor weather forecast, the rain has held off and we’ve been able to use all the track time available to us. Hopefully this will continue and we can keep on working hard through the next two days and make the most of this important first test.” 1. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 2’02.277 2. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 2’03.049 3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 2’03.184 4. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 2’03.337 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 2’03.413 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 2’03.538 7. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 2’03.542 8. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 2’03.620 9. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha 2’03.785 10. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati 2’03.944 11. Alex Hoffman (GER) Ducati 2’04.003 12. Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati 2’04.011 13. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team KR 2’04.088 14. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda 2’04.101 15. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda 2’04.138 16. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 2’04.270 17. Shinichi Ito (JPN) Bridgestone Test 2’04.641 18. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 2’04.710 19. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki 2’04.718 20. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Yamaha 2’07.403 Sepang Lap Record Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006 – 2’02.127 Sepang Best Lap Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006 – 2’00.605 More, from a press release issued by Konica Minolta Honda: KONICA MINOLTA Honda Team pre-season activity started today The riders participating to the 2007 MotoGP World Championship returned on track today at Sepang with the new 800cc prototypes for the first test of the year. Temperatures of 30°C in the air, 40°C on the ground and a 70% humidity rate permitted to make the best use of the first test day in Malaysia. In the morning, Shinya Nakano was focused on the modifications of the new Honda RC212V setting, the KONICA MINOLTA Honda Team recently assembled in Japan, to find the right adjustment and the correct position on it. The Japanese rider continued working in the afternoon on different technical solutions aimed to find the right base setting with no pressure to set the fastest lap but concentrated to give precise information to his technicians to proceed, step by step, towards the complete adjustment to the new 800cc. The KONICA MINOLTA Honda Team rider covered 58 laps setting his fastest lap in 2’04.138″ placing him on fifteenth position. The two Suzuki riders, John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen, finished in first and second place with the respective times of 2’02.277″ and 2’03.049″. Gianluca Montiron Team Manager, KONICA MINOLTA Honda “Today the rider could start the first approach to the new Honda RC212V he rode on the Sepang track for the first time. Shinya and the technicians could make a series of technical considerations leading to a correct adjustment of the bike to the particular demands of this circuit. In comparison with the performances recorded in 2006 with the 990cc, a decrease of approximately 10 km of the present bike top speed emerges from the checks we made today. Our new rider decided to face step by step this initial phase; today’s target was to deeply understand the bike before pushing to clock the fastest time. Inside the pit box the atmosphere is calm, it means that the communication between Shinya and the staff members has already reached a good level.” Shinya Nakano Rider, KONICA MINOLTA Honda(58 laps 2’04.138″) “I’m satisfied of this first day of test on the new Honda RC212V. This morning I was fully dedicated to understand the Team I’ll collaborate with and the bike I’ll have at my disposal during the 2007 season. In the afternoon I was mostly concentrated on riding gradually proceeding towards the best base setting. Some new tyres test is scheduled for tomorrow; my efforts will be more dedicated to the achievement of a good level of feeling with this new technical package and going forward on the first phase of this new adventure.” Yutaka Hirano Chief Mechanic, KONICA MINOLTA Honda “We started the first 2007 test searching for a complete adjustment of the new rider to the new bike. We worked on the gear box and rear suspension setting, making also some checks on the new software for the engine control unit. Tomorrow, we’ll continue working to improve the new Honda RC212V setting and start testing new Michelin tyres. Our job has just started but the feeling with Shinya is already good.” More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP leads the way on day one John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen powered their brand new Rizla Suzuki GSV-Rs to the first and second fastest times respectively during the first day of testing at Sepang in Malaysia. Hopkins recorded a best time of 2’02.27 from his 66 laps, whilst team-mate Vermeulen was just behind with a quickest time of 2’03.04 from his 46 laps. Nobuatsu Aoki is also present at the three-day test and he was the first Rizla Suzuki racer on track and completed 36 shakedown laps on the new bike. The Rizla Suzuki GSV-R800 was seen in its final detail at Sepang today, with new engine and chassis specifications plus new bodywork styling. Hopkins, Vermeulen and the rest of the team were very happy with how the new version performed over the first day, and look forward to getting more out the bike throughout the rest of the test. The team conducted thorough Bridgestone front tyre tests and will follow that up with even more comprehensive evaluations over the next couple of days This is the first test that all the MotoGP teams with the exception of Ilmor – have been together with their new 800cc machines, and it will give a good indication of how the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R is developing in comparison to the other manufacturers.

Superbike & Supersport World Championships, Superstock FIM Cup 2007 calendar The 2007 calendar of the Superbike and Supersport World Championships will count 13 rounds; the one previously scheduled on July 8 was not confirmed. The calendar is the following : Superbike/Supersport World Championships February 24, Losail Circuit, Qatar* March 4, Phillip Island, Australia April 1, Donington Park, Great Britain April 15, Valencia, Spain April 29, Assen, Netherlands May 13, Monza, Italy May 27, Silverstone, Great Britain June 17, Misano, San Marino July 22, Brno, Czech Republic August 5, Brands Hatch, Great Britain September 9, Lausitzring, Germany September 30, Vallelunga, Italy October 7, Magny-Cours, France * = Saturday race

A NEW SEASON AND A NEW ERA FOR KAWASAKI A revitalised Kawasaki Racing Team will get their 2007 MotoGP campaign underway on Monday, with the first of two planned pre-season tests at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. This week is the start of an extensive test programme that will see the Kawasaki Racing Team complete 12 intensive days of testing in three different countries, as they work to refine the all-new 800cc ZX-RR ahead of the season opening Grand Prix of Qatar in March. The Sepang test marks a new era, both for the MotoGP World Championship and for the Kawasaki Racing Team. For the first time all five major manufacturers will field their 800cc machines at the same circuit, providing all the teams with their first opportunity to make direct comparisons with their rivals for the MotoGP World Championship title. Sepang is also the first test in which the Kawasaki Racing Team will participate since the team was taken in-house by the Japanese manufacturer in November last year. Under the guidance of Kawasaki’s new racing director, Ichiro Yoda, the team have worked tirelessly during the winter break to put in place the infrastructure necessary to support Kawasaki’s MotoGP racing activities. The process of working together to overcome many obstacles, and to meet increasingly tight deadlines, has resulted in a much more cohesive unit, which means that the team arrive in Sepang with higher expectations, and a higher level of morale, than in previous seasons. But, while there is definitely a new air of optimism within the Kawasaki pit box, nobody is under any illusions about the task that faces them in the run up to the 2007 MotoGP season. Initial shakedown tests of the new 800cc Ninja ZX-RR at the end of last year showed the bike’s potential, but it also highlighted areas where development effort needed to be focussed in order to improve the overall package. Work on the new bike has continued unabated during the winter test ban, and the Kawasaki Racing Team head into the first test of the new year confident that the development of the ZX-RR is on target, and with the clear goal of matching their factory rivals on the track by the time the test concludes on Wednesday. Kawasaki’s riders, Randy de Puniet and Olivier Jacque, know exactly what is expected of them during the three days of testing in Malaysia. With limited track time aboard the new 800cc Ninja ZX-RR up to this point, the two Frenchmen must familiarise themselves with the characteristics of the new bike, while also providing Kawasaki’s engineers with the data necessary to continue the development process back in Japan. It will be a tough task for de Puniet and Jacque, but both riders arrive in Sepang refreshed after the winter break, and eager to get the new season underway with a positive first test. Randy de Puniet: #14 “Let’s go! After nearly two months off the bike I can’t wait to get started again. I tested the new bike only very briefly at the end of last year, but it was enough to understand that it is a very different machine to the 990cc bike we raced in 2006, and that it demands a completely different riding style to get the best from it. I don’t think there will be any problems adapting to the characteristics of the 800cc Ninja ZX-RR, but I guess we’ll find out over the next three days. Obviously I want to end the test close to the fastest guys, but I’ll be relatively happy if we leave here with a good base set-up and a better understanding of how to get the best from the bike at this circuit.” Olivier Jacque: #19 “It’s good to be back full time in MotoGP with Kawasaki, and I’m definitely looking forward to the season ahead. For this test we will concentrate on finding a good base set-up for the new bike, but this will also be the first time I’ve worked with my new crew chief, Fiorenzo Fanali, so it will be an ideal opportunity for us both to check each other out and to find the best way of working together. As I said, the bike is new, so we will also be looking to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the new Ninja ZX-RR, so that we can pass this information back to the development engineers in Kawasaki’s race department in Japan. My first impression of the bike when we tested it in November was that it’s like a 250cc machine in feel, but with a lot more power. During the next three days I need to refine that assessment so that we can figure out how to take advantage of the unique characteristics of the 800cc machine.” Ichiro Yoda: Kawasaki Racing Director “The fact that we are here in Sepang and all ready to start the new season is down to a lot of hard work by everyone involved in Kawasaki’s MotoGP project. Our team members in Europe have cooperated closely with Kawasaki’s European subsidiary to ensure that we have the infrastructure necessary to support our racing activities, while Kawasaki’s engineers in Japan have worked long hours to develop our new 800cc ZX-RR into a competitive package with which to start the season. This cooperation between the many elements that make up the Kawasaki family has produced a strong team, which I’m sure will pay dividends for us in the future. Now we must focus on the next month of testing if we are to realise the full potential of our 800cc machine ready for the first race in Qatar. Our goals for the next three days are clear. Firstly we must find a base set-up on the new bike that both riders are happy with, and then we will start the refinement process based on the riders’ feedback and analysis of the data downloaded from the bike. At this stage of the season our first priority must be our development schedule, but I see no reason why we shouldn’t be aiming for a high position on the final timesheet by the end of these three days.”

I am pleased to announce our 2007 WMRC Schedule. There may be some last minute events picked up along the way, but the following is confirmed. Come join us at Mission Raceway Park for some fun and competitive flat track racing! April 14, Saturday – Practice #1 April 15, Sunday – Race Round #1 May 12, Saturday – Practice #2 May 13, Sunday -Race Round #2 July 2, Monday – Race Round #3 August 6, Monday- Race Round #4 September 22,Saturday – Race Round #5 September 23,Sunday – Race Round #6 Andrea Murphy WMRC Promotions Director 604-309-5932 www.wmrc.ca