From a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:

YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TESTS
Sepang, Malaysia
Friday, February 13, 2004

YAMAHA FACTORY RACING RIDERS END SUCCESSFUL THREE-DAY TEST IN MALAYSIA

Yamaha Factory Racing’s MotoGP teams concluded a busy three day test in Sepang today with another hot and humid day out on the track. The Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha and Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 teams will have no time to rest though as they move straight on to the Australian Phillip Island circuit for three more days of testing as of Tuesday 17 February.

Leading rookie of 2003, Honda’s Nicky Hayden, set a hot lap in the morning with a time of 2:02.04 and despite the efforts of his Honda compatriots Max Biaggi, (2:02.10) Sete Gibernau (2:02.49) and Honda new-boy Colin Edwards, (2:02.59) this remained the day’s fastest time. New Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha rider and reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi was fifth fastest again, running once again with the same engine prototype as yesterday, before stopping a little earlier than expected due to a small problem with the new engine spec. His Spanish team-mate Carlos Checa had another good session, building on his work from yesterday refining his M1 set-up. Both Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha riders continued to test new Michelin tyre combinations. Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 rider Marco Melandri finally found a set-up he felt comfortable with towards the end of the day and team-mate Norick Abe made some progress after a difficult three days. All four riders are now looking forward to riding their YZR-M1 machines at the dramatic Phillip Island circuit, having spent a total of six days testing at the humid Sepang venue already this year.

Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha)47 laps, 2:02.74

“At this test the new engine spec has given us a great improvement because I can accelerate more easily and it gives me more torque from the bottom. This is only the first prototype so for sure there is much more work to do and there is not enough horsepower right now. I think if I had not had to finish a bit early then I could probably have gone faster. Phillip Island will be a very important test because we need to understand how much time the bike takes to set up at a new track; the Yamaha has a reputation for needing a lot of changes each time it moves to a new circuit. But then of course it’s one story when you have three days at a test to work on set-up, and quite another when you have about three hours in a race weekend. For now we will go to Phillip Island with our current settings and see how we get on.”

Jeremy Burgess (Valentine Rossi’s Crew Chief)

“We had to stop earlier than we’d planned due to some gripes with the new engine spec. We had been running close to the limit with some of our parts, but we fully expected this. The biggest step of these three days has been the introduction of the new engine spec and we are very pleased with our progress, however I’m sure the opposition are pleased with their progress too! We’re in front of where the opposition were at the last race here; I know what we’ve got and where we’re going. We’ve made some good laps over the last three days and we have the ability to go further. At this stage it’s no surprise to be taking some steps forward and some steps back but now we’re ready for Phillip Island next week. I already know what we need to alter and so we’ll look forward to trying the bike at a new track.”

Carlos Checa (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha) 79 laps, 2:03.10

“I had high expectations for today and unfortunately didn’t achieve what I was hoping for – to get consistently fast laps. I have improved my time since yesterday and it’s not a bad time but it’s not what we were expecting. We’ve mostly worked on a variety of Michelin tyres today and haven’t made many other changes to the bike. I am looking forward to moving on to Phillip Island because it’s a great track. We’ve been totally focused here and have worked really hard, and will do the same there.”

Davide Brivio (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team Director)

“This has been a good test for Valentino. In three days he’s made more minor chassis adjustments and we have compared the two new engine specs. It is very interesting for him to understand the how the bike reacts to the changes. Both riders have tested new Michelin tyre combinations during the test and we wanted to reconfirm Valentino’s request for future engine development. Carlos improved his lap times, but he was not going out for a hot lap. His times are better than at the race last year, and they were quite good then! Now we will go to Phillip Island and see how the new engine reacts there.”

Marco Melandri (Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3) 59 laps, 2:04.75

“On the second to last lap I started to feel a bit better than I have felt all through this test. To be honest, I had some problems all day, and we have made many changes at this test and not all in the right direction! At about 3pm we found a better way, but we have had six days here now and we are still a long way from where we wanted to be. I was faster at the end and I think that with this setting it will be better next time we come to Sepang. I am glad I didn’t fall off here, I am glad we are going to Phillip Island now and I hope we’ll be better there!”

Norick Abe (Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3) 57 laps, 2:05.04

“I have had quite a rough time here and am not so happy. I used a new front tyre at the start of the day and it began well but by midday I started to lose front feeling. Right at the end we used the same tyre again and made some consistently good laps and I had a much better front feeling. So overall I’m leaving with a better impression than I started with. I have never raced the M1 at Phillip Island as unfortunately I fell off in practice last time I was there, so I am looking forward to riding there next week.”

Herve Poncharal
“Unfortunately this test has not been as good as we had hoped. We expected that it would be an improvement but we could not achieve consistently good lap times. Marco had a good race at Phillip Island last year – maybe the best of his MotoGP career – until he fell, so we are excited about his performance there next week. Anyway both riders did make some improvements towards the end of today’s session, and we’ll make sure they both feel positive next time we come back here!”

From a press release issued by Proforma:

KWS MOTORSPORTS ANNOUNCES MILLENNIUM TECHNOLOGIES SUZUKI ROAD RACING TEAM

KWS Motorsports is pleased to announce their AMA road race team for 2004, which will compete as Millennium Technologies Suzuki in the 2004 AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship. Shawn Higbee returns to the team after finishing sixth in the 2003 AMA Superbike Championship and earning the 2003 AMA Top Superbike Privateer award. For 2004, Shawn will be joined by young-gun Danny Eslick, the 17-year-old road racer and dirt tracker from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

“We are really looking forward to the 2004 season,” said team owner Kevin Hunt. “We had a great year with Shawn, finishing so high in the Superbike championship, and we want to carry that momentum into this coming season. All of our sponsors are back with us in a bigger way this year, and we’re happy to be working with an up-and-coming rider like Danny.”

For 2004, Shawn’s primary focus will be the Repsol Superstock class on the 2004 Suzuki GSX-R1000. Danny will concentrate on the Pro Honda Oils Supersport class on the all-new Suzuki GSX-R600, while also competing in select rounds of the Lockhart Phillips Formula Xtreme series. Owen Garnett will be crew chief while Shane Martinson will look after Shawn’s GSX-R1000s and Charlie Ramirez will take care of Danny’s GSX-R600s.

KWS Motorsports Suzuki is proud to be sponsored by Millennium Technologies, Team Suzuki Sport, KWS Motorsports, Yoshimura R&D, Vortex Racing, Dunlop Tires, Hotbodies Racing Bodywork, Nutec Fuel, EK Chain, Shoei Helmets, Teknic Leathers, Pit Bull Stands, Penske Suspensions, Traxxion Dynamics, Web-Cam, Baker Race Gear, Kaufman Trailers, Inc., HSA and BG Lubricants.

For more information, contact KWS Motorsports at (843) 552-7177 or visit their website at www.kwsmotorsports.com.

From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

LACONI (DUCATI FILA) UPS THE PACE ON DAY 2 OF VALENCIA TESTING

Valencia (Spain), 12 February 2004: Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila) again heads the field as official World Superbike pre-season testing continued in Valencia. The Frenchman, who has been quickest so far in two of the three days of testing, took half-a-second off his best time to end the day with 1:36.01. Ducati Fila team-mate James Toseland was not far behind Laconi, the British rider shaving a further two-tenths of a second off his personal best to record 1:36.63, but he was again edged into third place, this time by Steve Martin (DFX Ducati).

After reaching a satisfactory setting in the morning, Laconi (62 laps today) concentrated on his race simulation in the afternoon but this was interrupted when he went wide. “We did a good job today” declared Regis. “All the laps I recorded during my long-run were in the low thirty-sixes, so I am much happier with my performance now. I’m happy with the feeling I have reached with the 999 and I know we’re going in the right direction. We mustn’t forget the other guys who are close behind, but for the moment I’m pleased with the way the tests are going.”

Toseland (70 laps today), who completed his ‘long-run’ in the morning and then concentrated on general set-up work in the afternoon, was convinced there was more to come once he gets the balance of his 999 right. “I’m pretty happy with the way things have gone so far, but I just need that little bit extra feeling before I can say I’m 100% comfortable with the bike” declared James. “I’m sure there’s more to come at Valencia and I’m just trying to figure out how to get the balance right with the new front forks. This track is really frustrating because the harder you try to go quicker, the slower you go, so you mustn’t be in a hurry to improve.”

TIMES: 1. Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila) 1:36.01; 2. Steve Martin (DFX Ducati) 1:36.28; 3. James Toseland (Ducati Fila) 1:36.63; 4. Noriyuki Haga (Renegade Ducati) 1:36.67; 5. Troy Corser (Petronas) 1:36.76; 6. Leon Haslam (Renegade Ducati) 1:36.88; 7. Chris Vermeulen (Honda) 1:37.20; 8. Mauro Sanchini (Kawasaki) 1:37.28; etc.

LANZI AND GUARESCHI MAKE PROGRESS FOR DUCATI BREIL

Lorenzo Lanzi improved his time by more than half-a-second on the second day of World Supersport testing at the Valencia circuit. Despite a crash in the morning, the 22-year-old Italian finished the day with twelfth quickest time of 1:39.31 in his 43 laps.

The Ducati Breil team were able to note that the direction taken yesterday was the right one and that Lanzi was able to improve his times relatively easily. The brand-new Ducati 749R is a bike that will be making its Supersport debut this year against tough opposition in one of the most hotly-contested championships in world racing.

Ducati Corse tester Vittoriano Guareschi is also contributing to the 749R’s development curve at Valencia, the Italian putting in 36 laps, with a best time of 1:40.47, three-tenths quicker than yesterday. ‘Vitto’ was able to test various suspension settings throughout the day as he tried to gauge the reactions of the 749R to the Valencia circuit.

From a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

FUCHS KAWASAKI UP THE PACE AT SEPANG

Fuchs Kawasaki riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, again toiled in the heat and humidity of Malaysia during day two of a three day test at the 5.5km Sepang circuit, which is situated on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.

As track temperatures soared to more than 55°C during the afternoon, both Fuchs Kawasaki riders managed to overcome the tropical conditions to improve upon their lap times from the opening day of the test yesterday.

Hofmann, now fully recovered from the jet-lag that affected him on his arrival in Malaysia, put an upgraded version of the 990cc, inline four-cylinder Ninja ZX-RR engine to good use, to finish today’s test a full second faster than yesterday. Nakano will test the new engine tomorrow.

Working together with their respective pit crews, the Fuchs Kawasaki pairing spent today evaluating carbon front brake components, swinging arms and rear link options. Nakano also tried revised engine mapping options aimed at improving bottom end response from the engine.

Both Hofmann and Nakano spent most of the afternoon session working closely with Bridgestone as they completed back-to-back runs on a variety of different compound and construction front and rear tyres. Both riders exclusively used Bridgestone’s latest 16.5″ front slick, which has been designed to provide a larger contact patch and improve steering response.

Alex Hofmann: 2:04.568 – 49 laps
“Today was incredibly hot, making it really hard out on the track, but I’m happy to have made some good progress and ended the day a second faster than yesterday. I’m pleased with the fact that I managed to find a good rhythm today, which meant I was lapping consistently in the 2:04 bracket. We’re definitely moving in the right direction with the engine, with the latest modifications making it feel both sharper and faster; it will be interesting to see Shinya’s reaction when he tests it for the first time tomorrow. One of the swing arm options we tried today improved traction under acceleration; an area in which any improvement is more than welcome. My tyre runs were mainly to back up data from the previous test here, although the new profile front felt good. Overall, while I’m happy with how things are going, there is still a lot of work to do if we are to find our optimum set up.”

Shinya Nakano: 2:04.318 – 52 laps
“We had everything under control today and we managed to get through our full test schedule, including trying out some new profile front tyres that showed good potential. My target is to go faster still on the final day of the test, with the aim being to dip into the 2:03 bracket tomorrow. On my final run the revised engine mapping made it easier for me to control rear end slides and wheelies; we’ve been missing some bottom end power. Tomorrow I’m looking forward to testing the latest engine specification and learning more about the characteristics of the Ninja ZX-RR.”

Harald Eckl – Team Manager
“Considering the difficult conditions we’ve been working under I’m reasonably satisfied with the results today, especially Alex’s lap times with the latest engine. Both Alex and Shinya have matched their lap times from the January test and, with a few more things to try on the final day of the test tomorrow, I think the potential to go even faster is definitely there. Tomorrow Shinya will run the latest engine, to back up the data we got from Alex today, and this will be important as we continue our development programme.”

From a press release issued by Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks – Scuderia Caracchi:

WINTER TEST IN VALENCIA AT THE EVE OF WORLD SUPERBIKE DEBUT

Started yesterday the last winter test session on Valencia circuit. Both the riders went on the work to understand the new 999RS. Garry McCoy recorded, after a first day with long pit stops due to a few heating problem, a good 13th lap time without hard pushing, with the goal to learn the limits of the new machine.

“Actually it does feel like my first day of testing, despite I’ve been testing the 999RS already in Almeria” – said a satisfied McCoy at the end of the day – “Almeria was for me more to get used to the bike and make a few laps, but too much trafic on the track and the weather conditions didn’t suit us. Yesterday we had some problem, so it made me slow down a bit during the day because we couldn’t do more then a couple of laps each time we were goimg out. Today finally I got a very good feeling about the bike. I still am trying to get used to it, but I won’t need much more time to open the throttle with confidence. Today finally we had any problem and we have been able to do a lot of laps and a lot of setting work. The team is working very hard to get the bike I want. I’m really happy with them, they work without pressure and this is very important for a rider. I’m pretty sure that all together we will make one of the best teams.”

Miguel Praia too continued his learning job on a machine totally different from the bikes he rode before; the young rider has good riding qualities, but he want absolutely miss the mistakes that, like last year for Garcia, could vanish a good racing debut in this season:

“For me it’s all new ” – declares Miguel back in the pit – “I’m slowely having a better feeling with the bike, but in that conditions also to set the bike is more difficult. I want try to miss bad mistakes that could destroy this season that’s very important for my career.”

Together with Team Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks is testing in Valencia also Gianfranco De Matteis who is going to be present as wild card in some event on the 998RS of the team:

“I’m tired but satisfied of my job” – said De Matteis – “I was not riding a racing bike since last round of World SBK held in Brands Hatch last July, so I’m out of exercise, for this I’m satisfied of those two day testing.”

From a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:

YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TESTS

Sepang, Malaysia

Thursday, February 12, 2004

GAULOISES FORTUNA YAMAHA MEN CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THROUGHOUT BUSY SECOND DAY IN SEPANG

It was business as usual today for Yamaha Factory Racing’s MotoGP teams in the Malaysian heat during the second day of testing at the Sepang circuit. Sharing the track with most of the 2004 MotoGP grid, Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Carlos Checa completed some quick lap times to finish the day in the top group on their YZR-M1 machines.

Honda rider Max Biaggi put in the day’s fastest lap with an approximate time of 2:02.70, his timing transponder removed, and fellow Honda rider Colin Edwards was not far behind with 2:02.845. Sete Gibernau (Honda), also with transponder removed, set an approximate fastest lap of 2:02.850, with Honda colleague Nicky Hayden on the pace of 2:02.855, just ahead of Yamaha newcomer Rossi. The reigning World Champion spent the day working with a new prototype engine while team-mate Checa continued refining his M1 set-up, and testing different Michelin tyre combinations.

Next door in the Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 pit garage, Italian Marco Melandri continued searching for a comfortable set-up whilst building up strength in his shoulder which he injured in the latter stages of his 2003 season. Japanese rider Norick Abe worked to improve the balance of his bike and was rewarded when he posted a substantially improved time than yesterday.

Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha) 57 laps, 2:03.08

“Today we worked 100% on the new engine spec and in the end we achieved a similar lap time to yesterday. I’m quite happy because we are working with a totally new prototype. There are some teething problems which we need to fix but for sure this engine has more potential than the other one we’ve been using. I am certain that this is the right way to continue, although we still need a bit more power. However I think it is better to go a bit more slowly at this point with the new engine and achieve better results in the long run. I am confident that we can continue improving tomorrow.”

Carlos Checa (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha) 68 laps, 2:03.31

“I feel fine with this chassis today and managed to find some good lap times. We finally got the kind of results we have been looking for. We worked with various tyres but eventually stuck with the one we used here at the last Sepang test. I improved my average lap time and did a few 2.03s – this is the most important thing. Obviously there are still areas we need to work on but we are making developments each time we test.”

Marco Melandri (Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3) 40 laps, 2:05.13

“I am happy with my shoulder recovery so far this week. The problem is that I feel a little bit deluded because we have now tested for five days (including the last Sepang test) and we are still struggling to find a set-up which I feel completely comfortable with. Sepang is not one of my favourite circuits but I thought that I would improve more here. We have got a lot of work to do to solve our problems.”

Norick Abe (Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3) 55 laps, 2:04.57

“In general I felt a bit better today and was 1.5 second faster than yesterday, which is good. Yesterday we worked on the rear and today we worked on the front so the balance is much better. My target for tomorrow is 2.03. I know that testing is very important but for me, three days is a long time. I always prefer racing!”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Veteran AMA Superbike racer Larry Pegram will race privately-supported Yamahas in the entire Formula USA series and select rounds of the 2004 AMA Championship.

“You know that shop we always sign autographs at when we race at VIR? Triangle Cycles Yamaha in Danville, Virginia. That’s the shop we’re going to run the team out of,” Pegram told Roadracingworld.com Thursday. “Right now we’re planning on doing the whole Formula USA (Sportbike) series, run the R6 in that, and then do the R1 in the AMA Superstock. We’re going to do four or five of the AMA rounds. And then if we get the right budget, we may do the whole AMA series.”

Pegram said he will also race his YZF-R6 in AMA Supersport and hopes to develop his YZF-R1 into a Superbike for AMA competition.

Pegram, who ran the entire F-USA series in 2002 for Hooters Suzuki before switching to his ill-fated Dream Team Ducati AMA Superbike effort in 2003, said his new team will work out of the semi-truck that previously transported the Red Bull Ducati CCS team, will run on Pirelli tires and his teammate will be 45-year-old Richard Eanes.

Eanes, a businessman who just recently started racing, hired Pegram to be his personal riding coach in 2003 and credited Pegram’s tutoring as the key to him winning 2003 CCS National Championships in Amateur Formula 40 and Amateur Super Twins.

The Triangle Cycles Yamaha team will make its debut at the CCS/Formula USA round at Daytona International Speedway February 26.

From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

DAY 2 OF TESTING FOR DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM IN SEPANG

DEVELOPMENT WORK CONTINUES FOR THE DESMOSEDICI GP4 IN MALAYSIA

Sepang (Malaysia), 12 February, 2004 – Second day of testing for the Ducati Marlboro Team in Sepang where the new Desmosedici GP4 is continuing its first tests. The Italian squad focussed on development and set-up work on the 2004 bike, and the riders in particular concentrated on the 16.5″ front.

Yesterday’s first day of testing allowed the Bologna-based team to get an idea of the development work carried out for the new season and the new Desmosedici already appears to at a good competitive level. The experience accumulated last year will allow the team to start the new season with optimism.

The weather conditions on this second day of testing at the Malaysian circuit were characterized by searing heat and humidity (air 28-34°/track 35-53°C).

Bayliss devoted the entire day’s testing to obtaining the right set-up with the bike, working in collaboration with Michelin tyre engineers on the new front tyre size. The Australian completed a total of 48 laps, exclusively on race tyres, setting a best time of 2:03.748, quicker than the time he recorded yesterday and in last year’s Malaysian GP.

“We worked hard today, concentrating exclusively on the 16.5″ front” declared Troy at the end of the session. “Yesterday we had a bit of difficulty getting the right feeling with the new front, but things are a lot better today, as you can see by my time. We’ve still got a lot of work to get through, in particular on getting the best set-up for this circuit. I reckon that we still need to make a few small changes to help me feel confident with the front, but we’re almost there.”

Capirossi also focussed on the same objective during the session – gaining confidence with the 16.5″ front. Today Loris completed 48 laps of the Sepang track with a best time of 2:03.914, slightly slower than yesterday’s mark, but a time that confirmed that the team were concentrating more on set-up work rather than the stop-watch.

“I still haven’t been able to find the right feeling with the 16.5″ front” commented Loris. “I didn’t push for a quick time, I just concentrated on tyre work. I am increasingly convinced that the new bike has improved a lot over last year’s Desmosedici, but I’m not entirely satisfied with it yet. We are in an important development stage and we have to find the right configuration to benefit from the new solutions and make progress before the start of the season.”

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

Kevin Windham Points Penalty Overturned

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — A three-person appeal board organized by AMA Pro Racing has decided to overturn the points deduction penalty assessed to Kevin Windham. Windham had been docked 10 points by AMA Pro Racing MX/SX Series Manager Steve Whitelock for an incident involving fellow rider David Vuillemin at Round 2 of the AMA Supercross Series. In the opinion of Whitelock, Windham engaged in unsafe and unsportsmanlike riding by intentionally making contact with Vuillemin on lap one of the main event. The contact resulted in Vuillemin being pushed off the track nearly colliding with a photographer standing nearby. Vuillemin, who had the early lead in the race, remounted and worked his way back through the pack for a eventual seventh place finish.

The appeal board found that while points penalties are with merit and necessary, Windham’s actions in this case did not violate the AMA Supercross/Motocross Rulebook.

The appeal board voted 2-1 in favor of Windham.

From a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

MotoGP test Sepang, Malaysia. February12.

Non-stop progress for Honda riders in Sepang

There were mixed weather conditions for the Honda riders out in Sepang today. It was day two of three of the test session currently taking place at the impressive circuit just south of the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, and with bright sunshine ruling the morning hours, clouds took over during the middle part of the day. Temperatures remained high nevertheless, and this meant that all six riders could put in some good track time on the latest versions of the RC211Vs they will race in 2004.

Max Biaggi was fast once more concentrating much of his work, like Colin Edwards and Sete Gibernau, on the tyres supplied by Michelin and their durability. Makoto Tamada did much of the same with his Bridgestone rubbers, whilst Repsol Honda works pairing Nicky Hayden and Alex Barros concentrated more on the rear suspension linkage and new swingingarm which had been tested at Sepang a couple of weeks back by factory tester Tohru Ukawa to great effect. Barros circulating one and a half seconds than on the opening day, Hayden just over a second better than yesterday.

Max Biaggi – 2:02.7

“The second day is always a little harder, especially after the first day’s exertions. We changed some suspension settings today to see how they affected the bike, and maybe we lost a little time. Nevertheless, when you are working hard you always get better though. We worked a lot on race simulations and the bike’s configurations for these. So the results today were that we are getting the rewards for our hard work. Looking at the other riders and their times too I feel we’re going into an era where there’ll be a lot of surprises and a lot of things happening. It’s good.”

Colin Edwards – 2:02.845

“I’ve been working, training, and doing some motocrossing, but whenever you come back to the bike after two or three weeks off you get sore muscles all over. This morning I knew I’d ridden hard yesterday, but I felt good though. I’m just still plugging away and testing though. I had a plan to use the 17-inch front tyre and tell everyone how good it was and then use the 16.5 inch to my advantage, but that doesn’t seem to have worked! But seriously, the work we’re doing with the 16.5 is good now, I know it’s a good tyre because I helped develop it, and Michelin have brought new stuff here which is 90% new to me as well as the other riders. I know maybe a little how to make the difference or where the limits are a little more though, I know the warning signs better.”

Sete Gibernau – 2:02.85

“I still think that we can work on the clutch and the engine braking on the RC211V, but at the moment we don’t have anything new to test on the bike so we are focusing on tyres. I think races will be won in the mid- to three-quarter stage of a race, and that’s where I’m looking at. I’m happy, because we are consistent, and the things Michelin have brought to the table are good. We’ll continue working tomorrow on this, and hoping that soon we’ll have more things to try from Honda.”

Nicky Hayden – 2:02.855

“I felt like I was ridin’ a lot better today – especially in the mornin’. Yesterday we tried a lot of things to get a good base settin’. We tried a lot of front Michelins and that really helped with my confidence in the front end which is important for me. Immediately we got down to some pretty good lap times and what was good was that they were pretty consistently fast.”

“After a big step this morning I kinda’ got in a rut after lunch and wasn’t makin’ as much progress, as I’d have liked. The new swing arm is takin’ a lil’ getting’ used to – gives a lil’ more grip and we tried some new shocks today that helped a lil’ under braking. We’ve got some things to work on tomorrow but we’re definitely goin’ in the right direction. Much better today than yesterday”.

Makoto Tamada – 2:03.490

“I’m not so happy. I’m happy now, but I want to make another step forward. I can’t really be happy because I’m not too fast when compared to the other riders, they have a better fast lap. Anyway, my problem at the moment is consistency, and mainly in the tyres. They are just small problems though, and maybe with incidents like that I had in Sepang last time, and that of Kenny Roberts today, then I think we will begin to see Bridgestone move forward, it’s a possible big step for them.”

Alex Barros – 2:04.427

“Feel pretty sore today which is not surprising as yesterday was the first time I had ridden in three months. The shoulder is feeling OK and I have to keep putting ice on the keep it calm. It’s definitely feeling a lot better every day.”

“I’m tired now but have a lot more confidence in the bike than yesterday. I need to keep running – my feeling for the machine has improved in a day. Sometimes I think I’m pushing hard – it’ll come naturally. I need more time to understand the machine – more experience of the bike.”

“We spent most of the day riding one bike and making adjustments to it – different links, changing suspension units, the mapping and 16.5-inch tyre. I’ve improved my lap time from this morning and am quite happy really.”


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

Second day of tests at Sepang. Makoto Tamada finishes with seven quickest time

The technicians spent the second day of tests in the sultry heat of Sepang mainly analysing – together with the rider – all the possible high-precision settings the RC211V 2004 is capable of. The Honda 2004 that Makoto will be using for the season that is just about to start actually allows a number of crucial settings that are different from those of the 2003 version. So Makoto and the team investigated in depth the possibilities and methods that are required to perfect the set-up of the bike, in order to understand how and where to intervene.

Tamada put in a total of 46 laps, stopping the clock at 2:03.490 – seventh quickest time in the second day of tests. The Malaysian tests come to an end tomorrow and will continue in Australia on 17/18/19 February

Makoto Tamada (# 6 – Camel Honda – Bridgestone Tyres)

“The amount of work to be done is really enormous. But every lap gives a perfect opportunity to get to know the new RC211V that much better. I’m pleased with the fast lap time but I’m still not fully satisfied with the pace – in other words maintaining the same level of performance for a number of laps. We’re trying to fine-tune the settings as much as we can so we can make the very best of the potential of this bike. Today I concentrated on handling the clutch and engine brake, but also on details concerning the chassis. I still haven’t completed work on selecting the tyres, but I know that the official Bridgestone test rider Schinichi Itoh has been working precisely on the tyre front, and has been getting some good results.”

Luca Montiron (Team Manager Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda)

“We completed a very positive day of tests and really got to grips with the details of setting up the bike. So we made up some of the time we lost yesterday after Makoto’s slide, and the technicians and rider now have a better view of this important phase of getting to know the RC211V 2004. For the moment we haven’t started going for the fastest lap time, but we’ll be doing this when the important work of getting all the settings right is complete.”

Times on second day of tests:

Makoto Tamada: 2:03.49 – 46 laps
Max Biaggi: 2:02.70 – 61 laps