From a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:
FORTUNA YAMAHA TEAM PREVIEW
British Grand Prix
Donington
July 11/12/13 2003
SEASON HITS HALFWAY STAGE WITH FORTUNA YAMAHA IMPROVING
This weekend heralds the arrival of MotoGP to the UK for the eighth Grand Prix and the halfway point of the 2003 World Championship. This Sunday the Fortuna Yamaha Team and its riders Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri will continue their quest to achieve a podium finish in what is an extremely competitive contest for the crown of premier class World Champion. This year the top speeds are higher, the lap times lower, the bikes louder, there are more manufacturers involved and the crowds are bigger than ever. And it looks as though the hoards that attend the spectacle at Donington Park this weekend will be no exception. Ticket sales are already impressive and look set to exceed last year’s 60,000 strong race day crowd.
Fortuna Yamaha Team riders Checa and Melandri will relish the chance to shine at what they regard to be their second ‘home Grand Prix’. Both riders are UK residents, Checa is based in Great Ayton in Yorkshire, and Melandri lives in Derby, which neighbours Donington Park circuit. They will be as determined as ever to show their adoptive countrymen what they are capable of, and to improve their positions in the championship standings. Checa has had a surge of improvement at the past two races; in his birthplace Catalunya and the ensuing Assen TT, where he finished fourth place in both. Melandri will be hoping to put behind his difficult season start and show his true potential in his rookie year in the premier class.
After Donington the Fortuna Yamaha Team will not have much chance of respite as they head to the Czech Republic for a two day test on July 16 and 17 at the Brno circuit, then on to Germany for the Sachsenring Grand Prix on July 27.
BRIVIO CONFIDENT OF FORTUNA YAMAHA’S POTENTIAL IN DONINGTON
After Checa’s performance at the past two Grands Prix, director of the Fortuna Yamaha Team Davide Brivio is sure that Donington can be the pivotal point of the season that can launch Checa to a string of podium finishes.
“The team has worked flat out all year but especially so in the last few races,” he explained. “The high level of competition and a run of bad luck for both of our riders has pushed them even harder to get a decent result. We know that we should be on the podium and now Carlos is so close to getting that. He will be pushing extra hard at Donington because it’s a home race, he has quite a good qualifying track record there as well, so now it’s just down to hard work on Friday and Saturday, hopefully decent weather, and as always with racing, a little bit of luck. He is on good form both mentally and physically right now and ready to prove himself.”
Checa’s team-mate Marco Melandri, who is also a UK resident, has not had as good a start to the 2003 season as he hoped. In his inaugural MotoGP season the 250cc World Champion suffered a major fall at his first race of the year which left him with serious leg injuries. However his recovery was astoundingly fast and he is now physically fit but still hoping for a better result than he has achieved so far in the five races he has participated in. He has stepped up his physical training programme at the advice of his doctor to recover from his Suzuka injuries, mostly by swimming and motocross training.
Melandri’s best finish so far was eleventh place in the Italian Grand Prix, and unfortunately his last race at Assen ended disappointingly as he was forced to retire due to a leaking helmet visor which impaired his vision. This was a big blow to the young Italian who had performed so well during the final qualifying session at Assen, where he vied for pole position with current Championship leader and MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi. Melandri currently lies in twentieth position in the championship standings.
Davide Brivio feels that Fortuna Yamaha’s young prodigy is now at a stage to fight for a higher position. “Having talked about not being able to find a ‘good feeling’ with his M1, Marco has felt differently at the past two races,” said Brivio. “He is only twenty years old and because of his mature attitude and vast experience in the racing world, it’s easy to forget how new he is to it all. Also he has two races less experience than his class competitors this season, so it was bound to take some time for him to reach this point. In Assen his qualifying performance showed that he has a natural aptitude for the four-stroke class and hopefully in Donington he will have the chance to fight in the top ten riders and also earn himself some more points. There is no reason why he shouldn’t be able to do that.”
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING
Donington was a circuit born with a reputation for being challenging both for rider and machine, a reputation that only gained further strength with the 1987 extension, which was carried out to allow Donington to form part of the Grand Prix calendar. It’s this ‘modern’ extension that has added to the complexity of the circuit layout, which can be separated into two contrasting components. The first, from the start-finish line to the right-hander called Coppice Corner, is a flowing sequence of medium to high-speed corners that drop down Craner Curves into the Old Hairpin before climbing back out on the approach to Coppice. In an extreme contrast the circuit is completed with a sequence of stop-and-go switchback and hairpins between Fogarty Esses and Goddard Corner.
This one feature alone makes dialing-in a motorcycle chassis difficult, as a fast lap will come down to a compromise in all round set-up. Add to that the lack of grip, which some say is due to the jet fuel residue left by the nearby East Midlands airport, and the best result will be achieved by the rider who can ride around any chassis compromises.
The main aim is to find a chassis that offers a good pitching balance during braking and acceleration. Too much and you lose stability under brakes in the second half of the lap; not enough and the bike will be difficult to turn through the faster sweeping opening sequence of turns. The catch is that the first half of the circuit lends itself to a fast laptime, while a good setup for the second half – the stop-and-go addition – is where many riders with the right set-up can make an easy pass.
DONINGTON SHOULD OPEN DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY FOR CHECA
Catalan born Carlos Checa currently lies eighth in the chamionship and needs to race his way to a fifth place standing to beat his sixth position at the end of 2002. Of course ‘El Toro’ is hoping for much more than fifth. Theoretically Donington should be a high point-winning opportunity for Checa. His track record there with Yamaha’s YZR-M1 machine is good, as he started from second place on the grid there last year, and gave his all during the tight race against Valentino Rossi. Unfortunately his weekend performance did not bear fruit as, despite leading from the race start until the 18th lap, he slid off without injury at the Goddards hairpin. He restarted the race but severe damage to his bike meant he was forced to pull out of the contest.
The 2003 season has shown Checa a tough time but he has regained his old form at the past two races. He finished fourth in the Catalunya Grand Prix, and fourth again at the wet Dutch TT in Assen two weeks ago. During both rides the Spaniard has shown his gritty old form, and he is set to continue that form in the United Kingdom. Another encouraging achievement for Checa was reaching a 1000 career point milestone after the 13 points he scored in Catalunya. He is the twelfth rider in the sport’s history to achieve this acclaim.
Despite his fall in Donington last year, he still has total confidence in the circuit, “I led the race in Donington last year and if I crashed it’s not Donington’s problem,” he reasoned. “I just crashed, and it was my own fault. I am a professional rider and I should be able to sense how hard I can push before I fall off.”
Checa’s history with the UK circuit is indeed chequered; his premier-class debut there was in 1996 when he ran well during the race until he was knocked down by a rival. He also had a terrible tumble there two years later, the worst of his eleven year GP career, when he had to have his spleen removed as a result of his internal injuries. He is a fan of the circuit regardless, and has not been put off at all by his experiences there, “I want to be on the podium in Donington, I don’t know how but that is my target, and I will fight as much as I can to be there,” he said. “I have a personal interest in Donington but I’ve never been on the podium there. I have a good feeling about the circuit because England is one of the countries with the greatest passion for sport, especially motorsport, so the atmosphere is always good.
“The track, however, is another matter as it’s not great for me, particularly the last part. It’s a bit like an appendix, very stop-and-go. I don’t find the earlier sections of the track too bad though. It’s strange to be in England, one of the most powerful motorsporting countries for racing in Europe but to ride on a slightly older track. It’s a little bit slippery and the paddock is quite old. The redeeming features are that the downhill-uphill section is nice, and of course the people.”
MELANDRI WANTS TO SHOW OFF TO FRIENDS IN SECOND HOME GRAND PRIX
Fortuna Yamaha Team rider Marco Melandri will not have very far to travel to this weekend’s Grand Prix, as the Donington circuit is situated really close to his UK home in Derby. The Ravenna-born rider goes back there whenever he gets the chance in his busy racing and testing schedule, and relishes the chance to fully relax and not be called upon by his many contemporaries as he is whenever he returns to Italy. His best friend in the UK is Motocross rider Jamie Dobb, and the two are virtually inseparable when Marco comes back to Derby.
“It’s like my second home Grand Prix”, said the diminutive Italian. “I have raced there five times, and last year I won the 250cc race there. I don’t like the track too much though. It’s strange because with a small bike like a 125cc it seems really fast but on the 250 it seems small. With the MotoGP four-stroke bike I think it will be even slower! The grip there isn’t the same every day, perhaps because of the fuel from the overflying planes. It’s really bumpy and there are three really small corners where it’s easy to make a mistake.
“I would really like to do well in Donington, not just because it’s my home and I will have lots of friends there but also because it’s time now for me to progress to the next level with my racing. It’s been a very frustrating season for me so far because I have gone from winning a World Championship last year to having almost to learn from scratch again. But I’m sure that I have the capability, and I have full confidence in Yamaha and my team that before the end of the season we can get some good finishes in the top ten, and who knows, maybe a podium!”
CARLOS CHECA : INFORMATION
Age: 30
Lives: Great Ayton, England
Bike: Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1
GP victories: 2 (500)
First GP victory: Catalunya, 1996 (500)
First GP: Europe, 1993 (125)
GP starts: 142 (22 x MotoGP, 92×500, 27×250, 1×125)
Pole positions: 2 (1 x MotoGP, 1 x 500)
First pole: Spain, 1998 (500)
Donington 2002 results. Grid: 2nd, Race: DNF
MARCO MELANDRI : INFORMATION
Age: 20
Lives: Derby, England
Bike: Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1
GP victories: 17 (10 x 250, 7 x 125)
First GP victory: Assen, 1998 (125)
First GP: Brno, 1997 (125)
GP starts: 80 (4 x MotoGP, 42 x 250, 34 x 125)
Pole positions: 8
First pole: Sachsenring, 1998 (125)
Donington MotoGP lap record
Valentino Rossi 1:32.247 (2002)
Circuit best lap
Valentino Rossi 1:31.563 (2002)
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
British Grand Prix, Donington Park
July 11/12/13 2003
DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM REACHES 2003 HALFWAY HOUSE
The remarkable Ducati Marlboro Team MotoGP project completes its first half season at Donington Park this weekend, already well established as one of the World Championship’s front runners.
Although many people already seem rather accustomed to the up-front performances of riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss, it’s worth noting exactly what the factory has achieved with its first prototype Grand Prix machine in more than three decades. Of the seven GPs so far, the team has led six races, scored one victory, four podiums, two pole positions and seven front-row starts – an incredible record from a brand-new machine.
Capirossi and Bayliss will be therefore be expected to be in the hunt once again at Donington, even though they’ve never been to the Midlands venue with the 220-plus horsepower Desmosedici. Donington is round eight of this year’s 16-race MotoGP World Championship, which concludes with the Marlboro Valencia Grand Prix on November 2.
CONFIDENCE IS THE KEY FOR DUCATI MARLBORO MEN
The Ducati Marlboro Team comes to Donington this weekend fresh from two events that underline the Desmosedici’s awesome performance – Loris Capirossi scored the bike’s historic first victory at Catalunya a month ago and its second pole position at Assen a fortnight back.
Considering that the Desmosedici is still so new, it’s perhaps surprising that the bike isn’t being upgraded with new parts at every race, but all this really proves is that Ducati made a great job of creating a good motorcycle from the very beginning. Indeed it’s factory policy to leave bikes as unchanged as possible from one race to the next, because this allows riders to gain an intimate knowledge of how their machines behave on the limit, which in turn gives them greater confidence to push to the limit.
“More confidence is better than more new parts,” says Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “And at this stage we want our riders to focus on set-up for each race, rather than testing new parts. But maybe we can try some different things when we test at Brno on the Wednesday and Thursday after Donington.”
Despite the team’s superb recent results, Capirossi and Bayliss had a tough race day at Assen two weeks ago, the pair coming home sixth and ninth in treacherous rain-lashed conditions. “That’s the highs and lows of racing,” adds Suppo. “But overall I think Assen was a good weekend for us – taking pole position is never easy, especially when your bike has never been to the track before. It’s difficult to say how we’ll go at Donington; the bike seems to be pretty good wherever we race, and both the riders love the track, which is a good start.”
Donington’s overriding characteristic is its two contrasting sections – one fast and flowing, the other slow and tight. The Ducati Marlboro Team will therefore be working hard to give its riders very balanced machinery.
“You need to make some real set-up compromises at Donington,” says Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. “The track is very hard on brakes, so maybe we’ll run bigger brake discs there. You also have to run a stiffer front-end, so the forks don’t bottom out during braking, which means working with springs, preload and hydraulic damping settings.”
Capirossi and Bayliss have a choice of three different diameter Brembo front brake discs – 290mm, 305mm and 320mm – depending on circuit characteristics. At Assen, where there’s little heavy braking, Capirossi preferred the 290mm discs while Bayliss liked the 305mm rotors. At Donington they may both use 320mm brakes.
“I think it’s an interesting track,” adds Cecchinelli. “Maybe it doesn’t have a long straight, but otherwise it’s got a little of everything – heavy braking, fast corners and tight hairpins. I like British racetracks like Donington and Brands Hatch because they have some soul. There’s always a few corners that are interesting, that you remember, like Craner, which is a big challenge for riders and engineers. Just like Assen, we’ve had plenty of Superbike experience at Donington, but all this gives us is an idea of what to expect. At Assen we knew we’d have to work on manoeuvrability through the high-speed direction changes, at Donington we know we’ll have to focus on braking performance.”
CAPIROSSI AND HIS V4 ARE ON A ROLL
Loris Capirossi and his Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici are on a roll – the Italian has already scored six successive front row starts, including two pole positions, and one victory so far this season. At Donington Park he’ll be working hard to achieve more success, but he knows that the track’s complex nature won’t make things easy.
“Donington is one of my favourite tracks,” says Capirossi who won his very first GP success at Donington in August 1990, aged just 17. “But I’m not so sure that it’ll be great for the Ducati, especially the last section where it’s all slow, tight corners with hard braking and low-gear acceleration. But you have to race at every track and make the best of what you’ve got. I don’t think the hard braking will be a real problem, but low-gear acceleration isn’t easy when you have so much horsepower.
“For sure we have a powerful engine with very good top speed, but we need to work on the overall balance of the machine. It’s already very good but not yet perfect – I’d say we’re now at 85 per cent, maybe a little more. Sure, we’ve won a race, but our work is far from over, in fact it gets harder and harder as you try to find more and more performance.”
Capirossi has a remarkable record at Donington – he won the British 125 GP in 1990 and ’91, and the British 250 GP in ’94 and ’98.
BAYLISS – TAKING THE GOOD WITH THE BAD
The British GP is a little like coming home for Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss – the Aussie used to live between Coventry and Birmingham when he contested the British Superbike championship back in 1998 and 1999. Those were Bayliss’ first seasons with Ducati, and ultimately they paved the way to his 2001 World Superbike title and recent graduation to MotoGP.
It didn’t take Bayliss long to establish himself as a MotoGP front-runner – he scored a front-row start and podium finish in just his third race on the Desmosedici at May’s Spanish GP. Since then he’s been fighting to get the bike working according to his wishes, though that hasn’t diminished his fighting spirit – both his most recent top-ten results, at Assen and Catalunya, were achieved after off-track excursions.
“We started off better than anyone expected, and everything’s still going in the right direction but I’ve had a couple of so-so runs recently,” says straight-talking Bayliss. “That’s racing though, you’ve got to take the good with the bad. The bike’s quite close, it’s just a matter of getting the little things right on the day, and when you’ve not been to a lot of the tracks, you can sometimes miss that last little bit.
“I know Donington from my Superbike days. You need good front-end feel there, and a bike that changes direction at speed on the gas through Craner – you’ll destroy yourself heaving the bike from one side to the other there if it’s not working well. It’s quite hard to get a balanced set-up at Donington.”
THE TRACK
Donington Park is a real rider’s track, dominated by fast, sweeping corners that crucially inter-link with each other. Through these sections a fluid riding style and high corner speed are much more important than brute horsepower. But just to complicate matters, the ‘new’ Melbourne loop section (added in 1986) features three dead-stop turns where last-gasp braking and vicious acceleration are all important. Getting a MotoGP machine to work through these two contrasting segments is a great challenge for both riders and engineers.
Donington has been hosting GPs since 1987, taking over from Silverstone. The venue’s history as a racetrack goes back to 1931 when the owners of the nearby Donington mansion allowed the estate roads to be used for racing. The circuit was shut down during the war and only re-opened in 1977 after extensive redevelopment by local businessman Tom Wheatcroft.
Donington Park: 4.023km/2.500 miles
Lap record: Valentino Rossi (Honda), 1:32.247, 157.000kmh/97.555mph (2002)
Pole position 2002: Valentino Rossi (Honda), 1m 31.563s
DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM DATA LOGS
TROY BAYLISS
Age: 34
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici
First GP: Australia, 1997 (250)
GP starts: 8 (7xMotoGP, 1×250)
World Superbike victories: 22
World Championships: 1 (Superbike: 2001)
Donington 2002 results: DNS
LORIS CAPIROSSI
Age: 30
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici
GP victories: 23 (1xMotoGP, 2×500, 12×250, 8×125)
First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125)
First GP: Japan, 1990 (125)
GP starts: 191 (21xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125)
Pole positions: 35 (2xMotoGP, 5×500, 23×250, 5×125)
First pole: Australia, 1991 (125)
World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998)
Donington 2002 results : DNS
More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:
Planes, boats and motorhomes have occupied Fuchs Kawasaki Team riders, Andrew Pitt and Garry McCoy, in the lead-up to this Sunday’s British Grand Prix, which is the traditional turning point of the 16 round MotoGP World Championship.
Donington Park hosts round eight of the championship on July 13 with Kawasaki’s Australian race combination of Pitt and McCoy representing the Ninja ZX-RR squad. Proposed British GP wild card Akira Yanagawa is absent as he recovers from a back injury suffered at the recent Grand Prix of Catalunya.
Aiming for an early arrival in the UK McCoy shared the driving duties of his luxury motorhome for the cross-channel drive from Assen and last week’s rain-hit Dutch TT. McCoy, never happy to be at the back of the pack, is eager to find improved speed from his ZX-RR and will use Donington practise sessions to evaluate a revised chassis specification. One of McCoy’s race bikes will be set-up with the ‘softer’ chassis that has been developed from recent test sessions and used to good effect in GPs by wild card Alex Hofmann.
Meanwhile, Isle of Man resident Pitt has combined training at his island base with an interest in aircraft by checking out the historic wartime British flying machines at a local air show. MotoGP rookie Pitt is also looking to make a step forward at a circuit that he knows and enjoys from previous Kawasaki Supersport 600 visits.
Donington Park is really two tracks in one. The lap opens with the fast, downhill sweepers known as Craner Curves, which preview the flowing corners that lead onto the high-speed back straight. The lap closes with a sequence of hard-braking, stop-and-go hairpins before the start finish straight with the combination forcing a compromise in both riding style and machine set-up.
While the British GP will be an important race focus for Kawasaki it also signals an intense period of activity in the non-stop development of the 990cc Ninja ZX-RR prototype.
Immediately following the Donington race the race trucks will depart for the long road haul to Brno in the Czech Republic for a two-day test session on July 16 and 17. Test rider Alex Hofmann will join Pitt and McCoy for the Brno sessions to evaluate the latest development parts from the factory. The mid-summer test will also provide benchmark machine and Dunlop tyre data in advance of round ten of the MotoGP championship, the Czech GP, scheduled for Brno on August 17.
Andrew Pitt
“I’ve been just been kicking back on the Isle of Man, doing some training and taking at look at the Lancaster Bombers and Spitfires at the local air show. I enjoy the Donington track with its combination of elevation changes and fast corners, although we still have work to do with the bike changing direction in the quicker corners under acceleration. I’m hoping we can find a set-up that gives a more direct feel between the throttle and the rear tyre. The Dunlops work well at Donington, so hopefully they have something up their sleeve for the British GP.”
Garry McCoy
“I’m pretty keen to move forward a bit, running at the back behind guys I am used to racing at the front is not where I want to be. But Donington might be a bit early because some of our new parts will not arrive until the Brno test the following week, so that is something to look forward to. I’ve got some set-up changes to try which hopefully will produce better steering response through he fast sections; that’s where the ZX-RR struggles at the moment. Dunlop tyres go well at Donington, so hopefully the tyre guys have got something special for us this weekend.”
Harald Eckl – Team Manager
“It’s another new track for the ZX-RR, with the challenge of the stop-go section and the fast direction changes of Craner Curves, which we know to be a problem for all our riders at the moment. But we have some different chassis ideas to try at Donington, especially with Garry for the first time. We have a big test planned for Brno next week with new parts from our test program; unfortunately it was too early to have them in time for Donington. Obviously there will be a tyre focus at Donington because we are close to the UK base of our tyre partner Dunlop and it is no secret that Dunlop tyres have always performed strongly at this track.”
More, from a press release issued by Pramac Honda Racing Information:
Donington Park (Great Britain): EIGHTH ROUND IS MIDWAY MARK IN 2003 CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2003 Championship is exactly halfway through this season’s programme. The Donington Park circuit, deep in the lush green English countryside, is just a short distance from the celebrated Sherwood Forest, home to legends of another age: the Sheriff of Nottingham and Robin Hood. Another age indeed. This is a historic circuit, technical but harmonious, and surrounded by a lawn that appears more like a golfing green than escape roads for motorcyclists of the modern age. It is hard and selective, especially where two hairpin bends test the riders’ skills to the limit. Built in 1931, it has been modified a number of times after years of disuse. The latest and most radical change, which created today’s configuration, came in 1985. The circuit layout was changed partly due to the proximity of the East Midlands airport. Burnt kerosene from the aircraft made the tarmac dangerously slippery.
The unchallenged home of North European bikers, and with a demanding and skilled public, Donington Park is probably one of the most fascinating circuits in all Britain. The never-ending rise and fall of the track, with its high-speed downhill bends, hair-raising braking and rapid accelerations has been the stage for some of the finest moments in British motorcycling. For everyone, this is without doubt one of the finest contests of the year.
The circuit: 4,023 metres – left-handers: 4 – right-handers: 7 – longest straight: 564 metres – Maximum width: 10 metres – built in 1931 – modified in 1985.
Winners in 2002. 125 class: A. Vincent (FRA) Aprilia – 250 class: Melandri (ITA) Aprilia – MotoGP Class: Rossi (ITA) Honda.
Circuit records – 125: 1:38.312, Lucio Cecchinello – 2002 – 250: 1:34.096, Kato 2001 – MotoGP: 1:32.247, Rossi 2002.
FIFTH ROSTRUM FOR MAX BIAGGI AND THE CAMEL PRAMAC PONS TEAM
At the end of the “wet” race at Assen, Massimiliano Biaggi stepped up onto the podium for the fifth time in the first seven races of the 2003 World Championship. He had earned the second step. Four times world champion, he shot into the front row with the second best time during qualifying, then took the lead in the second and third laps of the race and, with his usual determination, held on to second place until he was on the rostrum.
Impossible weather conditions highlighted the technical riding skills of this brilliant champion, and his aggressive but clean style of riding was magnificent to watch even in the Low Countries rain. Max Biaggi maintains his third place in the overall standings with a very small gap – just eight points – from the second on the list: Assen winner Sete Gibernau. Twelfth in Holland and sixth overall, the other standard bearer of the yellow-blue team is Tohru Ukawa. In the special team ratings, the Camel Pramac Pons Team has a firm grip on second place with 161 points.
TAMADA AND ITOH MAKE JUST A FEW LAPS IN THE ARTIFICIALLY WET CATALUNYA CIRCUIT FOR THE PRAMAC HONDA TEAM
Excessive heat and strong winds in Catalunya put paid to any hope of completing a worthwhile test session on the artificially wet track of Montmelò. Sixteenth in the race, Makoto Tamada just failed to make the points zone in the downpour at Assen, and this made tests on “wet” tyres even that more essential. The rider’s and the technicians’ disappointment with the results of the Dutch TT meant they were pinning their hopes on finding a solution in the Spanish session. The Catalan circuit, constantly flooded by road tankers both during the night and during the day, kept drying up very quickly as the wind blew and the tremendous heat made the results of the tests unreliable. The two riders – for Tamada was accompanied on the track by the team’s official test rider Shinichi Itoh – were unable to get anything out of the two days of tests and a further series of sessions in the wet will be organised at a time and place yet to be decided.
Makoto Tamada’s eyes are now firmly fixed on the next MotoGP meeting this week at Donington Park. This is a circuit that Makoto will be seeing for the first time but that, in theory, could be the type he likes. This is because he is good on tracks that require hard braking and he might well appreciate Donington Park’s two hairpin bends. Makoto Tamada was just one place short of the points zone in the Dutch race and he is now twelfth in the overall standings but, in the special “Rookie of the Year” contest between the six MotoGP debutants, the Japanese from Casole d’Elsa is third.
More, from a press release issued by Proton Team KR:
Push-on Programme Promises More for Donington
Next weekend’s British GP is the home race for Proton Team KR – and the first chance for a big crowd of British fans to see and hear the radical new V5 four-stroke in action in only the machine’s fourth race.
Based not far down the M40 motorway from the parkland circuit outside Derby, Proton Team KR started the season as the last two-stroke rebels, while riders Jeremy McWilliams and Nobuatsu Aoki waited for the arrival of the all-new racer.
It arrived in time for the fifth race after making a deafening debut in practice for the French GP at Le Mans.
The first two outings showed the red-and-silver rocket’s clear potential, and Nobuatsu Aoki finished just out of the points second time out, at the Catalunyan GP. The third race at Assen was spoiled by an accumulation of problems, and ended with both riders crashing out.
Ever since then, engineers have been continuing to burn the midnight oil at GP racing’s only independent manufacturing facility. As well as solving teething problems as they arise, they are also developing power-up engine pa
