Vart fick kawa sin fart ifrån?
SATURDAY 26TH MARCH 2005
As many had predicted, the MotoGP teams and riders woke up to the sound of slashing rain at the Spanish circuit of Jerez this morning, as they prepared to start day two of the three-day final pre-season test.
With most of the teams having spent their pre-season in Malaysia and Australia, the bad weather at least provided an opportunity for many to try out their 2005 machines in wet conditions; a valuable exercise considering that last year's Spanish Grand Prix - which will open the 2005 season on April 10 - was a wet race.
The heavy rain came to a head around lunchtime, and with watery sunshine poking through the clouds, the riders decided to wait until the track was fully dry before embarking on further tests.
Suzuki's Kenny Roberts was fastest in the wet conditions with a lap of 1min 53.218secs, but once the action got going once more it was Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano who surprisingly set the pace in the dry.
Nakano and his team-mate Alex Hofmann had both shown encouraging top 10 form on the first day of the test and, although the lap times were not as fast today due to the inferior grip levels caused by the weather, the Japanese rider confirmed the progress being made with the Ninja ZX-RR machine.
Nakano's best time of 1min 42.112secs was over a second slower than John Hopkins' effort yesterday, but it was enough to secure top spot on the time sheets overnight as the riders cross their fingers for better conditions tomorrow.
"It's a good feeling to be fastest but the track conditions weren't so good today and there were a lot of wet patches," explained Shinya. "The new Bridgestone tyres are very compatible with this circuit in the dry and, together with the new 'Big-Bang' engine, there is a big improvement with the overall package. The tyre offers better side grip and the engine gives better throttle control in slippery conditions."
"Today's weather was very beneficial, because it provided some very clear directions for our engineers, both at Kawasaki and Bridgestone," added Kawasaki technical director Ichiro Yoda. "With the wet tyres the performance needs to improve in drying conditions when the rain has stopped.
"Also very clear from today's wet conditions is that we have to improve the throttle connection and power delivery with the 'Big-Bang motor', as this is the most important function of a MotoGP engine. So, overall, today was an excellent day to provide a future direction for our next development phase," he declared.
Nearest to Nakano on the end of day timesheets was Nicky Hayden, who repeated his day one position by lapping just 0.027 seconds behind Nakano and less than a tenth ahead of Honda colleague Sete Gibernau.
Hopkins was fourth fastest today for Suzuki, whilst Gibernau's team-mate Marco Melandri again delivered a strong ride to complete the top five. With Hofmann sixth fastest, Rossi made it four different manufacturers in the top seven for Gauloises Yamaha.
The final day of 2005 MotoGP pre-season testing will take place tomorrow.
Jerez MotoGP test times – Saturday:
1. Shinya Nakano JPN ***hs Kawasaki 1min 42.112 secs
2. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda 1min 42.139 secs
3. Sete Gibernau SPA Team Movistar Honda 1min 42.218 secs
4. John Hopkins USA Team Suzuki MotoGP 1min 42.359 secs
5. Marco Melandri ITA Team Movistar Honda 1min 42.573 secs
6. Alex Hofmann GER ***hs Kawasaki 1min 42.699 secs
7. Valentino Rossi ITA Gauloises Yamaha 1min 42.71 secs
8. Kenny Roberts USA Team Suzuki MotoGP 1min 43.083 secs
9. Colin Edwards USA Gauloises Yamaha 1min 43.095 secs
10. Troy Bayliss AUS Camel Honda 1min 43.13 secs
11. Alex Barros BRA Camel Honda 1min 43.328 secs
12. Max Biaggi ITA Repsol Honda 1min 43.559 secs
13. Ruben Xaus SPA Fortuna Yamaha 1min 43.756 secs
14. Toni Elias SPA Fortuna Yamaha 1min 43.813 secs
15. Vittoriano Guareschi ITA Ducati Marlboro 1min 44.357 secs
16. Nobuatsu Aoki JPN Team Suzuki MotoGP 1min 44.885 secs
17. Roberto Rolfo ITA D'Antin Ducati 1min 45.087 secs
18. Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Marlboro 1min 46.198 secs
19. Shane Byrne GBR Team KR-KTM 1min 46.467 secs
20. Franco Battaini ITA Blata WCM 1min 47.41 secs
21. Makoto Tamada JPN Konica Minolta Honda 1min 56.617 secs
22. James Ellison GBR Blata WCM 1min 58.494 secs
Comparative lap times:
Jerez MotoGP test – Friday:
Fastest lap: John Hopkins USA Team Suzuki MotoGP 1min 40.893 secs
Spanish Grand Prix – 02/5/2004:
Pole position: Valentino Rossi ITA Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 1min 40.818secs
Fastest lap: Sete Gibernau SPA Camel Honda 1min 53.508secs (wet)
SATURDAY 26TH MARCH 2005
As many had predicted, the MotoGP teams and riders woke up to the sound of slashing rain at the Spanish circuit of Jerez this morning, as they prepared to start day two of the three-day final pre-season test.
With most of the teams having spent their pre-season in Malaysia and Australia, the bad weather at least provided an opportunity for many to try out their 2005 machines in wet conditions; a valuable exercise considering that last year's Spanish Grand Prix - which will open the 2005 season on April 10 - was a wet race.
The heavy rain came to a head around lunchtime, and with watery sunshine poking through the clouds, the riders decided to wait until the track was fully dry before embarking on further tests.
Suzuki's Kenny Roberts was fastest in the wet conditions with a lap of 1min 53.218secs, but once the action got going once more it was Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano who surprisingly set the pace in the dry.
Nakano and his team-mate Alex Hofmann had both shown encouraging top 10 form on the first day of the test and, although the lap times were not as fast today due to the inferior grip levels caused by the weather, the Japanese rider confirmed the progress being made with the Ninja ZX-RR machine.
Nakano's best time of 1min 42.112secs was over a second slower than John Hopkins' effort yesterday, but it was enough to secure top spot on the time sheets overnight as the riders cross their fingers for better conditions tomorrow.
"It's a good feeling to be fastest but the track conditions weren't so good today and there were a lot of wet patches," explained Shinya. "The new Bridgestone tyres are very compatible with this circuit in the dry and, together with the new 'Big-Bang' engine, there is a big improvement with the overall package. The tyre offers better side grip and the engine gives better throttle control in slippery conditions."
"Today's weather was very beneficial, because it provided some very clear directions for our engineers, both at Kawasaki and Bridgestone," added Kawasaki technical director Ichiro Yoda. "With the wet tyres the performance needs to improve in drying conditions when the rain has stopped.
"Also very clear from today's wet conditions is that we have to improve the throttle connection and power delivery with the 'Big-Bang motor', as this is the most important function of a MotoGP engine. So, overall, today was an excellent day to provide a future direction for our next development phase," he declared.
Nearest to Nakano on the end of day timesheets was Nicky Hayden, who repeated his day one position by lapping just 0.027 seconds behind Nakano and less than a tenth ahead of Honda colleague Sete Gibernau.
Hopkins was fourth fastest today for Suzuki, whilst Gibernau's team-mate Marco Melandri again delivered a strong ride to complete the top five. With Hofmann sixth fastest, Rossi made it four different manufacturers in the top seven for Gauloises Yamaha.
The final day of 2005 MotoGP pre-season testing will take place tomorrow.
Jerez MotoGP test times – Saturday:
1. Shinya Nakano JPN ***hs Kawasaki 1min 42.112 secs
2. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda 1min 42.139 secs
3. Sete Gibernau SPA Team Movistar Honda 1min 42.218 secs
4. John Hopkins USA Team Suzuki MotoGP 1min 42.359 secs
5. Marco Melandri ITA Team Movistar Honda 1min 42.573 secs
6. Alex Hofmann GER ***hs Kawasaki 1min 42.699 secs
7. Valentino Rossi ITA Gauloises Yamaha 1min 42.71 secs
8. Kenny Roberts USA Team Suzuki MotoGP 1min 43.083 secs
9. Colin Edwards USA Gauloises Yamaha 1min 43.095 secs
10. Troy Bayliss AUS Camel Honda 1min 43.13 secs
11. Alex Barros BRA Camel Honda 1min 43.328 secs
12. Max Biaggi ITA Repsol Honda 1min 43.559 secs
13. Ruben Xaus SPA Fortuna Yamaha 1min 43.756 secs
14. Toni Elias SPA Fortuna Yamaha 1min 43.813 secs
15. Vittoriano Guareschi ITA Ducati Marlboro 1min 44.357 secs
16. Nobuatsu Aoki JPN Team Suzuki MotoGP 1min 44.885 secs
17. Roberto Rolfo ITA D'Antin Ducati 1min 45.087 secs
18. Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Marlboro 1min 46.198 secs
19. Shane Byrne GBR Team KR-KTM 1min 46.467 secs
20. Franco Battaini ITA Blata WCM 1min 47.41 secs
21. Makoto Tamada JPN Konica Minolta Honda 1min 56.617 secs
22. James Ellison GBR Blata WCM 1min 58.494 secs
Comparative lap times:
Jerez MotoGP test – Friday:
Fastest lap: John Hopkins USA Team Suzuki MotoGP 1min 40.893 secs
Spanish Grand Prix – 02/5/2004:
Pole position: Valentino Rossi ITA Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 1min 40.818secs
Fastest lap: Sete Gibernau SPA Camel Honda 1min 53.508secs (wet)
Nakano är duktigt men skoj också att Hoffman visar framfötterna. Vågar man hoppas på tät racing i år?
