Colin Edwards
Position: 1st
Time: 1'56.296
Laps: 56
"Today was impressive! We got our second-choice front tyre from Michelin and it was instantly better than the third-choice one we had yesterday, it gave me a lot more confidence in the front-end. We made some big changes to the setting last night and we're now in a different realm, close to what Valentino was running yesterday. It's basically just something that works well on a flat track with no bumps and it felt really good. We made a small change to the rear shock and then we were just testing tyres for the rest of the day. We tested a series of right-side rubbers and then a series of left-side rubbers, searching for the best combination for the race. The times are great but they're coming quite easily, I really haven't pushed out of my comfort zone at all yet. This afternoon was slower because of the wind but at the end of the day, with the last rear tyre, I got my head down for a couple of laps and we still did a 56.4! We'll do a long run tomorrow and see how it all works out then; hopefully we can stay on top and make it a clean sheet for the test!"
Valentino Rossi
Position: 2nd
Time: 1'56.537
Laps: 62
"So, another fast day for Yamaha and I am happy that we're one and two again. Actually, today we ran into a few problems which we need to work on, but anyway this is expected when you're getting faster and faster and it's much better that we find the problems now than in the race! Again we need to work to improve the stability of the bike under braking and this is a very delicate thing because we don't want to sacrifice the agility of our bike. We need to find the right balance. We tried some more tyres for Michelin and today we didn't find anything so great in this area, but we made some decisions about what to try for our long run tomorrow. We're fast and we know we're at a good level, but we can't afford to relax because our rivals are getting closer and I think it's going to be a very great battle this season. Tomorrow we'll try to fix the problems we found today, we have some ideas and I am sure we can have a good last day."
Honda rider quotes and lap times:
Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1m 57.629s - 73 laps.
"Well really it wasn't the best day to be honest. Yesterday went well but today wasn't so smooth. In the morning session I had a small crash and I also had an engine problem which meant we had to take the forks I like from one bike and put them on the other bike. At the end of the day I tried to go out and finish off strongly and had another crash which is a little frustrating. We'll definitely try and sit down with the team tonight and go through all of the data to get things sorted for tomorrow - we'll be looking to finish off with a strong day."
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1m 56.712s - 87 laps
"Today we were able to improve things a little bit more and it was a positive day. Basically we've been testing tyres and settings for the chassis and everything went quite well. At noon it was very windy, but it didn't really interfere and we could test a lot of stuff and get through the programme we had in mind. The wind it was not too much of a problem, and anyway, it's also good because Qatar is normally very windy and we can easily have these conditions at the first race here".
Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 1m 57.59s - 76 laps
"The team is doing a great job. I like the bike, I have a good feeling when I'm riding. Today we tested several tyres with Bridgestone and we found some interesting solutions that can be good in preparation for the race. I did my fastest time with race tyres because at this moment it is important for us to be ready for the first round of the season. We still have to work hard but I'm confident".
Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 1m 58.99s - 61 laps.
"We are struggling a bit because we still haven't found the tyre that it's good for my riding style and my characteristics. I'm confident because we are working hard with the Bridgestone technicians. We will get probably some new stuff to test in Jerez for the next IRTA test session, this would be very important for us "
Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 1m 56.874s - 108 laps.
"I am quite satisfied about today's position. The improvement we had show that we found the right direction to go but we need to work hard on the chassis and the engine. I gathered some important data for the HRC engineers to improve the engine performance. Then I tested different tyres trying to do a race simulation but the conditions were not suitable. Anyway the pace seems to be good and constant and this is very important cause the first race of the season is right here in a few weeks time".
Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 1m 57.274s - 73 laps.
"I'm very satisfied with this second day of testing as finally I was fast, despite a harmless crash! Most of the time today has been dedicated to the important job of testing the Michelin tyres. These are vital for the set-up of the new Honda RC212V. Today, I found a good front tyre and with this I was able to increase my corner speed, which is important on this new breed of 800cc machines. During tomorrow's final day we will continue the job of tyre testing for Michelin by aiming to find a good rear tyre to be used as a reference point for the race which takes place in less than four weeks time! In the afternoon, if we have the time to do so, we have scheduled a race simulation. I'm looking forward to getting to know my new bike even more and aiming to give the Team all the feedback and information they need so we can improve still further."
Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR212V:
"We are running with the latest chassis today mainly worked on suspension and tyres and I feel we are moving in the right direction. We struggled a bit when the wind got up so we didn't run real fast times, the same for everybody I guess. We stopped early when we hit the engine mileage limit. Tomorrow we will continue where we left off today, working on the basics."
Casey Stoner (45 laps, best time 1m57.040s)
"We had a hard time today. Last night's rain changed the track conditions and in the morning there was no grip. Then the wind made things a bit more complicated. Late in the afternoon the track had some rubber on it, the wind had dropped and we managed to do some good laps again. Everyone says I crash too much so... just to make them happy I had my first crash on a Ducati a few minutes from the end! It was just a small one however, I lost the rear under acceleration and ended up on the grass on the inside of the corner! I wasn't hurt and didn't damage the bike so I suppose it was OK!"
Loris Capirossi (52 laps, best time 1m57.698s)
"Today was really tough because the track conditions after yesterday's rain were a big problem. We didn't have any feeling with the front and did everything possible to try and improve the situation but we lost our way a bit. In the end we managed to improve without even getting the right feeling with the bike. I hope it won't rain tonight because tomorrow we want to carry on from where we left off today and do a long-run ".
Randy de Puniet: 54 Laps - Best Lap 1'57.288
"Today we got on with the tyre testing we had planned, working our way through different options on both the front and rear of the bike. Bridgestone have done a great job, and we think we've identified a suitable front tyre for the race should conditions be the same here next month. I did a race distance run this afternoon to evaluate tyre endurance, and tomorrow we will try even more rear tyre options from Bridgestone. If we can end this test with a race tyre for front and rear then I'll be happy. The bike felt better today, and I'd already improved my lap time before lunch. But then I crashed in turn eight; I'm not completely sure why, but it felt like the wind pushed me wide, and I lost the front trying to regain the right line. I was unhurt, but the bike was a wreck! I'm happy with the improvement in consistency today, but there is still room for improvement tomorrow."
Olivier Jacque: #19
"Today I feel much better than I did immediately after the crash yesterday, but I still feel pretty sore. I wanted to ride, but after the medical check up this morning we made the decision to sit out today's test, instead of risking further injury and a longer delay. I'm sorry for the team, because I know how much work we need to do before the start of the season, but I hope we can catch up on our test schedule tomorrow."
Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager
"Randy's crash was unfortunate, but the important thing was that he was uninjured and it didn't delay our planned test programme for today. Our overall assessment of today is positive. Our target was to evaluate a range of different tyre options and also to improve the set-up of the bike. Randy did a split run of 22 laps and found some consistency, although we haven't yet identified a suitable rear tyre for the opening race of the season. For this reason we will focus tomorrow on evaluating more rear tyres, following a special programme provided by Bridgestone. I'm confident we'll end the test with a good idea of the tyres we will need for the race here. It's a pity Olivier couldn't ride today, but the season hasn't started yet so it would have been pointless to take any risks. He will almost certainly be back tomorrow, so the delay to our test schedule is not so great."
Press Release Rizla Suzuki:
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racers John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen have made more impressive headway as they continue to develop the new Suzuki GSV-R800 during the Official MotoGP test in Qatar.
Both riders improved on their first day times even though the good weather and track conditions deteriorated after lunch at the Losail International Circuit, with strong and gusty winds making competitive lap times difficult.
Hopkins recorded at quickest time of 1'57.06 from his 67 laps, giving him sixth place on the unofficial timesheets. He also conducted a long test run of 22-laps in the afternoon and was pleased with the consistency and durability of the latest generation of Bridgestone tyres.
Vermeulen lapped the 5.3km Qatari circuit 61 times today and registered his quickest lap during the tough afternoon windy conditions. His time of 1'57.75 placed him in 13th position on the timesheets, but he is sure that there is more to come. Today's fastest time was set by Colin Edwards on a factory Yamaha.
Lap Times From Qatar:
1. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 1'56.296
2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 1'56.537
3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 1'56.712
4. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda 1'56.874
5. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati 1'57.040
6. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 1'57.065
7. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda 1'57.274
8. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 1'57.288
9. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team KR 1'57.504
10. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 1'57.591
11. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 1'57.629
12. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 1'57.698
13. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 1'57.770
14. Alex Hoffman (GER) Ducati 1'57.999
15. Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati 1'58.513
16. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha 1'58.610
17. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 1'58.990
18. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Yamaha 1'59.138
19. Shinichi Ito (JPN) Bridgestone Test 1'59.617
20. Andrew Pitt (AUS) Ilmor 2'02.453
Qatar Lap Record (990cc)
Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006 - 1'57.305
Qatar Best Lap (990cc)
Casey Stoner (Honda) 2006 - 1'55.683
Schöne Grüße,
Aaron#71
