MotoGP – Honda Repsol closes the year 2007 on a high note – Used HONDA

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Honda Repsol closes 2007 in style

MotoGP - Honda Repsol closes the year 2007 on a high note - Used HONDA

Pedrosa and Hayden took advantage of the last tests of the year this week in Jerez to panic the clock: the only riders to go under the 1’39 mark, the Honda boys left the competition far behind … ! Complete test report.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday took place the last MotoGP tests of the year: taking advantage of favorable weather conditions, the riders once again did not spare themselves. So much so that two of them broke the circuit record of Jerez de la Frontera !

Admittedly, the lap times achieved over the last three days are not official and the absolute best lap remains between the gloves of Loris Capirossi, who took pole in 2006 on his 990 cc GP6. But the times set by the two official 2008 Honda’s command respect: there is no doubt that the Capi-T-Rex record will jump as soon as the tests – official this time – pre-season next February !

It should nevertheless be noted that it was on the handlebars of the end-of-season RC212V and not on the new prototype – recognizable by its pot again housed under the saddle – that Dani Pedrosa completed his impressive time of 1’38.562 on the last day..

"Today, we only worked on tires with the 2007 machine, because it is with it that we have the most data and references.", specifies the n ° 26. But the two previous days, the young Dani did indeed turn on the RCV" 2008 "by posting very promising times for him … but also for Honda and Michelin !

The HRC is back

"The settings of the electronic management that controls the power and the engine brake have been improved and make the machine easier to control and also faster.", noted the vice-world champion at the end of the first day.

Multiplying the small series of laps to refine all the menu settings, Dani was keen to put on qualifying tires in order to "see how the bike reacts to excess grip", characteristic of the compounds designed to last one or even two turns maximum … And obviously, the new RCV reacts rather well !

Proof that the 2008 Honda is doing very well in the delicate qualifying exercise: Nicky Hayden takes the second fastest time in practice at the helm of the latest addition to the HRC! Waiting until the last day to put on soft tires, the American was really surprised by his performance.

He certainly did not expect such a significant difference between his best time and those achieved in "race" tires … A point which tends to prove that Honda and Michelin still have their work cut out for them: authors of the last four poles in 2007, the duo did not demonstrate the same overwhelming supremacy in racing…

The n ° 69 even admits having been a little frustrated by going back the very last hour on his RCV 2007: "I immediately improved my times by almost 4 tenths on race tires, which means we still have to work on this", concluded last night the Kentucky Kid, still delighted with the 2008 chassis and already impatient to compete in the first night race in Qatar !

Lorenzo reacts

Also benefiting from the “extra sticky” Michelin tires, Jorge Lorenzo split from 3rd time in Jerez! Jostled by Dovizioso in Sepang (read), the double 250 world champion this time left his "best enemy" behind him.

Covering 91 laps on the first day, the Mallorcan pilot had to give up the grip the next day to "recover "(69 laps anyway!), Then he lined up the trifle of 91 laps on Thursday!"I felt very comfortable on the M1 and had very good impressions during my race simulation", welcomes Jorge at the end of the three days of testing.

A racing simulation apparently conducted with beating heart by the young rookie of the Fiat Yamaha team: "it was very fast, faster even than the race pace of 2007", indicates his team manager Daniele Romagnoli! A dominated race let us recall it by Michelin and Yamaha: the podium gathered Rossi, Pedrosa and Edwards (read).

"Can’t wait to be in Sepang in January (from 22 to 24 for the 2nd practice session in Malaysia, Editor’s note) to try out the new engine specifications and try to be even faster"Says Lorenzo, delighted with the traction improvements on his Yam,"also thanks to the new Michelin", he specifies … Rossi and his Bridges had better watch out !

Dovizioso has too much grip !

Behind the beginner Spanish stands … the Italian rookie! Andrea Dovizioso in fact finished 4th in the last 2007 tests, a great performance which underlines the potential of the 2007 Honda (end of year) and the Michelin, whether soft or hard !

Author of an admirable 1’39.747, Andrea nevertheless found that he was "difficult to exploit qualifying gums"Says Gianni Berti, the technical coordinator of Team JiR Scot..

"My last two outings were on qualifying tires and it seemed very strange to me! It was not such good laps as there was too much grip for me at the rear which caused the rear end to wobble. And then you have to brake earlier, so I need some more time to learn how to get the most out of these tires.", Andrea developed on Wednesday evening.

In the end, Dovi especially enjoyed turning 1 40.3 on race tires: "I’m all the happier as I don’t like this track very much, especially for testing, and that’s a good sign !", observes the n ° 34 which can now"go on vacation with peace of mind".

The Bridgestones are less good in qualifying ‘

First Bridgestone rider, Shinya Nakano declares himself "very satisfied with these three days of testing"within his new team. The Japanese have mainly worked on the balance of his bike, its settings and the clutch, all"in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere", insists n ° 56.

Completing his fastest lap in 1’40.121, Super Shinya recorded the 5th fastest time in tests. He welcomes this, but remains lucid: "we have to improve our pace with the race tires", admits the Japanese…

"We need to improve our setup but I also need to improve my riding style to get the most out of this bike."Says Nakano. An arduous challenge which he did not manage to win in 2007 on the Honda Jir Konica Minolta. But he was then on Michelin tires….

Only eleventh on the last day, Valentino Rossi completed his first tests on Bridgestone in 6th place, 13 thousandths behind Shinya. But the Italian made it clear on his first day that he could not drive "at 90%"of his abilities, because of his right hand injury contracted during testing at the Valencia GP…

On the last day, the Doctor only made 32 laps: "the fracture still hurts and most importantly, I have not piloted and I have not trained for almost a month"complains Vale who expected"encounter problems for these first tests".

His conversion to Japanese tires nevertheless went well and the seven-time world champion managed to complete his program despite everything. "Bridgestone brought in rather softer tires, as they expected cooler temperatures. So I’m sure with harder erasers we could do even better", remarked Vale on Wednesday evening after having achieved his best time on qualifying tires.

In addition to its too soft tires, Valentino noted that the arrival of power on his M1 had to be softened … Still work for the engine manufacturers of the brand with tuning forks, which Rossi wanted to thank warmly for "their great efforts throughout the season". Season he finished in a" disappointing "3rd place…

Behind Rossi, just 5 hundredths behind, Colin Edwards showed good consistency over all three days. But the new Tech 3 driver is only a thousandth ahead of Alex de Angelis and 3 hundredths ahead of his own teammate James Toseland … Ah these young people, really !

De Angelis and Toseland also learn quickly

Faster than his experienced teammate Nakano on day one, Alex de Angelis said he was starting to feel relatively confident and was having fun riding his new bike. And the next day, the Rimini rookie set the 4th best time of the 2nd day !

Alex therefore discovers the joys of "electronics settings"and gradually took the measure of the capabilities of his RCV paved with Bridgestone. Finally 8th in these tests, De Angelis proved that he could be counted on to score points from the first races. ?

As for James Toseland, the English rookie world Superbike champion reveals to our colleagues MCM that he made a race simulation similar to Colin Edwards’ race during the 2007 GP, which the American had finished in 3rd place !

On qualifying tires, "JiTi" admits that he still has to improve: "the level of grip surprised me and it’s a whole different discipline", testifies the n ° 52. Unlike his counterpart Dovizioso, Toseland explains that the qualifying tires make it possible to brake even later. But for the moment, the lap times seem to prove Andrea right, who brakes earlier … One question of braking time and cornering speed, perhaps ?

The champion stoner down

But the biggest surprise of these last tests of the year comes from Casey Stoner, who was racing for the first time on the Ducati GP8. The 2007 MotoGP world champion’s trials in Jerez had started well, however, as the young Australian reappropriated the top of the list from day one, after letting the competition train without him at Sepang (read). Unfortunately for Casey, he did not have the opportunity to improve his time to 1’40.221…

On the second day, when he had completed 32 laps, he made a mistake in the third corner, falling heavily on his left shoulder: "the pain was instantaneous so I went to the Clinica Mobile where they put a strap on me".

His pain worsening during the night, Casey Stoner sees himself unable to drive the next day and prefers to go directly to Australia to see the doctor who had taken care of his right shoulder a few years ago. "I’m sorry to disappoint the Ducati fans who have supported me all this season and hoped to see me in Bologna on Sunday, but I’m sure they will prefer to see me in great shape in the first tests of the Desmosedici next year", tempered the n ° 27 when leaving Spain. His Christmas holidays should therefore be rather calm…

Randy de Puniet for his part had three big days: with 218 laps in all, the French finished these tests in 11th place, 1.8 seconds behind Dani Pedrosa, and naturally admits "not really satisfied"…

Randy slips … too much

Despite the tests "of suspension adjustments and various pneumatic solutions with Michelin", No. 14 of the LCR is"not really comfortable at the moment", which notably led him to fall twice on the last day, fortunately not serious.

Struggling with the rear end of his Honda – "every time I opened the throttle the bike would slide", he delivered Tuesday evening -, Randy all the same completed his best time Wednesday on rubber races. With this 1’40.820, the Frenchie is thus faster than Rossi during his race in April. To be repeated most often possible in 2008 !

Behind our only French representative – the D’Antin team in which Sylvain Guintoli is racing was not in Jerez – ranks John Hopkins, who continues to discover his Kawasaki. According to the Greens, "times were not the concern of our pilots", which would explain the 12th and 15th respective places of the American and his teammate Anthony West.

John stayed in the 1’40.9, giving engineers as much information as possible about the new ZX-RR and its "new frame, clutch parts and engine components"… As soon as the tests were over, Hopper had to tackle another big file:"his marriage to his fiancee Ashleigh". A" people "info which is not very interesting, except to recall that Stoner had married during the last offseason, finding in his private life an essential balance … And we know the rest !

The right balance ?

Stoner’s teammate, in fact, is also looking for balance … but on his bike! "We have changed a lot of settings but when we manage to improve the entry into the turn, the exit suffers and vice versa.", deplored Marco Melandri at the end of the tests…

Italian has therefore not yet adapted to Italian: "so far i haven’t found my position so i don’t feel comfortable enough to use the bike to its fullest", regrets the Hedgehog of Ravenna. Limited in his work on the tires, the n ° 33 finished the tests in a disappointing 13th place … Who said driving a Ducati was easy? ?

Beaten on the edge by the "old" Okada – Honda test rider – Anthony West set the 15th fastest time in practice on the second day, confirming the basic work thesis advanced by Kawasaki. "When times weren’t what I hoped for", agrees the Australian,"we have come a long way during these three days in Jerez".

"We have tried many different settings, going from one extreme to another to give us a better understanding of the effects they induce.", continues the devoted n ° 13. After his second half of the season in MotoGP, Anthony longed for a little rest…

"But if I’ve learned one thing this year, it’s that you have to be in good shape to ride a MotoGP, so my program now is to work on my health on the treadmill and a few hundred laps on motocross.However, beware of overwork and injuries !

Three other Ducati !

Behind West, there are three other test riders: Nicolo Canepa – 2007 world champion in Superstock 1000 on 1098 S, he will be "test rider" in 2008 in MotoGP and Superbike and will certainly play a few rounds of the SBK World Cup, to watch so ! -, Vittoriano Guareshi for Ducati and Shinichi Ito for Bridgestone.

And during that time in Australia, Suzuki was doing two days of private track! The Rizla team claims to have covered almost 400 laps of the Phillip Island circuit, or 1800 km, but is careful not to communicate any time … Chris Vermeulen just lets go that his pace with the 2008 GSV-R was better than that of his race last October…

On the other side of the globe…

"It’s quite difficult to gauge your level without the other drivers, but it had its positive side since we were able to concentrate on our job without worrying about others or the times.", reasons n ° 71.

As for Capirossi, he is not more explicit: "we now have a clear idea of ​​what we need and we know how to get there", says Loris … More to the next episode … Stay tuned !

MotoGP testing in Jerez

Pilot Motorbike Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Tours
1 D. Pedrosa Honda M. 1 ‘40.355 1 ‘39.993 1 ‘38.562 185
2 N. Hayden Honda M. 1 ‘40.923 1 ‘40.692 1 ‘38.848 223
3 J. Lorenzo Yamaha M. 1 ‘41,230 1 ‘40.883 1 ‘39,464 230
4 A. Dovizioso Honda M. 1 ‘42.033 1 ‘40.650 1 ‘39,747 198
5 S. Nakano Honda B. 1 ‘41,277 1 ‘40,251 1 ‘40.121 –
6 V. Rossi Yamaha B. 1 ‘40.514 1 ‘40,134 1 ‘41.538 137
7 C. Edwards Yamaha M. 1 ‘40,790 1 ‘40.838 1 ‘40,184 –
8 A. from Angelis Honda B. 1 ‘41,111 1 ‘40.332 1 ‘40.185 –
9 J. Toseland Yamaha M. 1 ‘41,776 1 ‘41,278 1 ‘40,213 –
10 C. Stoner Ducati B. 1 ‘40,221 1 ‘40.833 – 67
11 R. de Puniet Honda M. 1 ‘41.313 1 ‘40,820 1 ‘40.398 218
12 J. Hopkins Kawasaki B. 1 ‘41,414 1 ‘40.939 1 ‘40,984 –
13 Mr. Melandri Ducati B. 1 ‘41,889 1 ‘41,424 1 ‘41.619 207
14 T. Okada Honda M. 1 ‘43.051 1 ‘43,143 1 ‘41,715 –
15 A. West Kawasaki B. 1 ‘43.576 1 ‘41,729 1 ‘42.343 –
16 N. Canepa Ducati B. 1 ‘42.666 1 ‘42.188 1 ‘41,793 –
17 V. Guareshi Ducati B. 1 ‘44.588 1 ‘43.399 1 ‘42.850 –
18 S. Ito Ducati B. 1 ‘44.530 1 ‘43,869 1 ‘43.001 –

Best lap: Loris Capirossi – Ducati – 1 ‘39.064 (pole 2006)
Pole position 2007: Dani Pedrosa – Honda – 1 ‘39.402
Best lap in the race 2007: Valentino Rossi – Yamaha – 1 ‘40.905

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