MotoGP – Rossi’s daughter at the forefront –

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Rossi’s daughter at the forefront

MotoGP - Rossi's daughter at the forefront -

Viewing the M1 as his own daughter, Vale dominated the set of the first official IRTA tests. And on the Catalan track of Montmeló, his comrades Edwards and Checa proved that this year, the Yamaha would be more present than ever.

While their colleagues from Superbike and Supersport are already in their second event (read), the men of Continental Circus are just starting their series of official IRTA tests, before competing in their first Grand Prix of the 2006 season, on March 26 at Jerez.

Like last year, the two official IRTA tests take place on the Spanish tracks of Montmeló and Jerez. In 2005, during the tests carried out on the Montmeló circuit near Barcelona, ​​Sete Gibernau won ahead of Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden and Marco Melandri (read).

Was it a coincidence then to find these same drivers at the forefront of the 2005 Catalan Grand Prix? Not completely. And while winter testing will never replace racing, it offers a driver level assessment that is simply irreplaceable. !

We remember that after having dominated the Catalan IRTA tests, Gibernau was the only one to worry the Doctor in the race (read). Likewise, a superb battle for third place had pitted Melandri, Hayden and Barros, also very brilliant at the time of the tests..

This year, however, the similarity of the results will be less obvious because the first IRTA tests take place earlier in the season and the conditions are therefore not the same: 18 ° C on the ground this weekend against 33 ° C at the end of March 2005! The drivers capable of standing out these days will therefore not necessarily be the same to compete for victory on June 11, 2006 for the Catalan GP…

Vale proud of his daughter

On all the tests, it is not surprisingly the seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi who was the fastest and the most consistent. "The basic settings are now good", assures the Doctor and"the problems of jolts"which he complained about at the start of the preseason (read and)"seem to be resolved nowThe second IRTA tests in Jerez should allow him to confirm this progress.

These excellent performances in the dry may console the Italian who fell during the so-called "qualifying" session on a wet track due to too much braking. But what we will remember most about Vale during these tests remains his statement: "for me, this motorcycle (the Yamaha M1, NDLR) is like my daughter and now i can see she works well with other pilots because Colin and Carlos both love her !"And the" dad "can be proud: it is his teammate who set the best time of this" qualifying "session…

Olivier Jacque, alias the frog man (read), being absent, it was Colin Edwards who set the best time of this 40-minute session in the wet and was therefore able to pocket the BMW Z4 !

"When I saw the weather conditions before the session started, I told myself that the car would end up in the hands of whoever would take the most risks."Says the Texan Tornado. Colin, who relegated second driver Nicky Hayden to almost two seconds, is therefore very confident:"when you own a motorbike like that and it also walks in the rain, then you know you got something special! It’s good to win the car, but all the drivers are racing for victories". Will we see this year the former Superbike world champion obtain his first victory in the premier class? ?

A manager very very happy

Still on a Yamaha M1 but with Dunlops, Carlos Checa continues to amaze his world: second best time of the three cumulative days, the Spaniard is however keen to put his impressive time into perspective. "We still have to put a lot of effort into making our tires last longer and getting really competitive in the races", relativizes Carlos.

Apart from his two seasons in the colors of Movistar in 1997 and 1998, Carlos had subscribed to red – Marlboro or Fortuna – since 1995. The Dunlop yellow he will wear this year will take some time to adapt to everyone, but He especially hopes that it will bring him luck !

Uncertain at the end of last season about his future (read), Herve Poncharal is in heaven today: "we went on three different tracks and the bike behaved well every time! We used more or less the same basic settings and it worked well every time! It shows how good the M1 is and it also allowed us to focus on the tires.", explains the French team manager.

Benefiting from the services of an advanced pilot "as enthusiastic as a beginner but with all the talent and knowledge of the experience", Poncharal also believes in the potential of James Ellison:"he has all of Carlos’s data"specifies the team manager:"before there was a lot of pressure on James, but now Carlos is showing him the way and what is possible with this bike and Dunlop tires".

In the rain, the Briton was even at the top of the standings for long minutes. "It was really great to see number 77 at the top of the screen", admits James even if in the dry, there is still room…

Ducatis in slight decline

The reds had gotten into the habit of taking the first places in practice at the start of the year (read and). This time around, it looks like the cooler temperatures in the northern hemisphere have done a little disservice to the Ducatis and their Bridgestones. But not only…

Loris Capirossi had a difficult weekend: "the first day I had engine brake problems. Saturday, when the track conditions were the best, I was sick. And finally today (Sunday, Editor’s note) it was raining and it was cold"… In short, tests to forget for Capirex which however insisted, against the advice of the doctors of the Mobile Clinica, to carry out two outings on the last day in order to test a new geometry of the front axle…

His box neighbor Sete Gibernau was more successful and was able to work on "geometry, electronics, tires, everything! We make the bike better, more predictable, more consistent and the tires give me more handling", announces the Catalan who finally signed an honorable fifth fastest time and was able to test for the first time the behavior of his new GP6 and his Bridgestones on wet track.

Reluctant Marco’s RRS

Even further in the standings, the Fortuna Honda team riders were not at the party on the fast track at Montmeló: after a good first day, Toni Elias only achieved the 17th fastest time on Saturday.

"We had some grip issues and the weather didn’t help much. But we can’t use this as an excuse because it’s the same for everyone", recognizes the young Spaniard. Provident, he is still happy to have driven on a wet track:"we will collect all our data in case we encounter the same conditions during the season".

Marco Melandri, author of the twelfth fastest time, is not satisfied either. "I’m struggling to make good corner entries and still have to improve my speed and curve", regrets the pilot who had nevertheless managed to deprive Rossi of two victories last year !

The HRC wakes up

But let Marco be reassured: the HRC seems to have found a solution to its problem, as Nicky Hayden explains. "We spent a lot of time working on the chassis and testing new parts that Honda brought from Japan. The bike is now very stable on the brakes and the angle setting is much better", assures the Honda rider n ° 1.

But the RRS still remains perfectible according to the Kentucky Kid: "it keeps moving a bit out of the turn and we need to work on that", forecasts the American who once again rode longer than everyone else this weekend (115 laps on Saturday).

After a heavy fall that was not serious for him – but more painful for his machine – Dani Pedrosa continued his training: author of eight short laps during the 40 minutes of "qualifying" session, the Spaniard especially regrets not having had the opportunity to perform a race simulation. "We will have to do it on the first day in Jerez, otherwise I’m afraid I won’t be able to do it again before the first race", worries the double 250cc world champion.

For his part, Makoto Tamada found himself unsettled by the behavior of his new Michelin – RCV pack: "we tried some new rear tires but in order to be as efficient as I would like in the middle of the curve I still have a few issues to sort out. At this point, the bike behaves totally differently compared to last year"… A finding confirmed in the rain:"even in these conditions, the last phase of the approach to the turn needs to be improved". I can’t wait for Hayden to validate the new Honda parts !

Kawasaki in great shape

The misfortune of some often makes the happiness of others … And while the Honda riders fought with their RCVs, Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet chained the laps on the handlebars of their new ZX-RR.

Third fastest in practice, Super Shinya considers that "this result created a real "boost" within the team". And the Japanese do not intend to stop there:"we have other evolutions of the ZX-RR engine to test in Jerez next week"…

Randy de Puniet is not left out since he signed the sixth time. Bridgestone tires more comfortable in low temperatures, a more docile Kawasaki and a Frenchman who is gaining experience: this infernal trio may well have some nice surprises in store…

Suzuki is working on the bottom

The Suzuki wore the light blue dress of their official sponsor Rizla for the first time (yes, more tobacco!)

John Hopkins got a lot of attention during winter testing last year (read) to ultimately achieve a very discreet season. To avoid further disappointment, the Anglo-American decided to work more over long distances.

"We worked really hard with Bridgestone to get the right kind of rubber and go the most distance on the same tires."says Hopper, who even did a racing simulation."His best lap in 1 ‘44.2 was only a little faster than his 25th and last lap in 1’ 44.6", welcomes his team manager Paul Denning. Real progress if we consider that during the last Catalan GP, ​​Hopkins turned in the 1 ’46, but which remain insufficient: Rossi and Gibernau aligned times of 1′ 43.6 !

Far from hoping to win the BMW, Chris Vermeulen took it upon himself to learn the circuit well and to continue to gather information on his XRE4 – aka GSV-R. Chilled by a fall on Friday, the Australian drove the Suzuki in the rain for the first time: "the bike worked well and I’m happy with my performance", rejoiced the author of the fifth time of the" qualifying "session.

At d’Antin’s, the rain was not greeted in the same way depending on the side of the garage: Alex Hofmann realized that "the Ducati is not easy to control in these conditions"while Jose-Luis Cardoso – who suffered from a broken rating – regretted not being able to set off on a wet track in full possession of his means:"it’s a shame, usually I really like riding on a wet track"….

For these first IRTA tests, only Casey Stoner and his LCR team were missing. Operated in Sydney on February 22, the young Australian will only be back for the first GP in Jerez. But he wanted to fix his old shoulder problem once and for all, awakened by the intensity of the winter tests on the RCV. "I will not be 100% ready because I will miss some tests and workouts, but I can’t wait to run", he said as soon as he left the hospital.

Before the official opening of the championship on March 26 in Jerez, only the second official IRTA tests remain, which will also take place in Jerez from Friday to Sunday … !

Pilot Team Best time

Qualifying time
1. Valentino rossi Camel Yamaha Team 1 ‘42,477 1 ‘59.360
2. Carlos checa Tech 3 Yamaha 1 ‘43.142 2 ‘00.551
3. Shinya nakano Kawasaki Racing Team 1 ‘43.245 2 ‘02.177
4. Colin edwards Camel Yamaha Team 1 ‘43.388 1 ‘57.102
5. Sete Gibernau Ducati Marlboro Team 1 ‘43,784 2 ‘06.724
6. Randy de Puniet Kawasaki Racing Team 1 ‘43,847 2 ‘01.249
7. John hopkins Rizla Suzuki 1 ‘43.885 2 ‘00.621
8. Nicky hayden Repsol Honda Team 1 ‘44.029 1 ‘58.921
9. Makoto tamada Konica Minolta Honda 1 ‘44,246 2 ‘02.197
10. Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 1 ‘44.369 2 ‘07.326
11. Kenny roberts Team Roberts 1 ‘44.407 2 ‘00.225
12. Marco melandri Fortuna Honda 1 ‘44.512 2 ‘00.218
13. Loris Capirossi Ducati Marlboro Team 1 ‘44.581 2 ‘05.073
14. Toni Elias Fortuna Honda 1 ‘44,702 2 ‘05.961
15. Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki 1 ‘45.001 2 ‘00.001
16. James ellison Tech 3 Yamaha 1 ‘45,488 1 ‘59.619
17. Jose luis cardoso Antin Pramac Team 1 ‘45.582 2 ‘06.846
18. Alex hofmann Antin Pramac team 1 ‘46,185 2 ‘04.003
19. Tadayuki Okada HRC 1 ‘47.020 –
20. Vittoriano Guareschi Ducati Marlboro Team 1 ‘47.379 5 ‘13.977

Pole position 2005: Sete Gibernau – Honda – 1’42.337
Best lap in the race: Valentino Rossi – Yamaha – 1 ‘43.195

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