MotoGP – Suzuki harass Doctor … –

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Suzuki harass Doctor…

MotoGP - Suzuki harass Doctor ... -

Valentino Rossi may well have completed these first winter tests at the top of the standings, the Suzuki nonetheless remain the stars of this second session in Malaysia! Note also the excellent 6th time of Randy de Puniet. Report !

The second series of Sepang tests was particularly trying: for the pilots first of all, forced to withstand heat exceeding 35 ° C – or even 100 ° C for the air circulating between the fairing and the engine – and a humidity oscillating between 50 and 75%, all on a particularly physical route including several extremely hard braking.

"What bothered them the most, especially on the first lap of each session, was the pain in the palms of their hands, made swollen and sore from the temperature, friction and contact with the handlebars.", testifies Doctor Costa whose Clinica Mobile had to supply pot holders (protective gloves) to Rossi, Edwards, Jacque, Barros and Guintoli.

Their comrades also experienced their share of inconvenience: Pedrosa, Melandri and Hayden were recovering from operations suffered a few weeks earlier, Hofmann fell ill on the second day and Stoner had to deal with violent cramps in his forearms, which luckily controlled. by the medical team of the Intercontinental Circus.

However, unless Sylvain Guintoli suffered a bad crash, none of the riders present would have given way to another: the pre-season testing is essential and the pleasure of driving a MotoGP is too great ( read) !

The 800cc: a big challenge for the tires

After the riders, the tires were without a doubt the biggest challenge this week. Reduced to 800 cc instead of 990, the queens of motorcycles still require increased attention from their manufacturer. !

For example, Michelin has offered its pilots a new 16-inch front tire – compared to the usual 16.5 – which Rossi himself has won over. At Bridgestone, Loris Capirossi noticed that "the GP7 requires qualifying tires different from those used on the 1000, because you stay on the angle for a longer time and that tires the soft tires more".

"The tires will be crucial for the new 800 cc", confirms Yutaka Hirano, technical manager of the Honda Konica Minolta team..

But many other factors also come into play, such as the morale at the start of the first race….

Best time of the three days, Rossi is naturally satisfied with his tests but does not hide the fact that the new M1 can be improved: "we had an important technical meeting and we drew some interesting conclusions, which will help the Yamaha engineers to improve our new bike".

Doc scores points

After dropping below 2’01 – he is the only one – thanks to a set of qualifying tires, the Italian Doctor continued his study on the new 16-inch front tire, convinced that it will be of benefit to his Yamaha. Vale also worked on their new inline 4-cylinder, focusing more on "the arrival of power than on the power itself".

Valentino Rossi therefore scores big points against his opponents … But who are they really? Because the first two days, it was neither the official Honda of Hayden or Pedrosa, nor the equally official Ducatis of Capirossi and Stoner that worried the n ° 46…

The Suz make you dizzy

In fact, it was the Suzuki de Vermeulen and Hopkins who tormented the seven-time world champion the most. Hopkins in particular, since the Anglo-American ranks best driver Monday and Tuesday before setting the second best time on Wednesday, one tenth behind Rossi !

The performance of n ° 21 is all the more impressive as he only put on his soft tires on the third day, beating Rossi and the whole field "on a regular basis" the previous days. !

"We tested a lot of tires for Bridgestone and everything went very wellJohn assures us.I tried qualifying tires since I had never experienced them on the 800 before and it’s good to see that they worked well", he rejoices.

His team manager Paul Denning does not hesitate to assert that his motorcycles are already competitive, with proof: the time obtained by John during his 20 consecutive laps was 41 minutes and one second, compared with his lap time. 2006 of 41 minutes and 8 seconds "."The test could not have gone better, apart from perhaps Mr. Rossi who ran 0.09 seconds faster on the qualifying tire ‘, preventing John from being the fastest over all three days.", adds Paul…

Nevertheless, the boss of the Suzuki team wants to remain lucid: "Sepang is a good track for the Bridgestones and historically relatively good for the GSV-Rs. So we look forward to going to Australia (next week, Editor’s note). We hope to be as close to the other motorcycles, because we struggled there last year", he retains despite the second place of his foal Vermeulen in the Grand Prix, acquired it is true in precarious weather conditions !

Capirossi still in the game

Third in the final standings, Loris Capirossi did not instantly find the right rhythm. But regardless, the results are there: with 2 ‘01.274 in qualifying tires, "Capi-T-Rex" achieved a superb 2’ 02.146 after eleven laps on race tires! A good performance in view of the best time in the 2006 race, recorded by the same driver on GP6: 2 ‘02.127.

The little Italian therefore tackles the next Phillip Island tests "confident"and especially impatient to ride on one of his favorite circuits. Last year during the same winter tests (read), Capi and his former teammate Sete Gibernau had imposed themselves thanks to their soft tires. But since then , Bridgestone hard compounds have made enormous progress: new red tide in prospect ?

The rookies have grown up !

Behind this top trio are four drivers – including three former rookies – particularly close to each other.

For a few hundredths of a second, Dani Pedrosa came fourth in practice. Second Michelin driver, the young Spaniard is more careful than Rossi when it comes to the use of the new 16-inch tires: "it’s still early and it’s difficult to give a definitive answer about them, but the feeling was good so they may represent the future".

Visibly more at ease on the RC212V than his teammate Nicky Hayden, the young Spaniard regrets the Jerez tests he won (read) and is counting on "analyze data and find ways to improve".

For his part, Chris Vermeulen (5th) is delighted to have been able to benefit from "three days of dry weather, which is rather unusual in Malaysia", remarks the Australian who had never turned so fast in Sepang.

Just like her teammate Hopkins, Chris signed an encouraging racing simulation as she was "faster than my race last year despite the drizzle at the end of the circuit". For his second year in the premier class, the 2005 vice world Superbike champion will be one to watch very closely. !

But he is a pilot that the French will not fail to follow and support Randy de Puniet! Sixth fastest time in practice, the Parisian proves once again that he knows how to be extremely swift but especially reassures about the maturity of the Kawasaki project.

Randy at the forefront

"I am impressed with the bike and especially the progress Kawasaki engineers have enabled it to achieve in just six weeks.", confirms Randy (read). The Frenchman was therefore able to climb into the middle of the Repsol Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki – and beat the GP7s and the other RC212Vs! -, while his 800 cc was reluctant to leave his Malay box there two months !

However, caution remains in order: Nakano, third best driver in qualifying – behind Hayden and Edwards – during the 2006 season riding the old ZX-RR, finished the championship in 14th place, proof if any. the chrono had to be far from being the absolute reference…

A sign that there is still a long way to go, at the end of the race simulation Randy saw his lap times "drop slightly"."This is a point that we will have to study more precisely during our next tests.", logically concludes the new n ° 14 !

Cramped hayden

Six thousandths behind Randy, the new American "Number One" is chomping at the bit. Forced by his doctor to resume his activity "without doing too much"- but is it only possible at their level? – Nicky Hayden must especially get used to the idea that he will defend his title on the handlebars of a pocket bike !

"In the straight line, I feel a little tossed about by the wind and this is where I waste time", analyzes the teammate of Dani" Asimo "Pedrosa before hesitating:"I don’t know if it’s due to engine performance or aerodynamics"…

Still, for the Kentucky Kid, the 2007 season promises to be more difficult than ever … The next tests at Phillip Island will give a more precise idea of ​​the level of competitiveness of the American on the new Honda: aerodynamics plays a less prominent role there than in the two great Malay straights and his shoulder will be relieved, "because there are no too powerful braking there", observes Nicky.

Teamwork at Yamaha

Colin Edwards is the last driver to be in the same second as Valentino Rossi. But the best lap times do not matter for the American, because the latter did not wear soft tires during the whole of the tests. "I come home very happy with her three excellent days at work", assures n ° 5.

After exploring a few tire tracks, the Texan Tornado tried the gums used by his Italian teammate and instantly adopted them. "We played around with the settings a bit too", says Colin,"and tested a few things Valentino used, but actually I liked my settings better so we came back to it".

Teamwork to which Davide Brivio – their director – visibly attaches great importance: "Valentino and Colin exchanged a lot of information between them and this is very important in this time of development.".

Stoner and Melandri in pain

Ninth, Casey Stoner had three difficult days: in addition to his forearm cramps, the young Australian took time to adjust his new Italian mount but in his defense did not take advantage of qualifying tires to climb to the ranking.

"We changed the settings a lot and at midday (Wednesday, Editor’s note) I was a bit lost because I couldn’t find the right solution … But my team was great and in the end we solved the problem and found the right way forward !", reassures n ° 27.

Behind the young Ducati rookie is a Marco Melandri "satisfied"but disappointing. Although he has"followed a busy schedule" and even "achieved the objectives set", we expected a better time from the Italian hedgehog.

His race simulation was not more successful since after twelve laps Marco had to return to the pits: "I was in too much pain in my right foot from the heat", regrets the n ° 33 on his RC212V practically devoid of side fairing. Satisfied on the other hand by Bridgestones which he tames little by little, his boot problem will be his priority for Phillip Island: the difficulties are also where they are. don’t wait !

Veterans take their time

Fourth fastest time on Tuesday on race tires, Alex Barros congratulated himself on the work accomplished on his Ducati d’Antin. Despite an above-average build, "I feel very comfortable on the bike"Says the Brazilian who is ahead of another driver who is also very experienced but much less comfortable on the tiny Honda: Carlos Checa.

"As it is the smallest motorcycle in the category, I have to adapt my body to improve my aerodynamics", comments Carlos who like Nicky had to follow a diet: less 3 kg this winter! Fortunately, Honda should provide them"a new saddle and a higher screen"for Australia.

Highlight of these tests: Checa and Roberts Jr have exchanged their mounts in order to give the two teams – Honda supplies its last V4 to KR – their respective impressions. Thus, we note that Kenny Roberts found the RC212V "more stable at high speed"than its KR212V !

Elias is confident

Two seconds behind Doctor Rossi is Toni Elias. His surprise victory at the Estoril GP – which earned him to stay with Team Gresini – seems a long way off, but the young Spaniard is not overly worried….

"I am not satisfied with my time", Toni admits before continuing:"but I’m not worried, for the moment it’s more important to work on the pace of the race". A very relevant remark from a driver much more impressive in fighting than against the clock. !

Behind the n ° 24 point Alex Hofmann and his Ducati GP7. Weakened on Tuesday and Wednesday, the German driver was unable to fully exploit his set of qualifying tires and ended up in 14th place. Concentrated on his basic settings, the second Alex of the D’Antin team seems to have found a good direction but considers having still "a lot to do".

Makoto and Roberts Jr at Nakano Aspi

But the biggest disappointment undoubtedly comes from Shinya Nakano, who is already fighting against vibrations affecting "the front of the motorcycle and making it difficult to maintain good speed in curves", unfortunately essential on the new small 800.

The Japanese reassured himself by recalling that the other teams had already come to this track in November, unlike him … But it is difficult not to draw the parallel with the concerns of the front axle – equipped with Michelin – encountered by his compatriot Tamada in the same team the last two seasons.

Fortunately for Super Shinya, the good performances of the late Kato are there to remind him that the trio "Japanese rider, Honda motorcycle and Michelin tires" can be quite successful. !

Makoto Tamada places his Yamaha equipped with Dunlop just behind the RC121V of his replacement, while Kenny Roberts Jr on the KR212V, finished 17th in practice. Let’s hope for the Kenny Roberts team that the 800 cc era lasts long enough: the switch to 4-stroke had buried the hopes of an increasingly ambitious 3-cylinder 2-stroke Proton, while the 800 cc era has cut the momentum of a competitive KR211V !

OJ wants to surprise

Olivier Jacque on his Ninja finished two and a half seconds behind Rossi, but that in no way diminished his optimism: "we found some pretty good default settings and we also identified a few changes that will improve the situation in our next tests", carefully notes OJ.

Randy on the clock, Olivier on the background: "we have to keep working and keep our motivation because if we do that I think we might surprise a few in the first race", foresees the Chinese" hair on ze soup " !

Finally, Sylvain Guintoli brings up the rear: the rookie, Tamada’s teammate in the French Tech3 team, did not participate in the last day, victim of falls on Monday and Tuesday. He is less than 3.5 seconds from the leader thanks to his time on Monday.

For the next tests, the teams will split into two groups: the Honda and the Ducati will run from January 30 to February 1 on the Phillip Island circuit, while the Kawasaki and the Yamaha will return to Sepang on February 5, 6 and 7. . Stay connected !

Pilot Motorcycle – Tire On Monday Tuesday Wednesday
1 Rossi V. Yamaha – M 2 ‘03.184 2 ‘02.619 2 ‘00.936
2 Hopkins J. Suzuki – B 2 ‘02.277 2 ‘01.806 2 ‘01.026
3 Capirossi L. Ducati – B 2 ‘03.538 2 ‘02.793 2 ‘01.274
4 Pedrosa D. Honda – M 2 ‘03.620 2 ‘03.098 2 ‘01.664
5 Vermeulen C. Suzuki – B 2 ‘03.049 2 ‘02.275 2 ‘01.691
6 By Puniet R. Kawasaki – B 2 ‘03.542 2 ‘02.806 2 ‘01.878
7 Hayden N. Honda – M 2 ‘03.413 2 ‘02.948 2 ‘01.884
8 Edwards C. Yamaha – M 2 ‘03.337 2 ‘01.930 2 ‘02.266
9 Stoner C. Ducati – B 2 ‘03.944 2 ‘03.190 2 ‘02.407
10 Melandri M. Honda – B 2 ‘04.270 2 ‘03.253 2 ‘02.489
11 Barros A. Ducati – B 2 ‘04.011 2 ‘02.538 2 ‘02.630
12 Checa C. Honda – M 2 ‘04.101 2 ‘03.681 2 ‘02.583
13 Elias T. Honda – B 2 ‘04.710 2 ‘04.124 2 ‘02.927
14 Hofmann A. Ducati – B 2 ‘04.003 2 ‘03.895 2 ‘03.040
15 Nakano S. Honda – M 2 ‘04.138 2 ‘03.633 2 ‘03.077
16 Tamada M. Yamaha – D 2 ‘03.785 2 ‘04.350 2 ‘03.308
17 Roberts jr k. KR Honda – M 2 ‘04.088 2 ‘03.800 2 ‘03.330
18 Jacque O. Kawasaki – B 2 ‘04.718 2 ‘04.171 2 ‘03.592
19 Ito S. Ducati – B 2 ‘04.641 2 ‘03.700 2 ‘03.973
20 Guintoli S. Yamaha – D 2 ‘04.403 2 ‘04.892 –

Best lap in the race: 2 ‘02.127 – Loris Capirossi – Ducati (2006)
Best time: 2 ‘00.605 – Valentino Rossi – Yamaha (2006)
Best lap on 800 cc: 2 ‘01.63 – John Hopkins – Suzuki (nov 2006)

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