25-07-2009, 12:32pm
It' another round of MotoGp so what will this weekend have installed for us, will it be wet or dry well who knows but the first round of free practice started out wet but had some drying lines by the end of the practice session.
Anyway read some of the gossip and results from the first day at Donington.
Last lap push gives Pedrosa early Donington Free Practice advantage
Friday, 24 July 2009
Spaniardâ€s 1â€38.627 lap opens up MotoGP practice for British Grand Prix.
Donington Park 2009 - MotoGP FP1 Highlights
A dry line and a determined effort from Dani Pedrosa at the Donington Park circuit on Friday gave the Repsol Honda rider the fastest time of Friday afternoon, in practice for the British Grand Prix. Pedrosa clocked a 1â€38.627 lap on his final lap of the day to continue his strong run of form from recent weeks, and take the early advantage ahead of this Sundayâ€s race.
Second quickest in the session, Casey Stoner recorded the fewest laps of any rider with 16 turns of the British track –some eleven fewer than Pedrosa. He was examining his Ducati Desmosedici GP9 in the garage whilst his rival was reducing his time by 0.245.
World Championship leader Valentino Rossi was third, ahead of Andrea Dovizioso and title challenger Jorge Lorenzo in a top five separated by half a second.
There were difficulties in the session for home rider James Toseland, who had a run off track during the session and was also unable to bring his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 bike back to the pits after an incident at the end of the session.
Track conditions were drier than the drenched 125cc session, although not completely dry.
Melandri keeping eye on flag-to-flag possibility
Friday, 24 July 2009
Italian prepares for any eventuality with sixth in FP1.
Melandri hoping for dry race
Marco Melandri would probably be more pleased than most riders to see a change in conditions midway through the British Grand Prix, as one of the most successful riders in flag-to-flag races. There is a possibility of such a situation arising at Donington Park, thus the Italian was analysing the exact point of peak performance during Friday afternoonâ€s drying Free Practice session.
“We could understand a bit how the bike works on the full wet tyres here today, and also try to understand when would be the best time to change bikes in the race if conditions were to be like that,†Melandri stated after placing sixth in the timed run with a 1â€39.130 lap.
“Iâ€m confident, because I feel good on the bike and in the dry I also think that we can get a good rhythm going.â€
Looking for further rear grip in the dry ahead of qualifying, the Hayate Racing rider is happy with his wet weather performance but still hopeful of a rain-free race.
“I would prefer to have a dry race because on this track it is very risky all the time. The grip level in the wet is very bad and it is difficult to work the left side of the tyre up to temperature during the race when you canâ€t wait many laps.â€
Melandri stunned with a second place flag-to-flag finish at the French round of the MotoGP World Championship at Le Mans, and was also the winner of the inaugural race to use the format back in 2006 at Phillip Island, Australia.
Rossi: Donington Free Practice “difficult but importantâ€
Friday, 24 July 2009
Reigning World Champion on Friday third place and Lorenzo speculation.
Rossi on early Donington going
Valentino Rossi has won in the wet before at Donington Park. A veteran of the track and a renowned wet weather expert, the reigning World Champion and current series leader needed no convincing as to the crucial need to work with his M1 under any conditions on Friday evening –a policy that took him up to third in the timesheets and only barely off the top spot.
“These strange conditions are always hard to ride in but it was important that we had some time in the wet today because we were able to understand our level. Weâ€re quite happy because I felt confident and I was able to be fast today,†said Rossi on the afternoon session, in which there was both a dry racing line and wet patches on the notoriously slippery British track.
“The conditions changed a lot during the hour and by the end it was mostly dry, which meant it was quite hard to ride with the wet tyres but we were still quite fast and in the end weâ€re third, which is a good start. Weâ€ve got a few modifications to make as usual after a Friday but we have a good base. Tomorrow it seems it will be completely dry so hopefully by the end of the day we will be ready for Sunday, whatever the weather,†he continued.
Expect Rossi to face competition from close to home this weekend, courtesy of teammate and persistent rival Jorge Lorenzo. The Spaniard is still undecided as to whether he will continue to share a partitioned garage with Rossi next season, but that is not something that overly alters the 30 year-oldâ€s perception of the young pretender to his crown.
“Jorge is a great rider and a great teammate; Iâ€ve heard the rumours about him going ot another team, but it doesnâ€t make a difference to me. Iâ€m already signed for next year, and I think that he will be a great rival on either a Yamaha or another bike,†he concluded.
Wet tyres all session for Capirossi and Vermeulen
Friday, 24 July 2009
Rizla Suzuki riders gain little from mixed Donington Park Free Practice conditions.
Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen were unable to get their set-ups in order on Friday afternoon at Donington Park. The duo used a wet tyre throughout the session, which although drying up did not leave good enough conditions for slick rubber.
Loris Capirossi -11th
"As I have said before, we need to have time on the bike to get it set-up the best for us. It seems that we keep getting really difficult weather that isn't helping us at all. Today we used a wet tyre for the whole session and at the end 85% of the track was dry and the rest was wet so it was difficult to be able to get anything done. We can hope that the weather is better tomorrow so we can work on the bike and if we can I am sure we will be in a good position for Sunday."
Chris Vermeulen -14th
"It was really strange conditions out there today, but I guess you could say that is just normal British weather! We had a huge downpour at the start of the session and the track was very wet and quite slippery. We worked hard - and quickly - on getting a good wet setting while the track was still wet and the bike worked well in those conditions. At the end the track dried a lot so we just tested some small things that didn't really rely on fast lap-times, which was useful because with how the track was there wasn't a lot else to be learnt out there. At the end I came in a bit early because the track had dried out in most places, but there was still a couple of wet patches and it seemed a bit too dangerous for slicks."
Hayden looks over first British Grand Prix session
Friday, 24 July 2009
Ducati Marlboro man tenth in Donington Friday practice session.
Hayden rues lack of dry time
Nicky Hayden gained precious little from a Friday practice run in mixed conditions. Tenth at Donington Park, the American hopes for drier weather on Saturday in order to set up his Ducati Desmosedici GP9 and continue his positive recent form at the British Grand Prix.
Nicky Hayden -10th
“Typical British weather! Itâ€s been like this since I got here at the start of the week. We started out in the wet and I didnâ€t have much feel to begin with but we made a couple of changes and got better and better as the session went on. On the last lap I went straight in the last corner and ran wide so I made a little error there. Basically the bike didnâ€t feel too good in the heavy rain but much better in the damp. The weather looks better for tomorrow so we hope thatâ€s the case because it was difficult to draw any conclusions today.â€
Tech 3 pair review Friday proceedings
Friday, 24 July 2009
Home rider James Toseland and his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Colin Edwards have improvements to make on Saturday at Donington.
Edwards gives Donington first impressions
The biggest weekend of the year for James Toseland sees him fighting for his MotoGP future at the British Grand Prix and the Yorkshireman will be aiming to up the pace on day two at Donington, having lapped 12th on the timesheet on Friday afternoon in mixed conditions. His satellite Yamaha colleague Colin Edwards was just in front of him in eighth.
Colin Edwards - 8th
“It was mixed conditions and that made it tough but it was probably the best conditions because we got some wet set-up time and at the end it was drying out really fast. And even though I was still on the wet tyres when it was dry, we gained a lot of information. I'm pretty happy because in the wet I was sitting in the top five comfortably and as it dried out I was looking good in the first three sections. But in the last section I was losing half-a-second. That was still the wettest section but I could have pushed harder. I felt like I was pushing but when you think you're on the edge you still might have another 15 per cent to go. But it's hard to gauge in those conditions until you're either on top of the charts or in the gravel trap. I think we learned a lot and we made some big progress with the front-end problems I've been having. We've been experimenting with body position to try and help improve the front and it seems to have worked. We're going more in (Jorge) Lorenzo's direction to get a bit more weight on the rear and not overloading the front. So I'm happy and looking for another good result at Donington.â€
James Toseland - 12th
“I didn't have much feeling with the bike when it was full wet but it just kept drying out and I knew the bike set-up would suit the conditions better when it was drying up. So I didn't think there was any point in coming if the track conditions were going to get better and I decided to stay out. I did a lot of laps in the mixed conditions in Germany last weekend and that really helped me out a lot today. I just kept improving and improving but unfortunately because I stayed out for the session I ran out of fuel right at the time when the track conditions were the best they had been for the whole hour. I wasn't sure how much time was left but having done 28 laps I knew it was going to be close on the fuel. It's a shame because I slipped down the order a little bit but I'm happy because most of that session I was right in the mix in the top six and it was pretty encouraging. This weekend is very important for me and as always I put my maximum effort into that session to start the weekend off on a positive note and I think I've done that. I've got unbelievable support here already and that makes me determined to get a good result on Sunday.â€
Fifth place for cool Lorenzo on day one
Friday, 24 July 2009
Fiat Yamahaâ€s title chasing Spanish youngster Jorge Lorenzo was satisfied with his performance on the first day of the British Grand Prix.
Lorenzo reviews FP1
Jorge Lorenzo was positive about the findings he and his Fiat Yamaha crew made on Friday at Donington when he reviewed a wet-dry first free practice.
Jorge Lorenzo - fifth
“Iâ€m really happy about this practice today because I felt comfortable on the bike and was able to brake quite late in the wet. I was pleased that we had a chance in the drier conditions later, because it showed what we need to work on for tomorrow. I had made a lot of laps in the rain so my tyre was quite worn by that time, when it was more dry, but anyway the times werenâ€t important for me today and Iâ€m just happy about my performance in the wet. We learnt a lot and now we will use this to improve tomorrow.
Pedrosa happy to be on top in FP1
Friday, 24 July 2009
Repsol Honda man tops Donington Park timesheet.
Pedrosa on late FP1 lap
Dani Pedrosa showed that he isnâ€t giving up in the battle for race victories with an early warning for his rivals at Donington Park. The Spaniard was fastest in the Friday practice session for the British Grand Prix, elated by the late lap that took him up to the top spot.
Dani Pedrosa -1st
“It feels great to be on top today and Iâ€m pleased with how we handled a tricky practice session. The conditions were continually changing and so we needed to make the best use of the track time to learn as much as we can. There are a few areas we can improve upon - such as the feeling from the bike when itâ€s really wet - and weâ€ll look at working on the settings for those conditions because the weather doesnâ€t look so stable for the weekend and we could see more rain on Sunday. It nearly dried out fully towards the end of the session but we stayed on wet tyres for the whole time and I think this was useful because you can have this sort of situation in the race. Weâ€re in reasonable shape for the rest of the weekend and I hope I can be in this position at the end of Sunday afternoon.â€
Dovizioso satisfied with Friday work in Donington
Friday, 24 July 2009
Repsol Honda man concentrating on Saturday afternoon session after wet run.
Dovizioso on rainy Donington run
Fourth fastest in Friday practice for the British Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso assesses his chances of a top grid position for the Sunday race as ‘decent†following the wet session.
“Iâ€m satisfied with the job we did today. Of course we need to tune the set-up and improve the traction in wet conditions, but this was a good way to begin the last British Grand Prix at Donington,†said the Repsol Honda rider, just over half a second down on teammate and fastest Friday man Dani Pedrosa.
The practice started in very wet conditions and I had a good feeling on the bike from the beginning of the session so Iâ€m pleased about that. The track had quite a reasonable level of grip and the pace I could set was good straight away.
“Conditions were changing all the time and in the last part of the session when the track was 90 per cent dry, I couldnâ€t set the fastest lap that I was capable of because I waited for a couple of laps and didnâ€t use the wet tyres to the maximum when they were new,†he reviewed.
Dovizioso had a disastrous qualifying session last time out in Germany, where he could only salvage eleventh on the grid under tricky conditions. The pressure is on the factory rider for race day after three consecutive DNFs, but at the moment his main focus is Saturday afternoon and what he expects to be a positive run.
“Iâ€m confident for tomorrow and I think we have a decent chance of getting a good grid position here,†he declared confidently.
ElÃas and De Angelis hoping for dry Saturday
Friday, 24 July 2009
Both San Carlo Honda Gresini riders look for improvements after wet-dry Friday run.
Toni Elias and Alex De Angelis were able to test their rain setting on a fully wet circuit at the start of the session following a heavy lunchtime storm but as the track dried it became more and more difficult to find a usefull configuration and tyre combination.
Toni Elias -9th
“In the wet we have to improve in a few areas but Iâ€m sure weâ€ll get plenty of opportunity this weekend to do that and I am convinced we can make massive improvements because the changes we need to make are pretty obvious ones. In the dry the conditions were really difficult. In the end ninth place isnâ€t good or bad, it is normal. Weâ€re not far off but it was tricky today – it was just a case of doing what you could when you were out on track. Hopefully tomorrow it stays dry all day so that we can get plenty of laps in but if it doesnâ€t it will be the same situation for everybody.â€
Alex De Angelis -17th
“In the end it was almost completely dry so I decided to come back to my box because there was no useful data to be obtained and weâ€d just have been out there destroying tyres, which is pointless. On my first two runs, which were in fully wet conditions, I was consistently between fifth and eighth place on the time sheets so that is good. We made some changes to the front and rear to try and find more grip because this circuit in particular is slippery when wet. We solved some things on the front but not so much on the rear so thatâ€s what weâ€ll be working on tomorrow if itâ€s wet again. Hopefully it isnâ€t though because I think we all want it to be dry!â€
Stoner pleased to get wet track time
Friday, 24 July 2009
Casey Stoner was second fastest on Friday at Donington in mixed conditions as the British Grand Prix got underway.
Stoner on pragmatic FP1
Some typically changeable weather provided a challenge for the MotoGP riders on the opening day of practice for the last ever visit to Donington, with the 2007 and 2008 British Grand Prix winner Casey Stoner dealing well with the wet and wet-dry conditions.
A mixture of sunshine and rain made it tough going on track but Stoner was not distracted as he lapped second quickest overall, just 0.245s behind pacesetter Dani Pedrosa, even though he only put in 17 laps.
“It was good to be able to test the wet setting today because weâ€ve struggled with it a little this year and we need time to work out the best solution,†Stoner commented. “Weâ€re still far from it at the moment but it felt quite good and we have a good base to work from now.â€
The Aussie youngster added, “Once we got some laps under our belt in the wet I decided to sit the rest of the session out because even though the track was drying it was very slippery and it would be foolish for us to risk an unnecessary crash on the first day of an important weekend. Hopefully weâ€ll get a couple of sessions in the dry tomorrow and ideally, from our point of view, weâ€d like it to be cool.â€
BRITISH GRAND PRIX
MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 1 Classification
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'38.627 260.497
2 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'38.872 262.399 0.245
3 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'38.917 261.002 0.290
4 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'39.069 258.747 0.442
5 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'39.105 261.572 0.478
6 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'39.130 259.744 0.503
7 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 1'39.209 261.445 0.582
8 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'39.379 259.058 0.752
9 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'39.755 252.269 1.128
10 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'40.116 254.592 1.489
11 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'40.419 256.836 1.792
12 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'40.522 255.558 1.895
13 41 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'40.850 258.127 2.223
14 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'41.467 256.836 2.840
15 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'41.861 255.134 3.234
16 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'42.210 258.561 3.583
17 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'42.696 253.515 4.069
Anyway read some of the gossip and results from the first day at Donington.
Last lap push gives Pedrosa early Donington Free Practice advantage
Friday, 24 July 2009
Spaniardâ€s 1â€38.627 lap opens up MotoGP practice for British Grand Prix.
Donington Park 2009 - MotoGP FP1 Highlights
A dry line and a determined effort from Dani Pedrosa at the Donington Park circuit on Friday gave the Repsol Honda rider the fastest time of Friday afternoon, in practice for the British Grand Prix. Pedrosa clocked a 1â€38.627 lap on his final lap of the day to continue his strong run of form from recent weeks, and take the early advantage ahead of this Sundayâ€s race.
Second quickest in the session, Casey Stoner recorded the fewest laps of any rider with 16 turns of the British track –some eleven fewer than Pedrosa. He was examining his Ducati Desmosedici GP9 in the garage whilst his rival was reducing his time by 0.245.
World Championship leader Valentino Rossi was third, ahead of Andrea Dovizioso and title challenger Jorge Lorenzo in a top five separated by half a second.
There were difficulties in the session for home rider James Toseland, who had a run off track during the session and was also unable to bring his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 bike back to the pits after an incident at the end of the session.
Track conditions were drier than the drenched 125cc session, although not completely dry.
Melandri keeping eye on flag-to-flag possibility
Friday, 24 July 2009
Italian prepares for any eventuality with sixth in FP1.
Melandri hoping for dry race
Marco Melandri would probably be more pleased than most riders to see a change in conditions midway through the British Grand Prix, as one of the most successful riders in flag-to-flag races. There is a possibility of such a situation arising at Donington Park, thus the Italian was analysing the exact point of peak performance during Friday afternoonâ€s drying Free Practice session.
“We could understand a bit how the bike works on the full wet tyres here today, and also try to understand when would be the best time to change bikes in the race if conditions were to be like that,†Melandri stated after placing sixth in the timed run with a 1â€39.130 lap.
“Iâ€m confident, because I feel good on the bike and in the dry I also think that we can get a good rhythm going.â€
Looking for further rear grip in the dry ahead of qualifying, the Hayate Racing rider is happy with his wet weather performance but still hopeful of a rain-free race.
“I would prefer to have a dry race because on this track it is very risky all the time. The grip level in the wet is very bad and it is difficult to work the left side of the tyre up to temperature during the race when you canâ€t wait many laps.â€
Melandri stunned with a second place flag-to-flag finish at the French round of the MotoGP World Championship at Le Mans, and was also the winner of the inaugural race to use the format back in 2006 at Phillip Island, Australia.
Rossi: Donington Free Practice “difficult but importantâ€
Friday, 24 July 2009
Reigning World Champion on Friday third place and Lorenzo speculation.
Rossi on early Donington going
Valentino Rossi has won in the wet before at Donington Park. A veteran of the track and a renowned wet weather expert, the reigning World Champion and current series leader needed no convincing as to the crucial need to work with his M1 under any conditions on Friday evening –a policy that took him up to third in the timesheets and only barely off the top spot.
“These strange conditions are always hard to ride in but it was important that we had some time in the wet today because we were able to understand our level. Weâ€re quite happy because I felt confident and I was able to be fast today,†said Rossi on the afternoon session, in which there was both a dry racing line and wet patches on the notoriously slippery British track.
“The conditions changed a lot during the hour and by the end it was mostly dry, which meant it was quite hard to ride with the wet tyres but we were still quite fast and in the end weâ€re third, which is a good start. Weâ€ve got a few modifications to make as usual after a Friday but we have a good base. Tomorrow it seems it will be completely dry so hopefully by the end of the day we will be ready for Sunday, whatever the weather,†he continued.
Expect Rossi to face competition from close to home this weekend, courtesy of teammate and persistent rival Jorge Lorenzo. The Spaniard is still undecided as to whether he will continue to share a partitioned garage with Rossi next season, but that is not something that overly alters the 30 year-oldâ€s perception of the young pretender to his crown.
“Jorge is a great rider and a great teammate; Iâ€ve heard the rumours about him going ot another team, but it doesnâ€t make a difference to me. Iâ€m already signed for next year, and I think that he will be a great rival on either a Yamaha or another bike,†he concluded.
Wet tyres all session for Capirossi and Vermeulen
Friday, 24 July 2009
Rizla Suzuki riders gain little from mixed Donington Park Free Practice conditions.
Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen were unable to get their set-ups in order on Friday afternoon at Donington Park. The duo used a wet tyre throughout the session, which although drying up did not leave good enough conditions for slick rubber.
Loris Capirossi -11th
"As I have said before, we need to have time on the bike to get it set-up the best for us. It seems that we keep getting really difficult weather that isn't helping us at all. Today we used a wet tyre for the whole session and at the end 85% of the track was dry and the rest was wet so it was difficult to be able to get anything done. We can hope that the weather is better tomorrow so we can work on the bike and if we can I am sure we will be in a good position for Sunday."
Chris Vermeulen -14th
"It was really strange conditions out there today, but I guess you could say that is just normal British weather! We had a huge downpour at the start of the session and the track was very wet and quite slippery. We worked hard - and quickly - on getting a good wet setting while the track was still wet and the bike worked well in those conditions. At the end the track dried a lot so we just tested some small things that didn't really rely on fast lap-times, which was useful because with how the track was there wasn't a lot else to be learnt out there. At the end I came in a bit early because the track had dried out in most places, but there was still a couple of wet patches and it seemed a bit too dangerous for slicks."
Hayden looks over first British Grand Prix session
Friday, 24 July 2009
Ducati Marlboro man tenth in Donington Friday practice session.
Hayden rues lack of dry time
Nicky Hayden gained precious little from a Friday practice run in mixed conditions. Tenth at Donington Park, the American hopes for drier weather on Saturday in order to set up his Ducati Desmosedici GP9 and continue his positive recent form at the British Grand Prix.
Nicky Hayden -10th
“Typical British weather! Itâ€s been like this since I got here at the start of the week. We started out in the wet and I didnâ€t have much feel to begin with but we made a couple of changes and got better and better as the session went on. On the last lap I went straight in the last corner and ran wide so I made a little error there. Basically the bike didnâ€t feel too good in the heavy rain but much better in the damp. The weather looks better for tomorrow so we hope thatâ€s the case because it was difficult to draw any conclusions today.â€
Tech 3 pair review Friday proceedings
Friday, 24 July 2009
Home rider James Toseland and his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Colin Edwards have improvements to make on Saturday at Donington.
Edwards gives Donington first impressions
The biggest weekend of the year for James Toseland sees him fighting for his MotoGP future at the British Grand Prix and the Yorkshireman will be aiming to up the pace on day two at Donington, having lapped 12th on the timesheet on Friday afternoon in mixed conditions. His satellite Yamaha colleague Colin Edwards was just in front of him in eighth.
Colin Edwards - 8th
“It was mixed conditions and that made it tough but it was probably the best conditions because we got some wet set-up time and at the end it was drying out really fast. And even though I was still on the wet tyres when it was dry, we gained a lot of information. I'm pretty happy because in the wet I was sitting in the top five comfortably and as it dried out I was looking good in the first three sections. But in the last section I was losing half-a-second. That was still the wettest section but I could have pushed harder. I felt like I was pushing but when you think you're on the edge you still might have another 15 per cent to go. But it's hard to gauge in those conditions until you're either on top of the charts or in the gravel trap. I think we learned a lot and we made some big progress with the front-end problems I've been having. We've been experimenting with body position to try and help improve the front and it seems to have worked. We're going more in (Jorge) Lorenzo's direction to get a bit more weight on the rear and not overloading the front. So I'm happy and looking for another good result at Donington.â€
James Toseland - 12th
“I didn't have much feeling with the bike when it was full wet but it just kept drying out and I knew the bike set-up would suit the conditions better when it was drying up. So I didn't think there was any point in coming if the track conditions were going to get better and I decided to stay out. I did a lot of laps in the mixed conditions in Germany last weekend and that really helped me out a lot today. I just kept improving and improving but unfortunately because I stayed out for the session I ran out of fuel right at the time when the track conditions were the best they had been for the whole hour. I wasn't sure how much time was left but having done 28 laps I knew it was going to be close on the fuel. It's a shame because I slipped down the order a little bit but I'm happy because most of that session I was right in the mix in the top six and it was pretty encouraging. This weekend is very important for me and as always I put my maximum effort into that session to start the weekend off on a positive note and I think I've done that. I've got unbelievable support here already and that makes me determined to get a good result on Sunday.â€
Fifth place for cool Lorenzo on day one
Friday, 24 July 2009
Fiat Yamahaâ€s title chasing Spanish youngster Jorge Lorenzo was satisfied with his performance on the first day of the British Grand Prix.
Lorenzo reviews FP1
Jorge Lorenzo was positive about the findings he and his Fiat Yamaha crew made on Friday at Donington when he reviewed a wet-dry first free practice.
Jorge Lorenzo - fifth
“Iâ€m really happy about this practice today because I felt comfortable on the bike and was able to brake quite late in the wet. I was pleased that we had a chance in the drier conditions later, because it showed what we need to work on for tomorrow. I had made a lot of laps in the rain so my tyre was quite worn by that time, when it was more dry, but anyway the times werenâ€t important for me today and Iâ€m just happy about my performance in the wet. We learnt a lot and now we will use this to improve tomorrow.
Pedrosa happy to be on top in FP1
Friday, 24 July 2009
Repsol Honda man tops Donington Park timesheet.
Pedrosa on late FP1 lap
Dani Pedrosa showed that he isnâ€t giving up in the battle for race victories with an early warning for his rivals at Donington Park. The Spaniard was fastest in the Friday practice session for the British Grand Prix, elated by the late lap that took him up to the top spot.
Dani Pedrosa -1st
“It feels great to be on top today and Iâ€m pleased with how we handled a tricky practice session. The conditions were continually changing and so we needed to make the best use of the track time to learn as much as we can. There are a few areas we can improve upon - such as the feeling from the bike when itâ€s really wet - and weâ€ll look at working on the settings for those conditions because the weather doesnâ€t look so stable for the weekend and we could see more rain on Sunday. It nearly dried out fully towards the end of the session but we stayed on wet tyres for the whole time and I think this was useful because you can have this sort of situation in the race. Weâ€re in reasonable shape for the rest of the weekend and I hope I can be in this position at the end of Sunday afternoon.â€
Dovizioso satisfied with Friday work in Donington
Friday, 24 July 2009
Repsol Honda man concentrating on Saturday afternoon session after wet run.
Dovizioso on rainy Donington run
Fourth fastest in Friday practice for the British Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso assesses his chances of a top grid position for the Sunday race as ‘decent†following the wet session.
“Iâ€m satisfied with the job we did today. Of course we need to tune the set-up and improve the traction in wet conditions, but this was a good way to begin the last British Grand Prix at Donington,†said the Repsol Honda rider, just over half a second down on teammate and fastest Friday man Dani Pedrosa.
The practice started in very wet conditions and I had a good feeling on the bike from the beginning of the session so Iâ€m pleased about that. The track had quite a reasonable level of grip and the pace I could set was good straight away.
“Conditions were changing all the time and in the last part of the session when the track was 90 per cent dry, I couldnâ€t set the fastest lap that I was capable of because I waited for a couple of laps and didnâ€t use the wet tyres to the maximum when they were new,†he reviewed.
Dovizioso had a disastrous qualifying session last time out in Germany, where he could only salvage eleventh on the grid under tricky conditions. The pressure is on the factory rider for race day after three consecutive DNFs, but at the moment his main focus is Saturday afternoon and what he expects to be a positive run.
“Iâ€m confident for tomorrow and I think we have a decent chance of getting a good grid position here,†he declared confidently.
ElÃas and De Angelis hoping for dry Saturday
Friday, 24 July 2009
Both San Carlo Honda Gresini riders look for improvements after wet-dry Friday run.
Toni Elias and Alex De Angelis were able to test their rain setting on a fully wet circuit at the start of the session following a heavy lunchtime storm but as the track dried it became more and more difficult to find a usefull configuration and tyre combination.
Toni Elias -9th
“In the wet we have to improve in a few areas but Iâ€m sure weâ€ll get plenty of opportunity this weekend to do that and I am convinced we can make massive improvements because the changes we need to make are pretty obvious ones. In the dry the conditions were really difficult. In the end ninth place isnâ€t good or bad, it is normal. Weâ€re not far off but it was tricky today – it was just a case of doing what you could when you were out on track. Hopefully tomorrow it stays dry all day so that we can get plenty of laps in but if it doesnâ€t it will be the same situation for everybody.â€
Alex De Angelis -17th
“In the end it was almost completely dry so I decided to come back to my box because there was no useful data to be obtained and weâ€d just have been out there destroying tyres, which is pointless. On my first two runs, which were in fully wet conditions, I was consistently between fifth and eighth place on the time sheets so that is good. We made some changes to the front and rear to try and find more grip because this circuit in particular is slippery when wet. We solved some things on the front but not so much on the rear so thatâ€s what weâ€ll be working on tomorrow if itâ€s wet again. Hopefully it isnâ€t though because I think we all want it to be dry!â€
Stoner pleased to get wet track time
Friday, 24 July 2009
Casey Stoner was second fastest on Friday at Donington in mixed conditions as the British Grand Prix got underway.
Stoner on pragmatic FP1
Some typically changeable weather provided a challenge for the MotoGP riders on the opening day of practice for the last ever visit to Donington, with the 2007 and 2008 British Grand Prix winner Casey Stoner dealing well with the wet and wet-dry conditions.
A mixture of sunshine and rain made it tough going on track but Stoner was not distracted as he lapped second quickest overall, just 0.245s behind pacesetter Dani Pedrosa, even though he only put in 17 laps.
“It was good to be able to test the wet setting today because weâ€ve struggled with it a little this year and we need time to work out the best solution,†Stoner commented. “Weâ€re still far from it at the moment but it felt quite good and we have a good base to work from now.â€
The Aussie youngster added, “Once we got some laps under our belt in the wet I decided to sit the rest of the session out because even though the track was drying it was very slippery and it would be foolish for us to risk an unnecessary crash on the first day of an important weekend. Hopefully weâ€ll get a couple of sessions in the dry tomorrow and ideally, from our point of view, weâ€d like it to be cool.â€
BRITISH GRAND PRIX
MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 1 Classification
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'38.627 260.497
2 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'38.872 262.399 0.245
3 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'38.917 261.002 0.290
4 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'39.069 258.747 0.442
5 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'39.105 261.572 0.478
6 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'39.130 259.744 0.503
7 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 1'39.209 261.445 0.582
8 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'39.379 259.058 0.752
9 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'39.755 252.269 1.128
10 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'40.116 254.592 1.489
11 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'40.419 256.836 1.792
12 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'40.522 255.558 1.895
13 41 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'40.850 258.127 2.223
14 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'41.467 256.836 2.840
15 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'41.861 255.134 3.234
16 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'42.210 258.561 3.583
17 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'42.696 253.515 4.069